IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i6p1598-d214404.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessing the Sustainability of High-Value Brands in the IT Sector

Author

Listed:
  • María Ángeles Alcaide

    (Center of Economic Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Elena De La Poza

    (Center of Economic Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Natividad Guadalajara

    (Center of Economic Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

Abstract

Nowadays, companies have more freedom on how they can report their corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions and outcomes, despite them being increasingly important for how investors and shareholders can obtain knowledge about companies’ non-financial aspects. This is why more importance is being attached to sustainability rankings as an additional tool to seek excellence and distinguish between companies. The main objective of the present research was to analyze the degree of similarity in sustainability valuations among the most important open-access sustainability rankings that have appeared in the last decade (Green Ranking, RepTrack, Global 100 most sustainable corporations, and Finance Yahoo Sustainability). The secondary objective was to study whether these rankings incorporated the most de facto prestigious brands, and the third objective was to learn of the influence of the level of controversy in Finance Yahoo Sustainability scores in technological companies. Our results reveal wide variability among open-access CSR rankings. Not all the most valued brands appear in the sustainability rankings, which indicates the differences between the rankings of brands and CSR rankings. Finally, the level of controversy was found to be an important aspect in companies’ CSR scores.

Suggested Citation

  • María Ángeles Alcaide & Elena De La Poza & Natividad Guadalajara, 2019. "Assessing the Sustainability of High-Value Brands in the IT Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:6:p:1598-:d:214404
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/6/1598/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/6/1598/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rodrigo Lozano, 2015. "A Holistic Perspective on Corporate Sustainability Drivers," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(1), pages 32-44, January.
    2. Justyna Fijałkowska & Beata Zyznarska-Dworczak & Przemysław Garsztka, 2018. "Corporate Social-Environmental Performance versus Financial Performance of Banks in Central and Eastern European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-22, March.
    3. J.J. Graafland & H. Smid, 2004. "Reputation, Corporate Social Responsibility and Market Regulation," Review of Business and Economic Literature, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Review of Business and Economic Literature, vol. 0(2), pages 271-308.
    4. Johansson, Johny K. & Dimofte, Claudiu V. & Mazvancheryl, Sanal K., 2012. "The performance of global brands in the 2008 financial crisis: A test of two brand value measures," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 235-245.
    5. Torres, Anna & Bijmolt, Tammo H.A. & Tribó, Josep A. & Verhoef, Peter, 2012. "Generating global brand equity through corporate social responsibility to key stakeholders," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 13-24.
    6. Ratnatunga, Janek & Ewing, Michael T., 2009. "An ex-ante approach to brand capability valuation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 323-331, March.
    7. Christian Fieseler & Matthes Fleck, 2013. "The Pursuit of Empowerment through Social Media: Structural Social Capital Dynamics in CSR-Blogging," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(4), pages 759-775, December.
    8. Yongrok Choi & Yanni Yu, 2014. "The Influence of Perceived Corporate Sustainability Practices on Employees and Organizational Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-17, January.
    9. Ye Cai & Hoje Jo & Carrie Pan, 2012. "Doing Well While Doing Bad? CSR in Controversial Industry Sectors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 108(4), pages 467-480, July.
    10. Abagail McWilliams & Donald S. Siegel & Patrick M. Wright, 2006. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategic Implications," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Karl Widerquist, 2018. "The Bottom Line," Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee, in: A Critical Analysis of Basic Income Experiments for Researchers, Policymakers, and Citizens, chapter 0, pages 93-98, Palgrave Macmillan.
    12. Xuedong Liang & Xianli Zhao & Min Wang & Zhi Li, 2018. "Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Sustainable Supply Chain Financing Decision Based on Triple Bottom Line Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-17, November.
