Sustainable development is one of the key challenges of our time. It has social, ecological and economic dimensions, which makes it also a multi-faceted and complex problem. International Business scholars have stressed that the Multinational Enterprise should be considered the most important vehicle through which sustainable development occurs in
This book addresses the gap between innovative technologies and their adoption. It showcases research, feasibility studies and projects that demonstrate a variety of ways to implement environmental sustainability in globally operating firms, as well as best practices in areas such as international management, adoption of cleaner technologies, global supply chains, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and transportation. The book provides state-of-the-art information on issues including: Global sustainable management practices Global sustainable food and agricultural markets Global responsible mining and energy Global sustainable sourcing Global sustainable transportation Global conservation innovations and investments Presenting expert contributions from industry, government and academia, discussing a variety of themes and perspectives on the topic "international business as a positive force of environmental sustainability” it is a vital resource for stakeholders in the international business community.
This innovative and engaging book discusses the contribution of business to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. It critically analyses selected impact measurement and management tools to highlight their respective benefits and limitations, and also provides guidance on critical management decisions to support high-quality impact measurement and management. The analyses underlying this book are the result of a three year research project conducted by an international consortium in the EU-funded research project GLOBAL VALUE – Managing Business Impact on Development. The research is complemented by examples from corporate practice and expert interviews to demonstrate and measure the contribution of business to sustainable development in the context of the SDGs.
The book offers new critical insights into the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development in Africa. The extent to which CSR initiatives can contribute to sustainable development in Africa remains debatable. This book examines in a very clear structure how, when, and whether CSR initiatives are able to contribute to the realization of the sustainable development goals, peace, and environmental sustainability at the micro-levels of society. It also explores some macro-level issues such as the relationship between taxation and CSR, CSR and human rights, and CSR and public governance and, in so doing, challenges existing CSR dogmas. With themes aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this book provides useful practical guidance for policymakers and business leaders seeking to better understand the strength and limitations of CSR as a vehicle for advancing sustainable development in Africa. It will also appeal to scholars, researchers, and students of African studies, development studies, international business, strategic management, and business and society.
This is the first in a two volume study of Corporate Social Responsibility and corporate behaviour from around the world, taking in viewpoints from five continents and over ten countries. These case studies present a detailed analysis of best practice in the corporate world in the areas of social ethics and community engagement.
"The forces of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) in today's world are shaping businesses and calling into question the wisdom of existing business models. VUCA challenges businesses to digitalize and transform in ways they had not contemplated before. This book looks at how successful businesses have revitalized and innovated their business models. It illustrates through cases how these businesses have adapted to new forms of globalization through the lens of Business Model Innovation (BMI) theories in a digital world. This book's chapters are divided into three sections. The first section examines the existing literature, the second section focuses on business processes and behaviour, and lastly the third section presents four case studies of sustainable international businesses from sectors such the fashion and digital services industry. Paying attention to business decisions and outcomes, the contributors critically examine which theories and practices would be most applicable for a digitally transforming world. This book provides insights that will interest researchers and academics in the fields of sustainable business, organizational change, and digital transformation, amongst others. Its observations into sustainable digital transformation may also interest business leaders and consultants"--
International businesses struggle to be competitive and influential at the global market level. With the new ideas in the management and leadership disciplines, hard skills are losing or are believed to be losing their strategic relevance while soft skills are praised and highly sought after. The Handbook of Research on International Business and Models for Global Purpose-Driven Companies, a pivotal reference source, provides vital research on international business management strategies and applications within internal organizations that allow companies to strategically position themselves for increased success in the global economy. While highlighting topics such as organizational culture, internal communication, and generational workforce, this publication explores leadership disciplines as well as the methods of handling multicultural organizations. This book is ideally designed for entrepreneurs, executives, managers, business professionals, human resource officials, researchers, academicians, and students.
This book provides an expansive review of the public goods theme and highlights the inherent linkage between sustainable development and corporate responsibility for improving the current and future welfare of communities both at home and abroad. The main proposition here is that sustainable development is focused on preserving and maintaining public goods. Consequently, whoever uses public goods is liable for their preservation, their maintenance, and, where they are underdeveloped, for their expansion. Successful delivery, both now and in the future, depends on a positive relationship of the public sector with the private sector. This book will serve to stimulate discussions of scholars and policy makers in the field of sustainable development with business leaders, and will close the gap between the public and the private sectors by building a common understanding and common methodologies for implementing and measuring sustainable development in the macro- and the micro-spheres.
The intersection of business, peace and sustainable development is becoming an increasingly powerful space, and is already beginning to show the capability to drive major global change. This book deciphers how different forms of corporate engagement in the pursuit of peace and development have different impacts and outcomes. It looks specifically at how the private sector can better deliver peace contributions in fragile, violent and conflict settings and then at the deeper consequences of this agenda upon businesses, governments, international institutions and not least the local communities that are presumed to be the beneficiaries of such actions. It is the first book to compile the state-of-the-field in one place and is therefore an essential guide for students, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners on the role of business in peace. Without cross-disciplinary engagement, it is hard to identify where the cutting edge truly lies, and how to take the topic forward in a more systematic manner. This edited book brings together thought leaders in the field and pulls disparate strands together from business ethics, management, international relations, peace and conflict studies in order to better understand how businesses can contribute to peacebuilding and sustainable development. Before businesses take a deeper role in the most complicated and risky elements of sustainable development, we need to be able to better explain what works, why it works, and what effective business efforts for peace and development mean for the multilateral institutional frameworks. This book does just that.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, are expected to chart a course for development over the next 15 years. The 17 SDGs cover poverty, health, sustainable development, and the environment, among others, but not trade. This book shows that international trade can contribute to achieving all SDGs. It maps out a triple-win scenario where good trade policy (i) spurs international trade, (ii) contributes to development, and (iii) helps achieve the SDGs.
