Stakeholders’ social dialogue about responsibility and sustainability in the food sector

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims at understanding whether firms conceive and use social media as disseminators, as well as amplifiers, of their results concerning sustainability and responsibility and whether this practice stimulates stakeholder engagement and participation, laying the foundation for a dialogue on corporate social responsibility.Design/methodology/approachThis research analyses the theoretical background of communication related to sustainability and responsibility and the company–stakeholder dialogue in the food sector. An inductive interpretive approach is provided by conducting a qualitative content analysis related to the communication practices of the food company Ferrero (Italy) from June 2015 to September 2019.FindingsCompanies can use social channels to present their vision, values, approaches and choices related to sustainability and responsibility. Social media can become useful networks to reach stakeholders requiring and claiming for transparency about more and more relevant topics – allowing, at the same time, a two-way relationship and dialogue.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of the paper is that it presents the observation of a single firm.Practical implicationsThe managerial implications relate to the value created by a dialogical communication: this is a strong foundation for enhancing relationships capable of maintaining and increasing the company's reputation. The establishment of an interchange about sustainability and responsibility represents a new way to direct the company and its stakeholders towards mutual support in creating value.Originality/valueThis article contributes to enriching the debate on the degree of knowledge, understanding, response and reaction to social media–based corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication.

Sustainable Development Goals and healthy foods: perspective from the food system

“…Such result reveals a relevant insight linked to the literature on non-financial disclosure practice in the food and beverage sector. Specifically, building up on the previous literature (Cortese et al , 2020; Raimo et al , 2020), the present analysis confirms that food businesses' interests in sustainability disclosures have achieved a higher level of pervasiveness in organizational practices through the adoption of the GRI disclosure guidelines. Moreover, the adoption of the modern GRI Standards guidelines confirms that the adoption of a standardized approach to the disclosure is the current trend in food and beverage companies' published reports (Fiandrino et al , 2019).…”

“…Finally, the literature has evidenced a knowledge gap in terms of exploring non-financial reporting in the food sector. Specifically, previous research has approached the topic of non-financial disclosure exploration through the qualitative analysis of the disclosed contents, or it has explored the non-financial disclosure determinants, taking into account the corporate governance characteristics of the companies (Cortese et al , 2020; Gangi et al , 2020). In these terms, the literature has left an open debate on the role of contextual variables in the sustainability disclosure of food and beverage organizations (Fiandrino et al , 2019).…”

“…The food and beverage sector is particularly concerned with CSR topics (Cortese et al , 2020; Maloni and Brown, 2006) to such an extent that various contributions in the literature suggest deepening the knowledge on the topic. According to Loose and Remaud (2013) and (Hartmann et al , 2013), the disclosure of CSR information on food products sensibly impacts consumer choices.…”

A dynamic framework for sustainable open innovation in the food industry

“…Thus, academics started developing studies about the main factors that characterize sustainable and ethical food organizations. In particular, many of these studies agreed about the enabling role covered by innovation and the integration of the stakeholders within the decision-making processes (Agovino et al, 2018;Cortese et al, 2020).…”

Relaying information about sustainability and responsibility: using appropriate channels to keep stakeholders in the loop

“…These issues are further considered by Cortese et al (2021) in an examination of how Ferrero used social media in response to criticism of its use of certain raw materials during the food production process.…”