Communicating CSR is More Challenging than Paying CSR

In spite of the research on CSR being 50 years old, there is still no common definition of CSR. This field of study is not only theoretical & conceptually poor, but is also empirically unexplored. This is also true for CSR communication. CSR activities need to communicate because they may influence opinion leader’s behavior regarding a target organization. This potential for exploring CSR communication has lead us to develop a study that focuses on CSR communication practice & it’s challenges. Communicating CSR means not only communicating a company’s behavior through standards or codes of conduct, but also communicating about very long projects. From this argument, we draw the conclusion that conscious communication of CSR is difficult, but necessary. Since creating stakeholder awareness & managing stakeholder attributes are key prerequisite for reaping the strategic benefits of any business initiative, it is imperative for board members & senior executives instituting a CSR program to have deeper understanding of key issues related to CSR communication. These include questions surrounding what to communicate, where to communicate, as well as an understanding of the factors that influence the effectiveness of a CSR campaign. Communicating CSR is a very delicate matter, & a key challenge of CSR communication is how to minimize stakeholder skepticism & to convey intrinsic motives in a company’s CSR activities. This paper explores the various communication channels for CSR, their communication objectives, & challenges posed by the companies for communicating CSR.