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With the growing concern for environmental and sustainability issues, especially in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, organizations feel compelled to pursue green sustainability in their operations. In this regard, the active involvement of employees in pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) is crucial for achieving organizational environmental sustainability goals (Saeed et al., 2019). To shed light on this important issue, this study aims to investigate the impact of interacting/engaging environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategy on employees' PEBs through the mediating effects of communal relationship and employee empowerment.

A total of 443 full-time USA employees working across various industries participated in an online survey.

The interacting/engaging environmental CSR communication strategy fosters employees' perceived communal relationship with their organizations and empowers them to support their organization's environmental initiatives, which, in turn, positively influences employees' PEBs at work.

This study advances CSR and internal communication literature through the lens of relationship management and self-determination theories. The findings theoretically suggest the effectiveness of the interacting/engaging environmental CSR communication strategy in nurturing favorable employee–organization relationships (EORs), employee empowerment and PEBs at work. The practical implications of CSR communication are also elaborated.

The purpose of this study was to shed light on how effective environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication can be achieved through persuasive communication strategies using message framing.

This study conducted an online experimental study with a 2 (narrative: narrative or non-narrative) × 2 (framing: gain or loss) between-subjects design.

The findings showed that environmental CSR communication using narrative framing messages is most effective in creating strong CSR associations between a company and the environmental CSR domain and sharing the company's CSR information on supportive communication and advocating for the environmental campaign.

This study highlights the importance of a company's environmental CSR communication efforts using the right message format (narrative style) to increase its persuasive sequence from CSR evaluation to supportive behaviors, contributing to theoretical development in the research of environmental CSR communication. This study suggests that environmental CSR campaign managers should first formalize the company's environmental responsiveness by clearly establishing policies and practicing CSR performance that could result in a strong CSR association before asking their target publics to engage in pro-environmental activities.

This paper aims to analysis the factors that explain the effectiveness of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication on Facebook by a hospitality company. Taking the affect transfer hypothesis (ATH) model as a basis, the influence of beliefs about the company (attributions and corporate image) is studied and variables related to the receiver (environmental consciousness and identification with the territory) as direct antecedents of the improvement of the attitude towards the company and attitude towards the post, which influence the intention to share the information.

This study developed a quantitative study based on a structured questionnaire targeted at regular Facebook users. Specifically, this study used a stimulus-based method, designing a fictitious post by a leading Spanish hotel chain about an environmental initiative. The post, which was shown to the participants before they answered the questionnaire, provided information about the development of an environmental programme by the hospitality company in the region where the study was carried out. Specifically, this study measured two communication outcomes (the improvement in attitude towards the hospitality company and the user’s intention to share the information) and variables related to the receiver (environmental consciousness and identification with the territory), to the message (information’s usefulness) and to the company (image and attributions) as explanatory variables. This study obtained a final sample of 239 valid surveys respecting the socio-demographic profile of the target population. The hypotheses were tested using a covariance-based structural equations model approach (software EQS 6.1).

This study observed that the ATH model is valid to measure the effectiveness of CSR communication on Facebook. Thus, the intention to share a post about an environmental initiative of the hotel is explained by both the attitude towards the company and the attitude towards the information. Factors related to the company and the environmental consciousness of the individuals exert an indirect influence. This study also found that the attitude towards the post has a double influence in the model, in the sense that it enhances the attitude towards the company and, at the same time, has a direct influence on the intention to share the information.

This study must first mention the use of a non-probabilistic sampling procedure, which could condition the representativeness of the sample obtained. Another limitation of our research is the use of cross-sectional data instead of longitudinal data. This study can also consider as a limitation the specific business and geographical context in which it was developed. In addition, it will be interesting to analyze other types of CSR initiatives, focused on other stakeholders, as well as to consider how the creativity of the post (text, image and/or video) could influence the effectiveness of the communication.

CSR information can reveal a mix of business and social attributions. The first of these, a source of scepticism and distrust, will always appear, but these extrinsic attributions do not have a negative effect in all cases. To reach positive communication outcomes, in terms of an improvement in the attitude towards the hotel and the intention to share the post and viralize the information, it is important to assure that people perceive that the hotel has a real interest in benefiting society with its initiative. To achieve this, it is very important to have a good corporate image. Furthermore, CSR-related posts may catch the attention of and generate interest in environmentally conscious people, so we suggest including CSR information in companies’ brand content strategy on social network sites (SNS) on a regular basis.

