America's most admired companies: A descriptive analysis of CEO corporate social responsibility statements

This study analyzes the CEO corporate social responsibility statements (N = 50) of Fortune magazine's America's Most Admired Companies. The results find that CEOs describe corporate social responsibility primarily in performance and shareholder driven language. The implications of the findings are discussed and compared to previous research in the communication and business disciplines.

► We analyzed the CSR statements of 50 CEOs from the America's Most Admired Companies list.
► CEOs communicate CSR as initiatives that enhance profitability and performance.
► CEOs describe their CSR activities differently than mass media CSR campaigns.
► CEOs in this study did not communicate CSR as a voluntary, goodwill gesture.