Unraveling the Sustainability Components of Organizational Value Statements: A Q-Sort Methodology Approach
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper focused on how the public views the inclusion of sustainable components into a company’s value statements by applying the Q-sort methodology approach.
Despite the interesting results, the article needs some improvements, which are the following:
- In my opinion, the article title does not reflect the research question and the contents of the article.
- I suggest shortening the introduction section. The introduction section specifically targets the research question. For now, it is too long and vague. Some parts of the introduction section can be transferred to the literature review, while the others are irrelevant;
- The literature review should target only issues related to values/value statements and sustainability. Considering the research question, part of the literature review devoted to mission and vision is irrelevant, and I suggest deleting it from the article.
- The authors can shortly present the Q-methodology technique concerning the research question. The authors can transfer the beginning of the Results section with further explanation to the Method section. I suggest clearly explaining why the Q-methodology technique was utilized in the research. The authors should also explain why such a method will contribute to answering the research question. Furthermore, the authors should describe the advantages of such a method compared to other research techniques.
- It should be clearly explained, why the authors selected 30 experts for the study. My other concern is that most experts (17) were students (page 8). The latter needs to be argued in the Method section.
- I suggest also explaining why principal components analysis was performed (page 8). It also makes sense to describe the dataset used for PCA analysis.
The article needs significant improvement to be published.
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe article delves into the perspectives of the general public regarding organizational sustainability, focusing on the publicized organizational value statements or their espoused values. It highlights the increasing corporate concern for sustainability or Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, citing both environmental degradation and UN initiatives as driving forces. The article notes that this shift has led companies to incorporate green and sustainable practices into their operations, policies, and strategies, an area extensively examined by scholars.
The study uncovers the third factor, "Empowering Sustainable Progress," reflecting traditional environmental and social performance components of the TBL concept. It emphasizes the continuous improvement of sustainable development to contribute positively to society and the environment, highlighting the need for long-lasting impacts for communities.
The article is deficient in clearly articulated research questions or hypotheses. In my view, generalizing the results based on the small sample of 27 corporations is not appropriate.
The discussion extends to the necessity of measurable and achievable sustainability targets within organizations. Participants emphasized that bold actions do not necessarily equate to sustainable practices; actions must align with sustainable targets to be truly sustainable.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors considered my concerns. Now the article is much better.
I suggest to accept it for publication.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsNo additional comments or recommendations for the authors
