IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i8p6706-d1124394.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Triple Bottom Line, Sustainability, and Economic Development: What Binds Them Together? A Bibliometric Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Elisabete Nogueira

    (Research on Economics, Management and Information Technologies, REMIT, Portucalense University, Rua Dr. António Bernardino Almeida, 541-619, P 4200-072 Porto, Portugal)

  • Sofia Gomes

    (Research on Economics, Management and Information Technologies, REMIT, Portucalense University, Rua Dr. António Bernardino Almeida, 541-619, P 4200-072 Porto, Portugal)

  • João M. Lopes

    (Miguel Torga Institute of Higher Education & NECE-UBI—Research Unit in Business Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Estrada do Sineiro, s/n, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal)

Abstract

The importance given to sustainable development paved the way for the development of the triple bottom line (TBL) concept. TBL is vital for the assessment of nations’ economic development (ED) beyond traditional economic measures. Despite this relevance, few studies still seek to deepen our understanding of the interaction between TLB and ED. Thus, this bibliometric study aimed to analyse the relationship between TBL, sustainability, and ED, adding business strategy concepts such as competitiveness, decision making, planning, and performance. We intended to reinforce the extension of TBL’s dominant rhetoric to sustainable ED. The results revealed the relationship between TBL and ED and allowed the identification of four clusters, from which a theoretical–conceptual model of the theory and application of TBL to achieve ED was formulated. This model can be adopted for the consolidation of ED through the TBL framework and as a tool to support business strategy related to obtaining competitive advantage; decision making; planning; and stimulating economic, social, and environmental performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisabete Nogueira & Sofia Gomes & João M. Lopes, 2023. "Triple Bottom Line, Sustainability, and Economic Development: What Binds Them Together? A Bibliometric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6706-:d:1124394
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6706/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6706/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rey-Long Liu, 2017. "A new bibliographic coupling measure with descriptive capability," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 110(2), pages 915-935, February.
    2. Donthu, Naveen & Kumar, Satish & Mukherjee, Debmalya & Pandey, Nitesh & Lim, Weng Marc, 2021. "How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 285-296.
    3. Markus Milne & Rob Gray, 2013. "W(h)ither Ecology? The Triple Bottom Line, the Global Reporting Initiative, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 13-29, November.
    4. Windsor, Duane, 2009. "Tightening corporate governance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 306-316, September.
    5. Ji Yeon Yang & Taewoo Roh, 2019. "Open for Green Innovation: From the Perspective of Green Process and Green Consumer Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, June.
    6. Alessio Ishizaka & Sharfuddin Ahmed Khan & Simonov Kusi-Sarpong & Iram Naim, 2022. "Sustainable warehouse evaluation with AHPSort traffic light visualisation and post-optimal analysis method," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 73(3), pages 558-575, March.
    7. Gandhi, Nevil & Kant, Ravi & Thakkar, Jitesh, 2022. "Sustainable performance assessment of rail freight transportation using triple bottom line approach: An application to Indian Railways," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 254-273.
    8. Kannan, Devika, 2021. "Sustainable procurement drivers for extended multi-tier context: A multi-theoretical perspective in the Danish supply chain," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    9. Akrum Helfaya & Rebecca Morris & Ahmed Aboud, 2023. "Investigating the Factors That Determine the ESG Disclosure Practices in Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-23, March.
    10. Domingo Nevado-Peña & Víctor-Raúl López-Ruiz & José-Luis Alfaro-Navarro, 2015. "The Effects of Environmental and Social Dimensions of Sustainability in Response to the Economic Crisis of European Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Warren Maroun & Dusan Ecim & Dannielle Cerbone, 2022. "Refining integrated thinking," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(7), pages 1-25, August.
    12. Nees Jan Eck & Ludo Waltman, 2017. "Citation-based clustering of publications using CitNetExplorer and VOSviewer," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 111(2), pages 1053-1070, May.
    13. Zahra Ahmadi-Gh & Alejandro Bello-Pintado, 2021. "The Effect of Sustainability on New Product Development in Manufacturing—Internal and External Practices," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-20, October.
    14. Wentao Gu & Jiaye Wang & Xiyuan Hua & Zhongdi Liu, 2021. "Entrepreneurship and high-quality economic development: based on the triple bottom line of sustainable development," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 1-27, March.
