Papers by Cyrlene Claasen
Journal of business ethics, Jan 1, 2012
This article investigates the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and th... more This article investigates the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and the reasons for which legitimacy is ascribed or denied. It fills a gap in the literature on CSR and legitimacy which lacks empirical studies regarding the question whether CSR contributes to organisational legitimacy. The problem is discussed by referring to the case of De Beers' diamond mining partnership with the government of Namibia. A total of 42 interviews were conducted -41 with stakeholders and one with the focal organisation Namdeb. The 41 stakeholder interviews are analysed with regards to cognitive, pragmatic and moral legitimacy as defined by Suchman (1995). The main finding is that the majority of statements on organisational legitimacy refer to moral legitimacy and most issues raised in this context challenge the company's legitimacy despite its comprehensive CSR engagement. The study demonstrates that legitimacy gaps can be a result of communication practices that raise unrealistic stakeholder expectations and that the legitimacy gained by CSR engagement in one area cannot substitute legitimacy losses caused by failures in another.
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Papers by Cyrlene Claasen