Strategic communication for sustainable organizations
Subtitle: theory and practice
By: Myria Allen
Series: CSR, sustainability, ethics & governance; CSR, sustainability, ethics & governance
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Cham
Language: eng
Number of pages: 308
ISBN-13: 9783319180052; 9783319180045
Copyright date: 2016
Subjects: Business communication; Social responsibility of business
Description: This is a seminal book for anyone who wants to understand, shape or study the communication surrounding sustainability in their interactions with colleagues, employees, supply chain partners, and external stakeholders. It develops essential insights on the basis of an extensive review of relevant theories and research drawn from multiple disciplines. Interview data gathered from organization members who are currently communicating about sustainability in their cities, universities, nongovernmental organizations, small businesses, and large for-profit organizations provide valuable insights from a practitioner&#x2019;s perspective. The interviewees represent organizations such as the Portland Trailblazers, Tyson Foods, the City and County of Denver, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Theory, research, and interview comments combine in a reader-friendly way to provide practical insights and stimulate future research.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Intro; Foreword; Preface; Why Write This Book?; Who Should Read This Book?; Plan for This Book; Participating Organizations; Acknowledgments; Contents; Chapter 1: Sustainability and Communication; 1.1 Why Sustainability and Why Now?; 1.1.1 Sustainability and Strategic Ambiguity; 1.2 What Are Organizational Actors Doing?; 1.3 Why Communication?; 1.3.1 Communication Challenges Organizations Face; 1.3.1.1 Fear of Speaking Out; 1.3.1.2 Messages Not Processed; 1.4 What Are We to Do?; 1.5 Concluding Thoughts; References; title: Chapter 2: Changing Paradigms, Shifting Societal Discourses, and Organizational Responses2.1 The Trail Blazers: An Example of Organizational Change; 2.2 Changing Discourses: The Organization-Environment Interface; 2.2.1 Paradigms and Discourses in Societies; 2.2.1.1 The False Dichotomy Between Jobs and the Environment; 2.2.1.2 Difficult Conversations and Discursive Closure; 2.2.2 Paradigms and Discourses in Organizations; 2.3 What Are the Major Discourses?; 2.3.1 Do We Face Global Limits?; 2.3.2 How Can We Solve the Problems We Face?; 2.3.3 What About Something a Bit More Radical?; title: 2.3.4 Ecological Modernization and Sustainable Development2.3.4.1 The Promise of Ecological Modernization and Limited Political Will; 2.3.4.2 The Shift Toward the Sustainability Discourse; The Shift in Business; Responding to Pressures and the Lure of the Business Case for Sustainability; The Shift in Cities; Movement Across Universities; 2.3.4.3 Critics of the Ecological Modernization and Sustainability Discourses; 2.4 We Must Reframe the Issue; 2.4.1 Changing Frames Is Contested; 2.4.1.1 Efforts to Control the Discussion; 2.4.1.2 Changing Language Use; 2.5 Concluding Thoughts; References; title: Chapter 3: Legitimacy, Stakeholders, and Strategic Communication Efforts3.1 Legitimacy; 3.1.1 Legitimacy, Reputation, and Influence; 3.1.2 Discussing Sustainability Within and Between Institutional Fields; 3.2 Actions Organizations Take to Influence Legitimacy; 3.2.1 Changing Business Performance; 3.2.2 Changing the Normative Environment; 3.2.3 Creating New Standards; 3.2.4 Changing Descriptions and Absorbing Information; 3.3 Communication and the Strategic Approach to Legitimacy; 3.3.1 Credible Communication and Greenwashing; title: 3.3.2 Annual Meetings, Sustainability Reporting, Websites, and Architecture3.3.2.1 Annual Meetings; 3.3.2.2 Reporting About Sustainability; A Change over Time; Developing a Reporting Framework; Deciding on Report Content; Benefits of Sustainability Reporting; Moving to Online Sustainability Reports; 3.3.2.3 Certifications; What Are Sustainability Standards and Certifications?; The Decision to Certify or Not?; 3.3.2.4 Architecture and Visual Rhetoric; LEED-Certified Corporate Offices; Architecture and Community Rhetoric; 3.4 Stakeholders; 3.4.1 Adapting Messages to Stakeholders