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It uses industry research to identify gaps between companies’ “good works” performance and public reputation, emphasizing how misalignment creates reputational risk and how strategic communication can align actual and perceived CSR. Learning includes diagnosing needs, assessing successful tactics, and recommending plans to close the reputation gap.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":11,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/presentations/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/mining-the-gap-research-to-guide-csr-communications-strategy/361217/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/mining-the-gap-research-to-guide-csr-communications-strategy/361217.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Dipper","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-27","2026-09-23",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"What gap does the lesson focus on in CSR communications?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"The lesson focuses on the gap between companies’ CSR “good works” performance and their “good works” reputation among the general population. It targets misalignment between actual and perceived CSR.","Answer",{"name":111,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":112},"How do students apply the lesson’s research process?",{"text":113,"@type":109},"Students evaluate industry data to diagnose the need for a CSR communication strategy, then identify one company with a reality/perception gap. They recommend a strategic communication plan to enhance reputation.",{"name":115,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Which public relations theory does the lesson connect to?",{"text":117,"@type":109},"The lesson connects to relationship management theory, emphasizing mutually beneficial organization-public relationships supported by trust in shared values. It frames CSR as a tool for communicating norms and gaining legitimacy.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":120,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":122,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":124,"site_id":56},361217,1791719214,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":127},{"doc_id":124,"user_id":128,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":9,"category_id":8,"category_name":11,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":135,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":76},1374404997633,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","PRD GIFT Winner AEJMC 2019  \nMining the Gap: Research to Guide CSR Communications Strategy  \nJanis Teruggi Page, University of Illinois at Chicago  \nEditorial Record: Submitted toAEJMC-PRD GIFT Competition by Feb. 22, 2019. A blind copy was peer reviewed by the PRD Teaching Committee, led by Chair Brigitta Brunner, and selected as a Top GIFT. First published online on August 17, 2019.  \nRationale  \nCSR communications have become an increasing responsibility for PR practitioners, as corporations have now recognized CSR as essential to their operations and their reputations. This lesson is designed to prepare students for this growing, essential practice in corporate public relations through analyzing industry research to find gaps between the “good works” companies perform and their “good works” reputation among the general population—gaps that can be filled through the use of strategic communication. According to the Reputation Institute:  \nCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is a highly important driver of reputation. Although companies are increasingly becoming more sustainable, the public often does not know or recognize a company’s CSR commitment. Consequently, a company’s actual and perceived CSR is frequently misaligned. Aligning CSR minimizes reputational risks and can improve reputation significantly. (Verheij, 2017, p. 1)  \nStudent Learning Goals  \nBy engaging in this assignment, students will understand that a strategic CSR program is only as strong as a company’s ability to  \ncommunicate its strengths, values, and impacts to a wide array of internal and external stakeholders. They will diagnose the need for a CSR communication strategy by evaluating gaps between performance and reputation. They will also gain insight on excellence in CSR communication by evaluating communication tactics of high-performing companies with high-perceived reputations. Guided by this research process, they will recommend a strategic communication plan to support CSR engagement to close the reputation gap between public reception and reality.  \nConnection to Public Relations Theory  \nThis lesson connects to relationship management theory. An organization’s survival depends on mutually beneficial relationships between the organization and its publics. According to Ledingham (2003),“Successful organization-public relationships develop around common interests and shared solutions to common problems”(p. 188). Among the relational factors is trust that the organization lives its values. Consumers consider CSR efforts when judging the reputation of a company, and CSR is a key public relations tool for communicating norms and gaining legitimacy (Aksak, Ferguson, & Duman, 2016) . CSR engagement, when done correctly, is tied to the purpose and values of the corporation and should be communicated accordingly. Recognizing and addressing amisalignment of actual and perceived CSR is one means for corporations to build a sustained and authentic relationship with its publics.  \nEvidence of Learning Outcomes  \nThis lesson has been successfully taught multiple times in an online graduate program using data from two respected industry sources:  \nan annual ranking of U.S. corporations’ CSR activity conducted by Corporate Responsibility magazine (CR Magazine, 2019) and an annual ranking of U.S. corporations’ CSR reputation conducted by the Reputation Institute (2019). Positive achievement of outcomes has been measured by  \nstudents’ engagement with industry data that reveals a company’s “gap”—and students’ subsequent written justifications for selecting a company in need of a CSR communications plan. Student analysis also has determined the company’s strongest CSR programs most worthy of better messaging. Finally, student communications plans are influenced by the strategy and tactics of companies ranking high in both performance and reputation, as well as by best practices in CSR communication.  \nReferences  \nCR Magazine. (2019) . 100 best corporate citiz","cbCaidTqe3rHllUf","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidTqe3rHllUf","pdf",295303,7,"English","# Rationale\n# Student Learning Goals\n# Connection to Public Relations Theory\n# Evidence of Learning Outcomes\n# References\n# Appendix A: Assignment","[{\"question\":\"What gap does the lesson focus on in CSR communications?\",\"answer\":\"The lesson focuses on the gap between companies’ CSR “good works” performance and their “good works” reputation among the general population. It targets misalignment between actual and perceived CSR.\"},{\"question\":\"How do students apply the lesson’s research process?\",\"answer\":\"Students evaluate industry data to diagnose the need for a CSR communication strategy, then identify one company with a reality/perception gap. They recommend a strategic communication plan to enhance reputation.\"},{\"question\":\"Which public relations theory does the lesson connect to?\",\"answer\":\"The lesson connects to relationship management theory, emphasizing mutually beneficial organization-public relationships supported by trust in shared values. It frames CSR as a tool for communicating norms and gaining legitimacy.\"}]","Mining the Gap - Research to Guide CSR Communications Strategy | PDF",1790143574]