This study investigates Portuguese companies’ use of the Internet to communicate
social responsibility information, and the factors that affect this use. It examines the
characteristics of companies that influence the prominence of social responsibility
information on the Internet. Firm-specific factors that explain SRD by companies
operating in a European country in which capital market fund raising is not regarded to be an important source of financing are analysed. The results are interpreted through the lens of a “political economy” framework which combines stakeholder and legitimacy theories perspectives, according to which companies disclose social responsibility information to present a socially responsible image so that they can legitimise their behaviours to their
stakeholder groups and influence the external perception of reputation. Results suggest that a theoretical framework combining stakeholder and legitimacy theories may provide an explanatory basis for SRD by Portuguese companies. However, this study does not provide us with enough evidence to determine that the prominence given to CSR activities by Portuguese companies in their websites is linked to relationships with their stakeholder
