How a turkish bank uses corporate social responsibility to construct its identity? A case study

Based on institutional theory, this article aims to understand the corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda, organizational identity construction, and how both are communicated. To achieve this goal, the study focuses on Garanti Bank’s organizational identity and CSR agenda to develop a deeper understanding of the role of CSR in identity construction and in gaining legitimacy. The researchers analyzed Garanti Bank’s corporate website and social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter) in addition to conducting qualitative in-depth interviews with communication and CSR managers. By engaging in a thematic content analysis, the authors aim to understand how Garanti Bank defines its identity, shows its legitimacy, develops a CSR agenda, and communicates all of these attributes to stakeholders. The study results reveal that ‘technology’ and ‘being first’ are instrumental themes in how the bank positions itself and in gaining a competitive identity. On the other hand, themes related to ‘CSR’ and ‘being ethical’ are instrumental in gaining a moral organizational identity. The results underline CSR initiatives’ role in constructing a competitive, legitimate and moral organizational identity. The thematic content analyses indicated that for Garanti Bank, CSR is one of the most crucial identity themes, and thus it is communicated via all organizational communication channels