Creating CSR values or co-creating sustainable living? A critical discourse perspective

Abstract

Engaging in CSR and sustainability is considered a path to value creation (Paine 2003; Arvidsson 2009). However, in order to be recognized as an authentic and legitimate value among stakeholders, CSR must be aligned to corporate strategy (Porter & Kramer 2006; Galbreath 2009). So far many organizations have succeeded in incorporating CSR into their strategy. One of the Scandinavian frontrunners is IKEA, a company which has led the way in transforming its business model into a CSR brand strategy focusing on diversity management, energy reduction, sustainable production methods etc. However, from a sustainability perspective IKEA seems to adopt a contradictory approach in practising sustainable production while fostering unsustainable (over)consumption. Prahalad & Ramaswamy (2004) suggest that the notion of co-creation is one way of overcoming this dilemma by inviting customers to actively engage in value creating processes. However, based on a qualitative content and discourse analysis of IKEA’s CSR and sustainability report, we demonstrate and critically discuss how predominant CSR practices and existing CSR co-creation processes at IKEA not only maintain a dominant firm-centric corporate rhetoric and discourse, but also create an illusion of consumer empowerment and creative prosumer agency.