Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace

This paper aims to propose a new model for the manner in which companies manage innovation. To that end, some of the most important research on the topic is analyzed and summarized through a review of its historical background in the indexed databases in WoS (Web of Science) and an analysis of frequently used terms over the past 15 years (2001–2016). The analysis is developed through bibliometric techniques using VOSviewer software, version 1.6.4, seeking to identify recurring and related concepts, such as corporate entrepreneurship, that can leverage company innovation management from the strategy, inherent factors related to human resources and the environment in which the organization operates. Henceforth, this paper focuses on a new model to manage innovation in companies through a conceptualization of innovation and corporate entrepreneurship, this model can be useful in countries with low levels of cooperation between stakeholders and scarce resources, countries on bias of development like Latin America, Africa and some Asian countries. It can be concluded that the company innovation should start with the definition of its strategy, taking into account factors like the human talent and the environment in which the organization is operating, through customized innovation processes that can be applied following some of the multiple models referred to in the literature, framed within the needs of different stakeholders, as indicators of organizational performance. Therefore, the actors which are part of the model are: employees, clients, state, suppliers, academics, community, shareholders and business.

While the literature on management theory has been growing in recent years, there are no publications regarding the evolution and mapping of this scientific field. This study dwells on the issues related to management theories in the context of today’s research by identifying the most important lines of research, researchers, and the concentration of research. To explore the trends in the development of management theory, this study used bibliometric analysis. The search in the Web of Science database provided 5,825 documents (including articles, books, reviews, etc.). Methods of trend analysis, clusterization, and comparative analysis were used. The results show that a new direction of responsible management research is being formed – the organization’s operations and objectives must be balanced, and their implementation must be responsible. This study enriches management literature by providing new ideas related to future research tendencies. Moreover, it fleshes out the direction for developing management theory and outlines the most-cited works and authors, the research concentration in different countries, and leading journals. For scholars and practitioners, such structured data are an important source of relevant information in published papers and allows for the definition of research guidelines.

Sustainability reporting has become a practice of the majority and is decided by boards of directors as the supreme governing body in the decision-making process of companies. The paper provides a high-view picture and visualizes research to portray the historical shifts in sustainability reporting nexus to corporate governance through an analysis utilizing CiteSpace software on 935 articles published in Web of Science Core Collection from 2009 to 2021.
The number of papers in the area has expanded, especially since 2013 (a branching point), while the study determines a type of bifurcation spot (the year 2017) that evinces the SR-CG field maturity. The study determined the dominant countries through affiliated to them researchers (the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, China and Australia), the most esteemed journals (Journal of Business Ethics, Business Strategy and the Environment and Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal), and the major co-occurrence of hot keywords (carbon disclosure project, environmental disclosure quality, integrated reporting, financial performance, foreign director, environmental reporting, public sector, sustainability assurance statement).
The paper identifies principal issues where SR-CG research lags (dearth of those research in developing economies and geographical limitation of research) and unravels uncharted so far domains (jurisdictions-related studies) in the realm. Future research in the realm is likely to focus on ESG, disclosures and governance performance, as well as on specific areas (geography, industry, etc.), and will explore in depth the role of multiple factors together. This papers indicate the growing convergence between SR and CG in literature, and given predominance of ‘SR as a function of CG’ approach a more stalwart and sound CG framework could bring about more tenable SR practices. The paper puts forward an agenda for advancing forthcoming research in the realm of SR-CG interdependence.

Acknowledgment
This paper is co-funded by European Union through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) within the project “EU BEST PRACTICE OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT, SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTING AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING” 101047667 — EULASTING — ERASMUS-JMO-2021-HEI-TCH-RSCH https://bit.ly/3Bbvquw