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Article
Publication date: 21 January 2025

Sonia Pedro Sebastiao and Andreia Melchiades Soares

This study examines how Secil, a multinational cement company headquartered in Portugal, communicates and institutionalises its corporate social innovation (CSI) initiatives…

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines how Secil, a multinational cement company headquartered in Portugal, communicates and institutionalises its corporate social innovation (CSI) initiatives through various communication channels, focusing on its sustainability priorities established in 2022.

Design/methodology/approach

A deductive and mixed-method, predominantly qualitative approach is used to understand how Secil utilises various communication tools to highlight its sustainability priorities and integrate CSI within its messages, using the dimensions of The Rutgers Institute Corporate Social Innovation Model (RICSI) presented by Wirtenberg (2021). Thematic and frame analysis are employed to interpret Secil’s articulation of its sustainability and innovation priorities. The generic frame of responsibility serves as a lens through which we can comprehend the institutionalisation of CSI within Secil’s narratives. Through a meticulous examination of journalistic and advertising materials depicting sustainable practices, the study elucidates their correspondence with the foundational pillars of RICSI.

Findings

The analysis reveals that Secil’s CSI initiatives are primarily driven by coercive isomorphic pressures from sector-specific regulations and international bodies such as the European Union and the United Nations. The company develops innovative solutions through strategic partnerships with governmental bodies, local municipalities and cultural associations, aligning these with sustainable development goals. Whilst this approach potentially offers competitive advantages, the institutionalisation of CSI appears to be predominantly shaped by external regulatory requirements rather than voluntary organisational change.

Research limitations/implications

Whilst the study’s reliance on sustainability reports, communication tools and CEO media interviews provides valuable insights, these sources may present an inherently optimistic view of organisational sustainability practices. This limitation suggests several promising avenues for future research. Subsequent studies would benefit from incorporating internal stakeholder interviews to understand communication strategy development, conducting comparative analyses across different market contexts and examining the longitudinal evolution of CSI communication.

Originality/value

This paper enhances the understanding of potential sustainability narratives used by multinational companies involved in traditionally polluting activities. It provides insights into how these companies integrate sustainability, innovation and communication in both theoretical and practical contexts. By applying the RICSI to strategic communication research, this case study highlights the crucial role of alignment, clarity of intent, stakeholder engagement and organisational culture in implementing CSI. This underscores the importance of strategic communication in this area.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 August 2022

Sonia Pedro Sebastiao and Isabel Soares

The concept of environmental diplomacy appears associated with events (conventions) promoted between states and transnational organisations to discuss aspects related to…

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Abstract

Purpose

The concept of environmental diplomacy appears associated with events (conventions) promoted between states and transnational organisations to discuss aspects related to regulating the use of natural resources and regulating pollution. In this study, the authors intend to highlight the contribution brought to environmental diplomacy by leading television figure David Attenborough and his focus on the destruction of biodiversity by humans (the problem). It is intended to analyse the frames of his public interventions, comparing them with the prevailing frames in the UNFCCC policies.

Design/methodology/approach

A predominantly inductive method of qualitative and interpretative nature is used. In epistemological terms, the framing analysis stems from a social constructivist perspective. A theoretical model for frame analysis was defined by combining the frameworks proposed by Entman (1993) and Semetko and Valkenburg (2000) and considering previous studies (Anholt, 2015; Seelig, 2019). Analysis scrutinised a two-fold corpus comprising articles regarding actions and statements by David Attenborough published in The Guardian between 2018 and 2020, and the UN's legal framework for climate change.

Findings

The most prominent frames regarding climate crisis in transnational policies are responsibilities. Attenborough's calls for action highlight the frames of “morality”, “responsibilities” and “problems”. However, it is necessary to make a distinction between the discourse used in transnational treaties and that by Attenborough. In the former, discourse is more technical and impersonal, presented in a structure of legal diplomas and barely accessible to the public. In contrast, Attenborough's speech is more emotional, appealing and sometimes dramatic. His message is transmitted straightforwardly to the public in a pedagogical, personal tone.

Social implications

The choice of high-profile personalities like David Attenborough as ambassadors has implications in the visibility of the environmental cause, and in the multiplication of initiatives that denounce environmental degradation.

Originality/value

This study explores and analyses the narrative construct regarding climate change as carried out by a trusted and respected media voice. The authors intend to contribute to understanding the amplification role of public figures in controversial issues and diplomatic matters. The main contribution of this study is to highlight the strategic nature of the choice of SDA by political powers to voice the drama of climate emergency.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

Book part
Publication date: 23 March 2017

Barbara de Lima Voss, David Bernard Carter and Bruno Meirelles Salotti

We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in…

Abstract

We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.

Details

Advances in Environmental Accounting & Management: Social and Environmental Accounting in Brazil
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-376-4

Keywords

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