Value creation attempts via photographs in sustainability reporting: a legitimacy theory perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irshad Ali ◽  
Sumit Lodhia ◽  
Anil K. Narayan
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Systematic Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
A Value ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the use of legitimacy strategies via the usage of photographic disclosures in sustainability reporting as an attempt towards creating value. Design/methodology/approach This study used visual content analysis to identify disclosure trends and value creation themes from sustainability-related photographs in the annual and sustainability reports of Fonterra Co-operative Group over a ten-year period. The findings were interpreted using legitimacy theory. Findings The findings show a significant increase in the usage of photographs to legitimise and reinforce the organisation’s sustainability messages. The photographs are dominated by images signalling to stakeholders’ positive sustainability messages, as a systematic method for managing stakeholder expectations to maintain, gain and even repair legitimacy. A majority of photographs have supporting textual narrative, which could be construed as an attempt by the company to make their sustainability messages explicit and provide greater legitimacy of activities and performance with the ultimate aim of enhancing organisational value. Research limitations/implications This study contributes towards an in-depth understanding of attempts at seeking legitimacy and creating organisational value through the systematic usage of photographic disclosures in sustainability reporting. Practical implications This study has the potential to inform stakeholders on linkages between sustainability photographs, value creation and legitimacy. It can help inform and assist report preparers, designers and users on the potential of photographs as a substantive medium to manage legitimacy in sustainability reporting. Originality/value This paper adds to the scant literature on the growing use of photographs as a value adding apparatus in sustainability reporting. This paper also extends the applicability of legitimacy theory to visual disclosure and suggests that legitimacy can be systematically sought to create value.

Why top managements must change their fundamental assumptions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Denning
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business People ◽  
A Value ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Purpose Of Business ◽  
Value Creation Process ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Despite today’s profusion of customer-centric rhetoric, most business people still believe that the primary purpose of business is profits. But the most resilient and sustainably successful firms consistently select one primary purpose: enrich the lives of their customers. 10; Design\methodology\approach The article maps how the most valuable and fastest growing firms are paving the way for an era of customer-driven capitalism. Findings In the current digital age, an obsession with delivering value to customers is proving to be the key driving force for success. Practical\implications The goal of customer-value primacy is not a threat to other stakeholders. Originality\value Customer-driven leadership is a hallmark of successful management in the current context. Top management must institute and continuously support a value creation process that works backwards from the future. 10;

The relationship between intellectual capital and big data: a review

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica De Santis ◽  
Claudia Presti
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
A Value ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Decision Making Tool

PurposeThis paper aims to give an integrated framework for analysing the main opportunities and threats related to the exploitation of Big Data (BD) technologies within intellectual capital (IC) management.Design/methodology/approachBy means of a structured literature review (SLR) of the extant literature on BD and IC, the study identified distinctive opportunities and challenges of BD technologies and related them to the traditional dimensions of IC.FindingsThe advent of BD has not radically changed the risks and opportunities of IC management already highlighted in previous literature. However, it has significantly amplified their magnitude and the speed with which they manifest themselves. Thus, a revision of the traditional managerial solutions needed to face them is required.Research limitations/implicationsThe developed framework can contribute to academic discourse on BD and IC as a starting point to understanding how BD can be turned into intangible assets from a value creation perspective.Practical implicationsThe framework can also represent a useful decision-making tool for practitioners in identifying and evaluating the main opportunities and threats of an investment in BD technologies for IC management.Originality/valueThe paper responds to the call for more research on the integration of BD discourse in the fourth stage of IC research. It intends to improve this understanding of how BD technologies can be exploited to create value from an IC perspective, focussing not only on the potential of BD for creating value but also on the challenges that it poses to organizations.