Hospitality companies have to make people aware of CSR initiatives. This study suggests including CSR information in companies’ brand content strategy on SNS on a regular basis. These channels let companies create attractive and compelling stories, and if CSR initiatives are framed on them, companies will be able to generate emotional connection with consumers. Furthermore, social platforms are relational channels, so it is advisable to use a friendly tone to connect with the individuals. Their greater or lesser participation and the possible associated comments will give clues to companies about the feelings and perceptions of people regarding CSR, which has great value.

Social networks can be interesting vehicles to convey CSR information, although users’ reactions towards a CSR post on these platforms have not yet been explored. This study tries to cover this gap and to contribute to the hospitality literature by studying the factors that would explain two communication outcomes of a CSR post on Facebook, one internal outcome (the improvement of the attitude towards the brand) and the other external (the intention to share the information). Furthermore, the study is a pioneer in the application of the ATH model to measure the marketing effectiveness of social media in the hotel industry.

While the segmentation approach has been frequently employed to explore individuals' environment-friendly behaviors, the investigation of environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication by using such a method is limited. Given that the importance of the role of public segmentation is well documented in both public relations and environmental management literatures, the present study attempts to fill the gap by exploring whether consumers can be segmented on the basis of attitudinal factors, and, if so, how this segmentation informs communication efforts aimed at promoting companies' environmental CSR programs.

This segmentation approach is examined based on a survey of 470 participants. Results of a k-means cluster analysis identified three subgroups: active publics, aware publics and latent publics.

Survey results provide empirical support evidence on how different public segmentation approaches can be used to predict individual communication behaviors on environmental CSR issues. Segmentation approach that considered individuals' attitudes on environmental issues and their perceptions on company environmental CSR practices helps identify three subgroups. Significant differences regarding communicative action and supporting behaviors among the three groups are identified and discussed.

This study provides key insights about public segmentation and different publics' communicative action, and supportive behaviors provide direction for future research investigations that will strengthen theoretical arguments and best practices in public relations.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of cultural factors on environmental CSR attitudes and purchase intentions among publics in a developed (USA) country and a developing (India) country.

Using a 2 (location of the company: India vs USA) × 2 (location of the CSR activity: India vs USA) between-subjects experimental design, the study examines individuals’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a company’s environmental CSR activities in each respective country.

Two structural equation models were created for US publics and Indian publics. Results indicated that cultural factors, specifically the uncertainty avoidance dimension, play an important role among both Indian and US residents’ attitudes toward a company’s environmental CSR efforts and their intention to purchase its products/services. Among Indians, the power distance dimension acted as a mediating factor.

This study is novel in its examination of the impact of cultural factors among residents in India and the USA. This information can be utilized by multinational companies to implement effective CSR activities and enhancing their global CSR communication efforts.

The purpose of this paper is to determine inasmuch energy suppliers dedicate communicative resources toward sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR), also paying attention to how they frame it, and if they manage to achieve consistency in their communication or fall victim to contradictions.

By use of a qualitative content analysis, online communication tools (information on corporate websites) as well as content for download were examined in detail. The present study sample comprised of 12 case studies from selected countries (Austria, Russia, Germany, the USA, France and Korea).

Overall, findings indicate that CSR has already been implemented in most energy and energy-related industries; however, it is put forward with varying degrees of attention and intensity, depending on which topics energy companies choose to address communicatively (results were classified according to a frame positioning scheme by Weder, 2012, 2018). Results underscore the fact that, at times, companies are struggling to link their CSR projects back to their core businesses. Yet, a clear trend to politicization can be described as a strong correlation of communication strategies of energy suppliers and political programs of the respective country becomes obvious.

Limited research as to how CSR topics are framed in different branches has been conducted to date; likewise, the energy sector, whose motives has been often subject to public questioning, has received little attention in CSR communication research to date. Hence, ambiguities were presumed to exist.

The present study examines the relevance and framing of CSR in a highly competitive, centralized industry that is challenged by a global process of transition to renewable energy. The results show that the analyzed energy suppliers offer only a limited variety of issue-specific frames; instead CSR as well as sustainability are (ab)used as master frames or “buzz words” in a fairly shallow economic or socio-political argumentation.

Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model, this study aims to examine how employee volunteer program (EVP) type, corporate visual identity, and issue involvement affect external publics' attributions of EVPs and attitudes toward the company.

A 2 (EVP type: skills-based vs. not-skills-based) × 2 (salience of corporate visual identity: high vs. low) randomized experiment was conducted with 157 participants from Amazon's Mechanical Turk. A fictitious company and its EVP messages were created to control for the company's existing reputation and participants' past experiences with the company.

Participants responded positively toward EVP messages regardless of the EVP type. However, salient corporate visual identity significantly aroused participants' more attributed firm-serving motives, which led to more negative attitudes toward the company. Next, issue involvement presented its value in EVP communication as highly involved participants displayed favorable attributions of EVPs and positive attitudes toward the company.

This study approaches EVPs as an important CSR practice and expands the discussion on strategic CSR communication by uncovering the roles of central and peripheral cues in public responses to EVP messages. Moreover, the findings highlight the importance of fostering and enhancing publics' issue involvement in achieving successful EVP communication.

This study examines the direct effect of outcome message frames (gain vs loss) on cause involvement and the moderating roles of consumers' corporate social responsibility (CSR) scepticism and biospheric values. Furthermore, the authors analyse (1) the effects of gain-framed messages on consumer attitudes towards an environmental cause (i.e. the use of reusable coffee cups) and towards the company promoting the cause (a coffee shop chain); (2) how consumer attitudes towards the cause affect their attitudes towards the company; and (3) how consumer attitudes towards both the cause and the company affect their behavioural intentions towards both the cause and the company.

Using a 2 × 1 scenario-based, experimental design with a gain vs loss stimuli, Study 1 (n = 466) examines the moderating effects of CSR scepticism and biospheric values on the relationship between message framing and consumer cause involvement. Using gain-framed stimuli, Study 2 (n = 958) analyses the effects of cause involvement variations on attitudes and behaviours, through structural equation modelling.

Gain-framed messages are more effective than loss-framed messages at increasing cause involvement in consumers. Both CSR scepticism and biospheric values moderate the relationship between gain-framed messages and cause involvement. Cause involvement enhances consumer attitudes towards both the cause and the company promoting it, while company attitudes towards a cause positively influence consumers' behavioural intentions.

This study recommends that environmental CSR advertising managers should use gain-framed messages to positively influence consumer cause involvement.

This paper aims to investigate the level of environmental communication and the predominant themes of environmental initiatives and technologies used in India.

In this exploratory study, a manual content analysis was conducted using print and website data related to corporate environmental communication of 60 Indian companies listed in the Bombay Stock Exchange, representing the top thirty from manufacturing and information technology (IT) sector each.

The authors classified the level of importance based on seven attributes, distinguished between hard and soft disclosure and identified the prevalent environmental practices and technologies in each sector. The authors found that the environmental communication of the IT sector is technology-based than the manufacturing sector, but both are weak in acknowledging climate change.

Managers, across the two sectors, can make their organizations environmentally responsible by learning and applying the current practices/technologies and reap benefits by mimetic isomorphism or create competitive advantage.

Building on the theoretical and practical works in corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility communication literature, the authors contribute to the stakeholder theory and voluntary disclosure theory. The findings of the study provide the much-needed base for future research that links the engineering and management community to take the scholarship further to prevent the climate crisis.

This paper aims to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) skepticism on dual types of attitudinal factors (i.e. positive attitude and reactance) and examine the impact of attitudinal factors on customers' behavioral intention.

This study applies mixed-method research to examine the link between CSR skepticism, positive attitude, reactance and behavioral intention based on attitude-behavior-context theory.

As predicted, CSR skepticism weakens a favorable attitude toward CSR, whereas it increases the level of reactance. Also, CSR skepticism negatively influences behavioral intention, while positive attitude and reactance positively influence behavioral intention.

Understanding customers' skepticism toward CSR has become increasingly important because of its negative consequences. Despite existing studies on CSR skepticism, few have focused on why and how CSR skepticism leads to negative behavioral outcomes. Thus, this research contributes to existing tourism literature by examining the role of CSR skepticism on their attitude and behavior. Findings will help researchers and practitioners understand how CSR skepticism impacts customers' behavioral intention and develops CSR strategies to enhance the behavioral intention to patronize.