How Best to Communicate a Firm’s Sustainability/Corporate Responsibility: Integrating Management and Communications

Theory to Determine Effective Corporate Reputations Outcomes

Lisa KoepSchool of Marketing

Professor Aidan O’Driscoll

17.05.2013

Introduction• Currently research project is in the the early

developmental stage

• Research takes place in the food and retailing sector

• Industry partner in this project is Bord Bia

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Introduction

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Why Sustainability Communication?

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Sustainability Innovation & Adaption

• Helps to achieve more efficient use of resources

• Takes primarily place in disciplines such as engineering, built environment, science

Sustainability Communication• Ensures a wide range of stakeholders become

involved in a dialogue surrounding sustainable consumption and production

• Provides incentive more companies to become involved in sustainability due to improved reputational advantage

Dilemma: to tell or not to tell?

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Intensity of Communication

Ad

op

tio

n o

f S

ust

ain

abil

ity

Low High

Hig

hL

ow

Illy Cafe M&S

Ryanair AIB

Objectives of Research• To examine how firms should communicate

their sustainability/corporate responsibility claims most effectively:

– How?– To what extent?– To whom?

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Why Is It Important?• Currently scholarly and practitioner

knowledge offer limited insight into this dilemma

• Sustainability communication impacts on corporate reputation and thus economic performance

• Sustainability communication can also impact on the broad project of sustainability

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Why Sustainability/Corporate Responsibility (CR)?

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Triple Bottom Line (profitable, societal

responsibility, respect ecological

consideration)

Sustainability: focuses on issues

such as global warming, resource depletion & green

opportunities

Corporate Responsibility: concentrates on

issues such as business ethics &

corporate reputation

How Will It Be Carried Out?• To address the research question, two streams

of literature on sustainability will be connected– Management of sustainability

– Evolution– Organisation– Delivery

– Communications of these activities

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How Will It Be Carried Out?

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How Will It Be Carried Out?

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How Will It Be Carried Out?

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Methodology

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Case studies/interviews parsimonious model

Comprehensive survey to further develop and validate model

Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to analyse data test hypotheses

Contribution• Research output will provide a model to

comprehend the interconnections between organising/managing sustainability/CR and the communication to stakeholders

• Managerially: research will provide valuable insights into into how firms can effectively communicate sustainability/CR depending on their level of embrace

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Contribution• Academically: the research question will be

answered by linking to streams of sustainability/CR literature:1. Sustainability/CR Management2. Sustainability/CR Communication

• To date there have been limited attempts to explore the relationships between management and communication of sustainability and a gap in existing research has been identified

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Questions?Comments?