*5.1.3 Widespread application*

*Current Issues in Knowledge Management*

**5. Discussion**

in detail below.

*5.1.1 Stakeholder engagement*

environmental and social outcomes.

*5.1.2 Sustainability culture*

**5.1 Insights**

an environmental context, the firms demonstrated the capability to interact with environmental preservation and conservation agendas in a sophisticated manner. All of the sample firms targeted investments in the environmental sector, most commonly renewable energy but also agendas such as sustainable agriculture and flora and fauna preservation. Given the economic obligations of the firms, environmental investments were selected that could also provide a competitive return on investment margin. In a social sustainability context, financial resources were directed towards organisations that offered to contribute to the ongoing wellbeing of societal units, most often at the community level. Such investments were often

The findings in this research provide three valuable insights for sustainability and knowledge management scholars and practitioners. Firstly, there is the apparent effectiveness of engaging in deliberate and deep stakeholder relationship management. Secondly, there is the manner in which the sample firms' top-management emphasise sustainability knowledge principles through their organisational culturefostering activities. Lastly, there is the way in which firms applied their sustainability knowledge in almost all of their operations. Each of these insights are discussed

The thematic analysis of the data in this research indicated that all the sample firms utilised deep stakeholder engagement to support, gather, apply, and make sense of the complex concepts and information required to contribute to and/or achieve broad sustainability agendas. This was particularly evident in regard to the acquisition aspect of KM systems; firms gathered information from financial investors, organisations in which they had an ongoing financial stake (or were considering investing in), strategic alliances with both competitors and non-competitors that were contributing to intersecting sustainability agendas, and secondary data from academic and benchmarking institutions. In addition to acquiring data from stakeholders, firms utilised stakeholder engagement in order to most efficiently apply their sustainability knowledge (i.e., firms used their relationships to apply their capital and sustainability knowledge *strategically*), maximising economic,

Analysis of the data indicates that the top-management of the sample firms consistently emphasised relevant sustainability principles throughout all of their culture-fostering activities. Beyond this, top-management also tended to include words and phrases related to knowledge management in organisational vision and mission statements and reporting documents. Words such as 'sharing' and 'learning' relate specifically to the conversion aspect of KM systems and were often paired with relevant sustainability concepts such as environment preservation and community development. The inclusion of these concepts at the top of level of the sample firms had a marked effect on the type of organisations the sample firms

integrated with economic and environmental sustainability goals.

**68**

Perhaps the most interesting insight to be derived from this research is the widespread and deliberate application of sustainability knowledge the firms demonstrated in a wide array of operations. The application of sustainability knowledge was evident in internal human resources management, operational decision-making (i.e., investment decisions), supply-chain management, reputation management, marketing, and strategic planning. In all of these areas, the firms consistently applied sustainability knowledge in order to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of both their own financial interests as well as of contributions to sustainability agendas. The interrelationships between economic, environmental and social agendas provided rich ground for the development of investment strategies that aimed to achieve both organisational and societal goals. These investment strategies, in turn, provided valuable reputational capital with which to form differentiated market positions, and attract appropriate strategic partnerships. In managing supply-chain relationships, firms could use this sense of 'common purpose,' as well as traditional self-interest, to more closely align themselves with their stakeholders.
