Understanding Communication of Sustainability Reporting: Application of Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT)

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of rhetoric and rhetorical strategies that are implicit in the standalone sustainability reporting of the top 24 companies of the Fortune 500 Global. We adopt Bormann’s (Q J Speech 58(4):396–407, 1972) SCT framework to study the rhetorical situation and how corporate sustainability reporting (CSR) messages can be communicated to the audience (public). The SCT concepts in the sustainability reporting’s communication are subject to different types of legitimacy strategies that are used by corporations as a validity and legitimacy claim in the reports. A content analysis has been conducted and structural coding schemes have been developed based on the literature. The schemes are applied to the SCT model which recognizes the symbolic convergent processes of fantasy among communicators in a Society. The study reveals that most of the sample companies communicate fantasy type and rhetorical vision in their corporate sustainability reporting. However, the disclosure or messages are different across locations and other taxonomies of the SCT framework. This study contributes to the current CSR literature about how symbolic or fantasy understandings can be interpreted by the users. It also discusses the persuasion styles that are adopted by the companies for communication purposes. This study is the theoretical extension of the SCT. Researchers may be interested in further investigating other online communication paths, such as human rights reports and director’s reports

Pengaruh Gamification terhadap Brand Engagement dengan E-satisfaction sebagai Variabel Mediator

Along with the development of technology, the implementation of gamification, namely bringing game elements in various fields, has been widely carried out, including in e-commerce or electronic commerce. The implementation of gamification is carried out for various purposes, such as getting consumers to be actively involved with a brand. This research was conducted on the implementation of Shopee Tanam gamification in the Shopee Indonesia application to explain whether there is an effect of gamification on brand engagement through electronic satisfaction or better known as e-satisfaction. The concept used is gamification with the dimensions of entertainment, interaction, and novelty; e-satisfaction related to convenience, customization, information, and communication; and brand engagement that includes emotional, cognitive, and social. This study uses an explanatory research method with a quantitative approach and uses a survey research method. The results obtained show that the implementation of Shopee Tanam's gamification can directly affect Shopee's brand engagement without being mediated by e-satisfaction with Shopee Tanam. However, mediated by e-satisfaction, the implementation of Shopee Tanam's gamification has a greater influence on brand engagement.Seiring berkembangnya teknologi, pengimplementasian gamification, yaitu membawa elemen permainan dalam berbagai bidang sudah banyak dilakukan, termasuk dalam e-commerce atau perdagangan elektronik. Pengimplementasian gamification dilakukan dengan berbagai tujuan, seperti membuat konsumen terlibat secara aktif dengan suatu brand. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada implementasi gamification Shopee Tanam dalam aplikasi Shopee Indonesia untuk melihat apakah terdapat pengaruh gamification terhadap brand engagement. Konsep yang digunakan adalah gamification dengan dimensi entertainment, interaction, dan novelty; e-satisfaction terkait convenience, customisation, information, dan communication; dan brand engagement yang mencakup emosi, kognitif, dan sosial. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif dan memperoleh data melalui survei. Hasil penelitian yang diperoleh menunjukkan bahwa implementasi gamification Shopee Tanam dapat mempengaruhi brand engagement Shopee secara langsung tanpa dimediasi oleh e-satisfaction terhadap Shopee Tanam. Namun, dengan dimediasi oleh e-satisfaction, implementasi gamification Shopee Tanam memiliki pengaruh yang lebih besar terhadap brand engagement