| Course Name | CSR Communication |
| Code | Semester | Theory (hour/week) | Application/Lab (hour/week) | Local Credits | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCPR 552 | Fall/Spring | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7.5 |
| Prerequisites | None | |||||
| Course Language | English | |||||
| Course Type | Elective | |||||
| Course Level | Second Cycle | |||||
| Mode of Delivery | - | |||||
| Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course | ||||||
| Course Coordinator | - | |||||
| Course Lecturer(s) | ||||||
| Assistant(s) | - | |||||
| Course Objectives | The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of trends and best practices in CSR communication, point out the relation of CSR communication to other areas such as corporate communication, public relations, and marketing as well as to enable students to handle the strategic management of CSR communication in theory and practice. |
| Learning Outcomes | The students who succeeded in this course;
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| Course Description | This course offers an overview of contemporary topics in the new stream of communication related to CSR issues. It has been noted that corporate stakeholders demand more and better presentation and communication of CSR initiatives and the companies are increasingly feeling the consequences of the lack of communication in terms of their CSR activities. The demand for explication of CSR efforts poses a challenge to communication functions such as corporate and marketing communication. Communicators must be aware of the fact that CSR messages are difficult to communicate and that stakeholders respond differently to them. The course will therefore provide the students the knowledge on: core perspectives of CSR, various approaches to CSR communication, organization of CSR and CSR communication in a company, as well as on models and concepts within CSR management and communication. |
| Related Sustainable Development Goals | |
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| Core Courses | |
| Major Area Courses | X | |
| Supportive Courses | ||
| Media and Managment Skills Courses | ||
| Transferable Skill Courses |
| Week | Subjects | Required Materials |
| 1 | CSR Communication – An Introduction | Türkel, S., Uzunoğlu, E., Kaplan, M. D., & Vural, B. A. (2016). A strategic approach to CSR communication: Examining the impact of brand familiarity on consumer responses. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 23(4), 228-242. Uzunoğlu, E., Türkel, S., & Akyar, B. Y. (2017). Engaging consumers through corporate social responsibility messages on social media: An experimental study. Public Relations Review. |
| 2 | What is CSR – its significance and development | Dahlsrud, A. (2008). How corporate social responsibility is defined: an analysis of 37 definitions. Corporate social responsibility and environmental management, 15(1), 1-13. Carroll, A.B. (1999). Corporate social responsibility. Evolution of a definitional construct. Business and Society, 38, 268-295. |
| 3 | How much does CSR matter: the interplay between corporate and stakeholder discourses | Burchell, J., & Cook, J. (2006). Confronting the “corporate citizen” Shaping the discourse of corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 26(3/4), 121-137. |
| 4 | Understanding the meaning and importance of CSR communication | Ihlen, Ø., Bartlett, J. L., & May, S. (2011). Corporate social responsibility and communication. The handbook of communication and corporate social responsibility, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 3-22. Elving, W. J., Golob, U., Podnar, K., Ellerup-Nielsen, A., & Thomson, C. (2015). The bad, the ugly and the good: new challenges for CSR communication. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 20(2), 118-127. |
| 5 | Communicative perspectives of implementing CSR into strategy | Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2010). Maximizing business returns to corporate social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 8-19. Christensen, L. T., Morsing, M., & Thyssen, O. (2013). CSR as aspirational talk. Organization, 20(3), 372-393. |
| 6 | Exploring stakeholder dialogue and engagement | Pedersen, E. R. (2006). Making corporate social responsibility (CSR) operable: How companies translate stakeholder dialogue into practice. Business and Society Review, 111(2), 137-163. Golob, U., Johansen, T. S., Nielsen, A. E., & Podnar, K. (2013). Corporate Social Responsibility as a Messy Problem: Linking Systems and Sensemaking Perspectives. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 1-14. |
| 7 | Approaches and models of communicating CSR | Morsing, M., & Schultz, M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility communication: stakeholder information, response and involvement strategies. Business Ethics: A European Review, 15(4), 323-338. Illia, L. et al. (2013). Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility to a Cynical Public. MIT Sloan Management Review (http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/communicating-corporate-social-responsibility-to-a-cynical-public/) |
