Spin with ethics? Discourses of corporate social responsibility in Singapore and Malaysia

Fitch, K. and Surma, A. (2007) Spin with ethics? Discourses of corporate social responsibility in Singapore and Malaysia. In: World Communication Association conference, 27 - 30 July, Brisbane.

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Abstract

The increasing reach and power of multinational corporations raises important questions about the tensions between local and global interests, values and practices. If the corporate social responsibility (CSR) theoretical 'debate' is articulated through two key discourses: broadly speaking, economic / commercial and moral / ethical, then how is it perceived by communication professionals in Southeast Asia with responsibility for CSR in their organisations or for their clients? Those two broad strands can be teased out to highlight the role of specific discourses that determine approaches to CSR in particular contexts. This paper is based on interviews conducted with public relations professionals in Singapore and Malaysia in 2006.