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1 – 10 of over 22000Chaminda Wijethilake and Athula Ekanayake
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework which sheds new light on how sustainability control systems (SCS) can be used in proactive strategic responses to…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework which sheds new light on how sustainability control systems (SCS) can be used in proactive strategic responses to corporate sustainability pressures.
Design/Methodology/Approach – Corporate sustainability pressures are identified using insights from institutional theory and the resource-based view of the firm.
Findings – The paper presents an integrated framework showing the corporate sustainability pressures, proactive strategic responses to these pressures, and how organizations might use SCS in their responses to the corporate sustainability pressures they face.
Practical Implications – The proposed framework shows how organizations can use SCS in proactive strategic responses to corporate sustainability pressures.
Originality/Value – The paper suggests that instead of using traditional financial-oriented management control systems, organizations need more focus on emerging SCS as a means of achieving sustainability objectives. In particular, the paper proposes different SCS tools that can be used in proactive strategic responses to sustainability pressures in terms of (i) specifying and communicating sustainability objectives, (ii) monitoring sustainability performance, and (iii) providing motivation by linking sustainability rewards to performance.
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Nora Annesi, Massimo Battaglia, Ilenia Ceglia and Francesco Mercuri
Organisations are confronted with the challenge of navigating various pressures arising from activities that shape environmental and social impacts, which stakeholders find…
Abstract
Purpose
Organisations are confronted with the challenge of navigating various pressures arising from activities that shape environmental and social impacts, which stakeholders find significant. This research endeavours to ascertain a process facilitating the analysis and seamless integration of sustainability into corporate strategy. The goal is to establish an “integrated” ESG governance framework adept at effectively managing institutional pressures.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employs an action research approach, focusing on a leading company within the sugar industry. The investigation delves into the relationship dynamics associated with business issues through a process that engages, either directly or indirectly, board members, top managers, as well as industrial and commercial customers, along with final consumers.
Findings
The formulation of a sustainability strategy serves as a guiding framework for the Board of Directors in effectively navigating tensions arising from environmental, social and economic pressures.
Research limitations/implications
The research contributes to bridging the realms of business governance and institutional theory (viewed under a paradoxical lens). On a managerial level, the study introduces a structured process aimed at seamlessly integrating sustainability objectives into governance, aligning with international ESG guidelines (OECD, 2023; WEF, 2020).
Originality/value
The originality of this research lies in crafting a sustainability strategy by the BoD that takes into account the impact of governance and responds to the demands of strategic stakeholders.
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Susana Pasamar, Mar Bornay-Barrachina and Rafael Morales-Sánchez
This paper empirically addresses the effect of coercive, normative and mimetic pressures on sustainability results, focussing on the three dimensions of the triple bottom line…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper empirically addresses the effect of coercive, normative and mimetic pressures on sustainability results, focussing on the three dimensions of the triple bottom line approach: environmental, economic and social. The mediating role of compliance, analyser or proactive corporate strategies towards sustainability is also considered.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses developed in this study were tested using data from a sample of private companies from two industries: manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, and manufacture of basic metals.
Findings
The results confirm the role played by institutional pressures for sustainability in explaining the involvement of organisations in economic, social and environmental aspects. The mediating effect of corporate strategy is also confirmed, although only for environmental aspects.
Originality/value
Research into sustainability development is evolving rapidly; however, few studies have explored its diffusion amongst organisations from a triple bottom line perspective by considering the role of different current external pressures, the corporate strategy and the diverse results.
