‘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? […]
Subject: Sustainability
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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Crisis Communication: Emphasize the Positive
Some people are motivated by growth goals — goals that reflect aspirations and ambitions. In psychological terms, these people are promotion-oriented. In contrast, prevention-oriented people are motivated by goals that stress responsibility and safety. The word ‘prevention’ is used since their motivation is often framed by something they want to avoid. For example, prevention-oriented people […]
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Meeting Sustainability Priorities in Competitive Operational Strategies
Company follow different strategies in their quest for competitive advantage. For example, some companies compete on price. Other companies try to differentiate themselves from competitors through their capabilities. Still others draw their competitive advantage from their flexibility and innovation. At the operations level, the strategic direction chosen by the company leads to a set of […]
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Collaborate with Suppliers to Ensure Green Practices in the Supply Chain
Many companies recognize the reputational risk of the environmental reputation of their suppliers. As a result, companies launch green supply chain management (GSCM) initiatives, working with suppliers to ensure that their activities and processes are environmentally friendly. There are two ways for companies to engage with suppliers on environmental issues. One is to monitor their […]
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How Social Movements Spark Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives
What is the role of social movements in inspiring or sparking corporate social responsibility? To answer this question, Panayiotis Georgallis of the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise builds on the academic research related to social movements and to corporate social responsibility, which are two distinct fields of research. Social movements are […]
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How Corporate Governance Impacts Human Resources
Corporate governance systems are the systems through which a company is controlled and directed. Public corporations will have boards of directors responsible for ensuring that management is acting in the best interests of the company. Strategic human resource management (SHRM) is based on the belief that human resource decisions must be aligned with the strategy […]
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The Rise of Integrated Corporate Reporting
As our perception of corporate governance has evolved, the need for a new and comprehensive way to report on an organization’s performance and sustainability has become apparent. One that takes account not only of financial performance and compliance issues, but one that also looks at an organization's strategy, overall governance, performance and commercial outlook – […]
Reusable Grocery Bags: How Green Customers Help the Environment-and Your Business
When people do good things, they reward themselves. This is the conclusion of a number of previous studies into the psychology of doing good deeds. Two researchers from Harvard Business School and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business explored through their own series of studies the business implications of this previous psychological research. The researchers […]
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Corporate Values: Translating Platitudes into Sustainable Practices
Organizational values can exemplify the old saying that “words are cheap.” Inspiring words about ethics, diversity or sustainability etched on a lobby wall mean nothing if they are not reflected in the performance of actual practices within the organization. While such practices might seem to be developed and formulated at the top management level and […]
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