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Cluster management organizations (CMOs) have emerged over the past few decades as intermediaries that support the competitiveness of place-based clusters of economic activity. Despite their economic origins, policymakers are now starting to experiment with a broader use for cluster policies that seeks to leverage CMOs to tackle societal challenges in approaches aligned with the concept of creating shared value (CSV). However, there remains a void in conceptual understanding around the specific roles that CMOs might play in overcoming the barriers faced by their members for CSV, which this paper aims to address. Bridging this gap presents an opportunity for cluster practitioners and policymakers in a context in which environmental and social sustainability are at the top of policy agendas.

Based on analysis of literature around collaborative approaches to CSV for mitigating transaction costs, the authors define the contours of a new conceptual framework for the roles that CMOs can play in fostering collective CSV. The authors illustrate how the different components of the framework are reflected in emerging cluster practice in the context of a new wave of European cluster-based projects tackling CSV elements.

The resulting framework reconciles the concepts of clusters and CSV by explicitly positioning CMOs as intermediaries for facilitating the CSV strategies of their members. CMOs embrace emergent strategy making that targets (tangible and intangible) collective CSV capabilities and addresses collective CSV challenges. Collective CSV can provide a theoretical anchor guiding future cluster policies to fully leverage the transformative potential of CMOs. This conceptual framework opens a promising empirical research agenda, particularly around evaluating the plurality of impacts of CMOs.

By stressing the social impact of CMOs alongside their well-understood economic impacts, and by enabling a categorization of functions that can support the monitoring of CMO activities toward collective CSV strategies, the framework provides a novel basis for inspiring further empirical research into the evidencing of these roles.

A full and adequate Systematic Quantitative Literature Research Analysis of the academic literature and research on creating shared value (CSV) is long overdue. This chapter commences this process by introducing some of the academic literature currently on CSV and examining the strengths and weaknesses of this literature, while identifying gaps for future research. The chapter builds on current academic literature to include writing and research from the business community in an attempt to make this chapter both topical and accessible to anyone interested in CSV, including practitioners interested in implementing these types of projects as direct CSV projects or as part of already existing CSR strategy. It is expected that the inclusion of this type of business literature will add value to academic research going forward. The Appendix brings the chapter together by presenting examples of a variety of CSV case studies to provide ideas for future project implementation and opportunities for future research in both implementation and measurement.

The paper aims to explore how Porter and Kramer’s “Creating shared value” (CSV) framework supports the multinational corporation’s business model to turn social problems into business opportunities in two contextually different international markets.

Conceptually, the paper uses the CSV framework to argue that evaluation of business models in different societal contexts (geographically, culturally and economically) might be able to shed more light on the firm-societal needs. Empirically, the paper conducts a comparative content analysis of the business models of an international brand of a three-wheeler vehicle – Piaggio Ape – in Italy and India since its launch right after World War II. The content for qualitative analysis was identified using the Nexis Uni database.

Findings reveal that CSV outlines the strategy for firms to integrate societal concerns uniquely into their business models, rather than solving them in isolation. However, the business model performances resulting from these firm–society linkages may vary in an emerging market and a developed market. Regulatory fit is yet another factor that decides how well CSV could be applied.

Given CSV’s contradictory perception in corporate governance literature, the study empirically establishes its theoretical value in explaining the actions and success of strategic decisions that large multinational firms take. The interactions between the underlying attributes of four CSV strategies, the regulatory fit and business model success are articulated in the form of propositions and an integrated CSV framework. Given the paper’s two-case comparative analysis, the generalizability of the identified attributes of the four CSV strategies is limited and therefore calls for future research using larger samples of firms practicing shared value perspectives.

Corporate and international business managers can use the study findings and the proposed framework to comprehend scenarios beyond business systems and to apply CSV as a tool to address market needs in concurrence with addressing environmental and societal concerns.

The paper is one of the initial attempts to evaluate and extend the “CSV” perspective in the international business context and, thus, promises a broad future research scope.

Works that link creating shared value (CSV) with the university are arising, and there is a hope for a great future of this combination. The main problem with these works is that they are based on the wrong assumptions of what CSV is. The aim of the paper is to properly explain the concept of CSV and match it with university social responsibility (USR) at a strategic level.

A literature review on CSV and USR is briefly outlined. Then, at the foundation of existing models of the USR, normative model that integrates CSV at a strategic level is proposed. To validate the model and explain its assumptions, a qualitative study on Polish universities was conducted. Furthermore, a piece of recommendation for implementing CSV is presented.

Signs of CSV at universities have been observed. The trend may have positive implications, as it is similar to the recommended strategy: starting small, doing good and growing the program based on the lessons learned.

In this study, the ecosystem’s impact on CSV at the university has been omitted. The qualitative research was based on vaguely distinguished aspects proposed by the new model. One should be cautious about considering findings as anything more than observations.

