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The perspective of citizens and the media concerning the responsibility of corporations

Ulrike Röttger (Department of Communication, University of Münster, Münster, Germany)
Anna Dudenhausen (Department of Communication, University of Münster, Münster, Germany)
Dominik Czeppel (Department of Communication, University of Münster, Münster, Germany)
Doreen Adolph-Selke (Department of Communication, University of Münster, Münster, Germany)

Social Responsibility Journal

ISSN: 1747-1117

Publication date: 18 November 2019

Abstract

Purpose

In the public debate, companies are confronted with conflicting expectations regarding their responsibility. An inconsistent understanding of the responsibility of corporations may affect the acceptance of corporate actions. The purpose of this study is to take this observation as a starting point and to analyze corporate responsibility assessments of different actors.

Design/methodology/approach

In the course of two online surveys conducted by a polling institute at the end of January 2017, 1,003 German citizens were asked about their expectations concerning the responsibility of corporations. One survey was mainly focused on clothing manufacturers, the other one on banks. Moreover, a content analysis of nationwide German quality newspapers aims at showing the media perspective. By using an extensive combination of keywords, 1069 articles were analyzed for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016. The coding revealed 345 relevant articles containing 717 responsibility-related judgments.

Findings

Overall, the systematic comparison of both perspectives show differences between societal perspectives and therefore presents an explanation for conflicting expectations concerning the responsibility of corporations.

Research limitations/implications

The measurement of judgments on responsibility is a complex endeavor. Findings may be limited due to an extensive coding process and a restricted comparability of the two surveys and the content analysis. Moreover, findings are focused on clothing manufacturers and banks only.

Originality/value

A focus on responsibility assessments delivers a deeper understanding of different perspectives concerning the responsibility of corporations in the public debate.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The research project in the context of which the current study was conducted is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Citation

Röttger, U., Dudenhausen, A., Czeppel, D. and Adolph-Selke, D. (2019), "The perspective of citizens and the media concerning the responsibility of corporations", Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 16 No. 8, pp. 1325-1340. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-12-2018-0326

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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