VCU faculty member’s research aims to help companies operate responsibly
For Baobao Song, Ph.D., the research she conducts has a personal connection. When Song was in high school in China, she and her grandmother, who raised Song, moved into a new apartment.
Some time went by, and Song’s grandmother grew ill and eventually died of blood cancer. It was discovered that one major contributing factor to Song’s grandmother’s health and eventual death was the paint in the apartment. It contained formaldehyde.
Song was left with the question of: How can this happen? How can a company be so neglectful as to sell a paint that could have such negative effects on consumers’ health?
“I just didn’t understand how it happened, but it happened,” she recalled.
It wasn’t until Song began planning her doctoral studies at the University of Florida that she heard a term that she would spend many hours researching: corporate social responsibility (CSR).
“CSR just makes sense to me,” Song said. “I have personally observed and been affected by irresponsible companies that actually caused harm to my family when I was young. So, once I discovered the concept of CSR, it really rang a bell for me.”
After discovering CSR as a graduate student, Song found an articulation and vernacular for what she felt after her grandmother’s passing. If more companies understood the basic concepts of CSR, it is possible that the untimely death of her grandmother could have been avoided.
She knew that this research subject was the one she wanted to pursue from that point forward. And she has not wavered from it now as an associate professor of public relations in the VCU Robertson School of Communication in the College of Humanities and Sciences.
“I think companies should be aware of or acknowledge the impact they can have on individuals and society overall,” Song said.
Advancing CSR scholarship
That is the guiding thought behind Song’s research, and her output on CSR has been expansive. During her time at VCU, Song has published a dozen articles in prestigious public relations publications such as Public Relations Journal, Public Relations Review, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, International Journal of Strategic Communication and Corporate Communication.
Last summer, Song was awarded tenure in the Robertson School. For the past two years, she has served as the public relations sequence coordinator.
This past fall, Song was named a recipient of the National/International Recognition Awards (NIRA). The award is from the Office of the Provost and recognizes “faculty whose scholarship has earned acclaim across borders and disciplines through groundbreaking research, global partnerships and leadership in their fields, elevating both their own profile and VCU’s reputation on the global stage.”
Public relations research is a field dominated by practitioners, Song said. The research on CSR and its positive impact on both companies and consumers is what she hopes resonates with those who encounter her work. When practiced, CSR allows everyone involved to win: the company, its stakeholders and the consumers, Song said.
“The ultimate outcome of my research would be to know or see how public relations practitioners could apply the insights we find in our research and use those strategies and recommendations in their work,” Song said.
Cause-based advocacy
In addition to her CSR work, Song is developing a new area of research: fandom advocacy communications. This, too, has a personal connection to Song. As a major fan of the Korean pop act BTS, Song became intrigued when she saw the band use its platform for certain causes.
“I observed that the fanbase would attitudinally and behaviorally start to support the advocacy causes (such as anti-Asian hate) that BTS put forward,” Song said. “Based on that observation and my own interest, I have started to create research and publish work on fandom communications.”
Song’s research, which she has published thus far on the subject, examines how fans process advocacy information from the “idols” and follow through from the idol’s call to action.
Song, a first-generation college student and immigrant, credits her time as a graduate student at the University of Florida with helping her along a “path of discovery.” In her classes, Song said her goal is to always engage and foster curiosity in her students.
“Stay curious and don’t kill your curiosity, is something I try to have at the forefront of my teaching,” Song said. “Once a person starts to hate learning, they stop growing. That’s why I want to motivate students’ intrinsic motivation to want to learn, and one thing that drives that motivation is curiosity.”
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