Grant funding for CSR communication research
The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication at Penn State University has issued a call for grant proposals on CSR communication. The text of the call follows:
Page Legacy Scholar Grants: Call for Research Proposals
In today’s environment, corporate social responsibility has emerged as an important management concept. Publics expect companies to be engaged in responsible activities that make a significant contribution to communities and society. Though corporations have adopted more sustainable and responsible practices, they often struggle to communicate effectively about their CSR activities. Practitioners find that promoting environmental successes can be risky as they sometimes are met with skepticism or backlash from activist groups. Too, traditional methods of promoting community involvement or diversity may do little to bolster the reputation of the company.
The Arthur W. Page Center seeks grant proposals that address the issues of corporate social responsibility communication. Research projects should deepen the field’s understanding of the issues with a focus on real-world solutions for practitioners. Submissions should clearly demonstrate how the research will benefit the practice of public relations and how the authors intend to disseminate findings to the field. Grants will range from $1000 to $5000.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
- Measuring the impact of CSR communication
- Benefits of communicating about diversity in the corporate environment
- Leveraging community partnerships in communication
- Promoting corporate volunteer programs
- Building relationships with advocacy groups
- Communicating about environmental impacts
- Ethics of CSR communication
The research conducted from approved proposals will be evaluated for a special issue of a public relations journal on corporate social responsibility guest edited by the author of this call. Authors of successful submissions may be asked to participate in a webinar or conference panel and/or make their work available for distribution through a website on CSR.
See the Page Center website for details (pagecenter.comm.psu.edu, click on Page Legacy Scholar Grants). Questions should be directed to Dr. Denise Bortree at dsb177@psu.edu or (814)865-1274.
Application materials must be received by the Page Center on or before January 10, 2013.
Communicating for Good 