研究目的
本研究擬對強制壓力、規範壓力和模仿壓力對可持續性成果的影響進行實證研究。研究的焦點放在三重底線法的三個層面上,即是環境層面、經濟層面和社會層面。研究人員亦探討尋求可持續性的承諾、分析儀和積極主動的公司戰略的中介作用。
研究方法
研究人員測試其建立的各項假設; 使用的數據取自兩個企業的私人公司的樣本,它們是製造化學品和化學產品的企業,以及製造基本金屬的企業。
研究結果
研究結果確認了尋求可持續性所帶來的制度壓力,在解說企業於經濟、社會和環境三方面的參與上所扮演的角色。研究結果亦確認了公司戰略的中介作用,唯這只見於環境的層面上。
研究的原創性
探討可持續性發展的學術研究發展迅速,唯當中較少從三個基本的角度去探討可持續性發展在組織內的傳播; 本研究考慮了目前各種外來壓力、公司戰略和不同的結果所扮演的角色,以彌補這研究差距。
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Astrid Rudyanto and Sylvia Veronica Siregar
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of stakeholder pressure and corporate governance on the quality of sustainability report. This study uses environment…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of stakeholder pressure and corporate governance on the quality of sustainability report. This study uses environment, employee, consumer and shareholder as stakeholders, while board of commissioner effectiveness and family ownership are used as corporate governance components.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses multiple regression method with total observations of 123 sustainability reports of listed firms on Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2010-2014.
Findings
The result shows that companies which get pressure from environment and consumer have higher quality of sustainability report than other firms. Pressure from employee positively affects the quality of sustainability report. Meanwhile, pressure from shareholders has no effect on the quality of sustainability report. Board of commissioner effectiveness positively affects the quality of sustainability report, and family ownership has no effect on the quality of sustainability report.
Originality/value
This research reveals how various types of stakeholders and corporate governance in Indonesia react to corporate social responsibility and thus influence the quality of sustainability report, which has not been discussed by previous studies.
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Yousif Abdelbagi Abdalla and Siti-Nabiha A.K
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the pressures to adhere to sustainability practices in an oil company in Sudan and its response to these pressures.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the pressures to adhere to sustainability practices in an oil company in Sudan and its response to these pressures.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study research was conducted through interviews with the case company’s managers and various external stakeholders. The interviews were complemented by several informal conversations, observations and documentary materials.
Findings
There were external and internal pressures exerted on the company to adopt sustainability practices. However, the coercive pressures did not necessarily bring about a real change in the organisation. The forces of change were mainly the foreign partner’s audit pressure and the non-governmental organisation (NGO) allegations, which were given serious attention, due to the importance of reputation as an asset to the company.
Practical implications
Clear regulatory frameworks, more direct engagement with NGOs and meeting the expectations of the local communities were considered as crucial factors to ensure there is a pathway for sustainability in the oil and gas industry of developing countries.
Originality/value
Most previous studies on the motivation for corporate sustainability practices focussed on external pressures. This study examined the specific types of stakeholders’ group, among the internal and external stakeholders, that has most influence on the organisation’s sustainability practices, in the context of a developing country with weak regulatory governance.
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Injazz J. Chen and Aleksandr M. Kitsis
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework and propositions to advance research and practice in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). Performance indicators…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework and propositions to advance research and practice in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). Performance indicators (economic, environmental, and social) identified in the paper aim to facilitate empirical testing of a range of theoretical models derived or extended from the stated propositions.
Design/methodology/approach
The study of SSCM is truly complicated, and there is no one theory that applies in all instances. The authors analyzed over 200 critical articles published in major supply chain management and sustainability-based journals and grounded the proposed framework in a multi-theoretical perspective.
Findings
SSCM implementation entails linking stakeholder pressures, moral motives, and management commitment with relational practices. The paper further elucidates how relational practices, when bundled together, can create a set of relational capabilities, which in turn transform stakeholder pressures into sustainable outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
The research framework contributes to SSCM theory building insofar as it can be expanded into various theoretical models, allowing researchers to empirically test the links among SSCM drivers, management commitment, and relational capabilities, along with their individual or collective impact on supply chain performance.
Practical implications
The framework provides a roadmap for firms to develop and nurture relational capabilities while dealing with growing stakeholder pressures. Moral motives strengthen top management commitment, which helps channel stakeholder pressures toward the proactive development of relational capabilities.
