Lindsay McShane
Marketing, Queen's University
A study on the authenticity of corporate social responsibility: Employee perceptions

lmcshane@business.queensu.ca

Lindsay McShane has completed her Masters of Science in Management (Marketing) degree at Queen's University under the supervision of Professor Peggy Cunningham. Beginning this fall, she will continue her Marketing studies at Queen's as a first-year PhD student where she hopes to pursue her research interests in the area of corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, identification, and social marketing.

A study on the authenticity of corporate social responsibility: Employee perceptions

In this era of distrust and cynicism towards business, the authenticity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts is constantly under scrutiny. Nonetheless, to date, little research has been conducted on this important aspect of CSR, specifically with regard to authenticity and its role in building stakeholder relationships. Accordingly, this study examines whether authenticity, which can be defined as a manifestation of an individual's search for 'what is real' (Leigh, Peters and Shelton 2006, p. 482; Brown, Kozinets and Sherry 2003) is an important element of developing a sustainable CSR program that fosters stronger organization-employee relationships. Overall, this research aims to shed light on what CSR authenticity means in an organizational context, how employees evaluate CSR authenticity and how CSR authenticity influences employee relations with the organization. By developing a better understanding of how employee perceptions of CSR authenticity influence their relationship with their organization, we will be better positioned to understand the mechanisms underlying this nuanced relationship.