Environmental responsibility and communication in selected companies in the Podravska statistical region

Zala Virant; Janez Osojnik; Andreja Kozmus

doi:10.3986/AGS.13518

Authors

Zala Virant University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Maribor, Slovenia https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8695-4778
Janez Osojnik University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Maribor, Slovenia https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1196-1456
Andreja Kozmus University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Maribor, Slovenia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9397-133X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.13518

Keywords:

environmental responsibility, sustainability, sustainable organisational practices, green motives, communication, Podravska statistical region

Abstract

The paper presents best practices pursued by eight companies from the Podravska statistical region selected because they promote green transition in this society. In the theoretical section, the article presents environmental responsibility as part of corporate social responsibility and deals with the type of communication needed to address and motivate people to implement the EU Green Deal goals. The empirical section analyses eight semi-structured interviews with representatives from selected companies in the Podravska statistical region. The results highlight long-term efforts to raise public awareness about the environmental crisis (without major visible effects), financial aid as the main motivation factor to implement green practices, shortage of specific training courses in communication, and the need for locally focused training.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Agudelo, M. A. L., Jóhannsdóttir, L., Davídsdóttir, B. 2019: A literature review of the history and evolution of corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility 4-1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40991-018-0039-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40991-018-0039-y

Bansal, P., Roth, K. 2000: Why companies go green: A model of ecological responsiveness. The Academy of Management Journal 43-4. https://doi.org/10.2307/1556363 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1556363

Bednarova, M., Serpeninova, Y. 2023: Corporate digital responsibility: Bibliometric landscape–chronological literature review. The International Journal of Digital Accounting Research 23. https://doi.org/10.4192/1577-8517-v23_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4192/1577-8517-v23_1

Berry, A. M., Rondinelli, A. D. 1998: Proactive corporate environmental management: A new industrial revolution. Academy of Management Perspectives 12-2. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.1998.650515 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.1998.650515

Bole, D. 2008: Cultural industry as a result of new city tertiarization. Acta geographica Slovenica 48-2. https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS48202 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS48202

Borges, E., Campos, S., Teixeira, M. S., Lucas, M. R., Ferreira-Oliveira, A. T., Rodrigues, A. S., Vaz-Velho, M. 2023: How do companies communicate sustainability? A systematic literature review. Sustainability 15-10. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108263 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108263

Carroll, A. B. 1991: The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business Horizons 34-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/0007-6813(91)90005-g DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0007-6813(91)90005-G

Dawkins, J. 2005: Corporate responsibility: The communication challenge. Journal of Communication Management 9-2. https://doi.org/10.1108/13632540510621362 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13632540510621362

European Commission 2001: Green Paper: Promoting a European framework for corporate social responsibility. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/en/doc_01_9/DOC_01_9_EN.pdf.

Feng, Y., Akram, R., Minh Hieu, V., Nguyen, H. T. 2021: The impact of corporate social responsibility on the sustainable financial performance of Italian firms: Mediating role of firm reputation. Economic Research 35-1. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2021.2017318 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2021.2017318

Godina Golija, M. 2023: Radically local supply chains through territorial brands: Insights from the 100% local project. Acta geographica Slovenica 63-1. https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.10581 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.10581

Gonzalez-Benito, J., Gonzalez-Benito, O. 2004: A study of the motivations for the environmental transformation of companies. Industrial Marketing Management 34-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2004.08.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2004.08.005

Gross, R. 2014: Corporate social responsibility and employee engagement: Making the connection. http://www.charities.org/sites/default/files/corporate_responsibility_white_paper%20copy.pdf.

Hawn, O., Ioannou, I. 2016: Mind the gap: The interplay between external and internal actions in the case of corporate social responsibility. Strategic Management Journal 37-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2464 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2464

International Organization for Standardization 2010: Guidance on social responsibility – International Standard ISO 26000. https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/store/en/PUB100258.pdf.

