Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/331936 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Citation: 
[Journal:] Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research (SBUR) [ISSN:] 2366-6153 [Volume:] 77 [Issue:] 3 [Year:] 2025 [Pages:] 557-584
Publisher: 
Springer, Heidelberg
Abstract: 
Sustainability has become a critical concern of many societies worldwide. The need for a more sustainable mode of producing and consuming goods and services while balancing related environmental, social, and economic consequences (i.e., the triple bottom line) is evident. Although research offers insights into many aspects of this necessary transformation, little is known about the extent to which firms and consumers stress environmental, social, and economic sustainability in their communication. This research addresses these questions by conceptualizing the interplay between sustainability-related firm-generated and user-generated content as a signaling phenomenon. In addition, the authors develop a custom dictionary that enables researchers and practitioners to identify and analyze sustainability-related textual data. An illustrative application based on major data sources (corporate websites, Amazon, and YouTube) indicates significant divergence in how firms and consumers communicate about sustainability. Building on this first conceptual and empirical foray into sustainability-related firm-generated and user-generated content, this research outlines open research questions and potential use cases for the provided analytical tool.
Subjects: 
Sustainability
Triple bottom line
Firm-generated content
Usergenerated content
Dictionary
Text analysis
Amazon
YouTube
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article

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