Can the Workplace Make Us More Charitable?
Given that most of us spend such a large portion of our daily lives at work, it’s unsurprising that the workplace has a direct influence on who we are and how we identify as individuals. And a new study finds this influence has far-reaching impacts not only on us as individuals, but on society as a whole.
Jennifer Mize Smith of Western Kentucky University joined Journal of Business Communication media manager Daylanne Markwardt on the JBC podcast to discuss her paper, “Philanthropic Identity at Work: Employer Influences on the Charitable Giving Attitudes and Behaviors of Employees,” published in the April 2013 issue of JBC.
“I think this study has some very real applications for leaders of corporations and nonprofit organizations alike,” Dr. Mize Smith said. “The study suggests that corporations really have an important opportunity, and perhaps even a responsibility, to do what they can to raise the philanthropic conscience of our society.” Click here to download the podcast interview, or subscribe on iTunes by following this link.
Jennifer Mize Smith (PhD, Purdue University) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Western Kentucky University where she teaches organizational communication courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. One of her research interests is identity construction, particularly philanthropic identity, in the workplace and other various contexts.
Daylanne Markwardt is an assistant professor of clinical management communication with USC’s Center for Management Communication as well as media manager for the Journal of Business Communication. She earned her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Arizona. She previously directed philanthropic and community relations programs for AT&T and headed her own communication consulting firm.