Corporate Sustainability In International Comparison

Although every country is distinguished by its history, culture and language as well as its unique economic, environmental and social conditions, it can be expected that international operating companies will exhibit common patterns since sustainability challenges do not stop at national borders. Building on original data based on results of the International Corporate Sustainability Barometer survey, this book depicts and analyzes the current state of corporate sustainability management and corporate social responsibility. Part I describe the approach and summarizes the broad results, outlining the methodology and offering an overview of results of the ICSB survey. Part II presents specific findings for each of eleven countries surveyed: Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA. Part III provides a comparative analysis and highlights broad patterns in the international results. Most strikingly, the book reveals surprisingly widespread similarities among the sustainability management practices of large companies in economically developed countries all over the world. All the survey results are analyzed according to the same Triple-I approach: Intention - Why do companies manage sustainability?; Integration - To what extent do companies embed sustainability in their core business and in their organization? And Implementation - How is corporate sustainability operationalized? Based on this structure the analysis serves not only to make comparisons and to investigate national characteristics; it also builds a foundation for examining whether there truly is a world-spanning common state of the art of corporate sustainability. Distinguished authors who were involved in the International Corporate Sustainability Barometer project offer their insights, identifying and discussing national and international patterns that can provide the basis for further ideas and inspiration to practitioners and researchers worldwide who are engaged in corporate sustainability.

This book breaks new ground by providing a structured and cohesive set of contributions on the actions, developments, problems and theories of corporate social responsibility (CSR). With new case studies from the UN’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs), contributors in this book investigate how firms in Eastern and Western countries are responding to and making use of evolving CSR guidelines. The book addresses the following questions: is CSR simply greenwashing or an authentic commitment to responsible corporate citizenship? Has globalization drawn CSR conduct in LDCs closer to that of industrialized countries? Stakeholder theory, actor–network theory and a new orbital theory of accountability are applied to give coherence to the case studies. Other chapters address greenwashing in reports, the impact of CSR in socially stigmatized occupations, an analysis on what responsibility precisely entails in CSR, and the interface between law and CSR. The book also considers the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, and includes a contribution from Ukrainian scholars, one written while their city of Kharkiv was under attack by Russian forces. This book will be a useful reference to those interested in discussions on crises, climate change, and SDGs and realizing sustainable goals through CSR.

This book explores the current state of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from an international perspective, the goal being to share ideas and visions for a sustainable future and to provide useful guidelines for academics, practitioners and policymakers in the context of the 2030 “Agenda for Sustainable Development” released by the United Nations. Research on CSR has evolved considerably over the last three decades. However, there are still many unanswered questions concerning the sustainability of business in an increasingly changing world, for example: If most companies consider CSR to be valuable to their organizations, why do only 15% of them systematically implement Social Responsibility initiatives? If CSR has been found to be profitable for companies, why are they so reluctant to develop an active, internal CSR policy? Why are there such significant differences in CSR adoption from country to country? Why does it take a huge crisis to make politicians react and regulate certain core CSR issues? This contributed volume answers these questions, presenting a wealth of case studies and new approaches in the process.

The decisions a corporation makes affect more than just its stakeholders and can have wide social, environmental, and economic consequences. This facilitates a business environment built around the practical regulations and transparency necessary to ensure ethical and responsible business practice. Corporate Social Responsibility: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source on the ways in which corporate entities can implement responsible strategies and create synergistic value for both businesses and society. Highlighting a range of topics such as company culture, organizational diversity, and human resource management, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for business executives, managers, business professionals, human resources managers, academicians, and researchers interested in the latest advances in organizational development.

This book explores the concepts of sustainability and governance in relation to the governance of corporations – hence the ubiquity of the term corporate governance – and other bodies. It examines how these concepts are regularly used by politicians and by the media. The two concepts are however largely treated as being separate and discrete, and given equal coverage. The argument in this book is that the two concepts are inter-related and that good governance is a prerequisite for sustainability. The focus of the book therefore is different from most, as it seeks to integrate these two important issues. The approach used in this book is based on the tradition of the Social Responsibility Research Network – a worldwide body of scholars that, over its 20-year history, has sought to broaden the discourse and to treat all research as inter-related and business-relevant. The book examines diverse aspects of the changes to corporate and institutional behaviour that have recently manifested by focusing on these two aspects of sustainable development. Thus, the authors explore engagement and partnership between organisations, in order to consider the extent to which the focus has changed so much that we need to think about new approaches to our understanding of sustainability and differing effects in practice. The international mix of authors makes this an original contribution, sharing some of the best ideas from around the world.

This introductory textbook explores key issues and recent discussions within the field of corporate sustainability and social responsibility, through theoretical and practical perspectives. Written by an international team of experts, the chapters introduce the actors and corporate processes that shape firms' management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Spanning strategy, communication, changing regulation and governance, the book grapples with critical issues such as anti-corruption, labour rights and climate change, balancing incisive critique with suggestions for meaningful change. This analysis, supported by study questions and further learning resources in each chapter, equips students to tackle sustainability challenges effectively in their future work. A regularly updated companion website provides adaptable lecture slides and case studies with discussion questions for instructors. This is an essential text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on corporate sustainability, CSR and business ethics, and is also relevant to political science, international relations and communications.

Achieving corporate sustainability (CS) is one of the most difficult challenges facing organizations in the twenty-first century. This comprehensive Handbook examines the current status and future direction of sustainability frameworks and applications in the corporate environment. Internationally reputed scholars portray the frameworks of CS practices in contemporary businesses. They explore in detail these frameworks and the associated computer-based modelling tools that companies are using, or can use, to aid their decision-making with regards to CS and corporate social responsibility practices. The contributors expertly investigate the future direction of model-based applications in CS as well as related planning processes. This innovative and informative Handbook will provide a timely reminder to scholars, government agencies, international bodies, academics and practitioners that appropriate decision-making and a correct understanding of these complex problems are essential to the success of CS planning.