Public Relations Review xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Public Relations Review

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/pubrev

The role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and internal CSR

communication in predicting employee engagement: Perspectives
from the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
⁎
Gaelle Duthler, Ganga S. Dhanesh
College of Communication and Media Sciences, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates

A R T IC LE I N F O ABS TRA CT

Keywords: This study examined relationships among employees’ perception of CSR, three models of internal
Internal communication CSR communication and employee engagement. The findings, based on 516 valid survey re-
Corporate social responsibility sponses from employees across different sectors in the United Arab Emirates, revealed that in-
CSR ternal communication of CSR, both one-way and two-way symmetrical, predicted employee
CSR communication
perceptions of CSR, with two-way asymmetrical communication being a negative predictor;
Perceptions of CSR
Employee engagement
perceptions of CSR predicted employee engagement; social and sustainable dimensions of CSR
most strongly predicted social and affective dimensions of employee engagement; and both two-
way symmetrical communication of CSR and employee perceptions of CSR strongly predicted
employee engagement. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

1. Introduction

One of the entrenched approaches to examining corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its communication within public re-
lations, in addition to the critical and the interpretive, is the functionalistic approach, wherein organizations actively engage with and
communicate their socially, environmentally, ethically and economically responsible policies and actions because they engender
positive public relations outcomes such as stronger organization-public relationships, and legitimacy and reputational capital
(Dhanesh, 2014; Ihlen, Bartlett, & May, 2011).
However, most of the work generated in this area has focused on external stakeholders (e.g., David, Kline, & Dai, 2005; Wigley,
2008), although employees have been identified as an important stakeholder group with respect to CSR, who could become highly
engaged advocates and ambassadors of a responsible organization (Dhanesh, 2014; Gill, 2015). Employee engagement is pivotal to
organizational success and generates multiple benefits such as increased productivity, decreased attrition and increased internal
reputation (Albrecht, Bakker, Gruman, Macey, & Saks, 2015; Jiang & Men, 2017; Schaufeli, Salanova, González-Romá, & Bakker,
2002). Key drivers of employee engagement include corporate social responsibility (Wollard & Shuck, 2011), perceived organiza-
tional support (Mahon, Taylor, & Boyatzis, 2014; Saks, 2006; Wollard & Shuck, 2011), procedural justice (Saks, 2006), organizational
climate (Albrecht et al., 2015), work-life balance (Hewitt, 2015; Wollard & Shuck, 2011) authentic leadership (Jiang & Men, 2017)
and internal communication (Jiang & Men, 2017; Kang & Sung, 2017; Karanges, Johnston, Beatson, & Lings, 2015; Mishra, Boynton,
& Mishra, 2017; Ruck, Welch, & Menara, 2017; Vercic & Vokic, 2017). However, most research on antecedents of employee en-
gagement has examined individual level variables, with less focus on examining the effect of organizational/contextual-level vari-
ables such as clarity of organizational purpose and organizational climate (Albrecht et al., 2015).

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: gaelle.duthler@zu.ac.ae (G. Duthler), ganga.dhanesh@zu.ac.ae (G.S. Dhanesh).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2018.04.001
Received 28 February 2018; Accepted 1 April 2018
0363-8111/ © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article as: Duthler, G., Public Relations Review (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2018.04.001
G. Duthler, G.S. Dhanesh Public Relations Review xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx

Accordingly, adopting and extending Maignan and Ferrell’s (2001) theoretical conceptualization of CSR practices and its com-
munication as an internal marketing instrument that could strengthen employee related outcomes such as organizational commit-
ment and esprit de corps, this study empirically examined employee perceptions of their organizations’ CSR practices and internal CSR
communication as two crucial organizational level variables that could foster employee engagement.
We chose to conduct the study in the UAE for multiple reasons. First, the enactment of CSR is context dependent, and based on the
cultural, economic, and political contexts of the United Arab Emirates, the practice of public relations and CSR is quite different from
Western contexts. This rich, politically stable, multicultural Arab country (with only around 10% of UAE nationals and 90% ex-
patriates) is continuing to grow and develop its own public relations industry standards. Also, the diverse, multicultural environment
would assume cultural differences in how CSR is practiced and perceived or how employee engagement is understood. For example,
in the UAE, CSR is strongly influenced by the Islamic religion (Ronnegard, 2011). Philanthropy is a major part of the religion and so,
often CSR is perceived the same as philanthropy (Katsioloudes & Brodtkorb, 2007). Managers often regard the modern concept of CSR
to be a corporate form of Zakat, the charitable percentage of wealth that Muslims are expected to give. Indeed, the government has
declared CSR as one of the three pillars of the Year of Giving, 2017. In June 2017, to implement the Year of Giving, the UAE
government mandated for over 400,000 companies to allocate funds to be used for philanthropy (Zakaria, 2017). These CSR funds
will be audited and reported to the government. There is a total of 11 initiatives such as “National Corporate Social Responsibility
Index” that will list the ranking of companies involved in philanthropy, “Social Responsibility Label” that will help market companies
and reflect the extent of their contributions, and financial privileges will be granted to companies with high social responsibility
contributions.
In addition, in many countries the division between the public and the private is clearly defined. However, in the UAE, the
economic structure does not clearly define whether employees work for the public, private, or semi-private sector, as many gov-
ernment officials own private companies. It is common for government entities to engage in CSR activities, and hire CSR managers.
Similarly, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and charities in the UAE are not clearly defined and do not have an official legal
status. For example, Red Crescent Society (Islamic version of Red Cross) is a state run organization. Other private charities are run by
members of the ruling families, which makes it hard to define an NGO (Selvik, 2013).
This study contributes to the public relations body of knowledge in multiple ways. First, it offers much needed empirical support
to establish theoretical connections among CSR practices, its internal communication and employee engagement. Second, it expands
Maignan and Ferrell’s (2001) theoretical conceptualization of CSR as an internal marketing instrument by adding the outcome of
employee engagement. Third, it augments literature on the relationship between CSR communication and employee engagement by
focusing on different dimensions of both CSR and employee engagement. Finally, it enhances understandings of these connections in
the cultural context of a Middle Eastern country, a contribution that is important as understandings of CSR, its communication and
outcomes are context dependent.

