Sustaining Sustainability in Organizations

摘要

The importance of social issues and the natural environment to societies and firms has dramatically evolved in the preceding 50 years. Corporate managers are becoming aware of the need to broaden their goals, beyond the traditional financial expectations. Since the term sustainability has entered the business world, an ever increasing number of firms realize the importance of sustainability and emphasize the social and environmental goals of their organizations (Bansal 2005; Hoffman 1999; GRI 2011). How seriously are these goals considered in corporate strategy? Is sustainability a trendy buzzword without any substantial meaning for operational processes? Or, can we observe tangible improvements in corporate social and environmental performance over time? These and related questions lead to an overarching question: How can sustainability be sustained in organizations?