Sanne Bruhn-Hansen Supervisor: Tomasz A. Fediuk

Corporate Social Responsibility & Starbucks

BAMMC – BA Thesis May, 2012

Corporate Social Responsibility – A case study of Starbucks’ CSR communication through its corporate website

Bachelor Thesis in Marketing and Management Communication Sanne Sanne Bruhn-Hansen CPR: XXXXXX-XXXX Supervisor: Tomasz A. Fediuk No. of characters: Thesis: 54,329 Abstract: 3,492
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Sanne Bruhn-Hansen Supervisor: Tomasz A. Fediuk

Corporate Social Responsibility & Starbucks

BAMMC – BA Thesis May, 2012

Abstract
Organizations today are experiencing increased pressure from their surrounding environments to act as good social citizens while still being profitable. Acting social and ethical responsible has become an expectation rather than a differentiation strategy to obtain organizational legitimacy. Therefore, this thesis examines how the very successful global coffee company, Starbucks, communicates its CSR initiatives through its corporate website. The aim is to investigate what is communicated, what different online communication channels are utilized, as well as how the communication is framed to target different stakeholder groups. In the first part of the report, after stressing the relevance of engaging in CSR activities and the importance of effective CSR communication, Schwartz & Carroll’s (2003) Three Domain Approach for CSR motives is briefly introduced. This gives an overview of why companies engage in CSR initiatives and what outcomes are expected. Then, the thesis proceeds to the overall theoretical framework, comprised of a comprehensive communication framework model for effective CSR communication. This includes message content, message channels, as well as contingency factors, which entails company- and stakeholder-specific factors. Incorporated in this framework are aspects of Hallahan’s