CSR Communication Research: A Theoretical-cum-methodological Perspective from Semiotics

Yekini, Kemi; Omoteso, K.; Adegbite, Emmanuel

Abstract

Despite the proliferation of studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication, there is a lack of consensus and a cardinal methodological base for research on the quality of CSR communication. Over the decades, studies in this space have remained conflicting, unintegrated and sometimes overlapping. Drawing on semiotics – a linguistic-based theoretical and analytical tool, our paper explores an alternative perspective to evaluating the quality and reliability of sustainability reports. Our two-phased analysis employed the Greimas Canonical Narrative Schema and the Semiotic Square of Veridiction to draw meanings from the sustainability/CSR reports of selected UK FTSE100 companies. Our paper advances CSR communication research by introducing a theoretical-cum-methodological perspective which provides unique insights into how to evaluate the quality of CSR communication. In addition, we present a distinctive CSR Report Quality Model capable of guiding policy makers and firms in designing sustainability/CSR reporting standards. ABSTRACT Despite the proliferation of studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Citation

Yekini, K., Omoteso, K., & Adegbite, E. (2021). CSR Communication Research: A Theoretical-cum-methodological Perspective from Semiotics. Business and Society, 60(4), 876–908. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650319843623

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 16, 2019
• Online Publication Date: May 7, 2019
• Publication Date: 2021-04
• Deposit Date: Jan 22, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 22, 2019
• Print ISSN: 0007-6503
• Electronic ISSN: 1552-4205
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 60
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 876–908
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650319843623
• Keywords: business and society; corporate reputation; corporate social responsibility (CSR); corporate transparency; sustainability
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1487797
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0007650319843623