Toward The Era Of Sustainability

This book provides a clear, critical, and timely analysis of the state of corporate sustainability within the context of the climate crisis. It offers not only a substantive critique of the current efforts but also clarity about the changes needed and how to implement them. The book goes beyond the more common debate on shareholder capitalism vs. stakeholder capitalism to explain the shortcomings of the current approach to sustainability in business, which the author describes as sustainability-as-usual. Using strategic design lenses, the author proposes a new model of awakened sustainability, which offers a transformational shift in corporate sustainability to ensure companies fairly and effectively address the climate crisis. The book presents the numerous changes needed in the environment in which companies operate to enable awakened sustainability and how these changes can be realized. Grounded in the scientific community’s calls for urgent action on climate change, this groundbreaking text provides scholars with an evaluation of current and future trends in corporate sustainability. It connects the dots between the progress made in the last five decades and the opportunities entailed in the work on a regenerative and just vision for companies in this decade and beyond.

Is it possible for human society to shift from the current prevailing socio-economic system to the Sustainable Socio-Economic System, which would, once established, perpetuate through time and maximise the chances of the long-term survival and prosperity of mankind? Or are we forever bound to various forms of the market-monetary and centrally planned economic system with either democratic or dictatorial form of leadership, as has been the case throughout human history?This book illustrates that chances exist for the Sustainable Socio-Economic System to function and that the gradual transition toward such a socio-economic system could be successfully conducted without endangering the stability of society throughout its course.As it has been estimated that chances for the Sustainable Socio-Economic System to be established exist, the message that this book aims to convey is that theoretical concepts of the Sustainable Socio-Economic System and of the gradual transition toward it should be researched further by an independent research organization, applying the scientific method in all aspects of its research. This book defines goals of the research, which could be conducted by such a research organization, as well as proposes its organizational structure and methods of establishing it.The book also surpasses its purpose of conveying the previously mentioned message, for a large share of the book consists of analyses of the market-monetary democratic system, being the prevailing socio-economic system in the modern world, of analyses of the Sustainable Socio-Economic System, and analyses of the gradual transition toward this system. By reading this book, the reader can gain a detailed understanding of the aforementioned topics. He or she can therefore gain an understanding of the characteristics of the market-monetary democratic socio-economic system and of the characteristics and developmental tendencies of an economy and wider society within this system, and if using the framework provided in this book, can improve the understanding of historic and current events, as well as improve his or her ability to estimate future developments in the global economy and global society to a high degree of certainty. The reader can also become able to visualize the Sustainable Socio-Economic System, to understand the process of transition toward it, and to understand other possible types of transitions, some of which have taken place historically in human society.The Sustainable Socio-Economic System essentially represents a socio-economic system, which maximises the chances of the long-term survival and prosperity of mankind. It is defined by the Principle of Sustainability, a set of criteria required to be applied in all aspects of a socio-economic system in order for it to be characterized as sustainable.All socio-economic systems can be determined to either be sustainable or unsustainable, based on whether or not all of the criteria of the Principle of Sustainability are applied in all aspects of a particular socio-economic system. All past socio-economic systems that have taken place in human society, including the market-monetary democratic system, to a significant extent breach various criteria of the Principle of Sustainability, essentially meaning that all of these socio-economic systems have been and are unsustainable.As the characteristics of all possible socio-economic systems, which make the latter unsustainable, are explained in this book, the reader should gain an understanding of the importance of eventually conducting the gradual transition toward the Sustainable Socio-Economic System. After gaining this understanding, the reader could decide to support the idea of establishing an independent research organization, which would determine the possibilities of establishing the Sustainable Socio-Economic System and conducting the gradual transition toward it.

Modern companies are subject to increasing pressures to conduct their business in an environmentally responsible manner due to social and environmental problems. Management of sustainable performance is one of the phenomena faced by the current business environment and, in particular, management corporations. The focus of management on profitability remains the main objective of any company, but it must also take into account the sustainability of social, economic, and environmental aspects. Under these circumstances, managerial decisions need to be adjusted and strongly substantiated, considering the information required by internal and external stakeholders, including financial reporting. The information requirements of customers and other stakeholders are steadily increasing, and some companies face certain problems in implementing the concept of sustainability and environmental reporting. CSR and Management Accounting Challenges in a Time of Global Crises is a comprehensive reference source that explores various theoretical and practical approaches of management accounting and its impact in the 21st century and investigates new accounting and financial approaches where economic and social aspects become mutually supportive to enhance their impact on community development. Covering topics such as CSR reporting, sustainability, and greenwashing, this book is an essential resource for academicians, specialty organizations, chief financial officers (CFOs), financial controllers, business analysts, financial planning and analysis (FP&A) analysts, budgeting managers, students, researchers, and business environment managers and specialists.

