De uitkomsten uit dit onderzoek zouden gebruikt kunnen worden voor nader onderzoek. De toelichtingen over carbon footprint is bij de grote beursgenoteerde bedrijven niet significant meer dan bij de middelgrote en kleine beursgenoteerde bedrijven. In een vervolgonderzoek zou de steekproef verbreed kunnen worden door de sustainability rapporten mee te nemen in de analyse, om zo ook een ander communicatie-kanaal over CSR mee te nemen. Het coderen van zinnen neemt veel tijd in beslag en is enigszins subjectief. Voor een vervolgonderzoek is het een suggestie om met meerdere onderzoekers het onderzoek uit te voeren, zodat meerdere onderzoekers de zinnen kunnen analyseren. Verder zou in een vervolgonderzoek het onderzoek uitgebreid kunnen worden door middel van interviews met de sustainability managers, om zo directe informatie te verkrijgen over de acties en intenties van het bedrijf zelf betreffende de verschillende legitimacy strategieën. In dit onderzoek is gebruik gemaakt van de framework van Hrasky (2011) om de aard van de toelichtingen vast te kunnen stellen. Het framework is ontwikkeld door Hrasky (2011) om voor de top 50 beursgenoteerde bedrijven in Australië de aard van de toelichtingen vast te kunnen stellen. In een vervolgonderzoek zou men een eigen framework kunnen ontwikkelen om zo de aard van de toelichtingen beter vast te kunnen stellen. In dit onderzoek zijn jaarverslagen van twee jaren met elkaar vergelijken, namelijk 2007 met 2013. Het jaar 2007 was het jaar vlak voordat de kredietcrisis begon. In een vervolgonderzoek zouden meerdere jaren, bijvoorbeeld 2007 tot en met 2013, met elkaar kunnen vergeleken kunnen worden om zo een beter beeld van de ontwikkeling van de legitimacy strategieën van beursgenoteerde bedrijven in Nederland te krijgen.
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