Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Communication, Technology, and Society
Committee Chair/Advisor
Jordan Morehouse
Committee Member
Virginia Harrison
Committee Member
Brandon Boatwright
Abstract
Utilizing LinkedIn as a communication tool for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communications is a relatively unknown area of CSR research. However, existing scholarship and current business trends suggest that LinkedIn may be beneficial for business to business (B2B) companies to communicate to their corporate partners. Findings from this study advance communication scholarship in this relatively new area of research and provide new understanding in how LinkedIn can be used by companies to strengthen business operations pertaining to corporate social responsibility. This thesis examines how Equinix, a B2B company, communicates its socially responsible initiatives on LinkedIn and to what extent its publicization efforts reflect the overlapping CSR values of its publicly named top corporate partners. A two-year content analysis ranging from 2021 to 2023 was conducted on Equinix’s LinkedIn posts and corporate sustainability reports. Results of this qualitative case study suggests that Equinix’s online users are interested in seeing more content related to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and community investments, as well as current events related to sustainability operations. These results are compiled into a strategic plan that highlights the shared values of the case subject’s corporate partners, what shortcomings and best practices exist in the case subject’s attempts of publicizing its CSR values on LinkedIn, and recommendations for how the case subject should move forward in effectively communicating its CSR efforts on LinkedIn.
Recommended Citation
Wallace, Eden, "Using LinkedIn to Promote Effective Corporate Social Responsibility Communication Through The B2B Supply Chain" (2023). All Theses. 4057.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/4057