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.... 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...
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Research Interests: Education, Corporate Social Responsibility, Curriculum Design, Sustainability in Higher Education, Political Science, and 11 moreCase Studies, Curriculum Development, Social Responsibility, Curriculum, Environmental Sciences, Models, Academic achievement, Originality, Design Methodology, Mainstream, and Sustainability
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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... 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 ...
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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... 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).
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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... 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.
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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...
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Addressing major global environmental and social challenges requires transformation of the private sector. Small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute 90% of private organisations globally, resulting in calls for research into... more
Addressing major global environmental and social challenges requires transformation of the private sector. Small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute 90% of private organisations globally, resulting in calls for research into the strategic roles SMEs can play in shaping sustainable futures through adopting sustainable business models (SBMs). The purpose of our study is to understand the factors that allow SMEs to successfully adopt SBMs. We used an exploratory qualitative approach drawing on interviews with SMEs implementing SBMs. Our findings extend contemporary insights by revealing the important role of the external support (‘enabling’) environment, and identifying—potentially transformative—capabilities that can help steer SMEs’ transitions to SBMs. These include persistence, tenacity, flexibility, adaptability, and a willingness to learn and fail. They enable SMEs to successfully operate in times of uncertainty and rapid changes in the external environment, and respon...
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Purpose-driven businesses have a stated objective to contribute to the welfare of society and the planet alongside generating shareholder value. As interest in purpose-driven businesses grows, an emerging “purpose ecosystem” of advisers,... more
Purpose-driven businesses have a stated objective to contribute to the welfare of society and the planet alongside generating shareholder value. As interest in purpose-driven businesses grows, an emerging “purpose ecosystem” of advisers, investors, and enablers offers different types of support for businesses wanting to transition to sustainability. This paper examines how the transition towards purpose-driven business in Australia and the United Kingdom requires addressing challenges facing this support ecosystem at three levels. First, at the individual level where support providers need to build the capabilities of managers who are experiencing tensions around integrating societal and environmental purpose while facing pressure for maximizing shareholder value. Second, the support providers working within the purpose ecosystem offering professional advice and finance face their own tensions between environmental or social objectives and commercial pressures. Third, there are challenges facing actors in the ecosystems aiming to change the wider policy and institutional environment but facing lobbying from those wanting to keep “business as usual.” We identify practical implications for those parts of the purpose-driven business ecosystem providing support. This includes building capabilities to combine social, environmental, and commercial purpose; coordination among support providers; and creating an institutional environment to avoid “purpose wash.”
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Today's sustainability challenges require significant transformative shifts in the private sector, particularly driven by new, potentially also more informal, forms of governance. A variety of sustainability-oriented intermediary... more
Today's sustainability challenges require significant transformative shifts in the private sector, particularly driven by new, potentially also more informal, forms of governance. A variety of sustainability-oriented intermediary organisations encourage and support businesses to become purpose-driven to address social and environmental sustainability issues beyond maximising profit. We conduct interviews with these intermediaries to theorise how and why the broad concept of purpose might be used as an informal means to steer and transform business-society relations. We find that by invoking notions of systemic goal alignment and individual goal alignment, the simultaneous use of two contrasting but complementary frames allows intermediaries to appeal to and potentially engage a variety of audiences in their efforts to changing businesses and the economic system. Our research contributes to literatures on how the framing of purpose in business is used as an informal governance approach for driving a sustainability transformation.
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This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf.... more
This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.
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The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, and the unprecedented social and economic costs it has inflicted, provide an important opportunity to scrutinize the interplay between the resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the... more
The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, and the unprecedented social and economic costs it has inflicted, provide an important opportunity to scrutinize the interplay between the resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the resilience of the communities they are embedded in. In this article, we articulate the specific ways that SMEs play a crucial, and underappreciated role in building resilience to human and natural hazards, and provide new opportunities to accelerate the adoption of sustainability practices through the configuration of ‘enabling ecosystems’ geared towards promoting sustainability in the private sector. We argue that capacity-building and experimentation are not only required within companies, but also throughout this emerging supportive ecosystem of policies, resources (i.e. finance, materials, skills), governance actors, and intermediaries to adequately focus investment, technical capabilities and innovation. Ultimately, we call for a new transdiscipl...
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In this paper we explore the nature of the emerging purpose ecosystem and its role in transforming and supporting business to help address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We argue that interactions among its ‘private actors’,... more
In this paper we explore the nature of the emerging purpose ecosystem and its role in transforming and supporting business to help address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We argue that interactions among its ‘private actors’, who share efforts and belief in changing and redefining the purpose and nature of business by advocating broader non-financial performance outcomes, have the potential to contribute to a wider sustainability-oriented transformation of the business sector. Through interview data collected in the UK and Australia, we identify six main roles that characterise the activities and interactions among its actors and their stakeholders. Our research contributes to expanding knowledge on the emerging phenomenon of the purpose ecosystem and how its actors support the achievement of the UN SDGs by seeking to change the purpose of business and integrating the goals into their operations and engagements with stakeholders.
