Stakeholders’ Cognitions, Values, and Attributions: Influence Over Reputation

Paper presented to the Public Relations Division at the meeting of the International Communication Association, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are often used by organizations as a means of improving their reputations. However, the influence of stakeholder characteristics over stakeholders’ perceptions of these initiatives has received limited attention. This study investigates the characteristics of individuals’ values and cognitions that may influence their perceptions of an organization. Particularly, the study uses attribution theory to examine the perceived motivations for CSR initiatives and the influence of these perceived motivations on reputation. Stakeholders’ tendencies towards analytic or holistic thought, as well as their value priorities, are also assumed to influence this relationship. Results support two mediated models in which the relationships between individual differences and reputation are mediated by attributions for the organizations’ motives.