Citizens’ and Media Perspective on the Responsibility of Corporations: A Multidimensional Study of Responsibility Assessments

• In Event: The Media and Public Perspectives on CSR Communication

Abstract

The responsibility of corporations is a permanent issue in the public debate and companies are often confronted with conflicting expectations regarding their social responsibility. This study takes this observation as a starting point; it analyzes corporate responsibility assessments from different actors. In two online surveys conducted by a polling institute at the end of January 2017, 1003 German citizens were asked about their expectations concerning the responsibility of corporations. Moreover, a content analysis of German quality newspapers with national reach aims to show the media’s perspective. By using an extensive keyword combination, a total of 2120 articles were found for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016. The coding of the material will be completed by the end of 2017. Overall, the systematic comparison of both perspectives is able to illustrate dynamics between different societal perspectives in the process of co-creating the meaning of corporate responsibility.

Authors

• Ulrike Roettger, U of Muenster

• Anna Dudenhausen, U of Münster

• Doreen Adolph-Selke, U of Münster