IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v144y2022icp136-145.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Be good and look good: Communicating the triple bottom line through corporate websites

Author

Listed:
  • Sánchez-Chaparro, Teresa
  • Soler-Vicén, Miguel Ángel
  • Gómez-Frías, Víctor

Abstract

In recent years, communicating about sustainability based corporate identity – i.e., the values and ethos of an organization that reflect the sustainable foundations around which the corporate brand is built – has become a central element for building a positive organizational reputation. In the business sector, the triple bottom line (TBL) approach, or a balanced conception of sustainability around environmental, social, and economic performance, has been increasingly adopted over recent decades. This paper adopts a multiple case study approach to develop and illustrate a methodology for analysing sustainability based identity as communicated through corporate websites. A critical and comparative assessment was performed on the information conveyed by a sample of ten Ibero-American companies belonging to different countries and sectors, resulting in a number of specific improvement recommendations. As part of the methodology, a dictionary comprising 354 keywords and a total of 933 variants was built corresponding to the three TBL dimensions, which was then used to perform automated content analysis across the corporate websites in the sample. Overall, this study illustrates a powerful but simple way for companies to assess and improve their communicated sustainability based corporate identity.

Suggested Citation

  • Sánchez-Chaparro, Teresa & Soler-Vicén, Miguel Ángel & Gómez-Frías, Víctor, 2022. "Be good and look good: Communicating the triple bottom line through corporate websites," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 136-145.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:144:y:2022:i:c:p:136-145
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.089
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296322001011
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.089?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael J. Greenacre, 1991. "Interpreting multiple correspondence analysis," Applied Stochastic Models and Data Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 7(2), pages 195-210, June.
    2. Ernestina Rubio-Mozos & Fernando Enrique García-Muiña & Laura Fuentes-Moraleda, 2019. "Rethinking 21st-Century Businesses: An Approach to Fourth Sector SMEs in Their Transition to a Sustainable Model Committed to SDGs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-23, October.
    3. Ans Kolk & Seb Walhain & Susanne van de Wateringen, 2001. "Environmental reporting by the Fortune Global 250: exploring the influence of nationality and sector," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 15-28, January.
    4. Marine Wulleman & Marek Hudon, 2016. "Models of Social Entrepreneurship: Empirical Evidence from Mexico," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 162-188, July.
    5. Magdalena Öberseder & Bodo Schlegelmilch & Verena Gruber, 2011. "“Why Don’t Consumers Care About CSR?”: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Role of CSR in Consumption Decisions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(4), pages 449-460, December.
    6. Swaen, Valérie & Demoulin, Nathalie & Pauwels-Delassus, Véronique, 2021. "Impact of customers’ perceptions regarding corporate social responsibility and irresponsibility in the grocery retailing industry: The role of corporate reputation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 709-721.
    7. David Wheeler & John Elkington, 2001. "The end of the corporate environmental report? Or the advent of cybernetic sustainability reporting and communication," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, January.
    8. Marine Wulleman & Marek Hudon, 2015. "Models of social entrepreneurship: empirical evidence from Mexico," Working Papers CEB 15-024, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    9. Irina Lock & Theo Araujo, 2020. "Visualizing the triple bottom line: A large‐scale automated visual content analysis of European corporations' website and social media images," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2631-2641, November.
    10. Richard Rutter & Fiona Lettice & John Nadeau, 2017. "Brand personality in higher education: anthropomorphized university marketing communications," Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 19-39, January.
    11. Mary Ann Glynn, 2000. "When Cymbals Become Symbols: Conflict Over Organizational Identity Within a Symphony Orchestra," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(3), pages 285-298, June.
    12. Alan Pomering & Sara Dolnicar, 2009. "Assessing the Prerequisite of Successful CSR Implementation: Are Consumers Aware of CSR Initiatives?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 85(2), pages 285-301, April.
    13. Ignacio Prieto-Egido & Javier Simó-Reigadas & Andrés Martínez-Fernández, 2018. "Interdisciplinary Alliances to Deploy Telemedicine Services in Isolated Communities: The Napo Project Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-13, July.