2. Literature review

2.1. Corporate social responsibility

Multiple terms such as CSR, corporate citizenship, corporate social performance, creating shared value and conscious capitalism
refer to businesses meeting their economic, social and environmental responsibilities (Carroll & Shabana, 2010; Carroll, 2016).
However, the term that has been most synonymously used with CSR has been sustainability, further strengthened by the United
Nations’ adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169
targets that build on the Millennium Development Goals and focus on the three dimensions of sustainable development: the eco-
nomic, social and environmental. Although businesses often adopt the terms CSR and sustainability synonymously, especially in their
non-financial annual reports, and although other terminologies might be preferred by different organizations, CSR continues to be the
most popular of these frameworks (Carroll, 2016). Hence, this study has chosen to use the term CSR and has adopted one of the most
widely cited definitions by Carroll (1979).
According to Carroll (1979), “the social responsibility of business encompasses the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary
expectations that society has of organizations at a given point in time” (p. 500). The first domain of responsibility − economic −
states that society expects businesses to produce goods and services and sell them at a profit. Legal responsibility refers to how society
expects businesses to be economically viable within the confines of the law. Ethical responsibility represents the kinds of behaviours
and ethical norms and practices that society expects business to follow, even though they have not yet been codified into law.
Discretionary responsibility addresses the voluntary aspect of the social responsibilities of businesses and encapsulates businesses’
response to society’s expectations that corporations should be good corporate citizens. In addition to Carroll’s four dimensions,
related concepts such as sustainable development draw attention to the environmental aspect. Accordingly, additional questions on
the environment were added to the research instrument, under a sustainability dimension, drawn from Turker (2009).
One of the most entrenched approaches to examining CSR in theory and practice has been the strategic approach that argues for
engaging in CSR because it engenders mutual benefit for publics and organizations (Carroll & Shabana, 2010; Du, Bhattacharya, &
Sen, 2010). Although findings have been mixed, research across multiple fields seems to have established positive organizational
outcomes derived from CSR such as stronger relationships between organizations and their publics, and legitimacy and reputational
capital (Dhanesh, 2014; Ihlen et al., 2011). However, most of this research tends to focus on effects on consumer publics rather than
on other important publics such as employees. Within public relations scholarship too, research has focused on external publics and
found that CSR can drive reputational and financial returns (David et al., 2005; Wigley, 2008). A handful of studies have found

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evidence for the benefits of CSR vis-a-vis employee performance indicators (Chen & Hung-Baesecke, 2014; Dhanesh, 2012, 2014).
However, prior to deriving benefits from being socially responsible, organizations need to communicate their socially responsible
actions to stakeholders, in the case of this study, to employees.
Before elaborating the importance of communicating the socially responsible practices of organizations, it is imperative to note
that communication must be grounded within action, reflecting the notion of the good organization communicating well (Coombs &
Holladay, 2012; Heath, 2001). Dissonance between action and communication regarding an organization’s claims of social and
environmental performance could lead to perceptions of corporate hypocrisy; and deliberate, conspicuous communication of CSR
could trigger skepticism from key publics and stakeholders, thus damaging capitals of relationships, trust, reputation, and legitimacy
(Coombs and Holladay, 2012; Coombs and Holladay, 2012, 2013; Morsing, Schultz, & Nielsen, 2008). Accordingly, this study pre-
sumes that robust action underpins CSR communication.

