Researchers and companies are paying increasing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and the reaction to them by consumers. Despite such corporate efforts and an expanding literature exploring consumers' response to CSR, it remains unclear how consumers perceive CSR and which "Gestalt" consumers have in mind when considering CSR. Academics and managers lack a tool for measuring consumers' perceptions of CSR (CPCSR). This research explores CPCSR and develops a measurement model. Based on qualitative data from interviews with managers and consumers, the authors develop a conceptualization of CPCSR. Subsequently, model testing and validating occurs on three large quantitative data sets. The conceptualization and the measurement scale can assist companies to assess CPCSR relative to their performance. They also enable managers in identifying shortcomings in CSR engagement and/or communication. Finally, the paper discusses implications for marketing practice and future research.

“Agenda 2030” and UN’s 17 sustainable development goals have increased the interest of sustainability in society. Pressure from different stakeholders implicates that organizations must act responsible in these questions. A conception that has grown in the area of sustainability, and something that many organizations work with today is Corporate Social Responsibility, also referred to as CSR. Organizations can meet the wishes of the stakeholders by integrating sustainable commitments into policies. The risk is that these policies decouple from practice and are used as a marketing tool rather than something that permeates the actual business. The implementation of the CSR-policy is therefore important, but the actual work does not stop there, it should continue to be integrated into the organizations' daily practice. Therefore, it is important to involve the employees in the organization to make these documents significant. Previous research has implied that internal communication and corporate culture is important to engage and motivate the employees, and therefore it is interesting to study how organizations can work with these to make the CSR-policy present.  The research question for this study is: How do large organizations work to create participation among employees that contribute to the CSR policy being present in the daily practice? To answer the research question, a qualitative study was conducted within two large companies operating in two different industries. One sustainability manager and three employees were interviewed in each company. The interview questions were founded in the four research areas of the study, CSR, employee commitment, internal communication, and corporate culture, which previously has been highlighted as important areas. Based on the results, several conclusions could be drawn. Internal communication has been highlighted as an important aspect to create employee commitment to the organizations’ CSR-policy. The vertical “bottom-up" communication, which is inclusive and symmetrical, and where employees are encouraged to provide with opinions and viewpoints, turns out to be important to a successful employee commitment. The respondents advocate a policy that is conducted into a concretized message and is relevant to the recipient. Also, the study has proven the advantage of using many internal communication channels. Furthermore, the corporate culture is important, and organizations should work actively to ensure that the CSR policy and its commitments permeate the culture. This can be achieved by focusing on the recruitment process by attracting employees that share the same values, or by leading by example as a manager or as an employee.