Employee Participation in CSR and Corporate Identity: Insights from a Disaster-Response Program in the Asia-Pacific

Publication Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

6-2009

Abstract

Employees’ deep identification with an organization's identity has been shown to enhance commitment to the organization, job-related motivation and satisfaction, and organization-relevant citizenship behavior. Nonetheless, few studies have looked at how corporate identity influences – or is influenced by – employee participation in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. This qualitative, exploratory study examines this relationship by looking at DHL Asia-Pacific employees’ participation in the company's disaster response to the 2004 Asian tsunami. It shows that employee's participation in the disaster-response program – one of the pillars of DHL's CSR strategy – simultaneously feeds off and reinforces their experience of corporate identity. Over time, the interactions between participation in CSR and corporate identity form a self-reinforcing loop. The paper notes that close alignment between CSR strategy and corporate identity and internal communication are critical to the success of CSR programs. It concludes by noting the study's limitations and offering suggestions for future research.Corporate Reputation Review (2009) 12, 106–119.

Discipline

Advertising and Promotion Management | Asian Studies | Business and Corporate Communications | Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics

Research Areas

Corporate Communication

Publication

Corporate Reputation Review

Volume

2

Issue

2

First Page

106

Last Page

119

ISSN

1363-3589

Identifier

10.1057/crr.2009.8

Publisher

Palgrave Macmillan

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2009.8

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