Trine Dahl and Kjersti Fløttum
The purpose of this paper is to explore how energy companies discursively construct climate change when integrating it into their overall business strategy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how energy companies discursively construct climate change when integrating it into their overall business strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
This linguistic study uses a quantitative/qualitative approach to investigate three instances of recent climate disclosure, climate strategy reports, by the energy majors Statoil (now Equinor), Suncor Energy and Total. The qualitative analysis focuses on how keywords and expressions function in their immediate linguistic context. The discussion takes the socio-political and business context of the companies into account.
Findings
The paper finds that the reports discursively construct climate change in different ways. Total presents climate change primarily as a responsibility the company is ready to take on; Suncor Energy presents it primarily as a business risk; and Statoil as a business opportunity. In the material as a whole, however, the risk representation is the most prevalent.
Research limitations/implications
The material is relatively modest; however, the three reports represent the first comprehensive accounts of how energy players fit climate considerations into their overall strategy. The analysis is based on three search terms (responsibility, risk and opportunity). Further studies should include a broader range of words that may be semantically related to each approach.
Practical implications
The study can inform corporate strategy discussions and indicate the rhetorical implications of discourse-related choices in climate disclosure.
Originality/value
The study deals with very recent corporate disclosure involving an emerging discourse, climate strategy reporting. As the reports represent responses to investor engagement, the findings should also be relevant for studies involving stakeholder perceptions.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Statoil (Equinor), Suncor, and Total were the first three energy companies to produce climate strategy reports. Analyzing these, it is possible to discover how these companies view climate change in relation to their business strategy moving forward.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives, strategists 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.