CSR communication in Asian context. An empirical analysis through the lens of the National Business Systems

The study aims at exploring whether organizations’ specific orientation, explicitness and use of symbolic practices in CSR communication reflects the characteristics of countries to which they belong. In light of the variety of NBS that characterize the Asian continent, the paper proposes a quali-quantitative research focused on content analysis of corporate websites of companies in China, Japan, Republic of Korea and Hong Kong, in order to detect differences in terms of the three main dimensions of CSR communication, namely penetration, explicitness and symbolism. Data results of empirical analysis show that Japan obtains a high score of CSR penetration, while other nations demonstrate lower levels. Japan companies are also more committed in communicating CSR programs, policies, initiatives and performances that result from strategic and voluntary decisions. CSR explicitness is lower in China, as much as in Hong Kong, a little higher in Korea. No difference, instead, are found in using CSR symbolic communication on corporate websites of different NBS. The findings highlight that online CSR communication in Asian countries tends to mirror national business profiles. In particular, CSR penetration and CSR explicitness vary in the Asian nations, while CSR symbolic communication does not seem to be related to the peculiarity of each NBS. Findings thus confirm that the NBS is a relevant factor in the way CSR is defined, practiced and communicated on corporate websites, as it reflects and is influenced by the specific cultural and social environments. The research enriches the understanding of CSR communication practices in different Asian countries on the basis of the national business systems theory. Findings provide Asian managers with indications on how to make CSR communication more effective on their corporate websites in terms of CSR penetration and explicitness.