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The market logic has dominated since the 1970s, with increasing pressure from the financial community and the market for corporate control. However, the dominance of the market logic is being challenged by the emergence of new common-good... more
The market logic has dominated since the 1970s, with increasing pressure from the financial community and the market for corporate control. However, the dominance of the market logic is being challenged by the emergence of new common-good mission-centred hybrid organizations that blend market and social logics. This paper explores the experience of 14 Australian companies who are implementing a hybrid B Corp model to understand how they make sense of, and combine, commercial and social logics. By examining the dynamics of commercial and social logics in B Corps, the paper contributes to better understanding the consequences of institutional complexity and the challenges, and opportunities, hybrid organizations face in combining elements of multiple logics. The research found that the B Corp form provides a common collective identity for the companies to adopt as it aligned with their values and the way that they were already doing business. The B Corp identity provides a visible way of classifying the typ...
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This is the summary report of the Warwick-Monash Alliance funded Catalyst project on the Purpose Ecosystem and Earth System Governance. The aim of this project was to explore the role and agency of the ‘purpose ecosystem’ in contributing... more
This is the summary report of the Warwick-Monash Alliance funded Catalyst project on the Purpose Ecosystem and Earth System Governance. The aim of this project was to explore the role and agency of the ‘purpose ecosystem’ in contributing to Earth System Governance. Specifically, we examined if, and how, this emerging purpose ecosystem could represent an innovative form of private governance to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our initial findings suggest that this emerging purpose ecosystem could play a vital role in helping address sustainability challenges and support the achievement of the UN SDGs. To reach its full potential, however, a number of barriers and challenges need to be addressed through critical evaluation, greater collaboration and information sharing.
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The Anthropocene requires significant shifts and innovation in policy as well as human action and behavior. While much research attention has focused on society and policy makers, we know significantly less about how businesses exercise... more
The Anthropocene requires significant shifts and innovation in policy as well as human action and behavior. While much research attention has focused on society and policy makers, we know significantly less about how businesses exercise agency as part of Earth System Governance such as their contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Concerns are mounting over how large corporations are being governed and how businesses generally should operate in the Anthropocene. In this Perspective, we outline three potential high-impact areas for interdisciplinary research: (1) integrating global goals into corporate target-setting; (2) integrating global goals into codes of corporate governance; and (3) integrating global goals into new business models. We argue that understanding the role that corporate actors play in Earth System Governance is of vital importance to ensure efforts and outcomes are effective and equitable.
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ABSTRACT 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... more
ABSTRACT 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 purpose – making 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.
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According to one perspective, organizations will only be sustainable if the dominant neoclassical model of the firm is transformed, rather than supplemented, by social and environmental priorities. This article seeks to develop a... more
According to one perspective, organizations will only be sustainable if the dominant neoclassical model of the firm is transformed, rather than supplemented, by social and environmental priorities. This article seeks to develop a “sustainability business model” (SBM)—a model where sustainability concepts shape the driving force of the firm and its decision making. The SBM is drawn from two case studies of organizations considered to be leaders in operationalizing sustainability and is informed by the ecological modernization perspective of sustainability. The analysis reveals that organizations adopting a SBM must develop internal structural and cultural capabilities to achieve firm-level sustainability and collaborate with key stakeholders to achieve sustainability for the system that an organization is part of.
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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a pedagogical approach for designing a coursework curriculum that aims to meet the growing need for skilled professionals that have competencies in both business and sustainability, and that... more
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a pedagogical approach for designing a coursework curriculum that aims to meet the growing need for skilled professionals that have competencies in both business and sustainability, and that understand the nexus between the two.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a pedagogical approach discussed in the education for sustainability literature to analyse the CESM program. The pedagogical approach focuses on developing students' knowledge, skills and attitudes (behaviours) in sustainability.FindingsThe Knowledge‐Skills‐Attitudes (KSA) framework is a suitable pedagogical approach to guide the design of sustainability management education programs that prepare students for systemic organizational change. A KSA approach to designing sustainability management education curricula can also address the criticisms of current business management curricula by other scholars.Originality/valueThe discussion of the MCESM program in this artic...
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Abstract Using a case study approach, this article examines how an Australian bank supports and invests in social sustainability using a community development approach. Bendigo Bank's community engagement model (CEM) is... more
Abstract Using a case study approach, this article examines how an Australian bank supports and invests in social sustainability using a community development approach. Bendigo Bank's community engagement model (CEM) is consistent with a stakeholder ...
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PurposeThis paper seeks to describe a framework used to help MBA students understand and reconcile the different sustainability perspectives.Design/methodology/approachA review of the corporate sustainability literature is undertaken to... more
PurposeThis paper seeks to describe a framework used to help MBA students understand and reconcile the different sustainability perspectives.Design/methodology/approachA review of the corporate sustainability literature is undertaken to develop the sustainability framework.FindingsThe 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/valueThe paper provides a summary of sustainability concepts as applied to business practices...
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Organisations can analyse their contribution to anthropogenic global warming by assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the full lifecycle of the products and services they sell. Focusing on scope 1 and 2 emissions alone can... more
Organisations can analyse their contribution to anthropogenic global warming by assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the full lifecycle of the products and services they sell. Focusing on scope 1 and 2 emissions alone can distort a firm’s GHG estimates as scope 3 emissions often constitute a significant part of a its overall GHG footprint, up to seventy-five percent in many firms. Lack of knowledge of scope 3 emissions inhibits a firm’s ability to pursue the most cost-effective carbon mitigation strategies. This paper investigates the methods and data currently used by Australian organisations to assess their scope 3 emissions. It sheds light on what constitutes ‘best practice’ in producing a complete emissions inventory. The research study found that ‘best practice’ includes thirteen scope 3 emission sources. However, a comprehensive scope 3 assessment would include the twenty-two generic emission sources identified from the research participants.
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