Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess online corporate communication around commitments to sustainable development goal (SDG) 12, sustainable production and consumption. Design/methodology/approach: Guided by legitimacy theory, a qualitative directed content analysis was conducted on 13 companies' webpages (81 webpages, 78,947 words). Findings: Companies broadly failed to communicate about all 11 SDG 12 targets, neglected to consistently address multiple stakeholder groups, missed opportunities to provide concrete evidence of progress and relied on a mix of substantive and symbolic legitimation strategies. Originality/value: SDG 12 has been under-researched and this paper is one of the first to offer an in-depth analysis of corporate communication regarding SDG 12.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 74-92 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Communication Management |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | Jul 21 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 18 2024 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Corporate communication
- Corporate social responsibility
- Legitimacy theory
- Qualitative content analysis
- SDG 12
- Sustainability communication
- Sustainable development goals
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
- Strategy and Management