    15. M. M. Kessler, 1963. "Bibliographic coupling between scientific papers," American Documentation, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 10-25, January.
    16. Ozgur Isil & Michael T. Hernke, 2017. "The Triple Bottom Line: A Critical Review from a Transdisciplinary Perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1235-1251, December.
    17. Elisa Baraibar-Diez & María D. Odriozola, 2019. "CSR Committees and Their Effect on ESG Performance in UK, France, Germany, and Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-20, September.
    18. Ching-Hsun Chang, 2020. "Green Open Innovation Activities and Green Co-Innovation Performance in Taiwan’s Manufacturing Sector," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-15, September.
    19. K Thirumaran & Haejin Jang & Zahra Pourabedin & Jacob Wood, 2021. "The Role of Social Media in the Luxury Tourism Business: A Research Review and Trajectory Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-13, January.
    20. Nees Jan Eck & Ludo Waltman, 2010. "Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 84(2), pages 523-538, August.
    21. Frank Montabon & Mark Pagell & Zhaohui Wu, 2016. "Making Sustainability Sustainable," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 52(2), pages 11-27, April.
    22. Alberto Díaz de Junguitu & Erlantz Allur, 2019. "The Adoption of Environmental Management Systems Based on ISO 14001, EMAS, and Alternative Models for SMEs: A Qualitative Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-17, December.
    23. Tobias Hahn & Jonatan Pinkse & Lutz Preuss & Frank Figge, 2015. "Tensions in Corporate Sustainability: Towards an Integrative Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 297-316, March.
    24. González-Rodríguez, M. Rosario & Díaz-Fernández, M. Carmen & Simonetti, Biagio, 2015. "The social, economic and environmental dimensions of corporate social responsibility: The role played by consumers and potential entrepreneurs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 836-848.
    25. Kalpana Mathur & Akanksha Berwa, 2017. "Sustainable competitiveness: redefining the future with technology and innovation," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(3), pages 290-306, July.
    26. Klaus-Michael Menz, 2010. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Is it Rewarded by the Corporate Bond Market? A Critical Note," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 96(1), pages 117-134, September.
    27. Weihua Liu & Enze Bai & Liwei Liu & Wanying Wei, 2017. "A Framework of Sustainable Service Supply Chain Management: A Literature Review and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-25, March.
    28. Jannika Kutzschbach & Parvina Tanikulova & Rainer Lueg, 2021. "The Role of Top Managers in Implementing Corporate Sustainability—A Systematic Literature Review on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-19, April.
    29. Rick Edgeman & Jacob Eskildsen, 2014. "Modeling and Assessing Sustainable Enterprise Excellence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 173-187, March.
    30. Johannes W. F. C. van Lieshout & Andre H. J. Nijhof & Gijs J. W. Naarding & Robert J. Blomme, 2021. "Connecting strategic orientation, innovation strategy, and corporate sustainability: A model for sustainable development through stakeholder engagement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 4068-4080, December.
    31. Warren Maroun & Dusan Ecim & Dannielle Cerbone, 2022. "Refining integrated thinking," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(7), pages 1-25, August.
    32. Perello-Marin, M Rosario & Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Raúl & Alfaro-Saiz, Juan-Jose, 2022. "Analysing GRI reports for the disclosure of SDG contribution in European car manufacturers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    33. Annachiara Longoni & Raffaella Cagliano, 2018. "Sustainable Innovativeness and the Triple Bottom Line: The Role of Organizational Time Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(4), pages 1097-1120, September.
    34. Zhigao Liu & Yimei Yin & Weidong Liu & Michael Dunford, 2015. "Visualizing the intellectual structure and evolution of innovation systems research: a bibliometric analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 103(1), pages 135-158, April.
    35. Howard, Mickey & Böhm, Steffen & Eatherley, Dan, 2022. "Systems resilience and SME multilevel challenges: A place-based conceptualization of the circular economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 757-768.
    36. Jon Fridriksson & Nicholas Wise & Peter Scott, 2020. "Iceland’s bourgeoning cruise industry: An economic opportunity or a local threat?," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 35(2), pages 143-154, March.
    37. Erik Pauer & Bernhard Wohner & Victoria Heinrich & Manfred Tacker, 2019. "Assessing the Environmental Sustainability of Food Packaging: An Extended Life Cycle Assessment including Packaging-Related Food Losses and Waste and Circularity Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-21, February.
