Bridging the gap: Understanding Spanish society's perception of purpose-driven companies and their role in sustainable development

Authors

Abstract

This study explores Spanish society’s perspective on purpose-driven businesses as a sustainable model. Also, it assesses Spain’s commitment to sustainability and aligns corporate expectations with citizen responsibilities for societal and environmental betterment. A survey spanning 2021-2022 gauges citizen knowledge and attitude evolution towards these companies. Results reveal 63% of the population is unaware of such businesses, but 74% deem them necessary upon understanding. About 64.5% undertake small daily actions for planetary care, but only 12.8% cease purchasing from environmentally harmful companies. This paper provides empirical evidence of the link between corporate purpose and business sustainability in Spain, and citizen perception of this business model’s impact and significance. It lays a theoretical and practical groundwork for future in-depth studies on purpose-driven companies.

Keywords: Purpose-driven companies, citizenship, sustainable development, B corporations, Spain.

Author Biographies

Isabel Ruiz-Mora, University of Málaga

Isabel Ruiz-Mora is Associate Professor in the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising at the University of Malaga, Spain. She is involved in different funded projects and her research is focused on citizen’s activism, sustainability, and strategic communication. She has been visiting scholar at universities in the UK, Denmark, Austria, and Malaysia. Isabel is the editor of the International Journal of Public Relations.

Daniel Guerrero-Navarro, University of Málaga

Daniel Guerrero-Navarro is Senior Lecturer of Corporate Communication in the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising at the University of Malaga, Spain. He earned his PhD with the study of brand placement in comics and cinema. His research career has focused on the study of corporate social responsibility in professional sports companies.

Ana M. Lucía-Casademunt, University of Málaga

Ana M. Lucía-Casademunt is Associate Professor in the Department of Economy and Business Organization at Universidad de Málaga, Spain. She earned her PhD with Degree Economics at Universidad de Córdoba (2013). Her research interest covers different aspects of Human Resource Management in profit and non-profit organisations.

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Published

2024-12-31

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 39 (2024): Navigating the Ethical Landscape: Organizational Dynamics, Engagement, Authenticity, and Societal Impact

Section

Artigos

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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.

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