scholarly journals Guest Editors’ Introduction:Corporate Sustainability Management and Environmental Ethics

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Schuler ◽  
Andreas Rasche ◽  
Dror Etzion ◽  
Lisa Newton
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Special Section ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Corporate Political Activity ◽  
Sustainability Management ◽  
Sustainability Standards

ABSTRACT:This article reviews four key orientations in environmental ethics that range from an instrumental understanding of sustainability to one that acknowledges the intrinsic value of sustainable behavior (i.e., sustainable resource use, conservation and preservation, rights-based perspectives, and deep ecology). It then shows that the current scholarly discourse around corporate sustainability management—as reflected in environment management (EM), corporate social responsibility (CSR), and corporate political activity (CPA)—mostly favors an instrumental perspective on sustainability. Sustainable business practices are viewed as anthropocentric and are conceptualized as a means to achieve competitive advantage. Based on these observations, we speculate about what corporate sustainability management might look like if it applied ethical orientations that emphasize the intrinsic value of nature. This discussion also includes an introduction to two articles in this special section focused on the role of the environmental manager and sustainability standards, both of which offer paths for incorporating intrinsic valuation of the environment into sustainability management.

Relationships among triple bottom line elements

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sitalakshmi Venkatraman ◽  
Raveendranath Ravi Nayak
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Triple Bottom Line ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Outcome

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain more insight of the nature and strength of relationships among the three triple bottom line (TBL) outcomes, namely corporate environmental performance outcome (CEPO), corporate social performance outcome (CSPO) and corporate financial performance outcome (CFPO) and to evolve a roadmap for integrating sustainable business practices that facilitates in managing and improving their sustainable performance. Literature reports that currently businesses try to achieve economic, social and ecological goals independently resulting in silos. The interrelationships of TBL elements have not been explored and integrated. The literature has already pointed out that to achieve corporate sustainability, managers need to integrate TBL goals in all their business decisions. However, the question remains – how to integrate these three competing goals and this paper attempts to answer this question. Design/methodology/approach – In the research design, the authors use a quantitative research methodology with data collected by means of a survey questionnaire that included both descriptive and exploratory flavour. The empirical study examines the relationships of TBL elements as perceived by 85 different Australian-based large, medium, as well as small business organisations. The data collected were analysed by performing factor analysis on 21 items resulting in three latent factors that were aligned to TBL outcomes and the correlations among them were analysed to assess their interrelationships. Findings – The results of the study report weak, positive relationships existing between the TBL. This result has useful implications well-supported by the qualitative feedback. The paper argues that Australian managers do not see any strategic advantage in pursuing “beyond compliance” sustainable business practices, as they perceive no added value to their organisations’ financial performance outcomes. Integrating economic, social and ecological performances is seen as an additional management burden. Originality/value – While most of the TBL studies conducted worldwide focus on predominantly assessing large organisations toward responsible and sustainable business practices, this paper considers large, medium as well as small businesses. Also, economic, social and environmental issues are explored by organisations individually, while this study investigates their inter-connections. Through the empirical study, this paper provides recommendations and proposes a four-step roadmap with the participation of quality circles that would facilitate the integration of the social responsibility and environment protection practices into the core business operations paving way towards achieving corporate sustainability.

scholarly journals The Concern of Energy Companies in Obtaining and Maintaining their Sustainable Value

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camelia Cătălina Mihalciuc ◽  
◽  
Maria Grosu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Competitive Prices ◽  
Energy Companies

The last years are distinguished by increasing the awareness of companies towards sustainable business, going beyond their traditional role of providing goods and services at competitive prices to meet customer requirements. Thus, companies will have to consider the effects of their best practices on the environment and society, in order to contribute to the progress of society and the protection of the environment, the essence of sustainable development being the coexistence of economic and social relations and environmental protection by implementing economic, social and environmental objectives. We can see that every company that seeks to become sustainable must consider approaches based on sustainable business practices geared to meeting customer needs. For companies listed on the stock market, the index that stands next to each company is the one that shows the level of sustainability, through corporate sustainability, long-term value is created for shareholders, taking into account all social factors, those related to the environment, as well as economic ones. All these considerations have led to the establishment of the general objective of the paper, through which the authors aim to explain and present the importance of sustainability/sustainable development in energy companies in conjunction with the UN guidelines on business and human rights, which will address with priority to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.

scholarly journals The Practice of Environmental Training: A case of ISO 14001 Certified Businesses in Durban, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne Sennoga ◽  
Fathima Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Environmental Attitudes ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification

