Communicating About Controversial Issues: The Case of Halal Offerings in the Food Retail and Banking Sectors in Germany and Austria

This chapter aims to provide a normative evaluation of companies' web-based external corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication on halal products for ethnic-religious minorities. It contributes to the existing literature on (political) CSR and moral legitimacy by examining corporate communication on ethical principles. To answer five specific research questions, a content analysis of companies' websites, online shops, Facebook pages, and CSR reports was conducted. The results show that of the 61 companies analyzed, 18% (4 AUT, 7 GER) communicate publicly that they offer halal products. The analysis of the 11 cases that do communicate about their halal offerings shows that only few live up to the principles of transparency and accountability; open discourse with users on Facebook is almost nonexistent as social media communication is mainly defensive and rarely proactive. The practical implications of this study suggest that if companies want to take their role as quasi-political actors seriously, they should be more transparent and accountable about their halal offerings. Supporting the Muslim community through action – that is, offering halal products and working with nonbusiness stakeholders such as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to promote inclusion – is key, but also communicating about it is important. However, whether dialogue should take place on social media, where polarization and harmful speech is prevalent, is debatable and requires further research.