Corporate Social Responsibility. The Public Image of Companies in the Context of CSR

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2011 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, grade: 1.0, University of Salzburg, language: English, abstract: Corporate responsibility towards society has played an important role for quite some time and will continue to gain in importance. The master thesis 'Corporate Social Responsibility - Der Öffentlichkeitsauftritt im Kontext von CSR am Beispiel ausgewählter Unternehmen in Österreich' (Corporate Social Responsibility - Public Relations in the Context of CSR in the Example of Selected Companies in Austria) deals, as can be seen from the title, with the idea of CSR and sheds light on the public relations of four companies based in Austria (two national, two international). In the first part of the thesis, the topic is dealt with in theory. At the beginning, the concept of CSR is defined and a distinction is made between it and similar, related concepts. Subsequently, the three pillars of CSR are discussed and the relationship to stakeholders is established. Due to the pressure from these stakeholders, a large corporation can hardly afford to operate without social commitment nowadays. In addition, CSR represents a win-win situation for both sides. Furthermore, in the course of the theoretical part, the development of CSR, both worldwide, Europe-wide and in this country, is examined in more detail and some organizations dealing with the concept are presented. Special attention is also paid to CSR communication. Here, companies are confronted with a major challenge, as trust is built up by means of intact communication and the group appears credible, which moreover has a positive effect on the corporate image. CSR should always be practiced voluntarily and for moral reasons. Finally, the empirical part of the thesis examines CSR in corporate practice. By means of an oral interview with the respective CSR experts, the corporations were analyzed. The interviews revealed that CSR is already implemented in all companies. However, as it is an ongoing process, competencies in this regard need to be constantly expanded and companies need to act in a forward-looking manner. The aim is to establish the concept in the minds of employees, to anchor CSR even more deeply in the corporate philosophy and to give something back to the stakeholders, both internally (employees) and externally (customers, interest groups, suppliers, neighbors, etc.), in short: to shape all corporate activity responsibly and to integrate CSR into everyday corporate life wherever possible.