Are Stakeholders Engaged About Corporate Social Responsibility? Representations of CSR in the Puerto Rican Media Industry
11th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility, May 2012
14 Pages Posted: 8 Jun 2013
Date Written: May 1, 2012
Abstract
Since many decades ago the practice of corporate social responsibility has gained importance in our society. We have also witnesses in recent years of a growing number of companies including social responsibility practices in their daily operations. What is the reason of this increase? A possible explanation could be that different groups of stakeholders are demanding better practices in economic, social, and environment areas. But, are stakeholders generally aware of the different CSR initiatives that companies perform? How customers react and feel about CSR programs? Do they have sufficient information to understand what CSR means and its importance at the moment of purchase decisions?
These issues are analyzed in this paper by means of a qualitative methodology conducted to 49 individuals. The goal of this investigation is to study the different perspectives and attitudes of stakeholders in Puerto Rico about the practice of corporate social responsibility in the media industry. The Puerto Rican newspaper “El Nuevo Día” was taken into account as a case of study to understand consumers’ perceptions and orientations toward corporate social and environmental initiatives. Interviews and focus groups were carried out to internal stakeholders (administrative personnel, journalists, and top management) and external stakeholders of this newspaper (readers, students, professors, and consultants). It is fundamental that Puerto Rican companies should include different groups of stakeholders into the CSR process (planning, developing, and reporting), in order to have a truly commitment with CSR initiatives, that can fulfill the expectations of the Puerto Rican society. But also importantly, the media has a fundamental role in communicating and reporting about CSR practices in order to reach an understandable notion of social responsibility (Gomez, 2012).
Keywords: corporate social responsibility, mass media, stakeholders, Puerto Rico
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