The normative model may serve as a foundation for future research or a practical guideline to higher education institutions.

The paper links CSV with USR at a strategic level supported by real examples of activities that create social and economic value. The normative model may serve as a foundation for future research or a practical guideline to higher education institutions.

This paper aims to challenge corporate theories such as creating shared value (CSV) as to how they account for company water use given that water risk is ultimately not an efficiency challenge. In exploring CSV and the management of shared resources, there are limitations to the value of CSV (as currently framed) as a response strategy to water risks. For almost all businesses, water challenges involve complex social and environmental considerations “beyond efficiency”. Water stewardship is also an evolving framework, yet at its core implies an awareness and willingness to seek collaboration on business water-related risk across the value chain and to go beyond efficiency.

How does CSV stack-up against the experiences of companies at the leading edge of water risk and engagement in real-world contexts? Can CSV theory provide companies with enough guidance to navigate water management challenges and address complex risks to create shared outcomes, given that CSV does not engage the personal values or responses that are crucial to long-term water management? Especially considering that the boundaries between personal values, collective societal values and societal needs are all blurred. To fully address these questions, it is necessary to assess the extent to which CSV has internalized water stewardship initiatives or understood and drawn from water resource challenges and responses. Recent research states that the corporate sustainability is currently disconnected from the wider debate of pressing issues such as climate change and resource depletion. This research suggests that the business sustainability literature is entrenched in debates that draw very little from the ecology or environmental sciences literature, producing little in the way of interdisciplinary rigor (Linnenluecke and Griffiths, 2013). They conclude that business theory almost always focuses on understanding variables that can be subjected to direct managerial and shareholder concern, omitting challenging policy environments, with the net result that theoretical models can appear to serve more effectively than is the actual case.

In its entirety, the sentiment of CSV is sensible – if society fails, so does business. The financial crisis provides an example of the symbiosis between corporate performance and social well-being: and of the obligations faced by businesses and the government to confirm that business behaves in ways which advance the public and private good. The objective is not to look at CSV in its entirety, but rather to focus on its representation of water use, delving deeper into what CSV means for this specific and unique resource.

A unique view of the intersection of CSV and water stewardship with recommendations for alignment.

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it aims at reconciling the literature on creating shared value (CSV) with the one on cluster development, searching for complementarities and similarities. Second, it aims at understanding the role of cluster development in CSV. For these reasons, the authors operationalized the general idea of cluster development with the widely accepted concept of cluster initiatives, i.e. systematic efforts aimed at cluster development. The authors focused on exploring the process of launching and supporting local cluster initiatives through empirical evidence. In particular, the authors aimed at analyzing how a CSV strategy can be defined and developed when adopted within a cluster initiative.

The research draws on a critical review of the literature focusing on CSV and on a conceptual reconciliation between the literature on the CSV ecosystem with the one on clusters, and more specifically on those initial cluster initiatives. The authors relied on an exploratory case study of an Italian cluster initiative in CSV, i.e. the Science and Innovation Food District (SIFooD) cluster promoted by Whirlpool. Thanks to the richness and great availability of information about the case, this study primarily relied on the use of secondary data.

The case of SIFooD has highlighted how Whirlpool promoted the cluster initiative within its CSV framework to achieve sustainable and collaborative innovation in food waste prevention and, conversely, how SIFooD enhanced CSV of its cluster members. To arrange its network development process, SIFooD has implemented all the elements that prior literature has considered fundamental for launching and supporting a successful cluster initiative. On the other hand, SIFooD was able to adopt a collective-impact approach, implementing the five elements needed in its ecosystem to create shared value. Moreover, thanks to all the activities comprised in the SIFooD cluster initiative, shared value was actually created.

The present paper has some limitations. First of all, the empirical analysis focuses only on one cluster initiative; thus, cross/comparative analyses with other cluster initiatives may illuminate the findings better. Second, the authors relied on a very recent cluster initiative in a particular field (food waste prevention) and in one specific institutional context (Italy); thus, data may suffer from temporal, industrial and geographical biases.

Literature on the border between CSV and clusters is still in its infancy and almost nothing is known about their relationship, despite them being intimately related since the inception of this field. The paper qualifies for a very first attempt to understand how firms promote clusters, through cluster initiatives, for the sake of CSV and how clusters may enhance CSV of firms.

According to the paper “Creating shared value” (CSV) (Porter and Kramer, 2011), three specific strategies will expand the firm’s pool of available economic and social values and improve businesses’ competitive position over time. However, firms’ performances are not systematically compared to validate this claim. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a path towards delineating CSV to validate the claim and to contribute to the foundation of an industry-specific ranking based on CSV.

