Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society
Purpose This paper aims to understand whether, and if so how, the United Nations’ Sustainable Dev... more Purpose This paper aims to understand whether, and if so how, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) influence large companies’ adoption and implementation of a broader corporate purpose, beyond profit maximization. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a multiple-case study method, data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 28 managers from 16 large companies in Australia and Japan, and from secondary sources. Grounded theory methods were used to analyze the data and draw out key findings. Findings The study revealed the influence of the SDGs on corporate purpose depends on the SDG integration level: where and how the SDGs are integrated into management practices. The influence was more significant when the companies implemented the SDGs at a normative level compared to those implementing the SDGs at a strategic and/or operational level. Research limitations/implications Due to the exploratory nature of the study, the sample size is limited and covers...
In this paper, we derive a four-stage process model of how hybrid organizations respond to specif... more In this paper, we derive a four-stage process model of how hybrid organizations respond to specific challenges that arise under conditions of value pluralism and institutional complexity. Engaging in exploratory qualitative research of six Australian hybrid organizations, we identify institutional and organizational responses to pluralism, particularly as organizations strive to uphold multiple value commitments, such as social, environmental and/or financial outcomes. We find that by employing a process of separating, negotiating, aggregating, and subjectively assessing the value that is created, our cases demonstrate how they move between logics in a dynamic fashion and address specific challenges of cognitive dissonance, incommensurability, interdependence and aggregation. Our model contributes to the literature by reframing the notion of 'tensions' that arise in conditions of hybridity and characterize specific challenges and sequential responses that may go some way to addressing why some hybrids employ particular responses to pluralism and why some succeed.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Jun 10, 2019
This article provides new insights into sustainable innovation through the lens of business model... more This article provides new insights into sustainable innovation through the lens of business model innovation for sustainability. The article presents a case study of a new and underexplored business model for sustainability, the BCorp model. BCorps are profit-orientated businesses certified to meet rigorous standards in relation to environmental and social performance, accountability, and transparency. This article examines the strategy, structure, and practices of an Australian BCorp and the tensions in reconciling economic, social, and environmental imperatives. The study found that the BCorp focuses on the social and economic aspects, with environmental performance only just recently being addressed in response to its poor performance on the environmental categories in the BCorp certification process. The social and economic aspects are strongly integrated in some practices (e.g., recruitment and marketing), but trying to balance these two has created tensions and conflict in other areas (e.g., ownership structure, performance measurement, sales, and product design). The study contributes to understanding the structures, strategies, and practices that facilitate sustainable innovation initiatives, the tensions that arise, and how they are managed.
Business Strategy and The Environment, Aug 31, 2016
Sustainable entrepreneurship contributes to solving social and environmental problems through the... more Sustainable entrepreneurship contributes to solving social and environmental problems through the means of successful for-profit businesses. This paper contributes to understanding how sustainable entrepreneurship is implemented by exploring an emerging new form of business, 'B Corps', that employs market tactics to address social and environmental issues. Through interviewing 14 B Corps, the exploratory research study found that B Corps treat profit as a means to achieve positive societal ends, they regard the B Corp model as a tool for change, the B Corp model provides a common collective identity for internal and external validation, they are focused on societal impact rather than maximizing profits and they attempt to legitimate this form of sustainable entrepreneurship by influencing the business community and government officials.
Abstract As the dominant producers of industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, companies have a... more Abstract As the dominant producers of industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, companies have a vital role to play in efforts to mitigate global warming. Focussing on scope 1 and 2 emissions alone can distort a firm's GHG estimates as scope 3 emissions often ...
