Corporate Social Responsibility Engagement through Social Media. Evidence from the University of Salerno

Benedetta Esposito, Maria Rosaria Sessa, Daniela Sica and Ornella Malandrino
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Benedetta Esposito: Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Maria Rosaria Sessa: Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Daniela Sica: Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Ornella Malandrino: Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy

Administrative Sciences, 2021, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Over the last few decades, stakeholders’ growing attention towards social and environmental issues has challenged universities’ traditional accountability boundaries, imposing the adoption of innovative reporting tools that facilitate stakeholders’ engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices and performances. Against this backdrop, online communication tools, such as websites and social media platforms, have gained momentum as a pivotal means to increase dialogue with the myriad of stakeholders, especially during the pandemic period, as it has dramatically reduced physical interactions. Based on these premises, this study aims to dive deep into the use of social media to communicate CSR strategies in the university context by exploring the case of the University of Salerno. To this end, all posts published by the University of Salerno’s official Twitter account from 2015 to 2021 have been extracted and analyzed. Accordingly, the degree of interactions with stakeholders and the communication direction and balance level have been examined based on Carroll’s pyramid. Findings show a higher level of engagement for CSR posts and, in particular, for the philanthropic dimension. Results also highlight that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Salerno has empowered CSR disclosure through Twitter. The methodology adopted could be replicated for other universities to understand better how public universities use social media to involve a broader range of stakeholders in their CSR practices.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility disclosure; stakeholders engagement; university; higher education; social network; Twitter (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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