Addressing the expectations gap between corporate environmental performance communication and an affected community’s needs : with reference to organisations situated in markman township and the residents of Bluewater Bay, Port Elizabeth

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify and address an expectations gap in the environmental-performance information between a community that believes it is being polluted and the organisations from a nearby industrial area. The study has consisted of a literature survey and a field study. The field study comprised a survey among the residents in Bluewater Bay, and a similar survey amongst the organisations in Markman Township. These areas were chosen because there is a history of community complaints on the pollution from the Markman Township organizations. The field study was designed to test the following:  The first aim of the study was to identify whether an expectations gap exists between the organisations and the community. This gap relates to environmentalperformance information to which the community believes it should rightfully have access, and the information that the organisations are willing to provide. The second aim of the study was to determine what type of information the community requires when it believes it is being polluted or affected negatively.  Thirdly, what methods of communication the community believe would be effective when organisations share environmental-performance information. In a review of the literature, the theoretical and legal drivers for assessing environmentalperformance reporting were identified. The questionnaires were designed to test the notion that communities are legitimate stakeholders of organizations. The field study also attempted to identify whether the Markman Industrial Township organisations had used symbolic or substantive legitimacy strategies to improve their legitimacy among the residents. The prior literature identifies various types of environmental information that organisations should report publicly. A list of the communication methods for disclosing the information was identified. The support for these methods was measured in the community and among the companies in Markman Industrial Township. The results indicated that there is an expectations gap between the community and the organisations, as there was a statistically significant difference in the responses between the two respondent groups on the types of information that the community requires. The five types of information needs that had the most community support were:  The amount and type of chemical spills emanating from each organization.  The amount and type of hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated.  The amount and type of air emissions from each organization.  The amount and type of liquid effluent discharged to the sewer.  Incidents of non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations. The above types of information relate to physical pollution and to regulatory compliance with the stipulated legal requirements. Furthermore, the companies did not regard the community as legitimate stakeholders; and they did not believe that their operations affected the environment in a significant manner. The five most favoured communication methods preferred by the community respondents, in descending order of preference, are:  Newsletters,  Formal environmental reports,  Newspaper feature articles,  Letters to residents, and  News releases. The community supported all the methods of communication that were presented and indicated a preference for non-verbal communication methods. The organisations likewise indicated a preference for non-verbal methods of communication. The study is important, as it provides companies with insight into the communications needs of local communities and specifically their preferred methods to receive environmentalperformance information. Secondly, South African legislation contains various rights that citizens have in terms of a healthy and safe environment, as well as access to information where their Constitutional rights may be infringed. The results of the study could assist companies to go beyond legal compliance in their environmental performance, by addressing local community concerns in a way that will positively impact their ability to maintain legitimacy.