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Institutionalization of CSR in an emerging social Institutionalization of CSR in an emerging social media context. media context. A case study from the Italian banking A case study from the Italian banking

industryindustry

Alfonso Siano, Agostino Vollero, Silvia Cosimato, Carmela Tuccillo, University of Salerno

CSR Communication Conference

Amsterdam, October 26-28 2011University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam

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to illustrate the recent evolution of CSR and identify unused potentials of socialmedia for CSR communication.

SPECIFIC RESEARCH OBJECTIVESSPECIFIC RESEARCH OBJECTIVES the definition of social media role in CSR online communication and in firm-

stakeholder relationships; the recognition of opportunities and risks arising from social media usage in

CSR online communication.

RESEARCH METHODSRESEARCH METHODS Literature review on CSR evolution and CSR online communication. Analysis of MPS social media. Interview with MPS CSR manager.

Paper StructurePaper Structure

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Authors Relevant excerpts Key elements

Kitchin, 2003 “[…] Corporate Community Responsibility (CCR), refers to cooperation and to transparent relationship between companies and communities in which they act.

Clear cooperation between companies and society.

Sørensen and Peitersen (2007)

“ CSR as a set of activities aimed at sustainable and responsible business is also knows as Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility, an Evolution of the traditional social responsibility oriented to share value creation.”

Share value creation.

Maon et al., 2010

“[…]CSR has been redefined by a dynamic perspective, which allows us to understand organizational commitment to such initiatives.

Cultural roots in organization.

Visser, 2010/2011

Social media and Web 2.0 tools are changing the game in different fields in unknown intensity, from political campaigning to CSR communications. Researchers as well as practitioners should learn to understand the rules of CSR 2.0.

Extensive use of social media in CSR communication.

CSR EvolutionCSR EvolutionPresentPresent

CSR debate focused on definition of social responsibility ethical principles (Carroll, 1979; Wood 1991; Windsor 2006).

PastPastSeveral studies highlight CSR linkage with typical problems of globalization and the use of Web 2.0.

Definitions and key elements of CSR 2.0

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Social media communication protocolSocial media communication protocol

Social media facilitate a symmetric communication between organizations and highly engaged audiences in online spaces (Fieseler et al., 2010).

Online Discussion Groups

Company

Social media communication is based on the word of mouth paradigm (Kietzmann et.al, 2011).

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The MPS case study is based on data analysis collected of primary and secondary sources.

Methodology and data collectionMethodology and data collection

MPS CSR 2.0MPS CSR 2.0 definitiondefinition “a new corporate approach to social responsibility based on a real-time and transparent communication with stakeholders”.

MPS CSR 2.0MPS CSR 2.0 strategy strategy development of CSR internal regulation; increasing of corporate social media presence; web reputation monitoring, implementation of a new CSR “social” Intranet; customized CSR budget reporting.

is one of the main Italian banks, active since 1472, engaged in CSR activities since 2000.

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MPS Social Media analysisMPS Social Media analysis

Statistics about MPS Facebook page

Number of friends 4107

Number of posts 57

Number of MPS posts 46

Number of other authors posts 11

Number of authors 10

Number of CSR posts 11

Number of comments 140

Numberof “like” 392

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MPS is quite aware of social responsibility evolution, but considers CSR 2.0 influence minimal on general CSR strategies.

DiscussionDiscussion

Source: Adapted from Kaplan, A. P., Haenlein, M. (2010), “Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media”, Business Horizon, Vol. 53, pp. 59- 68.

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ImplicationsImplications

Opportunities Risks“Democratization” of firm- stakeholder relationships

Potential loss of control over social media communication

Transparent communication Public criticism

Web corporate reputation development Negative word-of-mouth

Real time audience monitoring Increase in costs

Employees’ commitment in CSR activities

Negative influence of informal CSR online communication on general CSR strategy

Building up of shared knowledge Fragmentation of communication

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ConclusionsConclusions

Future researchFuture research

Further research is needed because of the lack of a unique CSR paradigm and to evaluate the word-of-mouth influence on CSR communication in social media context.

Social media allows a proactive approach to CSR, thanks to: the online testing of users reactions, the stakeholders engagement, a genuine dialogue on corporate issues.

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Thank you for your attentionThank you for your attention

For further information, see/ visit the web site:

http://dsc.unisa.it/Siano/index.htm