Web sites as tools of communication of a “green” company

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is first, to review current literature on corporate identity, image and reputation; second, to analyse the “green reputation” on a sample of Slovene companies based on their web sites and third, to present implications for companies and further research.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis and discourse analysis were used to examine sections of web sites related to sustainable development of 20 Slovene companies representing the pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, food production, retailing, automotive, construction, logistics, sales of oil products and domestic appliance industries.FindingsThe web sites of 20 Slovene companies studied show that all companies present their values about environment protection and social responsibility, which they relate to sustainable development. However, “green” identity is not fully exploited in terms of being used as a distinctive feature of a company and as such it does not sufficiently contribute to gaining competitive advantage for a company.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough constituted by all relevant Slovene companies, the sample is limited in size. Further research could be done with a larger sample to test the findings. Different tools and media of marketing communication and a stakeholder survey could confirm the importance of the findings and significance for green reputation development.Practical implicationsSenior company management can use the findings from the research presented here as a starting‐point for the development of corporate reputation as a “green” company through appropriate use of corporate communication.Originality/valueThe research paper contributes to the scarce literature on green reputation development, which is almost non‐existent with regard to non‐multinational companies from post‐transition and transition economies. The paper also reveals new findings about the problem of standardisation within “green” marketing communication.