    14. Natacha Klein & Tomás B. Ramos & Pauline Deutz, 2020. "Circular Economy Practices and Strategies in Public Sector Organizations: An Integrative Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-24, May.
    15. Francesco Rosati & Lourenço Galvão Diniz Faria, 2019. "Business contribution to the Sustainable Development Agenda: Organizational factors related to early adoption of SDG reporting," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 588-597, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Magdalena Öberseder & Bodo Schlegelmilch & Patrick Murphy & Verena Gruber, 2014. "Consumers’ Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility: Scale Development and Validation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 101-115, September.
    2. Marcinkowska Elzbieta & Sawicka Joanna, 2023. "Corporate Social Responsibility as a Factor Influencing Purchasing Decisions of Consumers in Central and Eastern Europe," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4), pages 281-299.
    3. Aneta Pachura, 2021. "Modelling of Cross-Organisational Cooperation for Social Entrepreneurship," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-14, May.
    4. Pontus Cerin, 2002. "Communication in corporate environmental reports," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(1), pages 46-65, March.
    5. Cucari Nicola & D’Angelo Eugenio & Esposito Eduardo & Ciasullo Maria Vincenza, 2020. "Assessing the Social Entrepreneurship Business Model: An Exploratory Case Study in the Italian Cultural Heritage Sector," Entrepreneurship Research Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 10(4), pages 1-31, October.
    6. Reimann, Felix & Ehrgott, Matthias & Kaufmann, Lutz & Carter, Craig R., 2012. "Local stakeholders and local legitimacy: MNEs' social strategies in emerging economies," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 1-17.
    7. Patricia SanMiguel & Silvia Pérez-Bou & Teresa Sádaba & Pedro Mir-Bernal, 2021. "How to Communicate Sustainability: From the Corporate Web to E-Commerce. The Case of the Fashion Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-27, October.
    8. Alejandro Alvarado-Herrera & Enrique Bigne & Joaquín Aldas-Manzano & Rafael Curras-Perez, 2017. "A Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility Following the Sustainable Development Paradigm," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 243-262, January.
    9. Robinson, Stefanie & Eilert, Meike, 2018. "The role of message specificity in corporate social responsibility communication," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 260-268.
    10. Amr ElAlfy & Kareem M. Darwish & Olaf Weber, 2020. "Corporations and sustainable development goals communication on social media: Corporate social responsibility or just another buzzword?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1418-1430, September.
    11. Omar. A. Alghamdi & Gomaa Agag, 2023. "Unlocking the Power of Reporting: Exploring the Link between Voluntary Sustainability Reporting, Customer Behavior, and Firm Value," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-18, November.
    12. Todd Green & Julie Tinson & John Peloza, 2016. "Giving the Gift of Goodness: An Exploration of Socially Responsible Gift-Giving," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 29-44, March.
    13. Egle Jakunskiene & Egle Kazlauskiene, 2022. "The Evaluation of Business Tools for Encouraging Social Responsibility in Older Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-23, March.
    14. S. Prakash Sethi & Terrence F. Martell & Mert Demir, 2016. "Building Corporate Reputation Through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports: The Case of Extractive Industries," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(3), pages 219-243, October.
    15. Irja Vormedal & Audun Ruud, 2009. "Sustainability reporting in Norway – an assessment of performance in the context of legal demands and socio‐political drivers," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 207-222, May.
    16. Cerin, Pontus & Dobers, Peter, 2001. "What does the performance of the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index tell us?," Sustainable Investment and Corporate Governance Working Papers 2001/1, Sustainable Investment Research Platform.
    17. R. Scott Marshall & Darrell Brown, 2003. "Corporate environmental reporting: what's in a metric?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(2), pages 87-106, March.
    18. Matthias Ehrgott & Felix Reimann & Lutz Kaufmann & Craig Carter, 2011. "Social Sustainability in Selecting Emerging Economy Suppliers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 98(1), pages 99-119, January.
    19. Scott Vitell, 2015. "A Case for Consumer Social Responsibility (CnSR): Including a Selected Review of Consumer Ethics/Social Responsibility Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(4), pages 767-774, September.
    20. Jorge Arevalo, 2010. "Critical Reflective Organizations: An Empirical Observation of Global Active Citizenship and Green Politics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 96(2), pages 299-316, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:144:y:2022:i:c:p:136-145. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.