2.2. Internal communication

The academic area of internal communication has found itself at the heart of a turf war, with multiple camps such as organi-
zational communication, corporate communication, employee communication and public relations vying for a piece (e.g. Cheney &
Christensen, 2011; Christensen & Cornelissen, 2011; Vercic, Vercic, & Sriramesh; 2012). Cheney and Christensen (2011) argue that as
organizational boundaries become increasingly fuzzy and blurred, it is unproductive to maintain clear demarcations between external
and internal communication directed outside and inside the metaphorical concept of the organization as a container. Communication
that is directly externally could be auto-communicative and influence stakeholders within the organization. Without repudiating the
postmodern concept of the coexistence of multiple symbolic articulations of organizational identity through public relations, mar-
keting, corporate communications etc., they propose the notion of integrated communication (Christensen, Firat, & Torp, 2008).
Although Christensen and Cornelissen (2011) continue this line of thought integrating organizational communication and corporate
communication, with internal communication subsumed under corporate communication; and although in practice, there is a trend
towards integrated communication, with even the pioneer agency in public relations shifting towards integrated communication
(www.edelman.com), empirical studies have found that multiple areas are associated with internal communication such as human
resources, public relations, marketing and general management, with corporate communication as the most logical partner (Vercic
et al., 2012). Vercic et al. (2012) also found that internal communication, often equated with employee communication, is seen to
encompass all forms of intra-organizational communication.
However, Welch and Jackson (2007) identified four dimensions of internal communication according to stakeholder groups:
internal line management communication, internal team peer communication, internal project peer communication and internal
corporate communication. While the first three dimensions refer to predominantly two-way communication between line managers
and employees and among employees, the fourth dimension of internal corporate communication refers to predominantly one-way
communication between strategic managers and all employees. The content of internal corporate communication includes organi-
zational/corporate issues such as goals, objectives, new developments, activities and achievements. Welch and Jackson (2007) de-
fined internal corporate communication as “communication between an organization’s strategic managers and its internal stake-
holders, designed to promote commitment to the organization, a sense of belonging to it, awareness of its changing environment and
understanding of its evolving aims” (p.186). We have adopted this definition because employees’ perceptions of their organization’s
socially and environmentally responsible actions are dependent on the information they give and receive about their organization’s
CSR initiatives and such information is usually disseminated through internal corporate communication.
Public relations practitioners consider internal communication vital for building transparency between managers and employees,
engaging employees in the organization’s priorities and in the process, fostering employee engagement (Jiang & Men, 2017; Kang &
Sung, 2017; Karanges et al., 2015; Mishra et al., 2017; Ruck et al., 2017; Welch & Jackson, 2007). Ruck and Welch (2012) proposed
that to engender behaviours associated with engagement, organizations should, among other factors, provide information that helps
employees to understand corporate goals and strategy, help employees identify with the organization, and give employees voice, or
give employee regular opportunities to have a say and to have that taken seriously. As far back as when Excellence Theory was
proposed, Grunig (1992) argued that excellent symmetrical internal communication could lead to supportive employee behaviours
toward the organizations.

2.3. Internal communication and corporate social responsibility

Although employees receive both internal and external communication regarding their organization’s CSR activities, they are
more likely to receive and process internal communication messages (Maignan & Ferrell, 2001). This study has borrowed from
corporate marketing literature, Maignan and Ferrell’s (2001) theoretical framework that conceptualizes corporate citizenship as an
internal marketing instrument. We use the terms corporate citizenship and CSR interchangeably because in this theoretical frame-
work the notion of corporate citizenship is operationalized using Carroll’s (1979) definition of CSR. According to this framework,
internal communication can affect employees’ perception of their organization’s CSR. It can also moderate the relationship between
employee perceptions of CSR and outcomes such as organizational commitment and esprit de corps.
While Maignan and Ferrell’s (2001) framework considered the role of intensity, accuracy and value congruence of internal
communication, public relations scholars have pointed out the need for stakeholder involvement strategies based on dialogic, two-
way symmetrical communication (Morsing & Schultz, 2006). Based on Grunig and Hunt’s (1984) models of public relations, Morsing
and Schultz (2006) suggested three ways in which companies can strategically engage in CSR communication with multiple

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stakeholders: the stakeholder information strategy built on the public information model or the one-way communication model, the
stakeholder response strategy based on the two-way asymmetrical communication model; and the stakeholder involvement strategy
built on the two-way symmetrical model of communication.
Companies adopting the stakeholder information strategy focus on disseminating information to their publics. The information
flow is unidirectional where organizations attempt to give sense to their audiences. In this strategy, the main aim is to ensure that
favourable CSR information is communicated effectively to the company’s stakeholders to help them create positive impressions of
the organization.
Stakeholder response strategies, built upon the two-way asymmetrical communication model, are two-way in the sense that it
seeks feedback from stakeholders. However, it is asymmetric as that feedback is mostly intended only to better the outcomes for
organizations, not for their stakeholders. So, while the stakeholder response strategy gives the impression of listening to an orga-
nization’s stakeholders, in effect, it is a one-sided method of reinforcing an organization’s viewpoint.
Finally, the stakeholder involvement strategy, grounded in the two-way symmetrical communication model, argues that CSR
communication is based on a dialogue between organizations and their stakeholders. Involvement by both parties implies that both
might be susceptible to change because of the dialogic interaction.
Morsing and Schultz (2006) suggested that while companies may adopt all three models for CSR communication, it is increasingly
important to develop two-way communication processes between organizations and their stakeholders. Indeed, Lim and Greenwood
(2017) found that CSR engagement strategy had a positive effect on achieving CSR goals.
This review of literature, along with Maignan and Ferrell’s (2001) theoretical framework leads us to the following hypotheses:
H1. There will be a positive relationship between two-way symmetrical CSR communication and employee perceptions of CSR
H2. There will be a negative relationship between one-way/two-way asymmetrical CSR communication and employee perceptions of
CSR
RQ1: How will the different models of internal CSR communication predict employee perceptions of CSR?
When the organization and its internal stakeholders enact communicative strategies, studies point to several benefits. One such
outcome is the increase in employee engagement, a crucial affective, cognitive and behavioral construct that leads to multiple
organizational outcomes such as increased productivity, decreased attrition and increased internal reputation (Schaufeli et al., 2002).