Jo, H., Harjoto, M. A. 2011: Corporate governance and firm value: The impact of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics 103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0869-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0869-y

Khanna, M., Anton, W. R. Q. 2002: Corporate environmental management: Regulatory and market-based incentives. Land Economics 78-4. https://doi.org/10.2307/3146852 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3146852

Kim, S., Li, Z. 2021: Understanding the impact of ESG practices in corporate finance. Sustainability 13-7. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073746 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073746

Kitić, B., Kostić Stanković, M., Cvijović, J., Lecić Cvetković, D. 2015: Environmental aspect of business communications. Management: Journal for Theory and Practice Management 20. https://doi.org/10.7595/management.fon.2015.0004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7595/management.fon.2015.0004

Kmet Zupančič, R. (ed.) 2023: Poročilo o razvoju 2023. Ljubljana.

Li, W., Bhutto, T. A., Xuhui, W., Maitlo, Q., Zafar, A. U., Bhutto, N. A., 2020: Unlocking employees’ green creativity: The effects of green transformational leadership, green intrinsic, and extrinsic motivation. Journal of Cleaner Production 255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120229 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120229

McWilliams, A., Siegel D. 2001: Corporate social responsibility: A theory of the firm perspective. Academy of Management Review 26-1. https://doi.org/10.2307/259398 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/259398

Murray, A., Skene, K., Haynes, K. 2017: The circular economy: An interdisciplinary exploration of the concept and application in a global context. Journal of Business Ethics 140-3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2693-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2693-2

Nadanyiova, M., Majerova, J., Gajanova, L. 2021: The usage of the CSR concept and its communication in Slovak companies in the process of globalization. SHS Web of Conferences 91. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20219101024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20219101024

Newman, C., Rand. J., Tarp, F., Trifkovic, N. 2020: Corporate social responsibility in a competitive business environment. The Journal of Development Studies 56-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2019.1694144 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2019.1694144

Nučič, M. 2012: Is sustainability science becoming more interdisciplinary over time? Acta geographica Slovenica 52-1. http://dx.doi.org/10.3986/AGS52109 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS52109

Poljak Istenič, S. 2019: Participatory urbanism: Creative interventions for sustainable development. Acta geographica Slovenica 59-1. https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.5142 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.5142

Pučnik, B. 2022: Poglobljena analiza gospodarstva Podravske regije 2017–2020. Maribor.

PwC network 2022: Are Europe’s businesses ready for the EU Green Deal? EU Green Deal Survey Report. Report. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/tax/publications/assets/eu-green-deal-tax-report.pdf.

Servaes, H., Tamayo, A. 2014: The impact of corporate social responsibility on firm value: The role of customer awareness. Management Science 59-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1120.1630 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1120.1630

Sila, I., Cek, K. 2017: The impact of environmental, social and governance dimensions of corporate social responsibility on economic performance: Australian evidence. Procedia Computer Science 120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.11.310 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.11.310

Testarmata, S., Fortuna, F., Ciaburri, M. 2018: The communication of corporate social responsibility practices through social media channels. Corporate Board: Role, Duties and Composition 14-1. https://doi.org/10.22495/cbv14i1art3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22495/cbv14i1art3

Uecker-Mercado, H., Walker, M. 2012: The value of environmental social responsibility to facility managers: Revealing the perceptions and motives for adopting ESR. Journal of Business Ethics 110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1153-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1153-x

Urbanc, M., Kladnik, D., Perko, D. 2014: Six decades of human geography and environmental protection in Acta geographica Slovenica. Acta geographica Slovenica 54-2. http://dx.doi.org/10.3986/AGS54201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS54201

Vogrinc, J. 2008: Kvalitativno raziskovanje na pedagoškem področju. Univerza v Ljubljani, Pedagoška fakulteta.

Wirth, V., Prutsch, A., Grothmann, T. 2014: Communicating climate change adaptation: State of the art and lessons learned from ten OECD countries. GAIA – Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 23-1. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.23.1.9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.23.1.9

Xie, C., Bagozzi, R. P., Grønhaug, K. 2015: The role of moral emotions and individual differences in consumer responses to corporate green and non-green actions. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 43-3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0394-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0394-5

Žabkar, V., Čater, B., Čater, T., Fux, P. 2022: Trajnostni poslovni indeks. Ljubljana.

Zore, M., Bastič, M., Mulej, M. 2016: Seven or fewer core contents of social responsibility? Our Economy 62-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ngoe-2016-0016

Zorn, M., Komac, B. 2010: The history of Acta geographica Slovenica. Acta geographica Slovenica 50-1. http://dx.doi.org/10.3986/AGS50101 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS50101