Earticle

In the age of globalization, understanding what and how foreign publics think of a nation is essential because it provides valuable insights into the directions of public diplomacy. In this regard, this study examined the American public’s perceptions of China - particularly, its significant hard and soft power factors and overall world influence. A dataset of 2,046 responses was analyzed from the 2018 national survey in the U.S. While two hard power factors (i.e., economic power and military strength) were the strongest predictors of an evaluation of China’s world influence, soft power factors, such as presidential image and technology/innovation, also contributed to a positive evaluation of China. This study showed current challenges being faced by China as well as opportunities for Chinese public diplomacy efforts.

Based on the stakeholder theory and the CSR communication model, which are informed by models in public relations, this study proposed and examined two key factors of social media strategies that contribute to raising the public's positive perception of stakeholder engagement in CSR, which in turn leads to positive CSR reputation and behavioral intentions. A 2(communication on CSR building strategies: top-down vs. co-creation) x 2 (social media communication strategy: responsive communication vs. involvement communication strategy) full factorial design online experiment was conducted. The results showed that communication about the co-creative approach of CSR development leads to positive perceptions of stakeholder CSR engagement. Stakeholder involvement social media communication strategies also elicited positive perceptions of stakeholder engagement in CSR. The use of stakeholder involvement communication strategies on social media has been shown to partially offset the negative impact of a top-down approach in CSR development. This study demonstrates the impact of two proposed factors on CSR outcomes by linking stakeholder engagement perceptions of CSR with CSR reputation, supportive communication intentions, and purchase intentions, which are in part mediated by trust in commitment. These findings enhance our understanding of how to effectively engage stakeholders in CSR on social media by providing both theoretical and practical implications.

The study tested the effects of message framing and source credibility on message persuasiveness, attitudes, and behavioral intention in cause-related marketing campaigns. A 2 (message frame: positive vs. negative) ✕ 2 (source credibility: high vs. low) between-subjects randomized experimental study was conducted (n = 249) among U.S. adults. The results showed that when participants were exposed to a high source credibility message, they considered the message more persuasive and presented a more favorable attitude than toward low source credibility messages. The interaction findings suggest that high source credibility works best when the message is positively framed. Under the negative-frame condition, the effects of source credibility were diminished. A moderated mediation test showed a critical role of message persuasiveness leading to purchase intention only in a positive-framed message with a highly credible source.