    13. Aaron K. Chatterji & David I. Levine & Michael W. Toffel, 2009. "How Well Do Social Ratings Actually Measure Corporate Social Responsibility?," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 125-169, March.
    14. Agostino Vollero & Francesca Conte & Alfonso Siano & Claudia Covucci, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility information and involvement strategies in controversial industries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(1), pages 141-151, January.
    15. Anselm Schneider & Erika Meins, 2012. "Two Dimensions of Corporate Sustainability Assessment: Towards a Comprehensive Framework," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 211-222, May.
    16. Ding, David K. & Ferreira, Christo & Wongchoti, Udomsak, 2016. "Does it pay to be different? Relative CSR and its impact on firm value," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 86-98.
    17. Laura Illia & Stefania Romenti & Belén Rodríguez-Cánovas & Grazia Murtarelli & Craig E. Carroll, 2017. "Exploring Corporations’ Dialogue About CSR in the Digital Era," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(1), pages 39-58, November.
    18. Magali Delmas & Vered Doctori Blass, 2010. "Measuring corporate environmental performance: the trade‐offs of sustainability ratings," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(4), pages 245-260, May.
    19. Kao, Erin H. & Yeh, Chih-Chuan & Wang, Li-Hsun & Fung, Hung-Gay, 2018. "The relationship between CSR and performance: Evidence in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 155-170.
    20. Aleksandar Grubor & Olja Milovanov, 2017. "Brand strategies in the era of sustainability," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 15(1), pages 78-88.
    21. Emanuel Bagna & Grazia Dicuonzo & Andrea Perrone & Vittorio Dell’Atti, 2017. "The value relevance of brand valuation," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(58), pages 5865-5876, December.
    22. Charles N. Herrick & Joanna L. Pratt, 2013. "Communication and the Narrative Basis of Sustainability: Observations from the Municipal Water Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(10), pages 1-16, October.
    23. Chi-Shiun Lai & Chih-Jen Chiu & Chin-Fang Yang & Da-Chang Pai, 2010. "The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Brand Performance: The Mediating Effect of Industrial Brand Equity and Corporate Reputation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(3), pages 457-469, September.
    24. Hasseldine, J. & Salama, A.I. & Toms, J.S., 2005. "Quantity versus quality: the impact of environmental disclosures on the reputations of UK Plcs," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 231-248.
    25. Hoje Jo & Haejung Na, 2012. "Does CSR Reduce Firm Risk? Evidence from Controversial Industry Sectors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(4), pages 441-456, November.
    26. Alfonso Siano & Francesca Conte & Sara Amabile & Agostino Vollero & Paolo Piciocchi, 2016. "Communicating Sustainability: An Operational Model for Evaluating Corporate Websites," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-16, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jana Majerova & Wlodzimierz Sroka & Anna Krizanova & Lubica Gajanova & George Lazaroiu & Margareta Nadanyiova, 2020. "Sustainable Brand Management of Alimentary Goods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Zdenka Kádeková & Radovan Savov & Ingrida Košičiarová & Katarina Valaskova, 2020. "CSR Activities and Their Impact on Brand Value in Food Enterprises in Slovakia Based on Foreign Participation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-21, June.
    3. de la Poza Elena & Jódar Lucas, 2019. "Modelling Human Behaviour in the Digital Era: Economic and Social Impacts," Economics, Sciendo, vol. 7(2), pages 43-47, December.
    4. Keshab Ray & Meenakshi Sharma, 2021. "Antecedents and Outcomes of Brand Strength: A Study of Asian IT Organizations Towards Brand Sustainability," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(3), pages 128-142, August.
    5. Manuel Muñoz-Suárez & Natividad Guadalajara & José M. Osca, 2020. "A Comparative Analysis between Global University Rankings and Environmental Sustainability of Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-19, July.
    6. Merello, Paloma & Barberá, Antonio & la Poza, Elena De, 2022. "Is the sustainability profile of FinTech companies a key driver of their value?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maria Ángeles Alcaide González & Elena De La Poza Plaza & Natividad Guadalajara Olmeda, 2020. "The impact of corporate social responsibility transparency on the financial performance, brand value, and sustainability level of IT companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 642-654, March.
