December 12, 2018

By Toby Hopp and Jolene Fisher, University of Colorado at Boulder

Public trust in the key institutions of business, government, NGOs and media has reached an all-time low, according to the 2017 and 2018 publications of the Edelman Trust Barometer.

Trust, as we are now well aware, is in a state of crisis. Accordingly, organizations are looking for ways to build trust, credibility and goodwill with ever more skeptical audiences. It is within this context that an… More

December 4, 2018

By Fan Yang, University at Albany, and Holly Overton, University of South Carolina

Coca-Cola contains a bug-based dye, alcohol or pork?! Naked Juice smoothies have a toxic preservative, formaldehyde?! Rumors like these can circulate quickly on social media and harm corporate reputation.

Environmental responsibility has been deemed a pillar of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by companies across different industries. According to research, corporations ranging from the traditional (automobile and pharmaceutical) to the new (information technology) are striving… More

November 20, 2018

By Kim Sheehan, University of Oregon, and Kati Tusinski Berg, Marquette University

Have you heard of bike sharing? In more than 100 large and small cities across the United States, bike sharing programs provide commuters with an easy and affordable way to pedal from one point to another by renting a bike using a credit card or an iPhone app from a conveniently placed station in their community.

With roots in Europe, bike sharing programs began in… More

November 6, 2018

By Geah Pressgrove, West Virginia University, Carolyn Kim, Biola University and Cristóbal Barra, Universidad de Chile

In 2017, the Edelman Trust Barometer reported that trust in government, business, media and NGOs had declined to the point of a global crisis of trust.

Based on current research, the lack of trust in organizations seems to stem from the belief that organizations are more interested in their personal gain than the good of society or the public. For… More

October 29, 2018

By Linwan Wu and Holly Overton, University of South Carolina

Native advertising, a buzzword in the field of strategic communications, imitates the form and appearance of editorial content. It is seamlessly integrated into people’s online newsfeeds and social media posts.

The practice of native advertising is controversial, as scholars have highlighted over the past few years. Some argue that native advertising is the next big trend, as it effectively grabs consumers’ attention in this era of information… More

October 22, 2018

By Nandini Bhalla, University of South Carolina

Research has shown that multinational organizations (MNCs) engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in domestic and foreign countries to earn multiple benefits—such as goodwill and brand loyalty.

We have seen BP focus its advertising on preserving wildlife in Canada. Coca-Cola frequently shows off its work in Africa, distributing clean water to needy communities. Organizations are developing various strategies to effectively communicate about their CSR activities to local and global… More