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<p>Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure becomes the primary method for communicating an organisation’s sustainability activities to stakeholders, amid rising stakeholder expectations for transparency. ESG sustainability factors have emerged as critical for organisations in the current business context, and organisations incorporating ESG in their strategies stand to gain the endorsement of investors and stakeholders. The role of strategic communication professionals in ESG disclosure thus becomes critical in the face of organisations’ reporting requirements and communicated through digital media, can be instrumental in providing insights into public perceptions of organisations’ sustainability performance. Strategic communication professionals’ knowledge about the concept of ESG, the extent to which they are capable of supporting their organisations in communicating ESG initiatives to their intended audiences through various media, and ability to gauge stakeholder perceptions to build trust of their organisations’ ESG activities were evaluated. This quantitative, exploratory study employed convenience snowball sampling to collect data from strategic communicators (n = 105) working in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors through an anonymous online questionnaire. The findings from structural equation modelling analysis show that strategic communicators have knowledge about ESG and demonstrate some competence in supporting their organisations’ ESG communication efforts, stakeholder strategy, technical knowledge, with digital and traditional media receiving equal preference for conveying ESG-related information. Strategic communicators, while knowledgeable, based on study participant responses do not seem to be able to strongly identify ESG related stakeholder reputational risks, nor tailor their ESG messages to different stakeholder groups on their preferred platforms beyond organisational strategic compliance. The results indicate a need for organisations to strengthen their ESG disclosure efforts through relationship building with stakeholders through taking advantage of various media in the digital age.</p>

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Strategic communicator’s role in effectively building stakeholder trust through ESG disclosure

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月19日

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  • Cassius Mogoeng,
  • Karabo Sitto-Kaunda

摘要

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure becomes the primary method for communicating an organisation’s sustainability activities to stakeholders, amid rising stakeholder expectations for transparency. ESG sustainability factors have emerged as critical for organisations in the current business context, and organisations incorporating ESG in their strategies stand to gain the endorsement of investors and stakeholders. The role of strategic communication professionals in ESG disclosure thus becomes critical in the face of organisations’ reporting requirements and communicated through digital media, can be instrumental in providing insights into public perceptions of organisations’ sustainability performance. Strategic communication professionals’ knowledge about the concept of ESG, the extent to which they are capable of supporting their organisations in communicating ESG initiatives to their intended audiences through various media, and ability to gauge stakeholder perceptions to build trust of their organisations’ ESG activities were evaluated. This quantitative, exploratory study employed convenience snowball sampling to collect data from strategic communicators (n = 105) working in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors through an anonymous online questionnaire. The findings from structural equation modelling analysis show that strategic communicators have knowledge about ESG and demonstrate some competence in supporting their organisations’ ESG communication efforts, stakeholder strategy, technical knowledge, with digital and traditional media receiving equal preference for conveying ESG-related information. Strategic communicators, while knowledgeable, based on study participant responses do not seem to be able to strongly identify ESG related stakeholder reputational risks, nor tailor their ESG messages to different stakeholder groups on their preferred platforms beyond organisational strategic compliance. The results indicate a need for organisations to strengthen their ESG disclosure efforts through relationship building with stakeholders through taking advantage of various media in the digital age.