Corporate sustainability

About: Corporate sustainability is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3517 publications have been published within this topic receiving 94075 citations.

The Role of Championship in the Mainstreaming of Sustainable Investment (SI): What Can We Learn From SI Pioneers in the United Kingdom?

Abstract: The present study identifies the strategies that individuals committed to the cause of Sustainable Investment (SI) use when attempting to persuade institutional investors (e.g., pension funds) to invest in socially and environmentally responsible ways. This article is based on interviews with 15 pioneers of the SI movement in the United Kingdom. Building on the literature on issue-selling, green championship, and corporate social responsibility, this study identifies four tactics that pioneers have employed to "sell" SI in investment institutions: making the business case for SI; forming internal coalitions with mainstream investment professionals; industry networking; gaining credible expertise. The results also suggest that market short-termism and internal organizational contexts dominated by a lack of moral engagement and disempowerment of SI teams are factors that impede champions' efforts. The article opens new avenues for research and recommends ways in which organizational and institutional impediments to SI may be overcome.

Social Innovation to Drive Corporate Sustainability

Abstract: The concept of Social Innovation seems to be omnipresent in today’s corporate discussions, but deeper reflections indicate that there are significant differences in the way Social Innovation is understood and implemented. While some see it as the next big thing after CSR or CSR 3.0, for others it is simply a new term for CSR. As with most new concepts, this unclear understanding might ultimately hinder the development of a concept that, if applied seriously, might have a significant contribution to improve the way we collaborate, innovate, and ultimately have a positive impact on the world. Even when the concept is fully embraced, it can often be detected that there is a focus on only the invention, without paying too much attention to the process leading to this result and the societal and business impact. In order to advance Social Innovation concepts, basic and proven principles from the Innovation Management need to be taken into account, in addition to the needed but often overrated focus on just the big idea to solve major problems.

Explicating dynamic capabilities for corporate sustainability

Abstract: Purpose – Differences in corporate commitments to sustainability have attracted increasing attentions of both researchers and practitioners. However, reasons behind such differences still lack a generic theorization. We propose that one source of these differences lies in the development and application of what we refer to as dynamic capabilities for corporate sustainability within the firm. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities view, the objective of this paper is to examine the fundamental role of dynamic capabilities in corporate sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach – The research developed a framework of dynamic capabilities for corporate sustainability and used the approach of content analysis to verify the framework based on the CSR reports of UK leading companies. Findings – The research demonstrates that the dynamic capabilities for corporate sustainability enable firms to monitor the emerging sustainability needs of various stakeholders, seize sustainable development opportunities f...