Originality/value
The paper fulfills a call for utilizing multiple theoretical lenses to examine complex SSCM phenomena and, ultimately, to create a coherent theory of SSCM.
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This chapter discusses how businesses can create alignment between their corporate sustainability (CS) efforts that focus on the triple bottom line of the financial…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter discusses how businesses can create alignment between their corporate sustainability (CS) efforts that focus on the triple bottom line of the financial, environmental, and social, and the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact in the four core areas of environment, human rights, labor standards, and anticorruption.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the literature review, the relationship between CS and corporate responsibility is presented. Creating alignment between CS management and Global Compact initiatives requires knowledge of the Global Reporting Initiative (G4-GRI), third-party CS rankings, green supply chain management, and anticorruption strategies.
Findings
UN Global Compact is an international forum to promote and self-report CS and corporate social responsibility [Bitanga & Bridwell, 2010. CS is achieved through a triple bottom line – financial, environmental, and social (Hutchins & Sutherland, 2008). For CS management, businesses use four strategies including defensive, cost-benefit, strategic, and innovation/learning [Buchholtz & Carroll, 2008; Egbeleke, Journal of Management and Sustainability, 4(2), 92–105 (2014); Epstein, 2008; Epstein, Buhovac, & Yuthas, 2010]. The UN G4-GRI is the most widely used comprehensive sustainability reporting standard in the world (G4-GRI, 2013). Third-party, industry sector-specific CS ratings reinforce the self-reported sustainability reports. Each firm has to conduct their own CS cost-benefit analysis to determine how CS practices can lead to value creation for sustained competitive advantage. Creating alignment with Global Compact initiatives offers firms a marketing advantage. Conducting business in accordance with the Global Compact is a value-increasing business strategy [Kaspereit & Lopatta, 2011; Lopatta & Kaspereit, 2014; Michelon, Corporate Reputation Review, 14(2), 79–96 (2011)]. Green supply chain management is essential for CS (Penfield, 2014). Four prevailing anticorruption frameworks or intervention policy approaches include law enforcement, economics, moralism, and cultural relativism (Bellows, 2013). There is little sustainability reporting in the government and public-sector organizations (Adams, Muir, & Hoque, 2014).
Research limitations/implications
It is difficult to quantify the financial and social benefits of aligning the CS efforts with the 10 principles of UN Global Compact [Parisi, Journal of Management and Governance, 17(1), 71–97 (2013); Nilipour & Nilipour, Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 3(9), 1084–1092 (2012)]. The environmental impact can be easily quantified.
Practical implications
As the primary driver of globalization, businesses and other organizations can help ensure that markets, commerce, technology, and finance advance in ways that benefit environment, economies, and societies in both developed and developing countries leading to sustained development.
Originality/value of the chapter
The role of green supply chain management and anticorruption strategies in CS management is explored.
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The purpose of this paper is to show the relevance attributed to sustainability management control tools (SMCTs) and their real use. Mainly, this study aims to shed light on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show the relevance attributed to sustainability management control tools (SMCTs) and their real use. Mainly, this study aims to shed light on the approaches, motivations and difficulties encountered in SMCTs adoption by the most sustainable Italian companies, as well as their effectiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a pre-structured qualitative survey method, the authors grasped information about external and internal dimensions of sustainability management in light of institutional and resource-based view theories. Data are elaborated with two methods: a regime analysis to assess the relevance of SMCTs and a descriptive analysis to investigate the “aim”, “which” and “how” of the SMCTs' use by companies listed in sustainability indices.
Findings
Informal SMCTs prevailed over formal ones. There is a discrepancy between attention paid to some tools praised in the literature and their knowledge and use. In addition, a significant gap exists between what is desired and what is achieved in terms of effectiveness. Further, although sustainability management is primarily oriented towards the external perspective, SMCTs can be key to improving both the disclosure and management of sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
The criteria for the selection of the sample resulted in a small number of analysed companies, which allowed us to gain insight into what happens inside the listed Italian companies in the most important sustainability indices. These companies have sustainability-oriented management, which also probably safeguards their advantage linked to inclusion in these indices.
