PR practitioners’ conceptualisation of the role of stakeholder engagement in corporate social responsibility planning and implementation

Abstract

Over the years, practitioners and stakeholders have regarded the practice of stakeholder engagement as a non-essential part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The only standard corporate practice was to invest in developing CSR and sustainability programmes with minimal involvement of those they materially affect, also known as their stakeholders. However, engaging with stakeholders is no longer optional. In theory, the reflective public relations paradigm emphasises the need for organisations to meet stakeholder and societal expectations, values, norms, and standards by conducting themselves in a socially responsible manner in their communities. Against this background, this study evaluated PR practitioners’ conceptualisation of the role of stakeholder engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility planning and implementation using the Public Relations reflective paradigm conceptualised by Susanne Holmström. The study also adopted the stakeholder approach to CSR formulated by Freeman. The study followed an exploratory qualitative research approach, involving six PR practitioners involved in CSR within their organisations in Cape Town. The researchers selected participants through the purposive sampling technique. The findings of this study revealed that stakeholder inclusivity and engagement vary for each organisation. However, in many organisations’ corporate social responsibility strategies, the most common goal is to engage and put all their stakeholders at the forefront.