I enjoyed reading your blog post. Thank you for providing practical examples of companies that are using social media as a part of their corporate social responsibility plan. It was interesting to read and learn more about companies like Nike, Starbucks, Cisco, Apple, and Dell.

In The handbook of communication (Cheney, May, & Munshi, 2010), Christensen, Morsing, and Thyssen describe organizations as systems of communication.

“In discussing corporate social responsibility, our point of departure is systems theory according to which organizations are autopoietic systems of communication. Communication, in this view, is not something an organization does once in a while, in between other important activities, but is constitutive of all organizational life and sense making. The theory of autopoiesis was originally formulated by Chilean biologists Maturana and Varela (1980). According to them, all living systems are autopoietic.” (p. 459)

I think companies’ use of social media as part of their corporate social responsibility plans is an excellent way to engage in continuous two-way communication and discussion. In what ways do you see this social media use as fulfilling the belief that organizations are autopoietic systems of communication?

I look forward to reading your response.

Amy Grabowski
Graduate Student
Drury University

Christensen, L.T., Morsing, M., & Thyssen, O. (2010). The polyphony of corporate social responsibility. In G. Cheney, S. May, & D. Munshi (Eds.), The handbook of communication ethics (pp. 457-474). New York: Routledge

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