Practical implications
This paper provides food for thought for companies engaged in non-financial disclosure and for those who aim to implement SMCTs. It shows the need to reinforce formal sustainability control tools, also through dissemination of major knowledge about the implementation of these tools, and to encourage sponsorship from top levels of management.
Originality/value
Compared with SMCT research using a theoretical or case study approach, this study uniquely undertakes extensive research on the perceived effectiveness of SMCTs in achieving sustainability goals and the difficulties in implementing them, thereby highlighting a discrepancy between some tools emphasised in the literature and those infrequently used in sustainability-oriented companies.
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This paper aims to examine how CEO talk of sustainability in CEO letters evolves in a period of increased expectations from society for companies to increase their transition…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how CEO talk of sustainability in CEO letters evolves in a period of increased expectations from society for companies to increase their transition towards becoming more sustainable and to better account for progress and performance within the sustainability areas.
Design/methodology/approach
By adopting an interpretive textual approach, the paper provides a careful analysis of how CEO talk of sustainability in CEO letters of large listed Swedish companies developed during 2008–2017.
Findings
The talk of sustainability is successively becoming more elaborated, proactive and multidimensional. CEOs frame their talk by adopting different perspectives: the distinct environmental, the performance and meso, the product-market-oriented and the sustainability embeddedness and value creation. The shift towards an embeddedness and value-creation perspective in the later letters implies that the alleged capitalistic and short-sighted focus on shareholder value maximisation might be changing towards a greater focus on sustainability embeddedness as an important goal for succeeding with the transition towards a sustainable business.
Practical implications
The findings are relevant for policymakers and government bodies when developing policies and regulations aimed at improving the positive impact of companies on global sustainable development. Findings are also useful for management teams when structuring their sustainability talk as a response to external pressure.
Social implications
The findings provide relevant input on how social norms, values and expectations are shaping the corporate discourse on sustainability.
Originality/value
The findings of this study contribute to an increased understanding of the rhetorical response in influential CEO letters to the surrounding sustainability context, including new national and international policies as well as sociopolitical events and discourses related to sustainability. This offers a unique frame of reference for further interpretational work on how CEOs frame, engage in and shape the sustainability discourse.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of sustainability governance through the unfolding hybridisation process between corporate governance and corporate social…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of sustainability governance through the unfolding hybridisation process between corporate governance and corporate social responsibility and the implications of this for understanding patterns in sustainability reporting over time.
Design/methodology/approach
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill incident is an extreme case study undertaken to examine its implications on the organisational legitimacy of British Petroleum (BP) and the latter’s response to the incident and beyond. The paper draws on Suchman’s legitimacy framework (1995) to understand sustainability governance as an organisational practice that evolved post the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to manage BP’s legitimacy. It draws on archival records and documentation from 2008 to 2017, as key sources for data collection, using interrogation by NVivo software.
Findings
Sustainability governance is a sound practice that was socially constructed to manage the re-legitimatisation process following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. It is characterised by broadness (the interplay between the corporate governance and corporate social responsibility disciplines), dynamic (developing the tactics to repair and maintain legitimacy), agility (conforming to the accountability for socially responsible investment and ensuring steps towards geopolitically responsible investment) and interdependence (reflecting composition and interactions).
Practical implications
This paper has practical implications for organisations, in terms of sustainability governance’s constitution, mechanism and characteristics.
Social implications
This paper has implications not only for organisations, in terms of sustainability governance’s characteristics, but also for policy-makers, regulators and accounting education. However, the present paper’s insights are achieved through an in-depth and longitudinal case study.
Originality/value
This paper has problematized the concept of sustainability governance and elaborated its evolution (the emergence, enactment, deployment and interplay) process. The sustainability governance showed an otherwise organisational response that moves our understanding of the deployment of disclosure for complex organisational change as a way to discredit events.
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