Communicating and managing aspirational talk-action tensions: An integrated approach of CSR discourse analysis

• Published in: Public relations review 2024-11, Vol.50 (4), p.102479, Article 102479
• Main Authors: Mak, Angela K.Y., Huang, Zeping
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Corporate Social Responsibility; CSR communication; Cultural discourse; ESG reporting; Linguistic analysis; Talk-action relationships
• ISSN: 0363-8111
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102479

Inspired by propositions founded on the Communication as Constitutive of Organization literature, this paper employed a mixed method combining Cultural Discourse Analysis (CuDA) with Corpus Linguistics to investigate how companies manage aspirational talk-action tensions in corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourses for social license to operate. Ten sustainability reports of five companies in Singapore and Hong Kong were accessed to examine the emergence of CuDA discursive hubs (identity, relation, emotion, action, and dwelling), the articulation of linguistic elements via concordance analysis, and the adoption of socio-cultural dimensions in addressing tension mechanisms. Findings revealed intricate communication dynamics resulting in four strategies that companies undertook to address and manage discrepancies, thereby enabling the construction of effective narrative CSR communication. These strategies provide valuable insights for public relations practitioners who engage in sustainability reporting and seek to adequately handle aspirational talk-action tensions that can possibly cause negative impacts. •Provided empirical discourse to illustrate the communication dynamics of CSR talk-action discrepancies.•Identified, exemplified and interpreted interactions of cultural and linguistic practices in specific CSR contexts.•Offered a holistic interpretation of analyzing CSR discourse in communicative interactions.