| 8 | Positioning and organizing CSR activities within the company | Strand, R. (2013). The chief officer of corporate social responsibility: A study of its presence in top management teams. Journal of business ethics, 1-14. Pollach, I., Johansen, T. S., Ellerup Nielsen, A., & Thomsen, C. (2012). The integration of CSR into corporate communication in large European companies. Journal of Communication Management, 16(2), 204-216. |
| 9 | Midterm | |
| 10 | CSR and Sustainability reporting | Deegan, C. (2002). Introduction: the legitimising effect of social and environmental disclosures-a theoretical foundation. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 15(3), 282-311. Maguire, M. (2011). The future of corporate social responsibility reporting. The Frederick S. Pardee center for the study of the longer-range future, 1-8. |
| 11 | CSR communication tools and new media | Etter, M. (2014). Broadcasting, reacting, engaging–three strategies for CSR communication in Twitter. Journal of Communication Management, 18(4), 322-342. Trends and Best Practice in Online CSR/Sustainability Reporting http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sustainable-business/corporate-social-responsibility/reporting-disclosure/swedish-presidency/files/surveys_and_reports/trends_and_best_practice_in_online_csr_and_sustainability_rep_en.pdf |
| 12 | Responsible consumers and the power of storytelling | Öberseder, M., Schlegelmilch, B. B., & Murphy, P. E. (2013). CSR practices and consumer perceptions. Journal of Business Research Green, T., & Peloza, J. (2011). How does corporate social responsibility create value for consumers?. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28(1), 48-56. |
| 13 | CSR communication in action: case study analysis and role-playing (F2F) | Case study THE DANNON COMPANY: MARKETING AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Reference no. 9-410-121 (http://www.thecasecentre.org/) |
| 14 | Green marketing and eco-labelling | Polonsky, M. J. (2011). Transformative green marketing: Impediments and opportunities. Journal of Business Research, 64(12), 1311-1319. Pedersen, E. R., & Neergaard, P. (2006). Caveat emptor–let the buyer beware! Environmental labelling and the limitations of ‘green’consumerism. Business Strategy and the Environment, 15(1), 15-29. |
| 15 | Greenwashing and critical views on CSR communication | Delmas, M. A., & Cuerel Burbano, V. (2011). The drivers of greenwashing. California Management Review. Greenwashing Report (Terra Choice, 2010) http://sinsofgreenwashing.com/findings/greenwashing-report-2010/ |
| 16 | Putting it all together: course wrap-up |
| Course Notes/Textbooks | Readings (scientific articles and book chapters), power point slides |
| Suggested Readings/Materials | Case studies, professional articles and corporate websites |
| Semester Activities | Number | Weigthing |
| Participation | 1 | 10 |
| Laboratory / Application | ||
| Field Work | ||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | ||
| Portfolio | ||
| Homework / Assignments | 1 | 30 |
| Presentation / Jury | ||
| Project | 1 | 30 |
| Seminar / Workshop | ||
| Oral Exam | ||
| Midterm | 1 | 30 |
| Final Exam | ||
| Total |
| Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 4 | 100 |
| Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade | ||
| Total |
| Semester Activities | Number | Duration (Hours) | Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | ||
| Study Hours Out of Class | 16 | 6 | 96 |
| Field Work | |||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | |||
| Portfolio | |||
| Homework / Assignments | 1 | 27 | |
| Presentation / Jury | |||
| Project | 1 | 27 | |
| Seminar / Workshop | |||
| Oral Exam | |||
| Midterms | 1 | 27 | |
| Final Exams | |||
| Total | 225 |
| # | Program Competencies/Outcomes | * Contribution Level | ||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | To be able to evaluate the field of Marketing Communication and Public Relations from the perspective of integrated communication. | X | ||||
| 2 | To be able to develop knowledge about existing theories and principles in the field and evaluate the acquired knowledge with a critical approach. | X | ||||
| 3 | To be able to follow the latest developments and research in the field and reflect them to studies systematically. | X | ||||
| 4 | To be able to create new information that will contribute to the field by integrating the connections between different disciplines (marketing, advertising, public relations, corporate communication, marketing communication, etc.) in which Marketing Communication and Public Relations field is involved. | X | ||||
| 5 | To be able to analyze reflections of current consumption dynamics on consumers. | X | ||||
| 6 | To be able to develop synthesis and evaluation skills related to issues in the field. | X | ||||
| 7 | To be able to perform studies within the framework of scientific ethical rules about issues related to the field. | |||||
| 8 | To be able to design and implement an original research project on topics discussed in the field of Marketing Communication and Public Relations. | |||||
| 9 | To be able to follow developments in new technologies of media and communication, as well as new methods of production, new media industries, and new theories in the field of marketing communications and public relations; and to be able to communicate with international colleagues in a foreign language. (“European Language Portfolio Global Scale”, Level B2) | X | ||||
*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest
