Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a PublicRelations Strategy

Economic developments of the last several decadeshave changed the economic and social structures ofindustrialized and developing countries, leading tonew business opportunities but also to terrifyingsocial risks and rising ecological catastrophesworldwide. Multinationals are increasingly expectedby their stakeholders to find strategies and ways torespond to these global challenges, to play a moreactive role in addressing social issues, and to takeresponsibility for their actions in developingcountries. Kathrin Bauer describes in her report howcorporations can balance these societal demands andstakeholders' expectations with the goals of theircompany by using corporate social responsibility(CSR) as a public relations strategy. She explainshow CSR can be used proactively as an opportunity toimprove a corporation's image and financial successand/or reactively as a response to arising conflictsand crises. Both strategic approaches are discussedin detail and illustrated with practical examplesfrom business operations in Latin America. The reportis aimed at CSR and communications managers as wellas those interested in responsible business operations.

Autorentext

Diploma in Media & Business Management from the University of Applied Sciences, Wiesbaden, Germany (2004). Masters in Public Relations from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain (2005). Consultant for the ILO, Geneva, Switzerland (2006). Business & Health Manager at the International Business Leaders Forum, London, UK (since 2007).

Klappentext
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 risks and rising ecological catastrophes worldwide. Multinationals are increasingly expected by their stakeholders to find strategies and ways to respond to these global challenges, to play a more active role in addressing social issues, and to take responsibility for their actions in developing countries. Kathrin Bauer describes in her report how corporations can balance these societal demands and stakeholders' expectations with the goals of their company by using corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a public relations strategy. She explains how CSR can be used proactively as an opportunity to improve a corporation's image and financial success and/or reactively as a response to arising conflicts and crises. Both strategic approaches are discussed in detail and illustrated with practical examples from business operations in Latin America. The report is aimed at CSR and communications managers as well as those interested in responsible business operations.