With transitions to more sustainable ways of living already underway, this book examines how we understand the underlying dynamics of the transitions that are unfolding. Without this understanding, we enter the future in a state of informed bewilderment. Every day we are bombarded by reports about ecosystem breakdown, social conflict, economic stagnation and a crisis of identity. There is mounting evidence that deeper transitions are underway that suggest we may be entering another period of great transformation equal in significance to the agricultural revolution some 13,000 years ago or the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago. This book helps readers make sense of our global crisis and the dynamics of transition that could result in a shift from the industrial epoch that we live in now to a more sustainable and equitable age. The global renewable energy transition that is already underway holds the key to the wider just transition. However, the evolutionary potential of the present also manifests in the mushrooming of ecocultures, new urban visions, sustainability-oriented developmental states and new ways of learning and researching. Shedding light on the highly complex challenge of a sustainable and just transition, this book is essential reading for anyone concerned with establishing a more sustainable and equitable world. Ultimately, this is a book about hope but without easy answers.

This handbook addresses the intersection between corporate sustainability and digital transformation. It analyzes the challenges and transformations required to be able to have sustainable businesses with a future orientation. Topics include current and potential social, demographic, technological, and managerial trends; the implications of the digital revolution in society and business; as well as the challenges of being sustainable, and profitable. Providing an understanding of the business reasons to incorporate a future orientation into the business strategy, this handbook facilitates an understanding of the need for profound changes in individual behavior, organizational culture, public policy, and business environments to adapt to the accelerated changes and manage business with orientation to the future.

Environmental Sustainability in a Time of Change is the first book in a new Palgrave series on Environmental Sustainability. It takes a fresh look at the dynamic field of environmental sustainability by exploring the interconnections between climate change, water, energy, waste, land use, ecosystems, food, and transportation. It also provides an extensive summary on sustainability management, data analysis, mapping, and data sources. Brinkmann highlights how environmental sustainability challenges are distinctly different in the developed world, where sustainability is largely a choice, versus the developing world, where many struggle with basic existence due to war, migration, and water or food scarcity. He takes a broad systems and historic approach to contextualize environmental sustainability prior to the 1987 Brundtland Report and utilizes many contemporary examples throughout the text, analyzing numerous case studies from many areas of the world including China, Yemen, Malaysia, Egypt, and Florida. This book questions traditional approaches to sustainability that highlight the need for an equal balance of economic development, environmental protection, and social equality to achieve sustainability. This book focuses on a new line of thinking that places environmental sustainability as the key foundation in how to manage sustainability in a time of change. Our planet is quickly becoming environmentally unsustainable due to global consumption and unsustainable economic development and it is high time for a fresh approach. This book will be of great value to academics, practitioners, and students interested in environmental sustainability from a myriad of fields including geology, geography, biology, ecology, economics, business, sociology, anthropology, and other areas that intersect the interdisciplinary field of sustainability.

For the past two decades corporate governance reform in Europe has been guided by the ‘shareholder value’ model of the firm. That model has been discredited as one of the major causes of the financial and economic crisis. In a new book published by the ETUI an alternative approach to corporate governance is presented by members of the GOODCORP network of researchers and trade unionists. This new approach, entitled the Sustainable Company, draws on both traditional ‘stakeholder’ models of the firm and newer concerns with sustainability. The main elements of the Sustainable Company and the institutions needed to support it are presented. Key themes in the book are the need for worker ‘voice’ in corporate governance and for a binding legislative framework to promote sustainability. Individual chapters deal with the issues of worker involvement, employee shareholding, sustainability-oriented remuneration, international framework agreements, NGO-trade union relationships, reforming financial regulation and carbon taxes and emissions-trading schemes.

Assessing Progress toward Sustainability: Frameworks, Tools, and Case Studies provides practical frameworks for measuring progress toward sustainability in various areas of production, consumption, services and urban development as they relate to environmental impact. A variety of policies/strategies or frameworks are available at national and international levels. This book presents an integrated approach to sustainability progress measurement by considering both the frameworks and methodological developments of various tools, as well as their implementation in assessing the sustainability of processes, products and services through a global perspective. Combining methods and their application, the book covers a variety of topics, including lifecycle assessment, risk assessment, nexus thinking, and connection to SDGs. Organized clearly into three main sections --Frameworks, Tools, and Case Studies--this book can serve as a practical resource for researchers and practitioners alike in environmental science, sustainability, environmental management and environmental engineering. Offers an integrated approach to sustainability assessment using the most up-to-date frameworks and tools Includes extensive, diverse case studies to illustrate the methods and process for using the frameworks and tools outlined Provides practical insights related to challenges and opportunities to reduce environmental impacts and increase resources and energy efficiency