Stakeholder Engagement and SDGS Disclosure: A Systematic Review on Corporate Strategies

The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize the importance of sustainability, prompting stakeholders to demand greater transparency from organizations. Understanding how to incorporate the SDGs into their strategies and effectively engage with stakeholders in this process is essential for organizations to navigate the complexity and challenges involved. With the aim of understanding the current state of literature on SDG reporting and stakeholder engagement, this study conducted a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review of 54 articles from 31 journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science between 2018 and 2024. The findings reveal an increasing trend in research linking SDG reporting and stakeholder engagement. Researchers extensively use content analysis of reports and social media posts to evaluate the quality and extent of SDG reporting in sectors such as finance, real estate, and mining, as well as in entities like universities and municipalities. A central theme that emerges is the concern with impression management or symbolic engagement as opposed to substantive action and the strategic integration of the SDG. The analysis of the evolution of theories and research methods over time, as well as an evaluation of existing knowledge, underscores the importance of conducting more qualitative research to shed light on subtle dynamics frequently missed in quantitative studies, and the need to develop a research agenda that moves beyond predominantly descriptive and legitimizing approaches. Overall, our study contributes valuable insights into the existing literature and offers a helpful reference point for future research in this area.