Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication plays a crucial role in shaping corporate reputation, particularly in the digital era where stakeholder engagement occurs largely on online platforms. This conceptual paper aims to propose a framework that explains how perceived dialogic CSR communication—characterized by mutuality, responsiveness, and stakeholder inclusion—impacts corporate reputation, mediated by CSR information authenticity and perceived CSR credibility. While CSR has been extensively studied in corporate communication literature, limited attention has been given to the dialogic nature of CSR communication and how it influences stakeholders’ perception of message quality, especially in online contexts. Drawing on dialogic communication theory, attribution theory, and the credibility model, this study theorizes that dialogic CSR communication enhances the perceived authenticity of CSR information, which in turn strengthens stakeholders’ beliefs in the credibility of the CSR efforts. These perceptions subsequently contribute to a more favorable corporate reputation. This paper employs a conceptual method through a synthesis of relevant literature to identify the causal pathways and psychological mechanisms linking dialogic communication to reputational outcomes. The proposed framework not only offers theoretical contributions to the CSR and corporate communication literature but also provides practical implications for organizations aiming to build trust and credibility in their CSR narratives. Future empirical studies are encouraged to validate the framework across different cultural and digital contexts.