Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure on the Websites of Coffee Chains in Turkey

Abstract

Purpose – Coffee is among the primary products that attract the public attention to the social andenvironmental responsibilities of companies. Coffee shops have a big carbon footprint because of their dailyoperations. With the rising consciousness about sustainability in developing countries, online disclosure ofcorporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming increasingly important for not only multinational but alsolocal coffee chains. The purpose of this study is to analyze the extent to which coffee chains include CSR ontheir websites.Design/methodology/approach – Turkey, which is a large emerging economy with an expandingcoffee chain market, is selected as the research context. The CSR disclosure on the websites of coffee chains isexamined by content analysis according to CSR dimensions. A sample of 27 coffee chains with more than tenstores is included in the analysis.Findings – Foreign coffee chains disclose more information on the environment and fair trade than localcoffee chains. On the other hand, CSR content in websites of foreign and local coffee chains does not differsignificantly in human resources and community dimensions. Foreign coffee chains have comparativelylonger brand history, more rooted brands and larger networks than local coffee chains.Originality/value – To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first that used a contentanalysis about CSR on the websites of coffee chains in Turkey. Findings contribute to the understanding ofCSR disclosure in the coffee chain industry and can be beneficial for researchers and managers in otheremerging markets.Keywords Marketing, Turkey, Emerging markets, CSR, Corporate social responsibility,Coffee chainsPaper type Research paper