2.4. Employee engagement

A thorough and extensive review of the literature in human resource management, psychology, management, and public relations
revealed that most definitions of employee engagement draw from theories in psychology and organizational behavior to con-
ceptualize engagement with three dimensions: cognitive, affective and behavioral. Kahn (1990) defined personal engagement as “the
harnessing of organization members’ selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically,
cognitively, and emotionally during role performances” (p. 694). Similarly, Rothbard (2001) defined engagement as psychological
presence but added two critical components of attention and absorption. Saks (2006), building on Kahn’s and Rothbard’s work,
argued that the two most dominant roles for most organizational members are their work role and their role as a member of an
organization. Following this logic, Saks (2006) built and tested a model of employee engagement that includes two types of en-
gagement: job engagement and organization engagement.
In public relations research, a review of the literature on engagement revealed that most research on engagement has focused on
digital engagement, followed by work on employee engagement and theoretical conceptualizations of engagement (Dhanesh, 2017).
Within the area of employee engagement, Welch (2011) has defined organization engagement as, “a dynamic, changeable psycho-
logical state, which links employees to their organizations, manifest in organization member role performances expressed physically,
cognitively and emotionally, and influenced by organization-level internal communication” (p. 337). To summarize, the idea of
employee engagement visualizes an employee who is cognitively, affectively and behaviorally ‘present’, absorbed and dedicated
while performing an organizational role.
Synthesizing the various dimensions of employee engagement, Soane et al. (2012) identified three dimensions of employee
engagement: cognitive, emotional and social. The cognitive dimension of employee engagement has been defined as intellectual
engagement, “the extent to which one is intellectually absorbed” (Soane et al., 2012, p. 532). The emotional dimension of employee
engagement has been defined as affective engagement, “the extent to which one experiences a state of positive affect relating to one’s
work role” (Soane et al., 2012, p. 532), and the physical dimension of employee engagement has been defined as social engagement,
“the extent to which one is socially connected with the working environment and shares common values with colleagues” (Soane
et al., 2012, p. 532). This study has adopted Soane et al.’s (2012) definition of employee engagement.
A large portion of the scholarly work on employee engagement drawn from human resources, management and communication
literatures has focused on identifying the antecedents and drivers of engagement that include corporate social responsibility (Hewitt,
2015; Wollard & Shuck, 2011), perceived organizational support (Mahon et al., 2014; Saks, 2006; Wollard & Shuck, 2011), job
characteristics, procedural justice (Saks, 2006), human resource management practices that influence organizational climate
(Albrecht et al., 2015), company practices such as communication, diversity and inclusion (Hewitt, 2015), work-life balance (Hewitt,
2015; Wollard & Shuck, 2011), corporate storytelling and internal communication (Gill, 2015; Vercic & Vokic, 2017). Most of the
empirical work testing the antecedents of employee engagement has focused on individual level variables following the Job De-
mands-Resources model or Social Exchange Theory. Scholars have called for more research on examining the effect of organizational/

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contextual-level variables such as clarity of organizational purpose and organizational climate on engagement (Albrecht et al., 2015).
Hence, this study has adopted Maignan and Ferrell’s (2001) theoretical conceptualization of CSR and its communication as an
internal marketing instrument to examine these two variables as organizational level drivers of employee engagement.
Initial empirical research has found positive correlations between CSR and employee engagement (Chaudhary, 2017; Gupta &
Sharma, 2016). Some research has also found that employees exposed to internal CSR are more engaged than those exposed only to
external CSR practices (Ferreira & de Oliveira, 2014; Gupta & Sharma, 2016). Internal CSR practices refer to CSR practices that are
related to internal stakeholders, including practices that ensure the well-being of employees, invest in their training and develop-
ment, and policies that enable work-life balance. It also refers to the innate norms and values that drive an organization’s behavior.
External CSR practices refer to investment in stakeholders beyond the boundaries of the organization such as local community
partners, government entities, business partners, charities and NGOs (Ferreira & de Oliveira, 2014; Gupta & Sharma, 2016).
However, CSR has been theorized to have multiple dimensions beyond just internal and external and this study hopes to add to
this emergent body of literature by examining the relationship among multiple dimensions of CSR and employee engagement. Hence,
the following hypothesis and research question:
H3. There will be a positive relationship between CSR perception and employee engagement.
RQ2: Employee perceptions of which dimensions of CSR are most significantly related to the different dimensions of employee
engagement?
Gill (2015) proposed that corporate storytelling could be used to narrate an organization’s CSR commitment to employees, thus
engendering meaning making for employees and increasing employee engagement. Employees, thus engaged, could become CSR
champions for the organization, enhancing internal and external CSR reputation. Corporate storytelling can be considered a part of
internal communication and thus Gill’s (2015) argument could be extended to make theoretical connections among internal com-
munication, CSR and employee engagement. Despite robust theorizing of the relationship between internal communication and
engagement, relatively little empirical research has yet been done (Karanges et al., 2015; Ruck et al., 2017; Vercic & Vokic, 2017).
The few studies that have empirically addressed the relationship between internal communication and employee engagement have
addressed various aspects of internal communication such as satisfaction with internal communication (Vercic & Vokic, 2017),
symmetrical internal communication (Kang & Sung, 2017), transparent organizational communication (Jiang & Men, 2017), in-
formation flow, information adequacy and interaction supportiveness of employee communication (Walden, Jung, & Westerman,
2017) and organizational and supervisor communication (Karanges et al., 2015). There has not been a comprehensive examination of
the relationship between the three models of internal communication and employee engagement. That leads us to the last set of
hypotheses and research question:
H4. There will be a positive relationship between two-way symmetrical CSR communication and employee engagement.
H5. There will be a negative relationship between one-way/two-way asymmetrical CSR communication and employee engagement.
RQ3: How will employee perceptions of CSR and two-way symmetrical CSR communication predict employee engagement?

