Klement Podnar

Guest Editorial: Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility

The aims of this introduction are to define the field of Corporate Social Responsibility communication, to emphasize the role of communicating CSR and briefly to describe different perspectives on CSR communication. In the second part, I review the papers in this special issue and stress the importance of different perspectives in CSR communication.

CSR communication: quo vadis?

Purpose – This paper aims to introduce the special issue on CSR communication attached to the First International CSR Communication Conference held in Amsterdam in October 2011. The aim of the introduction is also to review CSR communication papers published in scholarly journals in order to make a summary of the state of CSR communication knowledge.Design/methodology/approach – The existing literature on CSR communication was approached via systematic review. with a combination of conventional and summative qualitative content analysis. The final dataset contained 90 papers from two main business and management databases, i.e. EBSCOhost and ProQuest.Findings – Papers were coded into three main categories. The results show that the majority of the papers are concerned with disclosure themes. Considerably less salient are papers that fall under process‐oriented themes and the outcomes/consequences of CSR communications. The most important outlets for CSR communication‐related topics are Journal of Business...

The bad, the ugly and the good: new challenges for CSR communication

Purpose – This editorial is an introduction to the special issue on CSR Communication attached to the second CSR Communication Conference held in Aarhus (Denmark) in September 2013. The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the role of CSR communication and the development of theory and practice of CSR Communication in recent years. Design/methodology/approach – The editorial sets up a research agenda for the future, the premises outlined about the role of CSR communication being based on Habermas’ (1984) idea of instrumental/strategic and communicative action. Findings – The theoretically based research shows that there are different framings of CSR. In the first framing, the business discourse is trying to institutionalize CSR and sustainability by pursuing CSR purely as a business case. In the second framing, alternative CSR discourses are challenging the business discourse, communication being oriented towards shared understanding. Originality/value – The above findings are original insofar ...

The Effect of Word of Mouth on Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Products and Their Purchase Probability

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of word of mouth on consumers’ attitudes toward the product and its purchase probability. Furthermore, we examine the moderating influence of susceptibility to interpersonal influence, which is a personal characteristic of the receiver of word of mouth information. A quasi experiment was conducted, in which subjects were asked to evaluate a product, while being subjected to positive or negative word of mouth. Our results indicate that negative word of mouth has an impact on consumers’ attitudes and purchase probability, while the influence of positive word of mouth was not significant. Interestingly, susceptibility to interpersonal influence does not play a moderating role. While the experimental design with an unknown word of mouth source and fictitious brand allowed the comparison of results for the positive, negative, and control group, such conditions do not correspond to an actual market setting.

Identification with an organisation as a dual construct

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of an individuals identification with an organisation (“organisational identification”) and propose a scale for its measurement, by means of a study drawing on the literature of corporate marketing, and group and corporate identification.Design/methodology/approach – Factor analysis was applied to data collected by questionnaire from two independent samples of 200 and 525 respondents, in Slovenia, to test the causal‐path relationship of group and corporate identification to “organisational identification”.Findings – Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, “organisational identification” is not a unidimensional construct, but comprises identification with the organisation both as a collective of individuals, and as a social entity. Results confirm the proposed structure of organisational identification, and the sound quality of the scale for its measurement.Practical implications – The findings suggest a means for marketing strategists and manager...

How Reference Pricing for Pharmaceuticals Can Increase Generic Share of Market: The Slovenian Experience

The authors review how part of the Slovenian pharmaceutical market was influenced by reference pricing. On the basis of their descriptive analysis, they argue that the reference-pricing system caused a dramatic decrease of the market shares of originators on the one hand and an increase in the share of generic drugs on the other hand.

Corporate identity in Slovenia

Purpose – The purpose of the study was to find out about: significance and understanding of corporate identity, its elements and CI management in Slovenian companies/Slovenian and international companies with exemplary and successful corporate identity and their characteristics.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted among the most successful Slovenian companies (by income and by profit). A total of 44 people, from 36 companies, who are responsible for managing corporate identity were interviewed.Findings – The main finding is that managing corporate identity is of great importance for company success. Although there is no general definition of corporate identity at theoretical level, the understanding of corporate identity is quite homogeneous – the most common definition according to the research is: corporate identity is a mix of characteristics that organization possesses as a subject. Successful managing of corporate identity, has many positive effects on companys acceptation in a role ...

Competitive advantage in the marketing of products within the enlarged European Union

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse competitive advantage in relation to the formulation of competitive product marketing strategies in European Union (EU) firms. It considers how it is possible to gain a competitive advantage through different product strategies.Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on 18 EU member States (14 founding States and four new States that joined in 2004). To investigate the range of strategies is used by EU companies in both old and new member States, cluster, discriminant analysis and multiple comparison procedures are used.Findings – The results show some differences in strategies between old and new EU member companies. Although a balanced strategy is most widely used in both groups, companies from new member states are fond of a price and quality mix whereas companies from the old member states favour a quality and distribution mix.Research limitations/implications – A larger pool of competitive elements could provide more in‐depth insights. Thu...

Friendly flexible working practices within the internal marketing framework: a service perspective

The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of the existence of work flexibility and its relevance to internal marketing. Friendly forms of work flexibility are critical to an improved understanding of the role internal marketing should have to achieve better service quality performance. This exploratory study is based on a sample of 2997 private-sector organisations provided by the CRANET survey. The results show the divergence in industry business patterns in the use of friendly and unfriendly flexible work arrangements. Service companies tend to use friendly flexible working practices in larger proportions. The analysis reveals a small negative relationship between unfriendly practices and service quality. These findings may suggest that service organisations tend to create more supportive environments when offering flexible work arrangements that are friendlier for individual workers and their families.

Social economy and social responsibility: alternatives to global anarchy of neoliberalism?

Purpose - This paper aims to point out a way to overcome the circumstances that arose out of the global neoliberal system. It is argued that this is possible when all relevant actors in society cooperate and that a change in a way of thinking in the private sector needs to come from within. Design/methodology/approach - The paper searches the alternative to neoliberalism in the social economy and responsibility paradigms by examining their theoretical and normative standpoints linking them to practical views. Findings - The paper argues that the solution to the hegemonic neoliberalism is the new model of social economy which can be put in force only by simultaneous cooperation of all key actors in a society, and especially a driving force behind the existing economic system – the for-profit sector. Lately it seems that its actors have, indeed, more actively take over their role within social economy, acknowledging the importance of the socially responsible behaviour. Originality/value - The paper introduces a four-leaf clover model of social economy actors and integrates the social economy paradigm with the notion of social responsibility of the for-profit sector.