Hybrid business models are an emerging phenomenon that employs market tactics to address social a... more Hybrid business models are an emerging phenomenon that employs market tactics to address social and environmental issues. The B Corp model is one form of a hybrid model, with the first B Corp certified in the USA in 2007. It has emerged, in part, in response to recent global financial crises and low levels of trust in corporations. The B Corp model is a for-profit, socially obligated, corporate form of business, with traditional corporate characteristics but also with societal commitments. This report discusses the outcomes of a study into how the B Corp model is emerging in Australia. The purpose of this study was largely exploratory-few academic studies have investigated B Corps and the first Australian B Corps were only certified in 2012. This report captures the experiences of the early adopters of the B Corp model in Australia: their approach to business; their motivation for adopting the B Corp model; the benefits and challenges of implementing the model; how they measure success; and, how the B Corp model could become more widespread. Fourteen B Corps participated in the study. The research data revealed a consistency of views about the primary aim of the B Corps, which can be summarised as profit with a purposemaking profits to create positive social and/or environmental impacts. The key motivation for certifying as a B Corp was the alignment of values and a formal validation of the companies' business philosophy and approach. The ability to connect with like-minded businesses and the potential for inter-B Corp business development was attractive to B Corps, acknowledging the high level of trust generated by the shared values of the B Corp network. While the B Corp label was a strong driver, it is early days and major tangible benefits are yet to be realised. The B Corps identified few barriers for implementing the B Corp model in Australia, but larger B Corps hinted at challenges with changing the culture of the organisation to align all employees with the B Corp values. Success was not gauged by maximising profits for owners/shareholders, but the impacts the businesses are making. Profits are a means to achieve positive social and environmental contributions. Without government support for the B Corp model (through legislative changes or mechanisms such as tax incentives), mainstreaming the model will take time and will require increasing advocacy, awareness-building and education, and lobbying powerful stakeholders such as government directly and/or through coalitions such as industry bodies.
Traditional approaches to sustainability , such as philanthropy, corporate social responsibility,... more Traditional approaches to sustainability , such as philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and product innovation are insufficient to radically transform business and society toward genuine, substantive sustainable development. New hybrid business models are emerging that employ market tactics to address sustainable development issues. B Corps are a hybrid organization exemplar, blending traditionally for-profit practices with traditionally non-profit practices to address social and/or environmental issues. This chapter provides insights into how B Corps integrate for-profit (market logic) and for-purpose (social logic) considerations into their business models, drawing on interviews with 15 Australian B Corps. The research study found that social and market logics are strongly integrated in some areas (e.g., mission, recruitment and marketing) but trying to balance these two logics has created tensions and conflict in other areas (e.g., ownership structure, performance measurement, sales and distribution, product design and development). The findings emphasize the importance of creating a common organizational identity that strikes a balance between the logics to moderate conflict and one logic dominating over another. The B Corps are attempting to do this by instantiating the market and social logics in their missions, recruitment and socialization practices (remuneration, communication and training practices).
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Jun 19, 2012
The ‘greening’ of mega-sporting events such as the Olympic Games (OG) has become an increasing pr... more The ‘greening’ of mega-sporting events such as the Olympic Games (OG) has become an increasing priority of event organizers in the past two decades. This paper explores the legacies from the greening of the OG through an analysis of Beijing 2008, Singapore 2010, and London 2012, drawing on interviews with key stakeholders. While each OG is different, the key determinants for green legacies include: the breadth and depth of environmental commitments during the bid process; embedding sustainability in the vision, mission and branding of organizing committees; embedding sustainability in various aspects of OG organization, which is an important practical application of a sustainability vision; and the transfer of knowledge from one OG to the next, allowing newer host cities to enhance green legacies. The findings indicate institutionalization of elements of sustainability in the OG with legitimation and mimetic processes at play. The study found that legitimation is a key strategy during the bidding process and in operations of the OG.
Several decades have passed since business academics and practitioners acknowledged that environm... more Several decades have passed since business academics and practitioners acknowledged that environmental and socio-economic sustainability were critically important business values and features. In t...
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Jul 11, 2008
Purpose-This paper seeks to describe a framework used to help MBA students understand and reconci... more Purpose-This paper seeks to describe a framework used to help MBA students understand and reconcile the different sustainability perspectives. Design/methodology/approach-A review of the corporate sustainability literature is undertaken to develop the sustainability framework. Findings-The sustainability framework relates basic concepts and assumptions within the ecocentric, ecological modernization and neoclassical paradigms to organizational practice and behavior. For the most part, the MBA students have only been exposed to neoclassical economic thinking within the other MBA subjects. The aim of the sustainability framework is to shift the students' thinking by engaging with sustainability from different perspectives, rather than presenting one version of sustainability to them. The framework has proven to be useful in developing critical and reflective thinking and discussion. Originality/value-The paper provides a summary of sustainability concepts as applied to business practices and describes how this is used in teaching sustainability to business students.
Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society
Purpose This paper aims to understand whether, and if so how, the United Nations’ Sustainable Dev... more Purpose This paper aims to understand whether, and if so how, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) influence large companies’ adoption and implementation of a broader corporate purpose, beyond profit maximization. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a multiple-case study method, data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 28 managers from 16 large companies in Australia and Japan, and from secondary sources. Grounded theory methods were used to analyze the data and draw out key findings. Findings The study revealed the influence of the SDGs on corporate purpose depends on the SDG integration level: where and how the SDGs are integrated into management practices. The influence was more significant when the companies implemented the SDGs at a normative level compared to those implementing the SDGs at a strategic and/or operational level. Research limitations/implications Due to the exploratory nature of the study, the sample size is limited and covers...
In this paper, we derive a four-stage process model of how hybrid organizations respond to specif... more In this paper, we derive a four-stage process model of how hybrid organizations respond to specific challenges that arise under conditions of value pluralism and institutional complexity. Engaging in exploratory qualitative research of six Australian hybrid organizations, we identify institutional and organizational responses to pluralism, particularly as organizations strive to uphold multiple value commitments, such as social, environmental and/or financial outcomes. We find that by employing a process of separating, negotiating, aggregating, and subjectively assessing the value that is created, our cases demonstrate how they move between logics in a dynamic fashion and address specific challenges of cognitive dissonance, incommensurability, interdependence and aggregation. Our model contributes to the literature by reframing the notion of 'tensions' that arise in conditions of hybridity and characterize specific challenges and sequential responses that may go some way to addressing why some hybrids employ particular responses to pluralism and why some succeed.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Jun 10, 2019
This article provides new insights into sustainable innovation through the lens of business model... more This article provides new insights into sustainable innovation through the lens of business model innovation for sustainability. The article presents a case study of a new and underexplored business model for sustainability, the BCorp model. BCorps are profit-orientated businesses certified to meet rigorous standards in relation to environmental and social performance, accountability, and transparency. This article examines the strategy, structure, and practices of an Australian BCorp and the tensions in reconciling economic, social, and environmental imperatives. The study found that the BCorp focuses on the social and economic aspects, with environmental performance only just recently being addressed in response to its poor performance on the environmental categories in the BCorp certification process. The social and economic aspects are strongly integrated in some practices (e.g., recruitment and marketing), but trying to balance these two has created tensions and conflict in other areas (e.g., ownership structure, performance measurement, sales, and product design). The study contributes to understanding the structures, strategies, and practices that facilitate sustainable innovation initiatives, the tensions that arise, and how they are managed.
Business Strategy and The Environment, Aug 31, 2016
Sustainable entrepreneurship contributes to solving social and environmental problems through the... more Sustainable entrepreneurship contributes to solving social and environmental problems through the means of successful for-profit businesses. This paper contributes to understanding how sustainable entrepreneurship is implemented by exploring an emerging new form of business, 'B Corps', that employs market tactics to address social and environmental issues. Through interviewing 14 B Corps, the exploratory research study found that B Corps treat profit as a means to achieve positive societal ends, they regard the B Corp model as a tool for change, the B Corp model provides a common collective identity for internal and external validation, they are focused on societal impact rather than maximizing profits and they attempt to legitimate this form of sustainable entrepreneurship by influencing the business community and government officials.
Abstract As the dominant producers of industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, companies have a... more Abstract As the dominant producers of industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, companies have a vital role to play in efforts to mitigate global warming. Focussing on scope 1 and 2 emissions alone can distort a firm's GHG estimates as scope 3 emissions often ...
