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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting has been widely accepted as a vital tool for communicating with stakeholders on a range of social, environmental, and governance issues, but how companies define, interpret, apply, integrate, and communicate their CSR efforts and impacts in corporate reporting is anything but a straightforward task. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the concept of materiality in CSR reporting and demonstrate practical examples of good CSR and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reporting practices. We chose the aviation industry because of its economic relevance, constant growth, and future expected changes in the aftermath of COVID-19. In addition, airlines affect many of the SDGs directly and indirectly with contending results. This chapter is timely because of the growing willingness by companies to integrate CSR and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) thinking into the corporate strategy and business operations using materiality assessment and enhancing their competitive advantage and ability to maintain long-term value and because ESG and ethical investing have become part of the mainstream investing. Thus, this chapter contributes to an understanding of the wide range of existing and new reporting frameworks and regulations and reinforces the importance of discussing how this diversity of approaches can affect the work toward worldwide comparability of CSR and sustainability reporting.

Implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) unarguably demands huge financial investments. However, the United Nations has acknowledged the huge financial gap militating against the implementation of the SDGs worldwide, leading experts to question the possibility of complete implementation of the goals by their terminal dateline of 2030. While the bulk of the finance currently outlaid on the SDGs comes from traditional sources including foreign direct investments (FDIs), there is the need to focus more attention on developing and exploiting impact investments that are more suitable for financing development programmes and projects. In this chapter, the SDG implementation profiles of the 12 Arab West Asia countries concerning the five most targeted SDGs were evaluated and sustainable finance issues were discussed. Secondary data were retrieved from World Bank's DataBank. The data were descriptively analyzed. Based on the profiles generated, debt relief is put forward as a possible impact investment mechanism suitable for funding the SDGs. Specifically, this chapter recommends that outright cancellation of debts based on the debt-for-SGD swap could serve as some of the impact investments needed to boost the global drive for a developed, peaceful, and just world.

This chapter explores the gap between social expectations and actual sustainability performance in the business world and identifies the root causes of this discrepancy. The author reviews corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, and their relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This chapter also compares the connections and differences between the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the SDGs. The author analyzes possible solutions to bridge the gap, including renewing the social contract between businesses, society and institutions. This involves rethinking the role of businesses and institutions in promoting sustainability and creating new systems and structures that incentivize sustainable practices. This chapter concludes by discussing the pathway to a sustainable and inclusive world through systems innovation and change. When embracing a systems thinking approach, individuals and organizations can identify and address the root causes of unsustainability, and create more resilient and sustainable systems that benefit both people and the planet.

The main objective of this chapter is to figure out various challenges emerging, or transition economies face in fostering sustainable finance. In this regard, extensive review of the extant and relevant literature is conducted with specification of time range, online database, and keywords. The findings suggest the various financing barriers experienced by emerging and transition economies in implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Furthermore, this chapter triggers further debate on green financing initiatives that can help in dealing with the challenges of sustainable finance. It is found that green financing initiatives offer significant solutions in emerging and transition economies. In addition, this chapter provides policy implications to academia, practitioners, financial institutions, and government agencies to promote sustainable finance.

Organizational theorists and strategy scholars are both interested in how organizations deal with ambiguity, especially in relation to implementation. This chapter examines one source of ambiguity that organizations face, which is based on their efforts to implement moral mandates. These mandates, which are related to areas such as environmental sustainability and diversity, are inherently ambiguous, as they lack a shared understanding regarding their scope and associated practices. They are also often broad and systemic and may be unclearly aligned with an organization's strategy. Due to these challenges, in this chapter, we theorize that collective action at the field level is necessary for organizations to advance and concretize moral mandates. We examine this theorizing through the case of the implementation of sustainability in higher education. We hypothesize and find support for the idea that when an organization's members engage in collective action at the field level, those organizations have an increased likelihood of achieving sustainability implementation. To gain insight into this field-to-organization relationship, we qualitatively examine 18 years of conversations from an online forum to develop a process model of moral mandate implementation. We theorize that collective action functions as a field-configuring space, in which actors from a variety of organizations come together to (1) refine the scope of the mandate and (2) create an implementation repertoire that actors can draw on when seeking to bring sustainability to their own organizations. Overall, our study provides a model of how ambiguous moral mandates can be implemented by highlighting the important role of collective action across organizations in concretizing those mandates and providing actors with the tools for their implementation.