Developing an indicator framework for measuring sustainable logistics innovation in retail

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Andersson ◽  
Helena Forslund
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Logistics ◽  
Indicator Framework ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an indicator framework for measuring sustainable logistics innovation (SLI) in retail. Design/methodology/approachA literature review in different theory areas was conducted to generate a literature-based SLI indictor framework. The literature-based framework was then compared to five-year sustainability reports of three Swedish retailers to identify SLI indicators and how to measure them. This comparison led to a developed framework. FindingsThe developed framework combines sustainability dimensions with logistics activities. It identifies SLI indicators and how to measure them. Significant gaps between the framework and sustainability reports prompted the creation of an agenda for future research. Items that further research should consider include broadening or deepening the framework, developing specifically social SLI indicators for all logistics activities and developing measurement scales for the SLI indicators. Research limitations/implicationsThe study presents an SLI indicator framework as an initial contribution towards knowledge creation, and following the agenda for further research could generate even more implications for research. Practical implicationsManagers need inspiration concerning which indicators to use to measure SLI and how. Social implicationsThe study addresses both environmental and social sustainability, as well as suggests SLI indicators. Originality/valueNo identified study has merged sustainable logistics innovation and performance measurement in retail.

Felix Oberholzer-Gee: The formula for keeping your strategy simple and focused

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Leavy
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Value Drivers ◽  
Work Lives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
A Value ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose In his new book Better, Simpler Strategy: A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance, Felix Oberholzer-Gee offers business leaders and strategists guidance on a basic idea: unless an initiative creates value for customers, employees or suppliers, it is a waste of time and resources. Design/methodology/approach In this interview with S&L contributing editor Brian Leavy, Prof. Felix Oberholzer-Gee explains: “All you need to ask is, ‘Can my organization create differentiated value, can we raise customer willingness-to-pay (WTP) or lower employee and supplier willingness-to-sell (WTS)?’”. Findings Value-based strategy is “back-to-basics” in the sense that the approach insists on value creation as the foundation for every activity in the business. Practical/implications A comprehensive understanding of employees’ work lives is likely to reveal many chances to create value. Originality/value The interview explains why and how firms should seek to exceed expectations where it counts, and sustain excellence by diverting resources from lower-ranked value drivers.

scholarly journals Accounting, performance and accountability challenges in hybrid organisations: a value creation perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Grossi ◽  
Jarmo Vakkuri ◽  
Massimo Sargiacomo
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accounting Performance ◽  
A Value ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Hybrid Organisations

PurposeDrawing upon theoretical insights on value creation perspectives, the authors aim to advance the understanding of performance and accountability in different hybrid organisations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conceptualise common theoretical origins of hybrid organisations and how they create and enact value, by reflecting on the Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal (AAAJ) special issue articles. Furthermore, the authors propose an agenda for future research into accounting, performance and accountability for hybrid organisations.FindingsHybrid organisations can be conceptualised through their approaches to value creation (mixing, compromising and legitimising). This article provides a more detailed understanding of accounting, performance and accountability changes in hybrid organisations.Practical implicationsThis contribution also has relevant practical implications for actors, such as politicians, managers, professionals, auditors, controllers and accountants, encased in various hybrid organisations, policy contexts and multi-faceted interfaces between public, private and civil society.Originality/valueHybridity lenses reveal novel connections between different types of hybrid organisations and how they create and enact multiple values.

Consumer value creation through WhatsApp use

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471
Author(s):  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Jorge Guadalupe-Lanas ◽  
Ekaterina Zabelina ◽  
Andrés Palacio-Fierro ◽  
Margarita Velín-Fárez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Role Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Value ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand in-depth how consumers create value in their lives using WhatsApp, the leading mobile instant messaging (MIM) application. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts the perspective of customer-dominant logic (CDL) and uses a qualitative multimethod design involving 3 focus groups and 25 subsequent in-depth interviews. The research setting was Ecuador, a Latin American country. Findings Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ stories made it possible to identify and understand the creation of four types of value: maintaining and strengthening relationships; improving role performance; emotional support; and entertainment and fun. In addition, the present study proposes a conceptual model of consumer value creation as it applies to MIM. Practical implications Understanding the way consumers create value in their lives using MIM is important not only for organizations that offer MIM applications, but also for those companies that develop other applications for mobile phones or for those who wish to use MIM as an electronic word-of-mouth vehicle. Originality/value The current study is one of the first to address the topic of consumer behavior in the use of technologies from the perspective of CDL; this perspective enables an integrated qualitative vision of value creation in which the consumer is the protagonist.