3. Methodology

Although the issue of relationships among variables can be studied from multiple ontological and epistemological perspectives,
keeping in sync with the functionalist tradition within which the study is situated, we chose a quantitative research strategy over a
qualitative strategy as quantitative research is best suited to investigate associations and examine theoretical relationships amongst
key constructs (Bryman, 1988; De Vaus, 2002).
Data for this survey were collected by distributing a paper and pencil survey to employees in organizations in the United Arab
Emirates. As part of a research course assignment, students recruited respondents from their extended families’ professional network
to participate in a research project and sign a consent form. The use of student-recruited sample in organizational research is quite
common and is not substantially different than non-student recruited sample (Wheeler, Shanine, Leon, & Whitman, 2014). However,
the use of a convenient non-probability sample presents disadvantages, which will be discussed when addressing the limitations. This
convenient sample cannot represent the overall population of UAE employees but does reflect the diverse nationalities living in the
United Arab Emirates and the various employee categories. However, one main difference from the UAE population is in term of
gender. Due to a high number of male laborers, there is a gender imbalance of two men for each woman, whereas this sample includes
an almost equal gender balance.
Respondents were required to be 18 years old or older and to work in an organization. In total, 544 surveys were returned, and
516 surveys were considered valid for analysis. The gender of the respondents was closely split with 268 women (51.9%) versus 248
men (48.1%). The majority of the respondents were between the ages of 25–34 (50.5%), followed by 35–44 years old (28.7%), and
18–24 years old (11.5%). Fifty-one different nationalities were represented in the sample, which reflects the diversity of the UAE in
terms of nationality. However, the majority of the sample was Emirati (29.3%) as Emirati students had assisted in the recruitment the
participants. The other nationalities represented included Indians (12.2%), Philipinos (11.8%), Egyptians (6.4%), and Jordanians,
Moroccans, and Nepalese, all at 3.1%. Westerners were represented with participants from the United States (2.7%), the UK (1. 7%),
Canada (1.6%) and other European countries. The rest of the sample went from Afghanistan to Yemen.
One advantage of using a paper and pencil survey compared to an online survey is to have a more diverse sample. This sample
includes many employees who do not have access to a computer as the majority of the sample was comprised of employees/staff

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(56.2%). Management was split between mid level managers (36.9%), top managers (5.1%) and executives (1.8%). These partici-
pants represented the private sector (38%), the public sector (33.3%), and the semi-private sector (26.9%). The various industry
sectors were represented as well such as consumer goods (10%), food and hospitality (9.6%), finance and insurance (9.4%). Sectors
with the least representation were automotive (.2%), manufacturing (.6%), construction (.8%), and real estate (.8%). As the UAE
government strongly encourages or mandates CSR programs for companies, the assumption was that all companies would have some
type of CSR program (Zakaria, 2017).
The questionnaire contained 5-point Likert Scale questions to measure the three main variables of employee engagement, CSR
perception and internal communication. Employee engagement was measured using the ISA engagement scale (Soane et al., 2012). It
measured three dimensions of employee engagement: Intellectual Engagement (e.g., “I concentrate on my work;” α = 0.90), Social
Engagement (e.g., “I share the same work goals as my colleagues;” α = 0.89), and Affective Engagement (e.g., “I feel positive about
my work;” α = 0.90).
Employees’ perceptions of CSR were measured with a scale adapted from Maignan (2001), Maignan and Ferrell (2000) and Turker
(2009) (α = 0.95). The five dimensions of CSR perceptions were: perception of legal CSR activities (e.g., “This organization ensures
that their employees act within the standards defined by the law;” α = 0.74); perception of economic CSR activities (e.g., “This
organization controls their production costs strictly;” α = 0.77); perception of ethical CSR activities (e.g., “This organization is
committed to well-defined ethics principles;” α = 0.75); perception of social CSR activities (e.g., “This organization participates in
the management of public/community affairs;” α = 0.85); and perception of sustainable CSR activities (e.g.; “This organization
makes investment to create a better life for future generations;” α = 0.88).
Finally, internal communication was measured by three dimensions adapted from the list of questions offered by Dozier, Grunig,
and Grunig, (1995) to measure different models of communication within organizations. Specifically, participants were asked to rate
their organization’s communication about their CSR activities. Two-way symmetrical CSR communication (α = 0.88) was measured
by using six statements such as “This organization invites frequent dialogue between employees and management,” two-way
asymmetrical CSR communication (α = 0.85) was measured by using four statements such as “In this organization, they ask for my
opinion but don’t use it in their programs to benefit me,” and one-way CSR communication (α = 0.78) was measured by using four
statements such as “This organization speaks more than it listens to its employees.”
Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to explore the hypotheses and research questions. SPSS v24 was used to analyze the
results using correlations and regressions.

