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The contemporary dialog surrounding social and environmental crises has strengthened the call for a reconsideration of the capitalist economic system, prompting a reimagining of businesses’ societal roles. This chapter explores the shifting terrain of corporate purpose as a driving force for positive societal change, challenging the traditional shareholder primacy doctrine.

After examining influential theoretical frameworks shaping the discourse on corporate purpose, this research unveils the results of an empirical investigation inspired by the 2019 American Business Roundtable’s (BRT) statement on corporate purpose, where numerous prominent American CEOs advocated for a shift toward a stakeholder-oriented approach. In our exercise, the authors employ semantic and cognitive linguistic analyses to measure the coherence between the language in the BRT statement and the content of sustainability reports. This approach aims to offer insights into the alignment or divergence between corporate declarations and actual practices concerning corporate purpose.

Empirical findings reveal that corporations emphasizing their purpose in sustainability reports using language resembling that of the BRT statement tend to demonstrate lower implementation scores. Conversely, implementors lean toward using language in sustainability reports that diverges from the BRT statement. These findings suggest a potential disconnection between stated purpose and actual implementation in companies emphasizing corporate purpose in their reports.

The study research contributes theoretical insights by exploring how corporations can incorporate purpose-driven practices to promote sustainable growth and societal well-being. It underscores the potential for businesses to play a pivotal role in reshaping the economic landscape and advocates for ongoing research in humanistic management models.

Advocates an expanded scope for supply chain management research which accounts for the social function and the political and economic implications of supply chain developments. Argues that the research agenda must not be driven by the notion of efficiency alone, but should also be developed around the concept of the just supply chain. Provides a framework which sets out the range of issues which may contribute to this approach. Believes that the objectives and ideological assumptions of research need to be open to challenge and debate.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of characteristics of capitalism on environmental performance.

The authors analyzed a sample of 6,257 companies, based in 55 countries and 8 typologies of capitalism. The independent variables are the characteristics of capitalism, measured through five indicators: cooperation between employees and employers, index of economic freedom, local competition between industries, human development index (HDI) and quality of the governance environment. To measure environmental performance, the authors created an index composed of 20 indicators. Data were analyzed using panel data regression and dynamic panel of the generalized method of moments.

The results indicate that the characteristics of capitalism can shape the environmental behavior of companies. The authors find that in countries with better cooperation between employees and employers, more economic freedom, and competition between firms, in addition to better HDI and national governance, companies have higher environmental performance. When they are in more developed countries, companies have a greater environmental performance.

Managers must consider the country's characteristics of capitalism when making their environmental decisions and strategies. The findings invite governments to incorporate into their regulations mechanisms to protect other interest groups, not just shareholders.

Few studies have examined environmental performance, which is less susceptible to greenwashing. The metric for environmental performance measures the company's concrete effort in relation to environmental issues and not just the disclosure of information. Additionally, the authors examine characteristics of capitalism supported by Varieties of Capitalism, an approach still little explored in the environmental management.

This chapter posits that we underestimate the way in which our immersion in the ‘social logic’ of capitalist consumption constrains our attempts to understand and respond to the ecological crises at both a personal and political level – and that both dimensions of our response are bound together.

Survey of literature on psychology, well-being and mindfulness.

How has the culture of capitalism – its psychic investment in colonizing our attention – compromised our ability to respond meaningfully to the challenges of sustainable development? In an acknowledgement of a certain closure around such themes within Western thought, I look to a point of exteriority in Peter Hershock’s work, drawing on China’s Chan Buddhist philosophy, for intimations of a worldview that challenges the West’s over-commitment to forms of ‘control’ in favour of a cultivation of mindful and careful awareness – and an offering of unconditional attention.

Draws attention to a new phase of ‘enclosure’ in the cultural processes of capitalism.

Original introduction of a critical approach to mindfulness in the debate on well-being.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the implementation of the integrated reporting (IR) framework in a group of Colombian enterprises.

This is a multiple-case study in six enterprises that use the IR framework. The selected enterprises, all of which were located in either Bogota or Medellin, were Argos, EEB, EPM, ISA, Nutresa and Ocensa. The authors conducted individual interviews of reporters and performed a documentary analysis.

The few Colombian firms that use the IR framework all have ambitious expansion goals in the medium term. The main reason for the adoption of the IR framework in these firms is that it facilitates access to resources from new foreign investors.

Since the framework was published recently, only a few Colombian firms follow it, and several of them do not apply all of its components. In the future, there will be more reports and a higher level of framework application.

In the firms studied, the IR framework is an important tool to support the search strategies of new sources of financial capital.

If the use of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) framework were to diminish the application of the GRI, firms would be less likely to evaluate the impact of their activities on numerous stakeholders (other than shareholders).

This is the first Colombian study of IR to include both documentary analysis and personal interviews.

This article examines the relationship between stakeholders and shareholders and identifies the key lessons from the B Corp movement that serve as practical tools for businesses – not just B Corps – to be more stakeholder focused.

This article uses an in-depth interview with the author of Better Business: How the B Corp Movement Is Remaking Capitalism.

This article focuses on the pros and cons of the B Corp movement. One key point of discussion is that because B Corps focus more on stakeholders in general, they are more likely to attract likeminded employees who also support the companies’ missions, which also leads to greater retention rates. There is also growing interest from the investment community in B Corps and stakeholder-driven companies generally. However, a big challenge for B Corps lies in customer awareness. While many consumers may be buying products from B Corps, they do not know about the certification that links them together. A further conclusion is that even if a company does not want to be a B Corp, they can still benefit from the different stakeholder management tools and processes the movement has developed.

The article argues that businesses can – and should – be responsible and accountable to any stakeholder beyond shareholders. While they do not necessarily need to become B Corps, they can use the accountability and governance tools - like the B Impact Assessment (BIA) and benefit corporation governance - as guides to better manage their businesses to be more sustainable and resilient and to contribute to a better society.

The B Corp movement has emerged as a powerful voice calling for businesses to balance financial returns with environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. The B Corp model shifts conventional business from a shareholder primacy to a stakeholder focus, through novel corporate governance and accountability mechanisms. This article investigates the key lessons that all businesses can learn from the B Corp movement to make the world a better place to live.

This article takes a pracademic approach using academic research on the B Corp movement to generate actionable lessons for businesses.

The primary force that is shaping the global environment is the spread of American‐style capitalism. The collapse of communism as a viable economic system left in its wake the triumph of capitalism. American‐style capitalism offers two key benefits: accountability and transparency. Where there are transparency and accountability, there is greater safety for investments; and where there is greater safety, there is lower cost of attracting capital. There will also be a strong moderating force called the “stewardship ethic,” which brings with it a flattening of organizational hierarchies and a growing sense of responsibility for the long‐term effects of every action. The stewardship principle is going to under‐pin business actions in relation to the environment, human rights, ethics, the family, community, and so on.