Materiality disclosure in sustainability reporting: fostering stakeholder engagement

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sie Bing Ngu ◽  
Azlan Amran
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Corporate Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate World ◽  
Reporting Process ◽  
Global Companies ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate that stakeholder engagement is a fundamental step of the sustainability reporting process, as it assists in defining the materiality and relevance of the information communicated and enhances greater transparency and greater accountability to stakeholders. Findings In today’s corporate world, the role of stakeholder engagement has been recognized as being significant in completing the process for materiality disclosure in sustainability reporting, and it has become one of the vital elements in advancing sustainable development in the corporate sector. The materiality approach has been recommended as the instrument for scoping and defining the content for sustainability reporting or reports that only disclose issues that are considered material from the perspective of the stakeholders. This is relevant to both businesses and stakeholders. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the leading global companies in preparing their sustainability reports.

To disclose or not to disclose? Fashion brands' strategies for transparency in sustainability reporting

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Jestratijevic ◽  
James Ohisei Uanhoro ◽  
Rachel Creighton
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Strategic Thinking ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Disclosure ◽  
Sustainability Disclosure ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this quantitative study is to identify disclosure strategies for transparency in sustainability reporting to support strategic thinking around transparency in the fashion industry. This research has two specific research objectives: to capture progress towards greater transparency across sustainability reporting areas, across fashion brands and years, and to identify strategic approaches for transparency in sustainability reporting by revealing common patterns in business disclosure.Design/methodology/approachThe authors cross-sectionally analyzed secondary data using four consecutive Fashion Transparency Indices (2017–2020). Brands' strategies for transparency in sustainability reporting were examined through the stakeholder theory lens.FindingsFindings confirm the presence of four approaches to disclosure: measurable, ambiguous, policy-only and secretive strategy. The disclosure was disproportionally distributed between 30% brands as transparency leaders and 70% brands as transparency laggards. The most transparent brands were not necessarily those rated highest by the index but those whose progress toward transparency was traceable over the years.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has overcome the limitation of the verifiability approach, supporting the requirement for diachronic and strategic disclosure assessments.Practical implicationsAs most brands hesitantly disclose sustainability information, stakeholders cannot know whether business policies equate to more than a corporate wish list. If there is no inspection for mandatory business disclosure, and if there is no penalty for disclosure violations, some fashion retailers will continue to generate profits while operating in an uncompliant and “opaque” manner.Originality/valueThe framing of disclosure strategies for transparency in sustainability reporting is the first scholarly effort to investigate diachronically sustainability disclosure among a big sample of major fashion brands.

Polish perceptions on changing the world with sustainable entrepreneurship

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-21
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Model Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coffee Waste ◽  
The World ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper highlights how circular economy business models focus on the regenerative value creation inherent in reusing resources and waste. Circular startup transformations see founders moving out of sustainability-focused mindsets and into taking specific action to construct innovative circular business models. The purpose-led founders combined environmental and economic goals to produce scalable engines capable of inspiring and educating customers and larger companies on the beauty of reusing waste. Solving universal problems at their business model design stage allowed the Polish startups – for example, EcoBean who make renewable energy coffee briquettes from coffee waste – to offer value to international customers. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Used vehicle global supply chains: perspectives on a direct-import model

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangyan Shi ◽  
Tiru Arthanari ◽  
V.G. Venkatesh ◽  
Samsul Islam ◽  
Venkatesh Mani
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Global Supply Chains ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the supply chain (SC) operations of importing used vehicles into New Zealand and how such SCs affect business practices and performance. Design/methodology/approach The study uses an exploratory qualitative semi-structured interview approach to interview the different stakeholders involved in the global used vehicle SC. Findings The research identifies the overall network structure of the used import vehicle SC from Japan to New Zealand and characterises key aspects of its operations and network connections. This paper finds that Japanese buying agents have integrated increasing numbers of services to provide a trouble-free trading platform, which has created a direct-import model for used vehicle companies in New Zealand. Practical implications The findings and recommendations are useful in designing and managing the used vehicle SC for all stakeholders and effective real-time management of uncertain factors. Originality/value The paper primarily analyses SC operations by researching the cooperation and coordination between SC components and networks, based on providing the flow of used vehicles from Japan to New Zealand. It constitutes a pioneering practice-perspective research paper in this domain.

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