Conclusion

The three studies in combination address the overall research question posed in the beginning of the dissertation. Hence, the studies suggest that companies primarily support internal and institutional objectives instead of acknowledging and incorporating consumer expectations in their corporate communication. This conclusion does not necessarily reflect a corporate world indifferent to

146 consumer attitudes and expectations, but rather that the perception, or the framing, of what CSR is and should be differs greatly from consumers and companies. This entails that current CSR engagement and communication, as explored in this project, does not facilitate a bridging of understandings between companies and consumers.

Corporate acknowledgement and incorporation of consumer frames of CSR may possibly alleviate the reported difficulties of communicating CSR. By applying framing strategies of CSR communication based on competence and personally-oriented values, CSR messages might serve as a company-consumer mediator. This dissertation does not, however, argue that the framing strategy should be based on a business case approach, as the term competence might suggest, but rather on an approach supportive of young consumer’s understanding of CSR as being a natural component of modern business life. In order to do so, companies need to continuously monitor their environment and endeavor to engage stakeholders in communication and keep track of attitude changes (value changes) in young consumers and in society at large. As a concept, CSR continually changes meaning and focus in the eyes of stakeholders, and corporations constantly need to be attentive and adapt to changes in society and consumers. If corporations succeed in doing so, CSR possibly holds potential of creating the value platform upon which companies and consumer can meet and create some sort of connection or common understanding to the benefit of both parties involved.

In the process of exploring the research questions in the three studies, the dissertation contributes theoretically by expanding our knowledge on the concepts of skepticism and framing in relation to CSR communication. The traditional corporate attempts to curb skepticism do not necessarily generate the best perceptions of a company and its communication. A communication strategy resting on the framing of CSR discourse by way of corporate competence and personal relevance seems to offer a way to decrease consumer wariness of CSR motives. The dissertation furthermore contributes empirically by generating knowledge of the under-researched stakeholder group of young consumers. Skepticism towards corporate social engagement is not very prevalent in this group as its view on corporations’ role in society differs from the traditional perception of that role.

The empirical identification of parallel, but very different, corporate value systems further adds to a deeper understanding of the CSR communication paradox. Finally, the dissertation empirically demonstrates how the theoretical framework of value systems is applicable as both a tool for analyzing the dynamics in CSR communication and for the production of CSR messages.

To conclude, the difficulties of aligning or bridging corporate and CSR values leads to the question of whether the communication of CSR will inevitably entail a choice between hypocrisy or discrepancy? Here, it is argued that the answer to that question is a no. Dynamic framing of CSR messages offers a potential solution. Hence, it is suggested that CSR communication, in a time characterized by increasing consumer demands, may serve as a bridge between company and consumer; a place where shared values can be created, developed and maintained.

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SUMMARIES

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14. English Summary

Companies are under increasing pressure to engage in social and environmental issues. Leading professional and industrial bodies, experts, politicians, and opinion-formers agree that there is an urgent need to focus on sustainable development and growth. A way to contribute to achieving sustainability is for companies to embrace the notion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Not only is it expected of corporations that they engage in CSR, they also have to communicate about it.

Especially in a Scandinavian context, the increasing demands for companies to explain and express their initiatives in relation to CSR can be perceived as a challenge. Denmark, for example, has had no tradition for communicating explicitly about CSR even though companies have been working professionally and strategically with the concept for years. The explanation for the very implicit approach to the work with and communication of CSR is probably found in the socio-cultural context. Contrary to many other countries, Scandinavian countries have traditionally had a very high level of welfare, which has not led to a pronounced and explicit corporate commitment to responsibility by way of e.g. health care and education. However, the traditional Scandinavian welfare model is not as strong as it used to be, which may partly explain why companies experience an increasing interest in CSR from their stakeholders. This is where the dissertation takes its starting point.

The dissertation poses the following overall research question:

Do companies’ CSR aspirations and commitments primarily support internal and institutional objectives, or do they reflect and respond to consumers’ expectations of corporate responsible behavior in their corporate communication in a way that supports a bridging of understandings between companies and consume

The dissertation takes the form of a compilation consisting of three individual research articles which are embedded in a meta-text. The three empirical studies address the research question from the perspectives of consumers, companies, and the communication that connects them.

Article 1, Consumer-oriented CSR communication: focusing on ability or morality?, investigates and maps young consumers’ attitudes and expectations to companies’ CSR engagement and related communication from a value-theoretical perspective.

Article 2, Identical or Just Compatible? The Utility of Corporate Identity Values in Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility, explores the value systems which a group of Danish companies have adopted as the foundation for their CSR and corporate identity communication and the nature of the interplay between these value systems.

Article 3, Introducing Value-Based Framing as a Strategy for Communicating CSR, tests how different framings of CSR messages affect consumer perceptions of both CSR communication and the company behind. In this study, the threads are pulled together from the two previous articles in that the value-based frames identified in studies 1 and 2 are operationalized in four CSR texts and tested on a target audience consisting of young consumers.

150 The dissertation takes a problem-oriented, pragmatic approach allowing the research interest and its derived questions to guide the choice of method. Hence, the dissertation employs both quantitative and qualitative methods: Article 1 is based on data from an online questionnaire completed by young Danish consumers, article 2 draws on interview data and website texts from six large Danish companies, and article 3 on data from an online survey inspired by experimental design.

The contributions of the dissertation are both theoretical and empirical. Theoretically, it contributes by modifying the importance of skepticism when working with communication aimed at young consumers. The reason for this was found in the first empirical study showing that young consumers’ perception of CSR is based on CSR being an integrated part of contemporary business where CSR is not a moral or an ethical add-on. The second empirical study demonstrates, however, that companies are working with two markedly different value systems for CSR and corporate identity communication, respectively, which indicates that they see CSR as something extra and not necessarily as part of the company’s core. Finally, the dissertation contributes by illustrating how framing can be used as the background for a CSR communication strategy. Value-based frames focusing on corporate competence rather than moral and ethical reasons for engaging in CSR can increase perceived credibility and relevance of CSR communication and also positively influence the perception of the company communicating about CSR.

The dissertation concludes that the framing of what CSR is and should be differs greatly from consumers to companies. Hence, companies primarily support internal and institutional objectives instead of acknowledging and incorporating consumer expectations in their corporate communication of CSR. The dissertation thus suggests that a dynamic framing of CSR messages, based on personally-oriented values and competence values, may serve as a bridge between company and consumer, and create a place where shared values can be created, developed, and maintained.

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