A Novel Approach to the Operationalization of Corporate Local Embeddedness: Cultural Perspectives on Narratives as Indicators
Corporate embeddedness, the extent to which companies anchor themselves in a local context through political, economic, academic, social, and environmental connections, remains a key area of research in social and regional sciences. Due to the limited availability of secondary data on corporate...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Academy of Economic Studies (ASE)
2025-06-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies |
| Online Access: | https://ejist.ro/files/pdf/560.pdf |
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| _version_ | 1849430000382509056 |
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| author | Zsuzsanna PÁLFFY |
| author_facet | Zsuzsanna PÁLFFY |
| author_sort | Zsuzsanna PÁLFFY |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Corporate embeddedness, the extent to which companies anchor themselves in a local context through political, economic, academic, social, and environmental connections, remains a key area of research in social and regional sciences. Due to the limited availability of secondary data on corporate relationships, measurement methods often rely on qualitative data. Corporate communication, especially CEO letters in annual reports, is a frequently neglected secondary data source that has grown in significance in meeting stakeholder expectations and providing insights into corporate strategies and operations. Despite the growing scholarly interest in CEO letters, little is known about embeddedness narratives and the cultural factors that influence them. Through an analysis of the cultural variations in embeddedness narratives found in CEO letters from the fashion and cosmetics industries, this study suggests a novel approach to operationalising corporate local embeddedness. The focus on these sectors is justified by the significant variations in embeddedness orientations across industries and the accessibility of relevant data. The study finds that CEO letters can serve as a complementary data source for assessing corporate embeddedness, as they reveal both local and global orientations. Using software-based content analysis, key themes and keywords were identified along the Quintuple Helix model, providing a structured approach to analysing embeddedness. The results highlight cultural influences, with reactive cultures emphasising social sustainability, while academic engagement challenges existing assumptions. In addition to reflecting corporate strategies, CEO letters offer insights into sectoral characteristics. However, more qualitative research is still required to fully comprehend a company’s level of embedding. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2ee3907bd2bb4712b1aa6ed05dd347e3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2067-3795 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Academy of Economic Studies (ASE) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-2ee3907bd2bb4712b1aa6ed05dd347e32025-08-20T03:28:10ZengAcademy of Economic Studies (ASE)European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies2067-37952025-06-0117110112310.24818/ejis.2025.07A Novel Approach to the Operationalization of Corporate Local Embeddedness: Cultural Perspectives on Narratives as IndicatorsZsuzsanna PÁLFFY Corporate embeddedness, the extent to which companies anchor themselves in a local context through political, economic, academic, social, and environmental connections, remains a key area of research in social and regional sciences. Due to the limited availability of secondary data on corporate relationships, measurement methods often rely on qualitative data. Corporate communication, especially CEO letters in annual reports, is a frequently neglected secondary data source that has grown in significance in meeting stakeholder expectations and providing insights into corporate strategies and operations. Despite the growing scholarly interest in CEO letters, little is known about embeddedness narratives and the cultural factors that influence them. Through an analysis of the cultural variations in embeddedness narratives found in CEO letters from the fashion and cosmetics industries, this study suggests a novel approach to operationalising corporate local embeddedness. The focus on these sectors is justified by the significant variations in embeddedness orientations across industries and the accessibility of relevant data. The study finds that CEO letters can serve as a complementary data source for assessing corporate embeddedness, as they reveal both local and global orientations. Using software-based content analysis, key themes and keywords were identified along the Quintuple Helix model, providing a structured approach to analysing embeddedness. The results highlight cultural influences, with reactive cultures emphasising social sustainability, while academic engagement challenges existing assumptions. In addition to reflecting corporate strategies, CEO letters offer insights into sectoral characteristics. However, more qualitative research is still required to fully comprehend a company’s level of embedding.https://ejist.ro/files/pdf/560.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Zsuzsanna PÁLFFY A Novel Approach to the Operationalization of Corporate Local Embeddedness: Cultural Perspectives on Narratives as Indicators European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies |
| title | A Novel Approach to the Operationalization of Corporate Local Embeddedness: Cultural Perspectives on Narratives as Indicators |
| title_full | A Novel Approach to the Operationalization of Corporate Local Embeddedness: Cultural Perspectives on Narratives as Indicators |
| title_fullStr | A Novel Approach to the Operationalization of Corporate Local Embeddedness: Cultural Perspectives on Narratives as Indicators |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Novel Approach to the Operationalization of Corporate Local Embeddedness: Cultural Perspectives on Narratives as Indicators |
| title_short | A Novel Approach to the Operationalization of Corporate Local Embeddedness: Cultural Perspectives on Narratives as Indicators |
| title_sort | novel approach to the operationalization of corporate local embeddedness cultural perspectives on narratives as indicators |
| url | https://ejist.ro/files/pdf/560.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zsuzsannapalffy anovelapproachtotheoperationalizationofcorporatelocalembeddednessculturalperspectivesonnarrativesasindicators AT zsuzsannapalffy novelapproachtotheoperationalizationofcorporatelocalembeddednessculturalperspectivesonnarrativesasindicators |