CSR-kommunikations påvirking på legitimitet hos forbugerne

Abstract

This thesis aims to investigate the impact of corporate CSR communication on consumer perceptions of legitimacy. In Denmark, CSR, particularly regarding climate and environmental issues, has been promoted by decision-makers and politicians to align societal interests with increased competitiveness. However, there is ambiguous academic evidence as to whether such links truly exist. This thesis examines how Danish consumers respond to CSR communication focused on climate and environmental issues from Danish companies, with a particular emphasis on legitimacy. The study adopts a social constructivist perspective, using discourse and rhetorical analysis methods within a hermeneutic framework that blends deduction and induction. To explore how companies communicate CSR, a rhetorical analysis of three case companies— JYSK, Bestseller, and Danish Crown—was conducted, analyzing selected CSR communications through the theoretical lens of aspiration talk. The analysis revealed that companies heavily rely on aspiration talk as part of their CSR communication, using a mix of exploratory, formulating, implementing, and evaluating aspiration talk, with the former two being the most prevalent. In cases where there was a perceived gap between words and actions in aspirational CSR communication, companies often justified it with external and internal factors, followed by new aspirational statements. To understand how consumers respond to corporate CSR communication, qualitative interviews were conducted with eight consumers. Their attitudes toward CSR communication were analyzed at a general level, at the brand and product level, and in response to specific communications from the case companies. The interviews revealed several prevailing consumer logics: profit optimization has cognitive legitimacy, implementing aspiration talk is preferred, pragmatic legitimacy dominates, evaluating aspiration talk depends on pragmatic legitimacy, and CSR communication does not significantly influence consumer attitudes. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that corporate CSR communication has a limited impact on consumer perceptions of legitimacy, which are more influenced by long-standing normative beliefs and pragmatic value creation. Implementing aspiration talk increases legitimacy, while inconsistencies between CSR communication and actions only have a minor negative effect. Consumer attitudes and purchasing behavior are therefore not significantly affected by CSR communication, which is primarily seen as an expected aspect of corporate behavior rather than a decisive factor for legitimacy.