Communicating Sustainability A qualitative analysis of corporate communication of sustainability in the ICT-sector

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to gain a richer understanding of how an IT corporation view, value and communicate sustainability, with regards to stakeholders. This is based upon an increased focus on sustainability and sustainable development in society. There is a lot of academic studies concerning the concept of sustainability or organizational sustainability, furthermore there is extensive research with regards to Green IT and how this can contribute to a sustainable future. However, this thesis position itself in between, exploring the effects of communicating sustainability specifically in the IT industry. This study is based upon one medium-sized IT corporation with Norwegian owners. In total, 12 interviews were conducted. These were qualitative interviews, performed based upon a structured/semi-structured method, and further analyzed with thematic analysis. The study based itself on sustainability theory, stakeholder theory and corporate communication theory. The study provide support for sustainability theory. Financial sustainability seemed to be one of the main drivers. As of now, profit still seems to be the stronger sustainable factor, compared to people or planet, however the study showed willingness and understanding from informants and corporation strategy that all dimensions need to be supported for a sustainable future. The study also showed support for stakeholder theory, however with an increased focus in communication towards contractual stakeholders, compared to community stakeholders. The study showed that even though the corporation has increased its focus on sustainability, several employees, especially those not in the management, had less knowledge about the green shift and sustainability. This can be an indication that corporate identity and corporate strategy has not been communicated thoroughly