Study Guide for TEST
Comm 108
Communication and CSR
Spring 2024
The in-class part of the midterm will be during class
May 22 (closed book) BRING TWO BLUE BOOKS TO CLASS!!!!
The in-class exam will be made up of 1) compare and contrast identifications with applications to your or any other organization we have read about or discussed in class. You will be asked to
compare and provide examples of the key concepts—this is why you are preparing a list with definitions and provide examples. The list of key concepts and definition is due on Wednesday May 15
before class
.
The on line portion of the exam will be available starting on May 20 (after class) and is due on Friday May 25 before midnight (open book) . Once you open the exam on line you will have
two
2)
CONSECUTIVE hours to answer (if you know the material and don’t have to look things up the exam should take no longer than 1 hour). In other words,
ONCE YOU START the on line portion YOU MUST FINISH in ONE Sitting, you CAN NOT log out and go back.
This portion of the exam will consist of multiple choice, T and F, fill in the blanks, matching, and questions that require one or two sentences. Fifty percent of the points on the exam will be from the compare and contrast section and 50 percent from the short answers.
For studying it will help for you to go over the study guide with other students. You will need to come up with
specific examples
of each term. So, for example, it is isn’t enough to just know the difference between first, second and third generation of CSR but you need to be able to provide examples of what an NGO or MNC does to illustrate their concern with a particular generation. Or you might be asked to compare and contrast the business case for CSR with the ethical case. After you do that you would need to use an example from your organization’s mission, code of ethics, or other information to illustrate the concept and provide a rationale for why that is the business or the moral case. Or you might need to know the difference between direct action and advocacy campaigns and provide an example of what your organization does.
For the exam you will choose
7 pairs from the 15 or so we provide.
1) Compare, Contrast, and Apply IN CLASS ON MAY 22
The comparison pairs will be terms like
Business Case for CSR/ First generation CSR
Social Desirability/Activist NGOs
Political CSR/Externalities
Social media CSR policies/The UN global compact
So if you choose the pair Social media CSR policies/The UN global compact here’s what an A answer would look like (NOTE THERE ARE FOUR PARTS)
a) Social media policies: Social media policies are produced by organizations to regulate employee communication on various media platforms and are associated with CSR because they address employee’s freedom of speech across multiple boundaries.
b) The UN global compact is an agreement (not enforceable) between the United Nations, Corporations, Governments, and Civil Society organizations including NGOs, to act according to basic human rights, fair labor practices, care for the environment, and anti-corruption norms.
c) These concepts are related to one another insofar as they both address employee human rights related to employee communication activity and address issues associated with boundaries between personal and work related communication.
d) My organization is The Fair Works Council and in its social media policy it addresses the boundary between personal/professional communications by stating “Remember your responsibility to our organization doesn’t end when you are off the clock. For that reason, this policy applies to both company sponsored social media and personal use as it relates the FWC.”
To respond to the short answer questions (whatever form they are in) you should be able to answer the following questions and again relate them to your organizations, discussion in class or making connections or videos.
Questions to consider
1. What is CSR?
2. How has the world changed and why is CSR now of such concern?
3. What are the similarities and differences between the generations of CSR?
4. What are the benefits and drawbacks among different types of CSR?
5. How does a black swan event influence CSR?
6. What are the different types of cases made for why CSR is important or irrelevant for businesses? What are examples of the business case and the ethical/moral cases for CSR?
7. What are the different types of organizations that are connected to CSR? What does each type of organization do?
8. What are the various aspects of CSR communication in terms of what it is trying to accomplish, the different strategies used and why is it is so complex.
9. What are the difference between Stakeholder Information Strategy, Stakeholder Response Strategy and Stakeholder Involvement Strategy?
10. What are some of the dangers of CSR communication? What are some of the benefits?
11. What are the differences and similarities among greenwashing, pink washing and blue washing?
12. What does a company have to do to convince the public that their CSR campaign is not just greenwashing or bluewashing or pinkwashing?
13. What is the difference between instrumental and constitutive CSR communication?
14. What is the difference between organizational hypocrisy and aspirational talk?
15. Why is stakeholder theory important for understanding and enacting CSR?
16. How do you prioritize stakeholders and use that prioritization in value creation?
17. How are social media policies related to CSR?
18. What are the different types of NGO actions in relation to CSR? What are the sorts of CSR activities they carry out?
19. What are the different/similar strategies corporations and NGOs use to address CSR issues?
20. How have NGOs changed over time? How are those changes related to stakeholders?
21. What is conscientious consumerism and how is that related to particular CSR activities by both NGOs and MNCs?
22. How are CSR and human rights related?
23. What makes effective and ineffective CSR communication?
24. What make effective NGO/MNC partnerships
25. What makes an effective logo?
GOOD LUCK!
