Topic 5a: Corporate Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility

Related UN-SDG

Who we are

Sjors Witjes

Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University, The Netherlands. email: sjors.witjes@ru.nl

Arun Sahay

FORE School of Management, New Delhi, India

arun.sahay@fsm.ac.in

Gabor Harangozo

Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary

gabor.harangozo@uni-corvinus.hu

Nelson Lozada

University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

nelson.lozada@udea.edu.co

Next Conference Track

Goals and Objectives

Companies are important actors in any kind of (un-)sustainable development. Given this central role, scholars have developed different concepts and frameworks to support companies to integrate sustainability issues into their business activities. A central objective of this track is to discuss business sustainability management in relation to its effects on sustainable development.

This track offers a forum to reflect on recent developments in practice, results from science as well as ongoing transdisciplinary research activities in the fields of corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility. This relates for example to strategic management, sustainable business models and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Following main questions, amongst others, are of interest:

  • What is the contribution of sustainability strategies, business models and sustainable entrepreneurship to sustainable development?
  • How can strategies and business models be implemented, both in companies and in a network of companies?
  • Are current sustainability management approaches and strategies a sufficient contribution to sustainable development or are there limitations (for instance relative vs. absolute sustainability performance) which should be taken into account?
  • Which factors support or hinder the implementation of sustainability management approaches, strategies and business models in business practice?
  • How can managers deal with trade-offs between economic goals and environmental/social goals?
  • What is the role of leadership and organizational culture for sustainability management?
  • Which frameworks and tools support sustainable entrepreneurship?
  • How can corporates themselves become sustainable in the wider context of people, planet and profit?

Themes and topics

We encourage conceptual as well as empirical contributions specifically, but not exclusively, dealing with the following topics:

  • Sustainability management and leadership for sustainability management
  • Sustainability management and organizational culture
  • Business sustainability and CSR sustainability management/CSR and resilience
  • Sustainability Management/CSR and sustainability strategies: experiences, developments, barriers and actors
  • Strategic sustainability management and sustainable innovations
  • Sustainable business models
  • Sustainable entrepreneurship

Length and content of the proposed abstract to the track

Each proposed abstract (in connection to one of the areas pointed out above) within 300 and 500 words (including everything)

  1. shall be best organized (without headlines) along usual structures (e.g. intro/method/findings or results/ discussion/conclusions)
  2. does not need to, but can include references
  3. shall provide in a final section
  4. to which SDG(s) and SDG-target(s) their proposed abstract especially relate to (e.g. “SDG+Target: 14.1.”.
  5. a brief indication how the proposed contribution relates to the topic of the Conference 

Abstracts which do not outline points 3.1.) AND 3.2.) might be considered less relevant in the review.

Potential publication channels

Based on valuable contributions to Track 5a, we plan to publish a book with Routledge:

Responsible organizations to promote sustainability: A call for contributions

The concept of responsible organizations emphasizes businesses and institutions to act in an ethical as well as socially and environmentally accountable way. Such organizations promote responsibility to satisfy the needs of both their shareholders as well as local communities and the broader society.

Responsible organizations also play a substantial role on the way to UN SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) an area where even developed countries seem to suffer to perform well.

To deepen our understanding and create actionable solutions, Track 5a seeks for contributions to the field, with a special focus on case studies and other empirical research. These insights are crucial for advancing responsible practices across different sectors.

Related to Track 5a, a Routledge case study volume call is also under way. This book will collect real-world examples and best practices. We encourage researchers, practitioners, and academics to contribute and share their findings to help shape the future of responsible organizational behavior.

News

Current trends

Driven by a growing awareness of the dangers of the climate crisis and of the consequences of the increasing pollution, consumers should become one of the main forces of change in the direction of a new sustainability era.

According to the results of a 2019 survey from Accenture, more than half of consumers said they would pay more for sustainable products designed to be reused or recycled.

The survey of 6,000 consumers in 11 countries across North America, Europe and Asia found that while consumers remain primarily focused on quality and price, 83% believe it’s important or extremely important for companies to design products that are meant to be reused or recycled. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents said they’re currently buying more environmentally friendly products than they were five years ago, and 81% said they expect to buy more over the next five years.

Call for Papers

Responsible Organization; an international perspective

We are aiming for a Routledge ISDRS book with different perspectives on the topic of Responsible Organization by chapters written by universities/members affiliated with the ISDRS entailing there local perspectives and experiences on the topic or Responsible Organization. After an exploratory meeting during the 2024 Nepal conference, we will organize an available to all workshop on manuscripts during the Budapest conference.

PAST SPECIAL ISSUES

SUSTAINABILITY – MDPI – ISSN: 2071-1050

Special Issue "Sustainable Consumption and Production by Upcycling: Advances in Science and Practices"

Journal of Consumer Behaviour – John Wiley & Sons Ltd - Online ISSN: 1479-1838

Special Issue:  Consumer Behaviour and Environmental Sustainability

Knowledge Resources

GENERAL WEBSITES

Routledge & Earthscans' Sustainability Hub

Find useful essays, free books and articles, case studies and more at our partner's website: 

ARTICLES

  • Harvard Business Review, The Elusive Green Consumer, July-August 2019
  • Wang, P. Ghadimi, M.K. Lim, M.-L. Tseng, A literature review of sustainable consumption and production: a comparative analysis in developed and developing economies, Clean. Prod., 206 (2019), pp. 741-754, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.172
  • V.S.C. Tunn, N.M.P. Bocken, E.A. van den Hende, J.P.L. Schoormans, Business models for sustainable consumption in the circular economy: an expert study, Clean. Prod., 212 (2019), pp. 324-333 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.290
  • N.M.P. Bocken, R. Mugge, C.A. Bom, H.J. Lemstra, Pay-per-use business models as a driver for sustainable consumption: evidence from the case of HOMIE, Clean. Prod., 198 (2018), pp. 498-510, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.043
  • Viciunaite, F. Alfnes, Informing sustainable business models with a consumer preference perspective, Clean. Prod., 242 (2020), 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118417
  • O'Rourke, A. Ringer, The Impact of Sustainability Information on Consumer Decision Making, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol.20 Issue 4, August 2016 https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12310
  • Phipps et al., Understanding the inherent complexity of sustainable consumption: A social cognitive framework, Journal of Business Research, 66 (8) (2013), pp. 1227-1234 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.08.016