W. Timothy Coombs & Sherry J. Holladay 
Managing Corporate Social Responsibility 
A Communication Approach

Managing Corporate Social Responsibility offers a strategic,
communication-centred approach to integrating CSR into
organizations. Drawing from a variety of disciplines and written in
a highly accessible style, the book guides readers in a focused
progression providing the key points they need to successfully
navigate the benefits and implications of managing CSR.



* Chapters are organized around a process model for CSR that
outlines steps for researching, developing, implementing, and
evaluating CSR initiatives

* Emphasizes stakeholder engagement as a foundation throughout
the CSR Process Model

* Discusses ways to maximize the use of social media and
traditional media throughout the process

* Offers international examples drawn from a variety of
industries including: The Forest Stewardship Council, Starbucks
Coffee, and IKEA.

* Draws upon theories grounded in various disciplines, including
public relations, marketing, media, communication, and
business

Table of Content

Contents in Detail ix

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Conceptualizing Corporate Social Responsibility 1

2 Strategic CSR 29

3 CSR Scanning and Monitoring 51

4 Formative Research 63

5 Create the CSR Initiative 89

6 Communicate the CSR Initiative 109

7 Evaluation and Feedback 137

8 CSR Issues 153

References 165

Index 177

About the author

W. TIMOTHY COOMBS is a Professor in the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He is author of the award-winning Ongoing Crisis Communication (1999), Today’s Public Relations (with Robert Heath, 2006), and Code Red in the Boardroom: Crisis Management as Organizational DNA (2006).

SHERRY J. HOLLADAY is a Professor in the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Her work has been widely published in several journals.

Together, W. Timothy Coombs and Sherry J. Holladay are authors of the award-winning books It’;s Not Just PR: Public Relations in Society (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007) and PR Strategy and Application: Managing Influence (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), and co-editors of The Handbook of Crisis Communication (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010).