4. Results

H1 and H2 were tested using Pearson correlations (see Table 1). The first hypothesis predicted a positive relationship between
two-way symmetrical communication (TWSC) and CSR perception (CSRP) and it was supported. The two concepts were positively
correlated, r(475) = 0.558, p < .0001. The second hypothesis predicted a negative relationship between One Way Communication
(OWC)/Two Way Asymmetrical Communication (TWAC) and employees’ perceptions of the CSR performance of their organizations.
This hypothesis was not supported as the correlation was not significant.
RQ1 asked about how the different models of internal communication help predict employee perceptions of CSR. As seen in
Table 2, results of the multiple linear regression indicated that there was a collective significant effect between OWC, TWAC, TWSC,
and CSR Perception, (F(3, 477) = 41.12, p < .001, R2 = 0.201). The individual predictors were examined further and indicated that
all three modes of internal communication were found to be significant predictors. TWAC was found to be a negative predictor in the
model.
The third hypothesis predicted there would be a positive relationship between CSR perception and employee engagement. As seen
in Table 1, the results confirm the positive relationship between these variables (r(462) = 0.476, p < .0001).
In order to explore the various dimensions of these variables, the second research question explored which dimensions of CSR
perception were most significantly related to the different dimensions of employee engagement. Correlations were calculated to test
the strength of the relationships. Table 3 depicts the means, standard deviations and correlations between five dimensions of CSR
perceptions and three dimensions of employee engagement. Looking at the different CSR dimensions, employees perceived their
companies engaging in the various CSR activities at similar rates, with Economic CSR perceived to be more likely to occur (M = 4.01,
S.D. = 0.65) compared to Ethical CSR (M = 3.80, S.D. = 0.70)
All dimensions of CSR perception have a positive relationship with each other, as well as a positive relationship with all three
dimensions of employee engagement. The strongest correlation coefficients were between Sustainable CSR and Social Engagement (r

Table 1
Correlation Analyses of Internal Communication Models, CSR Perception, and Employee Engagement.
M SD OWC TWAC TWSC CSRP Employee Engagement

OWC 3.38 0.80 1.0

TWAC 3.19 0.87 .577* 1.0
TWSC 3.62 0.78 .180* .224* 1.0
CSRP 3.89 0.56 .132* 0.004 .558* 1.0
Employee Engagement 4.21 0.60 −0.054 −0.056 .426* .476* 1.0

* p < .001.

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Table 2
Regression Analysis-Prediction of Internal Communication Models on CSR perception.
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

B Std. Error Beta

1 (Constant) 2.506 0.127 19.756 0.000

OWC 0.097 0.032 0.139 3.01 0.003
TWAC −0.128 0.030 −0.201 −4.295 0.000
TWSC 0.405 0.028 0.570 14.627 0.000

Table 3
Correlation Analyses of CSR Perception Dimensions and Employee Engagement Dimensions.
M S.D. Legal CSR Economic CSR Social CSR Sustainable CSR Ethical CSR Intellectual Social Affective
Engagement Engagement Engagement

Legal CSR 3.89 0.68 1 .

Economic CSR 4.01 0.65 0.470* 1
Social CSR 3.82 0.78 0.445* 0.400* 1
Sustainable CSR 3.90 0.79 0.408* 0.467* 0.736* 1
Ethical CSR 3.80 0.70 0.609* 0.437* 0.503* 0.464* 1
Intellectual Engagement 4.36 0.63 0.268* 0.315* 0.290* 0.288* 0.236* 1
Social Engagement 4.07 0.79 0.239* 0.267* 0.337* 0.386* 0.292* 0.417* 1
Affective Engagement 4.19 0.74 0.302* 0.295* 0.339* 0.343* 0.278* 0.343* 0.601* 1

* p < .0001.

(498) = 0.386, p < .0001), as well as between Sustainable CSR and Affective Engagement (r(504) = 0.343, p < .0001). Similarly,
Social CSR correlated positively with Social Engagement (r(500) = 0.337, p < .0001).and Affective Engagement (r(505) = 0.339,
p < .0001).
H4 predicted a positive relationship between two-way symmetrical communication and employee engagement. As presented in
Table 1, the results support this hypothesis. Two-way symmetrical communication is positively related to employee engagement, r
(489) = 0.426, p < .0001.
The fifth hypothesis predicted a negative relationship between one-way/two-way asymmetrical communication and employee
engagement. This hypothesis was not supported as the correlation was not significant.
As this research seeks to explore the relationships among the concepts of CSR perception, internal communication and employee
engagement, the third research question focused on how CSR perception and two-way symmetrical communication predict employee
engagement. As seen in Table 4, the results of the multiple regression indicated that CSR perception and two-way symmetrical
communication explained a significant proportion of variance in employee engagement, R2 = 0.266, F(2, 456) = 82.52, p < .001.

