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The purpose of this paper is to examine the rhetorical strategies used by organizations in support of propriety judgments concerning their products.

The approach taken entails discourse and rhetorical analysis of texts produced by leading firms in the bottled water industry, and by the industry’s trade association, surrounding issues of sustainability.

The analysis reveals rhetorical strategies invoked by firms to legitimate their economic, environmental and social performance.

This paper’s primary contribution is to research that informs the discursive aspects of legitimacy. As well, this study contributes to our nascent understanding of the microfoundations of sustainability.

Our knowledge of how organizations use different discursive strategies in support of legitimacy is relatively underdeveloped. By examining rhetorical strategies used in support of propriety judgments concerning organizations’ environmental, social and economic legitimacy, this study begins to fill gaps in our understanding.

The purpose of this paper is to build theory concerning the role of discourse in strategic renewal and green knowledge management.

The approach entails an application of discourse theory to the strategy process literature, a review of the knowledge management (KM) literature and examination of examples in the context of organizations' sustainability initiatives.

A discourse-based model of green knowledge management, with associated research propositions that address each element of strategy renewal, is developed.

The model and propositions in this paper may help to spur future management research that draws on a variety of discourse analytic tools, and advances our understanding of KM focused on environmental sustainability.

A discursive perspective on green knowledge management allows for a broader and more dynamic view of strategy process. This paper foregrounds the dynamic nature of strategy process in exploring the nature of discourse, and suggests that green knowledge management addresses a key megatrend that may form a foundation for strategic renewal.

This paper aims to consider the legitimacy challenges faced by hybrid organizations, examining the narrative strategies hybrids use in responding to these challenges and offering a framework for managers to consider in their choice of narratives.

A narrative analysis of texts addressing the legitimacy of the business models used by four hybrid organizations is conducted.

The results of the analysis suggest that the nature of conflicting stakeholder demands – centered on goals or means – is an integral factor influencing hybrids’ choice of narrative strategies to emphasize distinctiveness or conformity.

This paper adds to extant research examining the challenges hybrid organizations face and emphasizes that the choice of narrative strategies is an important factor hybrids must consider when managing legitimacy. Generalizability is a notable limitation of the case approach; the authors suggest areas for future research to address this limitation.

The research offers a practical framework for hybrids’ leaders, as they manage legitimacy, choosing to emphasize distinctiveness or conformity in the face of conflicts regarding goals or means.

By studying the legitimacy challenges faced by hybrid organizations, this study can form a more complete view of legitimation, encompassing different types of enterprises offering distinct value propositions.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between individuals’ discursive practices and organizational-level strategic change with respect to sustainability strategy.

The approach taken integrates Hart’s natural resource-based view of the firm with discourse theory.

A conceptual model of the relationship between discursive practices and strategic change is proposed.

The paper’s model serves as a foundation on which future empirical research on the effectiveness of specific discursive practices can be conducted.

Much of strategy research is notable for the absence of discussion on human actors and actions. The paper helps to fill this gap, contributing to existing scholarship by examining the micro-foundations of sustainability strategy through the fundamental role of individuals’ discursive practices.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the rhetorical strategies used by organizations when the legitimacy of their products is challenged by stakeholders’ sustainability concerns.

The approach involves rhetorical analysis of texts addressing the implications of genetically modified foods for sustainability. The rhetorical logic (pathos, logos, or ethos) and discursive intent (promotion of validity or propriety) invoked by leading seed producers to address stakeholders’ sustainability concerns was identified.

Ethos was found to be used to address validity judgments, pathos to address propriety judgments, and logos to address both validity and propriety judgments. The mechanisms through which rhetorical logic supports discursive intent are described.

This study contributes to a growing body of research at the intersection of discourse and legitimacy, and reveals the rhetorical strategies used to address stakeholders’ sustainability concerns. Future research can build on the study’s findings by examining the effectiveness of distinct rhetorical strategies in building legitimacy.

We lack a complete understanding of how legitimacy is discursively constructed when stakeholder concerns, such as those around sustainability, threaten an organization’s legitimacy. This paper’s examination of rhetorical logic and discursive intent advances this understanding.

The purpose of this paper is to consider how the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) may support or diminish the creation of social value.

The approach applies Lumpkin and Dess’s multidimensional conceptualization of EO to the growing body of literature on social entrepreneurship.

Propositions on the effects of autonomy, competitive aggressiveness, innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking on social value creation are developed.

The propositions offered in the paper suggest avenues for future empirical studies that seek to examine the impact of EO on social, rather than financial, performance.

A significant body of research has examined the relationship between EO and financial performance, but potential implications for social value creation remain unclear. This paper seeks to address this gap in understanding of EO and social entrepreneurship and argues that two components of EO may adversely impact the creation of social value.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a typology of sustainable business strategies that may help to guide future empirical research.

The approach involves a review of prior typologies and an application of the resource-based view of the firm to identify the resources and capabilities associated with each strategy.

Research propositions concerning the relationship between implementation of each strategy and requisite capabilities are offered.

The research propositions developed in the paper offer a means to catalyze future empirical research at the intersection of strategy and sustainability.

Barriers to understanding the capabilities necessary to implement sustainability strategies render sustainable development an elusive goal. This paper helps to advance this understanding, identifying the primary capabilities needed to implement distinct sustainability strategies.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Research propositions concerning the relationship between implementation of different sustainability strategies, along with the requisite capabilities offered, provide a guide for managers, and also encouragement for scholars to seek a more nuanced understanding of how companies can improve their economic performance through the implementation of sustainable business strategies.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.