The evolution and impact of responsible communication values. A case study in Spain

Abstract

This paper is an analysis of the evolution of strategy Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability of corporations and their impact on society. This corporate strategy is characterized by economic, social and environmental impacts generated by the corporations, as well as the benefits to the various stakeholders. The companies, in turn, use different communication tools to inform to the stakeholders about their responsible strategy. This article analyze a leader company, Iberdrola, and its overall CSR strategy, through the analysis of strategic communication tools that this company uses to generate a dialogue with the stakeholders. And this strategy is explored through the content that this company offer on the corporate website, which contains relevant information, such as: the sustainability report, the company profiles on social media like Facebook, Linkedn, YouTube, corporate blogs, etc., that include corporate information, and other relevant corporate information accessible on the corporate website to the stakeholders. The objective of this analysis is to understand the relationship between social demands and the initiatives of socially responsible companies, and then show how the company contributes to the sustainable development. As a result of this strategy and the communication to the stakeholders, this company increase reputation in domestic and international markets. This corporation, like other companies in the IBEX -35, uses different channels to communicate business impacts, although it may increase the participation of stakeholders considering the diferent opportunities of social media. Finally, this case study contributes to enrich the debate on corporate social responsibility and its impact on sustainable development. The principal challenge for the companies is to promote the participation of stakeholders in the growth and benefit of society.