Environmental management has moved from a policy concept to a proactive strategy defining business responsiveness to stakeholder and market-related pressures towards improved environmentally sustainable business practices. There is increasing business responsiveness through corporate sustainability and environmental management practices. A growing number of environmental regulations make the adoption of environmental management systems such as ISO 14001 more common and this necessitates training. While environmental training is receiving international attention, it is seemingly less prominently investigated in the South African context. In this article, results from an empirical study into the environmental training practices of Durban businesses are presented. By applying the ISO 14001 certification criterion, 24 businesses were identified as research participants. The practice of environmental training was investigated considering three themes i.e. environmental attitudes and culture, training resources and commitment, and impediments to environmental training. In exploring these themes, the main questions of the extent of environmental training and its effectiveness are determined. It was found that environmental training is widely practised across all businesses sampled, with impact-focused training topics supported by positive environmental attitudes. However, other areas emerge as problematic, including limited organisational prioritisation of environmental training as well as insufficient further training topics which can limit the efficacy of training activities.Keywords: environmental training; environmental education; ISO 14001; Environmental Management Systems; corporate sustainability

scholarly journals CSR Needs CPR: Corporate Sustainability and Politics

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Lyon ◽  
Magali A. Delmas ◽  
John W. Maxwell ◽  
Pratima (Tima) Bansal ◽  
Mireille Chiroleu-Assouline ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Political Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Environmental Responsibility ◽  
Rating Systems ◽  
Corporate Political Activity ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Political Actions

Corporate sustainability has gone mainstream, and many companies have taken meaningful steps to improve their own environmental performance. But while corporate political actions such as lobbying can have a greater impact on environmental quality, they are ignored in most current sustainability metrics. It is time for these metrics to be expanded to critically assess firms based on the sustainability impacts of their public policy positions. To enable such assessments, firms must become as transparent about their corporate political responsibility (CPR) as their corporate social responsibility (CSR). For their part, rating systems must demand such information from firms and include evaluations of corporate political activity in their assessments of corporate environmental responsibility.

scholarly journals Socially responsible behaviour of Kazakhstani consumers

2021 ◽  
pp. 55-64
Author(s):  
A. S. Kenebayeva
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
Data Collection Technique ◽  
Sustainability Standards

Purpose - This study aims to investigate the environmentally and socially-conscious behavior of Kazakhstani consumers in the sector of hospitality and tourism.Methodology - This empirical research is based on the quantitative research method and applies a survey data collection technique. The self-administered questionnaires were distributed among potential consumers relying on a convenience sampling technique. The attitudes of consumers towards responsible business practices of hospitality and tourism firms have been examined by the application of the Pearson Correlation Analysis.Originality / value - The study contributes to the theory building in the field of consumer behavior by responding to a contextual gap in the literature on environmentally and socially-conscious behavior of Kazakhstani consumers focusing on their attitudes towards sustainable business practices in hospitality and tourism and offers practical implications for domestic tourism and hospitality service providers.Findings - The findings show that consumers with higher levels of awareness about sustainable business practices and principles tend to pay higher prices for environmental and socially friendly hospitality and tourism offerings corresponding to sustainability standards and such kind of behavior does not depend on income or education level of individuals.

Corporate sustainability: accounting standards vs tax by design

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Russell
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Legal Form ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the contradiction between sustainability and accounting practices, underpinned by reporting standards and question whether financial statements prepared in this way represent a true and fair view? The paper highlights the disregard for externalities as a fundamental obstacle to sustainable reporting and proposes taxation designs to recognise the costs associated with externalities as the basis for equitable reporting, pricing and sustainable business practices. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken uses Smith’s (1776) tenets of a good tax, to consider characteristics of taxation that may be harnessed for financial reporting, valuation, economic substance and legal form. Findings – The findings reveal a case for further examination of the efficacy of taxation, alongside a full-cost accounting approach, to benefit sustainable reporting. Research limitations/implications – The implications of the research are a possible whole reappraisal of costs and prices to recognise the sustainability dimension and place it at the heart of the corporate agenda. The limitations arise from contestable valuation of sustainable matters, arising from a lack of an agreed theoretical framework. Originality/value – The paper proposes a realignment of costs and prices to correct market imperfection through the innovative application of taxation, but without a fundamental reappraisal of the economic status quo upon which Western-style capitalism is underpinned.

