Reducing the fallout: the role of managerial attention in tackling media reporting on corporate social irresponsibility in offshore outsourcing

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the factors driving media reporting on corporate social irresponsibility (CSiR) in offshore outsourcing. Specifically, this study offers insights into how managerial attention influences media coverage and how it moderates the impact of organizational visibility and prior media reporting. Design/methodology/approach The authors examined CSiR in the context of offshore outsourcing among large, product-based companies from the Forbes Global 2000 list. Using the FACTIVA database, the authors identified and counted media articles reporting on CSiR incidents in offshore outsourcing. Findings The findings reveal that while the intensity of attention has a negative association with media reporting on CSiR, the breadth of attention has a positive relationship. Furthermore, the intensity of attention moderates the positive connection between a firm’s visibility and media reporting, while the breadth of attention weakens the effect of prior media coverage on subsequent reporting. Practical implications This study sheds light on strategies that managers can use to limit instances of CSiR the media report on. It also suggests that intensifying attention to CSiR reduces the adverse effects of visibility while broadening attention lessens the influence of prior media reporting. Originality/value To date, limited empirical studies exist on how firms try to affect media reporting on CSiR. This research provides a novel perspective by demonstrating that the intensity and breadth of attention matter because the resource provision coming from attention affects the instances of CSiR that the media report on. Moreover, attention can help reduce the effects of prior reporting and organizational visibility.