ABSTRACT
Professor C. B. Bhattacharya is an eminent academic expert on the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Over the past fifteen years he has conducted quantitative research and published a number of papers on the subject. His recent paper, entitled Maximising Business Returns to CSR: The Role of CSR Communication. The paper identifies stakeholder's low awareness of and unfavourable attitudes towards companies CSR initiatives as crucial factors impeding companies from maximizing business benefits through their activities in CSR. This implies a need for companies to communicate CSR more effectively to their stakeholders, including consumers, employees, opinion leaders and investors. A key test in developing an effective CSR communication strategy is to create awareness in a way that reduces stakeholder scepticism and conveys the company's positive intentions. In increasing the effectiveness of companies CSR communication, company-specific factors, corporate reputation and companies CSR positions play an essential role.
