Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A Study of Discourse and Meaning-Making in Corporate Sustainability Reporting

Yu, Xiaohui LU (2020) HEKM51 20201
Human Geography
Human Ecology
Abstract
The underpinning notion of sustainability and report structure in the current corporate sustainability reporting is normalized by the prevailing adoption of industry frameworks and standards (e.g., the Triple Bottom Line framework and the Global Reporting Initiative Standards). Business sustainability discourse does not only reflect companies’ identities and positions in regard of their engagement with the global sustainability emergency, but also socially constructs the reality of what companies are facing and choose to do. In this thesis, five common elements of business sustainability discourse and the strategies of symbolic construction employed in the latest published sustainability reports from H&M, IKEA, NIKE and RUSTA are... (More)
The underpinning notion of sustainability and report structure in the current corporate sustainability reporting is normalized by the prevailing adoption of industry frameworks and standards (e.g., the Triple Bottom Line framework and the Global Reporting Initiative Standards). Business sustainability discourse does not only reflect companies’ identities and positions in regard of their engagement with the global sustainability emergency, but also socially constructs the reality of what companies are facing and choose to do. In this thesis, five common elements of business sustainability discourse and the strategies of symbolic construction employed in the latest published sustainability reports from H&M, IKEA, NIKE and RUSTA are identified. The companies’ internal sustainability officers’ meaning-making regarding corporate sustainability and reporting is shown to affect the structuration cycle of corporate sustainability reporting. A narrative is established to connect the elements of business sustainability discourse with the meaning-making of companies’ sustainability officers. Both company organizations and individuals are encouraged to transcend the current ideological lock-in in corporate sustainability and reporting. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Yu, Xiaohui LU
supervisor
organization
course
HEKM51 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Corporate sustainability reporting, discourse, meaning-making, critical discourse analysis, structuration, strategies of symbolic construction, technological fetishism, reflexivity
language
English
id
9010071
date added to LUP
2020-06-15 09:03:08
date last changed
2020-06-15 09:03:08
@misc{9010071,
  abstract     = {{The underpinning notion of sustainability and report structure in the current corporate sustainability reporting is normalized by the prevailing adoption of industry frameworks and standards (e.g., the Triple Bottom Line framework and the Global Reporting Initiative Standards). Business sustainability discourse does not only reflect companies’ identities and positions in regard of their engagement with the global sustainability emergency, but also socially constructs the reality of what companies are facing and choose to do. In this thesis, five common elements of business sustainability discourse and the strategies of symbolic construction employed in the latest published sustainability reports from H&M, IKEA, NIKE and RUSTA are identified. The companies’ internal sustainability officers’ meaning-making regarding corporate sustainability and reporting is shown to affect the structuration cycle of corporate sustainability reporting. A narrative is established to connect the elements of business sustainability discourse with the meaning-making of companies’ sustainability officers. Both company organizations and individuals are encouraged to transcend the current ideological lock-in in corporate sustainability and reporting.}},
  author       = {{Yu, Xiaohui}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{A Study of Discourse and Meaning-Making in Corporate Sustainability Reporting}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}