How Public Relations Firms Do PR for Themselves Through Corporate Social Responsibility

• Main Author: Steckler, Melissa Elise
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2016
• Subjects: corporate social responsibility; CSR; public relations; Communication
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6116; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7116&context=etd

Corporate social responsibility has become an increasingly important topic within the workplace. This subject continues to garner further attention and scrutiny, especially with regards to public relations firms and their CSR-related engagements because of how practical motivations for charitable giving may blend with the nature of their business. Public relations professionals were interviewed to uncover information regarding each firm's CSR programs and level of engagement, in addition to textual analysis that included the PR firms' websites, social media presence, and what the media has said about the firms' CSR efforts. Findings revealed five cross-company patterns with regard to CSR made by the following PR firms: Edelman, Weber Shandwick, and FleishmanHillard. These themes—Citizenship Initiatives, Corporate Engagement, Global Communities, Social Involvement, and Sustainable Investments—identify the concepts and ideas that form the foundation of these CSR programs, and shed light on the reasons why these firms participate in CSR, specifically as it relates to company image and employee relationships, and may suggest that these themes form both the reasoning for participating in CSR, and the aspects of CSR that attract employee attention