مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد متخصصان روابط عمومی و مشارکت در برنامه CSR ( الزویر )

مقاله سال 2016

There has been some debate in relation as to who should manage and implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes (L’Etang, Lugo-Ocando, Ahmed, 2011, p. 170). In some cases these debates have centred in the incorporation and use of public relations professionals within the remit of CSR activities (Bartlett, Tywoniak, Hatcher, 2007, p. 281). This because communication is a key component of these programmes both in terms of using them to strengthen the reputation of the companies (Bebbington, Larrinaga, & Moneva, 2008, p. 337) as well as the need to engage stakeholders and the general public in order to achieve its wider objectives. However, one ofthe most common experiences – atleastin Spain – is thatthese same organisations have been reluctant to incorporate public relations professionals in the core design and implementation of their CSR programmes and only use tangentially their own public relations departments in order to disseminate final outcomes and achievements of their CSR-related programmes.

This last happens despite the fact that an important body of research indicates that the origins, theories, processes, and primary responsibilities between public relations and CSR are similar (Clark, 2000; L’Etang et al., 2011; Sriramesh, Ng, Ting, & Wanyin, 2007). These scholarly comparisons have also highlighted a key difference whereby effective communication methods and professional communication approaches are largely absent from the social responsibility practice and liter- ture. These same scholars have indicated the need to include such techniques in order to enhance the development and overall impact of managing corporate-stakeholder relationships (Clark, 2000, p. 363). This clearly suggests that a more active involvement of public relations in the realm of CSR could greatly benefit both areas not only by making more dynamic the overall public engagement of CSR with its audiences, stakeholders and general public, but also by allowing public relations to link more actively with one of the key areas of the modern organisation.

This article examines the type of contributions that public relations professionals make towards CSR programmes, while discussing the issues and obstacles they face to enter into that professional area. To do so, the authors have looked at the top 35 publically owned companies in Spain, which are part of the so-called IBEX35® quoted in the Madrid stock market (known as BME). The research included 28 semi-structured interviews with managers responsible of CSR in these organisations and interpretative analysis of 33 official documents and reports.