5. Discussion

This study aimed to examine relationships among perceptions of CSR, three models of communicating CSR (one-way, two-way
asymmetrical and two-way symmetrical models of communication) and employee engagement. Broadly, findings of this study lent
empirical support to the relationships theorized among these variables.
First, findings revealed that internal communication about CSR, especially two-way symmetrical communication, is positively
associated with employee perceptions of CSR. One-way communication predicted positive perceptions of CSR, while two-way
asymmetrical communication regressed negatively with perceptions of CSR. Since all three models predicted perceptions of CSR, we
can draw the conclusion that internal communication of CSR predicts perceptions of CSR. These findings substantiate Morsing and
Schultz’s (2006) argument that all three models can coexist in an organization. Depending on strategic goals, organizations might
choose to disseminate information about their CSR activities to employees, such as announcing volunteering opportunities or sharing
the results of a CSR initiative. This is not surprising, considering that internal communication is most often used to disseminate

Table 4
Regression Analysis-Prediction of Two Way Symmetrical Communication, CSR perception on Employee Engagement.
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig.

B Std. Error Beta

1 (Constant) 2.129 0.169 12.621 0.000

TWSC 0.182 0.037 0.236 4.884 0.000
CSRP 0.366 0.051 0.345 7.141 0.000

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information (Vercic et al., 2012). At other times, organizations might seek employee feedback to improve their CSR programs from an
organizational perspective. However, when engaging in such two-way asymmetrical response strategies, employees might feel let
down. This possibility has been corroborated by our finding that two-way asymmetrical CSR communication negatively predicts
perceptions of CSR. Finally, subtantiating extant research findings (Jiang & Men, 2017; Kang & Sung, 2017) this study offered support
for the positive relationship between two-way symmetrical CSR communication and employee perceptions of CSR. When organi-
zations adopt employee involvement strategies through open, dialogic communication in which both parties are susceptible to
change through interaction, employees have positive perceptions of their organization’s CSR practices. This finding empirically
supports Morsing and Schultz’s (2006) argument that while all three models may coexist, it is imperative to adopt stakeholder
involvement strategies based on two-way symmetrical CSR communication.
Our next set of hypotheses and research question explored and found relationships between perceptions of CSR and employee
engagement, augmenting emergent empirical research on the relationship between CSR and employee engagement (Chaudhary,
2017; Gupta & Sharma, 2016). However, this study made an additional contribution to the literature by examining relationships
among various dimensions of CSR and various dimensions of employee engagement. Findings revealed that although all dimensions
of CSR predicted all dimensions of engagement, the sustainability and social dimensions of CSR most strongly predicted social and
affective engagement. This is in spite of employees rating economic CSR the highest among all dimensions of CSR. In other words,
although employees perceived their organizations as meeting economic responsibilities more than any other dimension of CSR, what
made employees feel socially connected to their colleagues and emotionally connected to their organization depended on the or-
ganization meeting its social and sustainability responsibilities.
This finding is intriguing as it somewhat contradicts extant research on employee perceptions of CSR and organizational out-
comes. For instance, Dhanesh (2012) found that although all dimensions of CSR predicted employee’s organizational commitment, it
was ethical and legal CSR that most predicted commitment. Similarly, research has also found that employees exposed to internal CSR
are more engaged than those exposed only to external CSR practices (Ferreira & de Oliveira, 2014; Gupta & Sharma, 2016). One
explanation we can offer for this discrepancy with extant literature is the influence of societal culture (Sriramesh & Vercic, 2009).
The UAE is an Arab Muslim country with strong foundations of philanthropic giving embedded as part of Islamic culture within
concepts such as Zakat, the percentage of wealth that Muslims are expected to give to charity. Being a collectivistic society with a
strong community orientation, where everyone is expected to take responsibility for fellow members of their group (Hofstede, 1984),
it is not surprising that social dimensions of CSR were strongly associated with both affective and social engagement. Considering that
one third of the sample represented local Emirati population, local societal culture could have been a factor that foregrounded
philanthropic dimensions of CSR over the other dimensions.
Further, given the combination of harsh climatic conditions and rapid, resource-dependent urbanization of the country, issues of
sustainability have been a priority for the nation’s leadership. Ever since UAE was ranked as the country with the largest per capita
ecological footprint in the world (Living Planet Report, 2006), the government has been focused on championing sustainability
related causes and campaigns, including collaboration across public, private and civil society sectors. There is a strong possibility that
this championing of sustainability issues by the leadership of the country could have led to the strong associations between sus-
tainability dimensions of CSR and social and affective engagement.
Findings also revealed that two-way symmetrical CSR communication is positively associated with employee engagement while
there were no significant relationships between the other two models of communication and engagement. This finding offers em-
pirical support to theorizing on the relationship between internal communication and employee engagement (Karanges et al., 2015;
Ruck et al., 2017; Vercic & Vokic, 2017) as well as augments budding empirical research that shows associations between internal
communcation and employee engagement (Jiang & Men, 2017; Kang & Sung, 2017; Vercic & Vokic, 2017; Walden et al., 2017). It
also supports Ruck et al.’s (2017) study that found positive relationship between upward employee voice and emotional organiza-
tional engagement; and between senior manager receptiveness and emotional organizational engagement.
Finally, when both perceptions of CSR and two-way symmetrical CSR communication were regressed onto employee engagement,
both variables explained a significant proportion of variance in employee engagement, adding credence to the theoretical connec-
tions among perceptions of CSR, internal CSR communication and employee engagement (Du et al., 2010; Maignan & Ferrell, 2001).
Although Gill (2015) had proposed that corporate storytelling could be used to narrate an organization’s CSR story to employees, thus
increasing employee engagement, findings from this study suggest that two-way symmetrical communication about CSR used to
involve employees in dialogic interaction predicts employee engagement. All these findings have multiple implications for theory and
practice.

