The document presents research on how Dutch corporations present corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on their websites. The research questions how CSR is presented and what frames are used to communicate about CSR to stakeholders. Content analysis was conducted on the websites of the 50 most valuable Dutch brands. The results found that 62% presented CSR information on their homepage. While the amount of CSR information varied between companies, most focused on stakeholders like employees and suppliers, and issues like people and the planet. Responsibility was the most common frame used to discuss CSR.

1. Acting as responsible citizens;
A presentation of CSR
initiatives on corporate
web sites in the Netherlands

2. Introduction
• Corporate Social Responsibility
▫ The relationship between an organization and the
society in which it operates
▫ The tool to legitimize an organization in the eyes
of society

3. Research Question
How is Corporate Social Responsibility presented
on corporate web sites in the Netherlands?
▫ How are Corporate Social Responsibility
initiatives presented on a corporate web site?
▫ What frames does an organization use to
communicate information concerning CSR to
groups of interest?

4. Theoretical background
• Motivations for CSR commitment
▫ Public Relations versus CSR
• Stakeholder focus
▫ Different stakeholders, different interest
• Responsibility for the value chain
▫ Increasingly complex markets
• Framing
▫ News  Corporate web site
▫ Economic, legal, ethical, discrete

5. Methodology
• 50 most valuable Dutch brands (2009)
• Content analyses
▫ Content questions
▫ Framing questions

6. Results
CSR information on corporate homepage 62%
• Different
▫ Amount of CSR information
 Unilever most information on CSR
• Similair
• Focus on stakeholders and triple bottom line
 Employees & suppliers
 ‘People’ & ‘Planet’

7. Results
• Correlations between amount of CSR
information and:
▫ RQ1: Disposition on the list of brands
▫ H1: CSR related issues mentioned
▫ H2: Stakeholders
▫ H3: Business sector

8. Results
• Framing
▫ Average score for each frame:
 Human interest frame .55
 Environmental frame .53
 Economic frame .14
 Legal frame .25
 Ehtical frame .56
 Responsibility frame .77

9. Conclusion
• Dutch organizations differ in the amount of CSR
information on their corporate web site
• Organizations who find CSR important enough
to give information on CSR have a similair focus
• CSR information is about…
▫ taking care of employees and suppliers
▫ caring for ‘People’ and ‘Planet’
▫ taking responsibility for a greater role in society

10. Questions?