Hybrid business models are an emerging phenomenon that employs market tactics to address social a... more Hybrid business models are an emerging phenomenon that employs market tactics to address social and environmental issues. The B Corp model is one form of a hybrid model, with the first B Corp certified in the USA in 2007. It has emerged, in part, in response to recent global financial crises and low levels of trust in corporations. The B Corp model is a for-profit, socially obligated, corporate form of business, with traditional corporate characteristics but also with societal commitments. This report discusses the outcomes of a study into how the B Corp model is emerging in Australia. The purpose of this study was largely exploratory-few academic studies have investigated B Corps and the first Australian B Corps were only certified in 2012. This report captures the experiences of the early adopters of the B Corp model in Australia: their approach to business; their motivation for adopting the B Corp model; the benefits and challenges of implementing the model; how they measure success; and, how the B Corp model could become more widespread. Fourteen B Corps participated in the study. The research data revealed a consistency of views about the primary aim of the B Corps, which can be summarised as profit with a purposemaking profits to create positive social and/or environmental impacts. The key motivation for certifying as a B Corp was the alignment of values and a formal validation of the companies' business philosophy and approach. The ability to connect with like-minded businesses and the potential for inter-B Corp business development was attractive to B Corps, acknowledging the high level of trust generated by the shared values of the B Corp network. While the B Corp label was a strong driver, it is early days and major tangible benefits are yet to be realised. The B Corps identified few barriers for implementing the B Corp model in Australia, but larger B Corps hinted at challenges with changing the culture of the organisation to align all employees with the B Corp values. Success was not gauged by maximising profits for owners/shareholders, but the impacts the businesses are making. Profits are a means to achieve positive social and environmental contributions. Without government support for the B Corp model (through legislative changes or mechanisms such as tax incentives), mainstreaming the model will take time and will require increasing advocacy, awareness-building and education, and lobbying powerful stakeholders such as government directly and/or through coalitions such as industry bodies.
Traditional approaches to sustainability , such as philanthropy, corporate social responsibility,... more Traditional approaches to sustainability , such as philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and product innovation are insufficient to radically transform business and society toward genuine, substantive sustainable development. New hybrid business models are emerging that employ market tactics to address sustainable development issues. B Corps are a hybrid organization exemplar, blending traditionally for-profit practices with traditionally non-profit practices to address social and/or environmental issues. This chapter provides insights into how B Corps integrate for-profit (market logic) and for-purpose (social logic) considerations into their business models, drawing on interviews with 15 Australian B Corps. The research study found that social and market logics are strongly integrated in some areas (e.g., mission, recruitment and marketing) but trying to balance these two logics has created tensions and conflict in other areas (e.g., ownership structure, performance measurement, sales and distribution, product design and development). The findings emphasize the importance of creating a common organizational identity that strikes a balance between the logics to moderate conflict and one logic dominating over another. The B Corps are attempting to do this by instantiating the market and social logics in their missions, recruitment and socialization practices (remuneration, communication and training practices).
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Jun 19, 2012
The ‘greening’ of mega-sporting events such as the Olympic Games (OG) has become an increasing pr... more The ‘greening’ of mega-sporting events such as the Olympic Games (OG) has become an increasing priority of event organizers in the past two decades. This paper explores the legacies from the greening of the OG through an analysis of Beijing 2008, Singapore 2010, and London 2012, drawing on interviews with key stakeholders. While each OG is different, the key determinants for green legacies include: the breadth and depth of environmental commitments during the bid process; embedding sustainability in the vision, mission and branding of organizing committees; embedding sustainability in various aspects of OG organization, which is an important practical application of a sustainability vision; and the transfer of knowledge from one OG to the next, allowing newer host cities to enhance green legacies. The findings indicate institutionalization of elements of sustainability in the OG with legitimation and mimetic processes at play. The study found that legitimation is a key strategy during the bidding process and in operations of the OG.
Several decades have passed since business academics and practitioners acknowledged that environm... more Several decades have passed since business academics and practitioners acknowledged that environmental and socio-economic sustainability were critically important business values and features. In t...
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Jul 11, 2008
Purpose-This paper seeks to describe a framework used to help MBA students understand and reconci... more Purpose-This paper seeks to describe a framework used to help MBA students understand and reconcile the different sustainability perspectives. Design/methodology/approach-A review of the corporate sustainability literature is undertaken to develop the sustainability framework. Findings-The sustainability framework relates basic concepts and assumptions within the ecocentric, ecological modernization and neoclassical paradigms to organizational practice and behavior. For the most part, the MBA students have only been exposed to neoclassical economic thinking within the other MBA subjects. The aim of the sustainability framework is to shift the students' thinking by engaging with sustainability from different perspectives, rather than presenting one version of sustainability to them. The framework has proven to be useful in developing critical and reflective thinking and discussion. Originality/value-The paper provides a summary of sustainability concepts as applied to business practices and describes how this is used in teaching sustainability to business students.
Uploads
Papers by Wendy Stubbs