CSR in the Internet Era

This study in development aims to contribute to the corporate strategy literature through a conceptual reflection on the formulation of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy for a global firm in the light of the global inter-stakeholder communication. The idea of this study is born from the consideration that, in the Internet era, information spreads all over the world at an incredible speed, and new media and their related technologies allow everyone to find out about what is happening anywhere in the world with the result that every action or behaviour by a firm becomes an element to be judged and evaluated worldwide. Nowadays, the world communicates through many means: newspaper and magazine articles, television and radio broadcasts, Internet content, books, films, music, art, and advertising and marketing communications. In addition, the incredible development of Internet marketing has greatly accelerated the development of global communication. The speed at which news are shared in the global context involves that what a firm does in one geographical context is known about all over the world in a very short lapse of time, amplifying the role played by the media in the construction of corporate reputation. Therefore, in the age of the Internet and global communications, what a firm does in one country becomes a factor of evaluation worldwide and goes beyond the boundaries of the local context. On the basis of these premises, the main goal of this study is to increase the understanding of CSR approach for a global firm in the light of the global communication. We formulate three interrelated research questions as follows: 1. Does the relationship between CSR strategy and corporate reputation observe the same principles in the local context as in the global context? 2. How does global communication affect the construction of a corporate reputation through CSR strategy? 3. What is the best approach for a global firm in formulating of a CSR strategy in the Internet era?