Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: Economic developments of the last several decades have changed the economic and social structures of industrialized and developing countries, leading to new business opportunities but also to terrifying social dangers and rising ecological catastrophes worldwide. Multinationals are increasingly expected by their stakeholders to find strategies and ways to respond to these international challenges, to play a more active role in addressing social issues, and to take responsibility for their actions in developing countries. It is the task of public relations practitioners to balance these societal demands and stakeholders expectations with the goals of their company and to communicate in an effective manner by developing socially responsible strategies. The effectiveness of strategies and communication programs depends on how public relations practitioners communicate with their stakeholders and on how much effort they make to build and maintain good relationships. To guarantee good relations and effective campaigns, the public relations function must be involved in the overall strategic management process where public relations strategies can be managed by objectives. Furthermore, public relations practitioners have to employ two-way symmetrical communication, to facilitate mutual understanding and relationship-building between their corporation and its stakeholders. Corporations can react to societal demands by using corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a public relations strategy. CSR can be considered either as an opportunity to improve a corporation s image and financial success or as a response to arising conflicts and crises. Both strategic approaches are discussed in this study, as, in practice, corporations respond to issues (proactive) but also have to deal with crises (reactive). Today, many corporations use CSR proactively, as they are aware of its various positive outcomes and valuable contributions for both society and its business success. Corporations can act with altruistic or self-interested motives, but, whichever motivation establishes the basis for CSR, both require the employment of issues management, a strategic planning process that analyses the impact of societal issues and gives corporations the chance to invest effectively and proactively. Corporations can contribute to societal demands in three ways: first, by making cash and in-kind donations to public charities; secondly they can support [...]

This book provides an account of what governments have been doing to enhance the contribution of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises along with a special report on corporate responsibility in the developing world.

This edited book focuses on how CSR and Corporate Governance in Ibero-America have been employed, analyzed, and examined in different sectors and scenarios. It takes a trans-regional approach unlike most research which has been focused on studying specific initiatives or experiences in a particular country.

While public relations offers numerous assets for organization-stakeholder relationship building and for ethical corporate social responsibility and sustainability communication, it also faces challenges linked to negative perceptions of the profession which can lead to accusations of "greenwashing." This innovative book critically explores the growing, complex and sometimes contradictory connections among public relations, corporate social responsibility and sustainability. This book advocates a postmodern insider-activist role for public relations which can transform organizations into moral places committed to people, planet, and profit. By amplifying voices of nearly 100 for-profit and nonprofit professionals, and using hermeneutic phenomenological theme analyses of CSR/Sustainability reports and websites, this book invokes public relations, postmodern and critical theories to empower public relations professionals to transform organizations into ethical, authentic and transparent actors in the public sphere. It is essential reading for scholars, educators and enquiring professionals working in public relations, corporate communication, sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Five different Latin American experiences help us to understand the impacts of corporate social responsibility on communities. We focus on communities composed of low-income populations to compare types of interventions, their main characteristics, spaces for community participation, and some results and impacts. Some of the findings indicate that (a) a company's enlightened self-interest in its CSR program ensures its commitment to the program and the program's sustainability; (b) community involvement from the outset in defining a project increases the probability of success, since corporations cannot assume they understand the needs of a community by taking them at face value; (c) projects do not create untenable expectations in local communities when they consider the whole life cycle and the sustainability of the investment after an appropriate exit strategy is executed; and (d) financial resources are only part of the equation because corporations can have enormous impacts with limited financing if programs are well defined and supported.

This innovative text provides a structured and practical framework for understanding the complexities of contemporary public relations throughout the world and highlights the different approaches professionals must consider when communicating in different PR contexts.

Diverse in economic development, political and mass media systems, the countries in Southeast Asia cast a unique light on the parallels between development-cum-participative communication and corporate social responsibility. In our globalized environments, knowledge of power, culture and the colonial histories that influence and shape business and governance practices are increasingly important. Focusing on six countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—the book discusses how public relations (PR) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse are constructed, interpreted, communicated and enacted in this diverse emerging region. By connecting the disparate disciplines of participatory and development communication with PR and CSR discourse, this innovative text explores the tensions between concepts of modernity and traditional values and their role in engendering creativity, compliance or resistance. This book will be of interest to researchers, educators and advanced students in the fields of public relations, communication, corporate social responsibility, corporate communications and Southeast Asia studies.