From Tweets to Insights: Social Opinion Mining on Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become increasingly critical as firms seek to balance financial goals with social and environmental responsibilities. Our study introduces a three-phase structured method to analyze stakeholders' opinions on CSR through Social Opinion Mining, utilizing stakeholder and legitimacy theories. The method involves collecting, cleaning, and analyzing a dataset of 349,370 Italian tweets (2006–2022) using sentiment analysis, topic modeling, and exploratory techniques. This approach highlights trends in CSR discussions, stakeholder sensitivities, and sentiment variations across regions. The findings contribute to CSR literature by offering a robust framework for firms to align CSR strategies with stakeholder interests and for policymakers to design targeted, sustainable initiatives. Our research advances understanding of CSR communication on social media, emphasizing its potential for strategic planning and stakeholder engagement.