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Sustainability Archives - Ideas for Leaders

Enlightened Shareholder Value: Linking CSR and Long-Term Shareholder Value

Photo by Fas Khan on Unsplash

Discussion of corporate social responsibility is typically framed within the either-or debate on the purpose of a corporation pitting those who believe the purpose of a corporation is to increase shareholder value against those who believe the purpose of a corporation must incorporate the interests of all stakeholders. The concept of Enlightened Shareholder Value (ESV) […]

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Reward Executives for Environmental and Social Success

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

A significantly increasing number of companies—from 3% in 2010 to more than 30% in 2021—are incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics, in their executive compensation plans. The number of global companies incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics—e.g., lower carbon emissions, greater diversity, or a positive, effective company culture—in their executive compensation plans have […]

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How Social Activist Roles in Companies Become Deradicalized

Photo by Leonardo Basso on Unsplash

Social movements in society lead to transformations in the companies and organizations within that society. The environmental movement led to environmentally friendly practices and processes, for example. Movements for the rights of women and minorities led to efforts by companies to promote women and diversify their workforces. While companies will face pressure from outside groups […]

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Corporate Purpose Inspires Employee Sustainability Behaviours

Image by 政徳 吉田 from Pixabay

The business world has increasingly accepted the concept of a corporate purpose that extends beyond profit and shareholder value. More and more companies recognize that their core purpose is to benefit all stakeholders, including customers, employees, and suppliers, as well as their communities and society at large. Sustainability is a key element in a company’s […]

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Why Companies Reduce Environmental Management Practices after Environmental Accidents

Huntington Beach oil rig with oil spill, 2021. Photo by Arvind Vallabh on Unsplash.

The economic, social, and environmental impacts of a spill and pollution (SP) accident can last for years. At the company level, SP accidents will generate negative publicity, damage share price and market values, and hurt the company’s reputation—in addition to potentially costing a company millions of dollars in clean-up costs and other expenses. Between 2015 […]

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How to Keep Your AI Ethical

While the technological capabilities and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought significant change to multiple facets of business and even society, the core of AI is still machines, not humans. And while these machines can learn, they cannot discern right from wrong—unless we deliberately step in to add an ethical dimension to AI. Where […]

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To Inspire Recycling, Describe the Product to Come

Governments, companies and consumers all generally agree on the importance of recycling for environmental reasons. The challenge is turning awareness into action. Governments and non-governmental organizations are taking steps to encourage consumer recycling through public service announcements and public policy, while companies are attempting to make more of their products from recyclable materials. Consumers, however, […]

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Typical Air Quality in Offices Hurts Cognitive Function

Over a period of six days, a team of researchers recreated a variety of air quality conditions, and simultaneously conducted cognitive tests of volunteers under the various conditions to determine whether poor or even average air quality impacts our cognitive abilities. Manipulating in a laboratory setting the amount of airborne Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which […]

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CSR Benefits to Society from Private Companies Are Greater than from Public Companies

‘Greenwashing’ is a new term that describes the actions of companies whose corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities prove to be more window-dressing than action. Two Michigan Ross professors, Jun Li and Di (Andrew) Wu used a set of databases as proxies to answer a complex and important question: Does corporate social responsibility really benefit society? […]

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Sustainability-driven Hybrid Companies Challenge Business Dogma

Corporate sustainability has become mainstream. Few companies would argue today – as they argued in the past – that the only responsibility companies have to society is to make a profit. Today, corporations proudly describe their social responsibility initiatives. Nardia Haigh of the School of Business at University of Massachusetts, Boston and Andrew Hoffman of […]

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