This paper attempts to delineate CSV based on relevant literature, including the critique of CSV, to measure CSV empirically. The suggested indicators of CSV are based on an interpretation of Porter and Kramer (2011) referring to a market-centric approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

None of the CSV strategies proposed by Porter and Kramer (2011) are new to the academic literature, though several scholars argue that these strategies, taken together, characterize prosperous multinational corporations (MNCs).

The relevance and usefulness of the indicators presented here will vary among industries.

CSV indicators may be the source for an industry-specific ranking of MNCs. An index based on these indicators may reveal systematic differences between industries.

A CSV index would include synergies between commercial and CSR-related performances of firms. If a CSV index attracts international attention, the rank of an MNC would indicate to what degree MNCs succeed in integrating their commercial and CSR-related strategies and influence the valuation of firms.

A CSV index based on these indicators enables to rank MNCs according to both commercial, social and environmental criteria, and thereby transcend the divide between CSR indexes and commercial indexes.

This study aims to contribute to fill in the gap identified in the literature at the interplay of clusters and shared value creation (CSV), by mapping out and assessing CSV clusters in Austria.

An exploratory, cross-sectional and multiple case study research with data generated through semi-structured interviews carried out with a sample of Austrian cluster managers. The collected data were assessed through a qualitative content analysis following Mayring (2010).

The analysis of the data suggests that there are five main categories that shape Austrian clusters’ CSV practices, namely, cluster context, cluster purpose, CSV context, development of CSV and types of CSV. Applying Mayring’s content analysis technique to the proposed CSV cluster definition results in one third of the networks labeled as CSV clusters. The lack of a clear understanding of CSV and its strategic value emerged as a barrier for Austrian clusters to further embed shared value in their operations.

This cross-sectional, exploratory study adds empirical evidence to the theoretical appeal of the CSV construct. Being CSV firm-specific and context-dependent, the relevance of the findings is limited to the current state of play of Austrian clusters.

The cases revealed the opportunity to reinforce the message on the business case for CSV.

By raising CSV awareness, social value creation is likely to increase.

This paper aimed at contributing to the buildup of empirical evidence on shared value creation. Deviating from the mainstream literature that typically portrays multinationals as CSV champions, this research looks at clusters as unit of analysis.

Strategies and policies aimed at alleviating poverty in Sub-Saharan African countries usually depend on capitalistically driven economic growth. However, the view that capitalism needs to reinvent itself to survive the crisis of confidence brought about by the recent global financial collapse depends on the extent to which such a shared value oriented, sustainable capitalist reinvention is embraced by emergent business leaders. A sustainable system of capitalism driven by business and community shared value can only take root if the hearts and minds of future business leaders are convinced of their cogency and appropriateness. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper reports the findings of an empirical study utilizing a Likert-type scale designed to measure corporate shared value (CSV) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) among a sample of fourth year accountancy students at a leading South African university.

Preliminary findings suggest that perceptions of this group of emergent leaders generally regard CSR rather than CSV as the “correct” business model for companies to follow. Although the sample is limited to one South African university and is relatively small, it contributes to the literature by offering insight into emergent business leaders’ perceptions and their view of the direction of CSR in South Africa should take.

Implications of the paper are that by offering insight into emergent business leaders’ perceptions of South African society and specifically their view of the direction South African CSR should take, the paper suggests prescriptive remedial steps in policy that educational and other learning institutions could take to engender appropriate social values in learners.

The study contributes to the literature by offering devised and tested measuring instruments for CSR and CSV in the South African context and gives insight into emergent business leaders’ perceptions and their view of the direction of CSR in South Africa should take.

The global business environment has brought about great innovation according to the advent of the fourth industrial revolution era. Most of the enterprises are focusing on adapting to the era of the fourth industrial revolution and trying to find appropriate strategies. Competitiveness among enterprises is changing fiercely. Such environments are threatening to the sustainability of enterprises. In this regard, it is a key issue that how enterprises can be sustainable and gain competitive advantage. Based on this background, this study emphasized the importance of environmental involvement. Enterprise can improve its image through environmental involvement. Since enterprise image is a variable that directly impacts enterprise growth and performance, it promotes the sustainability of the enterprise. Therefore, this study aims to explore the improvement factors of environmental immersion and verified its influence.

This study focused on creating shared value as a factor to improve environmental involvement. It is divided into three components, which are economic values, social values and cooperative values, respectively. The role of these three factors in enhancing environmental involvement was clearly identified and the process of enhancing enterprise image was verified.

The mediating effect of environmental involvement on the relationship between creative shared values (economic values, social values and cooperative values) and enterprise image was demonstrated.

This study emphasized the importance of environmental immersion in the era of the fourth industrial revolution and provided a way to improve enterprise image, which is directly related to the sustainability of the enterprise.