The conceptualisation behind Blue Economy manifests from an endeavour to sustainably manage diverse economic activities that emerge in the world’s oceans. There are, however, mounting concerns affiliated with the interchanges between development, environmental integrity, and social trust. Simultaneously, there is currently little, to no, mechanism/s to monitor and evaluate these rising concerns. This presents an area of opportunity, one of which is imperative to trace impacts and dependencies on environment and society. This PhD project will build on and contribute to Integrated Reporting, collaborating with industry partners to navigate fine-grained research of varying stakeholders’ values and knowledge. It will produce frameworks, guidelines, and tools for generating reports that can contribute to the enhancement of social license and sustainable management of ocean resources, as well as an avenue to inform organisation performance, sustainable value creation and social value in the longer term.
The objectives of this PhD project are to:

• Contribute to the framework guidelines and tools for Blue Economy industries to manage and track their environmental, social and economic impact.
• Reveal the benefits of networks, shared values and knowledge between an industry and its stakeholders; and,
• Communicate information for Blue Economy industries to enhance social licence and demonstrate responsible and sustainable management of ocean resources.

This PhD project will ultimately contribute to understanding the interconnectedness and interdependencies of different forms of capital and will communicate the value creation delivery by Blue Economy industries. An absence of this understanding can restrict the growth potential and social acceptance of this vital economic sector.