Institute for Public Relations

Many organizations have embraced some form of corporate citizenship, social responsibility or sustainability for years, some even for generations. But for many organizations such activities have been considered voluntary or even a luxury. So is there a real business case for corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Let’s look at three significant pieces of work by academics based in Europe who examine social responsibility from different perspectives. In the Journal of Business Ethics, four authors from Portugal examine a large body of work on CSR and sustainability that provides useful definitions and identifies the researchers who have examined the relationship between sustainability and ...

Is the survey mechanism broken? Few would argue that it hasn’t been damaged by a number of factors in recent years. With that in mind, I read a May speech by Scott Keeter, director of survey research for the Pew Research Center, delivered in his capacity as president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research. The foundation of statistically sound survey research is that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included. Yet survey professionals have gone from expecting 30 to 50 percent response rates to single digits. So whose voice might be missing and can surveys ...

IPR Trustee Keith Burton brought to my attention research reported in The New York Times and characterized by New York University Professor Dalton Conley as showing that “giving workers time to chill helps ultimate long-term productivity.” Harvard Professor Leslie A. Perlow, author of “Sleeping With Your Smartphone” (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), surveyed 1,600 managers and professionals.  She found that, even on vacation, only two percent of them turn off their networked devices.  Her experimental work with a major business consulting firm suggests that employees who take an organized, mutually supportive approach to disconnecting are more satisfied with work and seek ...