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Notas:
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Purpose: The study’s goal is focused on determining a common set of sustainability-related issues and
drivers relevant for business-makers, for being used as a framework to inter-organizational
communications and thereby to reduce value perception dissonances on supplier-client business
relationships.
Design/methodology: The study was methodologically based on a documentary review and different
work sessions (interviews, workshop, and discussion) with a focus group composed of decision-makers
in the water industry sector, of both the supplier and the client company.
Findings: The study makes as main contributions a differentiation within the scope of ‘sustainability
practices of global interest’ and ‘sustainability practices into business scope’ from the business-makers’
value perception, providing a set of sustainability value drivers, allowing reduction of value dissonances
in business relationships, shedding light on solutions' value creation capacity and at the same time
enhancing inter-organizational communications.
Research limitations/implications: The final set of sustainability-related issues (and drivers)
presented aren’t exhaustive and are delimited by the particular scenario generated around Aqualogy’s
business scope; therefore, it cannot be considered as a standard application mode.
Practical implications: This study sheds light on the importance of aligning business expectations
around sustainability, and create a value framework that can be useful for fully embedding sustainability
into the portfolio, business models, marketing strategies, technologies, and manufacturing processes.
This framework can also be useful for analysing value dissonances on supplier–client relationships,
identifying value gaps into business models.
Originality/value: The empirical study provides detailed insight into how the key decision-makers
understand and perceive the sustainability value concept in the mainstream business. The alignment of
their value perception shows to companies which sustainability values are expected in business, and how
business strategy must use them as value creation drivers. |
