School
 Cand.
Merc.
Marketing
Communications
Management
 February
2009



Master
Thesis
 Department
of
Marketing
–
Copenhagen
Business
School
 Cand.
Merc.
Marketing
Communications
Management
 February
2009



Author: Rikke Augustinus Eriksen

Advisor: Richard Jones

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY


Corporate
 social
 responsibility
 (CSR)
 has
 during
 the
 years
 gained
 increasing
 awareness
 among
 stakeholders
 and
 CSR
 has
 accordingly
 won
 emphasis
 on
 the
 corporate
 agenda.
 Whereas
 stakeholders
encourage
corporations
to
engage
in
CSR
they
discourage
them
to
communicate
CSR.
 A
‘catch
22’
which
implies
tremendous
challenges
for
corporations
when
attempting
to
prove
to
the
 skeptic
audience
that
they
are
as
good
as
they
say
they
are.
The
fundamental
basis
of
this
master
 thesis
 is
 to
 investigate
 the
 managerial
 tasks
 of
 engaging
 in
 and
 communicating
 CSR.
 The
 main
 objective
of
the
thesis
is
to
contribute
to
the
limited
amount
of
literature
on
CSR
communication.
 The
 objective
 is
 sought
 achieved
 by
 investigating
 why
 corporations
 engage
 in
 corporate
 social
 responsibility
and
how
the
corporate
brand
can
be
instrumental
in
strategic
CSR
communication.

 
 CSR
is
an
elusive
concept
and
numerous
and
distinct
definitions
exist.
Each
individual
corporation
 should
define
CSR
according
to
context
including
range
of
stakeholders,
core
expertise
and
skills.
 CSR
should
furthermore
be
integrated
into
vision,
values,
strategies,
and
organizational
culture
and
 into
business
operations.
This
implies
that
there
is
no
one
size
that
fits
all
definition.
A
corporate‐ wide
 integration
 of
 CSR
 is
 influenced
 by
 what
 motives
 and
 outcomes
 corporations
 are
 driven
 by
 when
engaging
in
CSR.
The
likelihood
of
CSR
being
integrated
is
low
when
corporations
are
driven
 by
isomorphism.
Corporations
driven
by
strategic
motives
and
outcomes
are
likely
to
integrate
CSR.
 Corporations
driven
by
moral
incentives
are
very
likely
to
integrate
CSR.
It
is
however
questioned
... [continues]

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