Volume 27, Issue 4 p. 1540-1551
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Communicating sustainable development: Effects of stakeholder-centric perceived sustainability

Ya-Ching Lee

Corresponding Author

Ya-Ching Lee

Institute of Marketing Communication, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Correspondence

Ya-Ching Lee, Institute of Marketing Communication, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Email: yaclee@cm.nsysu.edu.tw

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First published: 03 March 2020
Citations: 22

Funding information: Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan

Abstract

How to effectively communicate sustainable development has been a great challenge for businesses. This study identifies three dimensions of stakeholder-centric perceived sustainability (strength, magnitude, and mobilizability) and presents a framework to recast sustainable communication metrics. The results demonstrate that the strength and mobilizability increase perceived value, leading to an enhancement of brand resonance and purchase intention. The magnitude negatively influences perceived value. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a framework to conceptualize the three dimensions of perceived sustainability and by evaluating outcomes of sustainable communication. The research advances our understanding by showing consumers' psychological path in assessing firms' sustainable communication. The findings also support gender differences. Finally, this paper offers practical suggestions to formulate sustainable communication strategies.

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