This study examines the organization impression management (OIM) tactics used in agri-food cooperatives to communicate their intentions toward sustainable development. Based on content analysis of the chairperson and CEO statements of 14 agri-foods cooperatives from six years' annual reports, this study sheds light on the role of member-owned firms in shifts toward realizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper proposes multistakeholder OIM tactics. These insights about sustainable development extend knowledge of how senior managers communicate their intentions in multistakeholder situations, which include shareholders, suppliers, customers, and local communities. This study contributes to the literature on organizational impression management and member-owned firms. Managerial implications are also outlined.

Top management plays a central role in interpreting the organization’s performance and communicating to stakeholders. Management’s performance attributions set the tone for accountability and shape organizational climate. However, prior studies of the relationships between attribution patterns and subsequent performance have been limited and reported mixed results. This study extends this literature stream by examining the relationships of four different types of attribution and subsequent performance concurrently and testing them in a two-country sample. We find a significant positive relationship between positive internal attribution and subsequent performance, and reaffirm prior findings on negative external attribution and performance.