Corporate social advocacy: a comparative study among four countries

Purpose This study investigated how people view corporate social advocacy (CSA) from a cross-country perspective and focused on public’s perceptions of the roles and their expectations of corporations when engaging in CSA and explores how culture influences these views. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized surveys from Australia, Belgium, China and the United States. Findings Results indicated that the four countries differed in their views on the roles of corporations in engaging in CSA. However, participants from four countries saw similar patterns when it comes to motivations for corporations to engage in CSA. In addition, culture plays an inconsistent role in describing how people from different countries perceive corporations’ engagement in CSA. Originality/value This study is an early attempt to explore CSA on a cross-national scale and to investigate the role of culture in shaping people’s perceptions about CSA. This study yields important theoretical and practical insights about CSA.