The readability of corporate sustainability narratives in a crisis: an analysis of linguistic features using Coh-Metrix

Purpose– This study aims to conduct an exploratory analysis to investigate whether changes occurred in the readability of sustainability reporting narratives following a reputational crisis. Design/methodology/approach– Drawing from crisis communication and impression management studies, the authors explore whether a reputational crisis may influence management to adapt the readability of narratives. Using the reputational crisis following the Costa Crociere incident in 2012 as a case study, the authors analyse the readability of sustainability reports before and after the crisis through the multidimensional linguistic software Coh-Metrix. Findings– Comparisons across the three main sections of sustainability reporting narratives (letter to stakeholders, environmental performance and social performance) reveal substantial changes in linguistic characteristics after the crisis, especially concerning the sections devoted to environmental performance. However, the different trends of changes among sections do not allow for a clear interpretation of manipulative intent. Originality/value– This study contributes to crisis communication research by focusing on readability, an under-explored yet crucial aspect of crisis communication strategies. It also enhances impression management literature by investigating readability manipulation in post-crisis sustainability reporting narratives. Furthermore, the study offers a methodological contribution by proposing the use of multidimensional linguistic software like Coh-Metrix to explore deep language structure levels not easily detectable with commonly used readability measures.