Corporate Social Responsibility Communication

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a critical focus of modern business environments. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the CSR landscape, representing the majority of Australian businesses. This research highlights the critical role of CSR communication in shaping stakeholder perceptions and expectations among Australian SMEs and identifies their challenges in CSR communication, resulting in low uptake of CSR activities. The findings reveal external pressures from stakeholders significantly influence the CSR SME practices, and the misalignment of a one-size-fits-all model, whereby SMEs are expected to follow the path set by MNCs. This has led to SMEs calls for enhanced support mechanisms to help them articulate and report their CSR efforts effectively.