المستخلص: |
Most public relations (PR) research on corporate social responsibility (CSR)focuses on the significance of external stakeholders, mainly investigating consumer perceptions and societal pressures. This study examines the CSR contribution of internal stakeholders in Kuwaiti banks and telecommunications companies in terms of their inclusion indecision-making, expressing opinions, and providing feedback. Employing stakeholder theory and based on 12 in-depth interviews with PR managers, the findings suggest that many of the practitioners are well-informed and passionate about CSR but believe that their contribution is being limited by top management. The findings also revealed that the C-Suite is the most contributing internal stakeholder while employees, owners, shareholders, and board members are greatly absent in their input. Intervention from top management, the absence of internal guidelines and routines, the personal role of PR managers, the lack of dialogic communication and employee contribution are the most apparent barriers to better management of CSR. The findings provide implications for both CSR theory and practice in discussing the significance of dialogic communication, the inclusion of employee voice, and the ability of PR to independently lead CSR. Suggestions for PR practitioners are presented in the context of the findings.
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