The status of corporate social responsibility research in public relations

Please cite this article in press as: Ho Lee, T. The status of corporate social responsibility research in public relations:

A content analysis of published articles in eleven scholarly journals from 1980 to 2015. Public Relations Review (2016),

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2016.10.001

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Public Relations Review xxx (2016) xxx–xxx

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Public Relations Review

Full length article

The status of corporate social responsibility research in

public relations: A content analysis of published articles in

eleven scholarly journals from 1980 to 2015

Tae Ho Lee

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Media and Journalism, 387 Carroll Hall, Campus Box 3365, Chapel Hill, NC 27599,

USA

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:

Received 28 December 2015

Received in revised form 28 June 2016

Accepted 5 October 2016

Available online xxx

Keywords:

Corporate social responsibility

Trend studies

Content analysis

a b s t r a c t

This quantitative content analysis of 133 articles published in eleven academic journals

sheds light on the research topics, theories, methods, and authorship in corporate social

responsibility (CSR) research in public relations scholarship. The findings indicate that CSR

research in public relations has increased dramatically since 2006. Although theoretically

grounded studies still do not represent the majority of the research in this area, the stake￾holder theory is the one that is most often invoked, followed by legitimacy and attribution

theories. Regarding the methodological approach, a balance between qualitative and quan￾titative research is evident, with a recent increase in mixed-method approaches. Content

analysis was the most often used, followed by experiment, survey, comprehensive litera￾ture review, and case study. Research topics that involve CSR effects as well as descriptions

of CSR practices and communication have consistently received significant attention. How￾ever, research topics thatinvolve the role of public relations and perceptions of stakeholders

have decreased in recent years. The work from the most productive researchers and institu￾tions suggests that a broad spectrum of public relations scholarship in CSR research exists

outside the United States.

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Broadly, the term corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to business practices that address an organization’s various

economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities as they pertain to a wide range of stakeholders (Carroll, 1979,

1999; Maignan & Ferrell, 2004). The core idea behind CSR is that businesses are now increasingly expected to fulfill social

expectations that go above and beyond whatis required under the law or the customary expectations of profit-making (Falck

& Heblich, 2007).

Cone Communications’ (2015) recent survey of consumers’ perceptions of CSR indicates that consumers now understand

the concept of CSR very well and that they are more willing than ever before to reward or punish companies based on

evaluations of CSR initiatives. Consumers’ more sophisticated understanding of CSR strengthens the significance of CSR

communication in the context of successful CSR implementation (Cone Communications, 2015). Thus, Bortree (2014) argues

that more refined CSR communication has become an increasingly significant agenda for both research and practice in the

public relations arena.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2016.10.001

0363-8111/© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.