Corporate social responsibility information and involvement strategies in controversial industries

This paper assesses how companies belonging to controversial and non-controversial industries differ in their adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) information and involvement strategies. Drawing on legitimacy and stakeholder theories, a thematic content analysis of the websites of companies listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Word Index is used to establish a set of measures for CSR communication strategies aimed at fostering stakeholder engagement. Companies in controversial industries are found to be more likely to adopt a CSR information strategy than those in non-controversial industries but do not attempt to create stakeholder involvement. The results highlight the importance for communication managers in controversial organizations of considering information strategies as a meta-level of engagement and of implementing an involvement strategy to mitigate the level of controversy. The study offers a wider conceptualization of the business activities of controversial industries and contributes to the debate on stakeholder engagement for organizational legitimacy