Creating shared value, public trust, supportive behavior, and communication preferences: A comparison study in the United States and China

This study utilized a portion of Edelman Trust Barometer® data, and in-depth interviews with 60 participants in the US and China in exploring how publics in both countries perceived the concept of creating shared values (CSV), how corporate CSV behaviors affected public trust in corporations and their supportive behaviors toward the CSV-performing corporations, and the preferred communication channels and contents for accessing CSV information. Both qualitative and quantitative findings indicated publics in the US and China, though they may not have fully internalized the concept of CSV, welcome this idea. However, the interview data showed diverting views as to the feasibility of implementing CSV. Unlike most of the Chinese publics interviewed, American publics in the US expressed less correlation between corporate CSV behavior and public trust. Both US and Chinese publics supported CSV-performing companies, albeit in somewhat different ways. In terms of publics’ preferred communication channels, participants in the US expressed more variety in their preferred communication channels for accessing business and CSV information than their Chinese counter parts. However, social media were highlighted by participants from both countries as an important platform for accessing corporate information. Storytelling is the preferred format for publics in the US and China.