How can large international financial firms go green in authentic ways? What enhances ‘Net Zero action’? Changes in global banks, fund managers, and insurance firms are at the heart of green finance. External change pressures – combined with problematic firm predispositions – exacerbate barriers to change and promote scepticism about authentic Net Zero change. Field research reveals main elements, connections, and interactions of this question by considering financial firms as complex socio-technical systems (Mitleton-Kelly, 2003). An interdisciplinary/holistic narrative approach (De Bakker et al., 2019) is adopted to design a conceptual framework that can support a green ‘behavioural theory of the financial firm’ (green BTFF). The BTFF presents an international version (Peng, 2001) of the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm (Barney, 1991; Hart, 1995; Teece et al., 1997).

The approach of this chapter is aimed at closing knowledge gaps and realign values in financial markets and society. By raising awareness about organised hypocrisy and facades (Brunsson, 1993; Cho et al., 2015; Schoeneborn et al., 2020) in financial firms the chapter aims at overcoming the gap between ‘talking’ and ‘walking’ in the financial sector. The chapter defines testable firm-level hypotheses for ‘Green Finance’ (Poterba, 2021) as well as – by implication – tests for ‘greenwashing’.

This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities that exist in the realm of management and business education. The author provides an in-depth analysis of the history and development of management education, highlighting the changes and evolution that have occurred over time. Furthermore, the author discusses the dominant paradigm that has shaped management education and the issues that have arisen as a result. Specifically, the author identifies the problems that have contributed to financial crises and business failures, demonstrating the inadequacies of the current approach. Finally, the author argues for the need to revolutionize the current management education system. This involves a significant departure from the traditional methods of teaching and learning, and instead emphasizes the development of critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities and adaptability in a rapidly changing business landscape. This chapter challenges the current state of management education and offers a compelling call to action for reform. By addressing the issues that have plagued the field and proposing innovative solutions, the author aims to pave the way for a more responsible management education system.

Globally, environmental concerns affect all aspects of human activity, and the economy for environmentally and socially aware goods and services is expanding. Entrepreneurs today are adapting their business practices to address new environmental problems or other environmental risks impacting their business. To bring about the transformation towards green economic systems, all green entrepreneurs are encouraged. Evidence from around the world shows that people's concerns for the environment are growing, and they are constantly adapting their behaviour to reflect these concerns. The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of green business practices among SMEs and also identify the elements that support these practices in Karachi, Pakistan. The study used a descriptive questionnaire as its research methodology. Self-completed questionnaires were used to collect primary data. The conclusions of the article stated that SMEs were using green business practices in their business areas. This can be explained by the great appreciation for green entrepreneurship in Pakistan. The variables that influence green entrepreneurship have been found to have different effects in practice. Stakeholders were advised to develop initiatives to promote adoption and use by most entities, including SMEs, as green business practices by SMEs in Karachi were still in their infancy. Through relevant authorities and green entrepreneurship, shareholders should lobby to provide them with a stronger negotiating strategy with other stakeholders. This study has some limitations. They study law in Karachi. Results are based on scenario-based surveys and methods and their applicability in a more complex relationship between green entrepreneurship practices and the performance of small- and medium-sized businesses.

This study examines the importance of financial inclusion and financial literacy in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 01) of reducing poverty within Asia. It highlights the significance of fostering financial inclusion and spreading financial literacy for economic prosperity in the region. Despite the progress made in combating poverty and enhancing financial commodities, challenges persist, particularly regarding insufficient accessibility to basic financial amenities and a lack of knowledge in handling finances. However, a substantial portion of the Asian population lacks access to the financial literacy skills necessary for utilizing financial facilities and achieving financial inclusion. It reviews the current situation of financial inclusion and financial literacy in the region, explores the factors influencing these concepts, and highlights government initiatives aimed at fostering financial inclusion and literacy. Asia, with its diverse cultural and socioeconomic contexts, presents unique challenges and opportunities for promoting financial literacy and inclusion. The region’s growing population, emerging economies, and increasing middle-class underscore the importance of these factors. Ensuring that individuals have access to financial services and the knowledge and skills to manage their finances effectively can support economic development and poverty reduction, and create an inclusive and equitable society. By addressing the challenges of limited access to financial amenities and promoting financial literacy among the population, it is possible to foster economic growth, reduce poverty, and create more inclusive societies.