Can social responsibility ameliorate ongoing irresponsibility? : Australian clubs' pursuit of legitimacy through CSR communication at a time of crisis?

The withdrawal of legitimacy presents a crisis requiring an effective communication response. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) claims are often included in the response in order to manage the impression of the organisation as meeting societal expectations, particularly in controversial industries. Alternatively, an organisation may argue its legitimacy. This paper considers the latter response, arguing that registered clubs, a controversial sector of the Australian gambling industry, use techniques of neutralisation in an attempt to justify their continued targeting of a vulnerable gambling consumer segment, problem gamblers, and forestall Government efforts to impose increased regulation over electronic gaming machines (EGMs), the key source of registered club revenues. Little extant research considers CSR communication responses during legitimacy crises. As, historically, registered clubs exist in order to make a contribution within the communities they serve, and hence were given a license to operate gambling activities, this study provides an interesting insight into how controversial industries might seek to project an image of maintaining a socially responsible and acceptable performance standard. Techniques of neutralisation are juxtaposed with theories of legitimacy and deliberative democracy, and considered in terms of impression management and agenda setting political discourse. Keywords