    2. Zdenka Kádeková & Radovan Savov & Ingrida Košičiarová & Katarina Valaskova, 2020. "CSR Activities and Their Impact on Brand Value in Food Enterprises in Slovakia Based on Foreign Participation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-21, June.
    3. María Luisa Pajuelo Moreno & Teresa Duarte-Atoche, 2019. "Relationship between Sustainable Disclosure and Performance—An Extension of Ullmann’s Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-33, August.
    4. Yu-Yin Chang & Heng-Chiang Huang, 2021. "Exploring Patterns of Evolution for Successful Global Brands: A Data-Mining Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-17, July.
    5. Francesca Conte & Agostino Vollero & Claudia Covucci & Alfonso Siano, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility penetration, explicitness, and symbolic communication practices in Asia: A national business system exploration of leading firms in sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1425-1435, May.
    6. Agostino Vollero & Francesca Conte & Alfonso Siano & Claudia Covucci, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility information and involvement strategies in controversial industries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(1), pages 141-151, January.
    7. Mahabubur Rahman & M. Ángeles Rodríguez-Serrano & Mary Lambkin, 2019. "Brand equity and firm performance: the complementary role of corporate social responsibility," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(6), pages 691-704, November.
    8. Trinks, Arjan & Ibikunle, Gbenga & Mulder, Machiel & Scholtens, Bert, 2017. "Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensity and the Cost of Capital," Research Report 17017-EEF, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    9. Amos Sodjahin & Claudia Champagne & Frank Coggins & Roland Gillet, 2017. "Leading or lagging indicators of risk? The informational content of extra-financial performance scores," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(5), pages 347-370, September.
    10. María del Mar Miras‐Rodríguez & Amalia Carrasco‐Gallego & Bernabé Escobar‐Pérez, 2015. "Are Socially Responsible Behaviors Paid Off Equally? A Cross‐cultural Analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(4), pages 237-256, July.
    11. Li Cai & Jinhua Cui & Hoje Jo, 2016. "Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 563-594, December.
    12. Francesco Gangi & Jérôme Méric & Rémi Jardat & Lucia Michela Daniele, 2019. "Business for society," Post-Print hal-02382307, HAL.
    13. Paltrinieri, Andrea & Dreassi, Alberto & Migliavacca, Milena & Piserà, Stefano, 2020. "Islamic finance development and banking ESG scores: Evidence from a cross-country analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    14. Jieun Chung & Charles H. Cho, 2018. "Current Trends within Social and Environmental Accounting Research: A Literature Review," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(2), pages 207-239, June.
    15. Megumi Suto & Hitoshi Takehara, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility intensity, management earnings forecast accuracy, and investor trust: Evidence from Japan," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 3047-3059, November.
    16. Mochales, Gerardo & Blanch, Javier, 2022. "Unlocking the potential of CSR: An explanatory model to determine the strategic character of CSR activities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 310-323.
    17. Jennifer Martínez-Ferrero & Shantanu Banerjee & Isabel María García-Sánchez, 2016. "Corporate Social Responsibility as a Strategic Shield Against Costs of Earnings Management Practices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 305-324, January.
    18. Saif Ullah & Ravi S. Mateti, 2021. "Do appearances deceive? The curious case of CSR activities and shunned companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 11-29, January.
    19. Swaen, Valérie & Demoulin, Nathalie & Pauwels-Delassus, Véronique, 2021. "Impact of customers’ perceptions regarding corporate social responsibility and irresponsibility in the grocery retailing industry: The role of corporate reputation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 709-721.
    20. Van Ha Nguyen & Frank W. Agbola & Bobae Choi, 2022. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Enhance Financial Performance? Evidence from Australia," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 32(1), pages 5-18, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:6:p:1598-:d:214404. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.