5.1. Implications for theory and practice

First, findings from this study offer empirical support to Maignan and Ferrell’s (2001) theoretical conceptualization of CSR as an
internal marketing instrument, where internal CSR communication affects perceptions of CSR, which in turn affects organizational
outcomes such as organizational commitment and esprit de corps. Based on the findings of this study we could propose employee
engagement as an additional organizational outcome to be added to Maignan and Ferrell’s (2001) theoretical framework. Second, it
offers support to Morsing and Schultz’s (2006) argument that while all three models of CSR communication strategies coexist, the
CSR involvement strategy based on the two-way symmetrical model of communication is the most important as it foregrounds
notions of listening, mutual understanding and shared responsibility and has been identified as one of the best strategies for
strengthening relationships with an organization’s stakeholders (Devin & Lane, 2014; Grunig, 1992). This finding also supports Lim
and Greenwood’s (2017) finding that a CSR engagement strategy, embedded in two-way symmetrical communication, is most

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strongly associated with various business, community and employee related goals. Moreover, extant research focuses on manager
perceptions of internal communication (Ruck & Welch, 2012) and on individual variables, rather than organizational or contextual
level variables that drive employee engagement (Jiang & Men, 2017). This study adds to the literature from the perspective of
employees and augments literature on internal communication and CSR, both organizational-level antecedents of engagement. Fi-
nally, findings will also add to the body of knowledge on CSR in the Middle East. In this context, the finding that social and
sustainability dimensions of CSR are associated most strongly with social and affective dimensions of engagement not only adds to a
richer and more nuanced understanding of the relationship between perceptions of CSR and employee engagement, but also adds to
the literature by explaining this finding using cultural, contextual variables. In essence, dimensions of CSR perceptions and employee
engagement need to be examined in more detail, especially when conducting research in a different cultural context.
From the practice perspective, findings of this study can enable public relations practitioners to manage CSR and internal CSR
communication and coordinate these with employee engagement programs. Insights from this study can prove beneficial to creating
employee publics who are highly engaged and productive. It provides practitioners, especially from the region, deep insights into
specific dimensions of CSR that can affect social and affective engagement. Findings from this study also indicate a need to establish
connections between the functions that manage CSR efforts and managers in charge of internal communication, which are often
separate in organizations in the UAE. In addition, employee engagement can be quite challenging in such a multicultural country.
This research will point public relations practitioners towards certain CSR activities that can engage their employees, when com-
municated properly.

5.2. Limitations and future research

One of the main limitations relate to the use of a convenience sample. This non-probability sample cannot serve as a valid
representation of the population. Obtaining access to organizations is quite challenging in the United Arab Emirates and other places.
Unfortunately, it would have been extremely difficult and/or expensive to obtain a random list of accessible companies. Although,
the sample differs from the UAE population in terms of gender, the number of different nationalities is reflective of the diversity of the
population.
As this study examined employee perceptions of their organization’s CSR practices, social desirability bias could have affected the
responses, because the participants knew that their perceptions of their own organizational CSR performance were being examined.
Also, the findings could have been influenced by the cultural context of this study. Hence, findings from this study can probably be
generalized to similar cultural contexts that are very diverse in terms of nationalities and where CSR is often equated with philan-
thropy. Related to this, future research could examine the role diversity plays in perceptions of CSR and employee engagement.
Further, although a quantitative study generates interesting associations among variables of interest, an interpretive qualitative
study that explores the reasons behind the numbers could add greater richness and depth to the findings of this quantitative study.
For instance, it would be intriguing to find out the circumstances under which social and sustainability dimensions of CSR predict
employee engagement more than economic, ethical and legal dimensions of CSR. Are these differences context-dependent? If so,
which cultural contexts foreground one set of dimensions over another? That will require replication of the study in multiple, diverse
cultural contexts. Finally, the respondents who volunteered to take part in the survey are probably more likely to be prosocial and
value CSR. This indicates the possibility of respondent self-selection that could constrain the generalizability of the findings. Despite
these limitations, this study provides some much needed empirical support to emerging research on and the theoretical connections
made among internal communication about CSR, perceptions of CSR and employee engagement.

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