A framework to navigate sustainability in business networks

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly Wagner ◽  
Göran Svensson
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Business Network ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Sustainability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a transformative business sustainability (TBS) model of stakeholders and sources in sustainable business practices with an interface and exchange node of resource residuals. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based upon a grounded methodology drawn from four in-depth case studies, spanning over six years in different countries and industries. Data were gathered from multiple sources, and interview transcriptions were returned to interviewees for clarification, accuracy, final proofreading and approval. Findings – The TBS model complements existing research by emphasising the importance of commitment to an overarching vision through corporate leadership assigning areas of strategic priority that respond to current and future environmental regulation and social needs. Research implications/limitations – Efforts aimed towards business sustainability and application of sustainable business practices in business networks include interfaces and interactions between involved stakeholders and sources. We argue that stakeholders and sources should be recognised as intertwined, where resources used in activities in a business network causing resource residuals may be recovered and reused by other actors in the business network. Practice implications – The TBS model can be used by managers to plan, implement and assess practices to provide a holistic view of sustainable business activities that supports the development of a company and its network. It may also be used to map and navigate interactions between elements within and external to the company. Originality/value – The principal contribution of the current research is twofold, a TBS model and a tool to map and navigate corporate sustainability efforts.

Fostering Responsible Business

2017 ◽  
pp. 309-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Hossein Rahdari
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Responsible Business Practices ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Shed Light

Corporate social responsibility networks and associations play a significant role in fostering responsible business yet there exists a lacuna in the literature regarding the role of these networks and associations in augmenting responsible business practices. Furthermore, research studies with regard to how they function seem to be non-existent. Following this line of argument, this study attempts to shed light on these ambiguities by examining three leading networks. The results suggest that corporate sustainability and responsibility networks and associations play the role of facilitators, by providing tools and services, and incentivize business organizations to take measurable actions towards corporate sustainability. Moreover, they function as the engine of growth for responsible and sustainable business ecosystem. With their growing influence and the mainstreaming of responsible practices, a review of their objectives, organizational structures, types of activities, practices and impacts using a reviewing framework would provide a solid background for future research.

scholarly journals The Social Dimensions of Corporate Sustainability: An Integrative Framework Including COVID-19 Insights

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ikram ◽  
Qingyu Zhang ◽  
Robert Sroufe ◽  
Marcos Ferasso
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Fuzzy Delphi ◽  
Climate Vulnerability

Corporate sustainability is considered a fundamental paradigm and solution in creating a prosperous future for organizations. However, social sustainability issues and pandemic problems from COVID-19 have affected corporations and interrupted plans for sustainable development. To date, corporate sustainability frameworks have taken a relatively narrow view of this paradigm. This study highlights serious challenges to corporate sustainability while providing a framework in an attempt to enable more sustainable business practices. To fill the gap in the literature, we have developed a framework to organize and prioritize important sustainability indicators. The first phase of the study involves the classification of 45 sub-criteria of corporate sustainability under nine main categories by using a literature review and novel Fuzzy Delphi method. The resulting categories are Corporate Governance, Product Responsibility, Transparency and Communication, Economic, Environmental, Social, Natural Environment and Climate Vulnerability, Energy Consumption along with Energy Saving, and includes Pandemic COVID-19 as a new aspect of social sustainability. Next, we applied the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP) to help determine the weights and prioritizing the criteria and sub-criteria. The results revealed that the Pandemic, along with the Natural Environment and Climate Vulnerability, ranked higher among the main criteria category. Whereas, emergency response planning, social distances, modification of working hours, and just-in-time delivery are the most influencing sub-attributes among the 45 sub-barriers of different categories. Contributions of this study include new insights regarding corporate sustainability criteria and subcriteria, application of novel methods, and integrated framework for dimensions of corporate sustainability. This study is among the first of its kind to consider the COVID-19 pandemic as an essential category and social sustainability attribute of corporate sustainable business practices. Outcomes of this study can help assist scholars, corporations, and decision-makers in understanding sustainable development initiatives while simultaneously improving social sustainability practices.

Fostering Responsible Business

2019 ◽  
pp. 1519-1541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Hossein Rahdari
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Responsible Business Practices ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Shed Light

Corporate social responsibility networks and associations play a significant role in fostering responsible business yet there exists a lacuna in the literature regarding the role of these networks and associations in augmenting responsible business practices. Furthermore, research studies with regard to how they function seem to be non-existent. Following this line of argument, this study attempts to shed light on these ambiguities by examining three leading networks. The results suggest that corporate sustainability and responsibility networks and associations play the role of facilitators, by providing tools and services, and incentivize business organizations to take measurable actions towards corporate sustainability. Moreover, they function as the engine of growth for responsible and sustainable business ecosystem. With their growing influence and the mainstreaming of responsible practices, a review of their objectives, organizational structures, types of activities, practices and impacts using a reviewing framework would provide a solid background for future research.

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