    38. Ina Freeman & Amir Hasnaoui, 2011. "The Meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility: The Vision of Four Nations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(3), pages 419-443, May.
    39. Zeeshan Ullah, 2021. "Sustainable product attributes and firm performance: The moderating role of marketing resource intensity," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 4107-4120, December.
    40. Foran, Barney & Lenzen, Manfred & Dey, Christopher & Bilek, Marcela, 2005. "Integrating sustainable chain management with triple bottom line accounting," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 143-157, January.
    41. Staša Milojević & Cassidy R. Sugimoto & Erjia Yan & Ying Ding, 2011. "The cognitive structure of Library and Information Science: Analysis of article title words," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 62(10), pages 1933-1953, October.
    42. Ruixin Su & Bojan Obrenovic & Jianguo Du & Danijela Godinic & Akmal Khudaykulov, 2022. "COVID-19 Pandemic Implications for Corporate Sustainability and Society: A Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-23, January.
    43. Ina Freeman & Amir Hasnaoui, 2011. "The Meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility," Post-Print hal-00599320, HAL.
    44. Filippo G. Praticò & Marinella Giunta & Marina Mistretta & Teresa Maria Gulotta, 2020. "Energy and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Sustainable Pavement Materials and Technologies for Urban Roads," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, January.
    45. Yasmin Gomes Casagranda & Joanna Wiśniewska-Paluszak & Grzegorz Paluszak & Giana de Vargas Mores & Leila Dal Moro & Guilherme Cunha Malafaia & Denise Barros de Azevedo & Debin Zhang, 2023. "Emergent Research Themes on Sustainability in the Beef Cattle Industry in Brazil: An Integrative Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-25, March.
    46. Alberto Alcalde-Calonge & Pablo Ruiz-Palomino & Francisco José Sáez-Martínez, 2022. "The circularity of the business model and the performance of bioeconomy firms: An interactionist business-environment model," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 2140745-214, December.
    47. Erlantz Allur & Iñaki Heras-Saizarbitoria & Olivier Boiral & Francesco Testa, 2018. "Quality and Environmental Management Linkage: A Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    48. Gu, Wentao & Wang, Jiayi, 2022. "Research on index construction of sustainable entrepreneurship and its impact on economic growth," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 266-276.
    49. Johnson, Knowlton & Hays, Carol & Center, Hayden & Daley, Charlotte, 2004. "Building capacity and sustainable prevention innovations: a sustainability planning model," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 135-149, May.
    50. Nazim Hussain & Ugo Rigoni & René P. Orij, 2018. "Corporate Governance and Sustainability Performance: Analysis of Triple Bottom Line Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 411-432, May.
    51. María Eugenia López-Pérez & Iguácel Melero-Polo & Rosario Vázquez-Carrasco & Jesús Cambra-Fierro, 2018. "Sustainability and Business Outcomes in the Context of SMEs: Comparing Family Firms vs. Non-Family Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-16, November.
    52. Richard P. Gregory & Jean Garner Stead & Edward Stead, 2021. "The global pricing of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(4), pages 310-329, October.
    53. Gupta, Shivam & Chen, Haozhe & Hazen, Benjamin T. & Kaur, Sarabjot & Santibañez Gonzalez, Ernesto D.R., 2019. "Circular economy and big data analytics: A stakeholder perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 466-474.
    54. Jing Lu & Kathleen Rodenburg & Lianne Foti & Ann Pegoraro, 2022. "Are firms with better sustainability performance more resilient during crises?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3354-3370, November.
    55. John Elkington, 2006. "Governance for Sustainability," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(6), pages 522-529, November.
    56. Graham Hubbard, 2009. "Measuring organizational performance: beyond the triple bottom line," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 177-191, March.
    57. De Giovanni, Pietro & Zaccour, Georges, 2014. "A two-period game of a closed-loop supply chain," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 232(1), pages 22-40.
    58. Sartori, Simone & Witjes, Sjors & Campos, Lucila M.S., 2017. "Sustainability performance for Brazilian electricity power industry: An assessment integrating social, economic and environmental issues," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 41-51.
    59. Mohd Effendi Muhammad Suandi & Mohammad Harith Amlus & Abdul Rahman Hemdi & Shayfull Zamree Abd Rahim & Mohd Fathullah Ghazali & Nur Liza Rahim, 2022. "A Review on Sustainability Characteristics Development for Wooden Furniture Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-56, July.
    60. Paul, Justin & Modi, Ashwin & Patel, Jayesh, 2016. "Predicting green product consumption using theory of planned behavior and reasoned action," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 123-134.
    61. Tseng, Ming-Lang & Lim, Ming K. & Wong, Wai-Peng & Chen, Yi-Chun & Zhan, Yuanzhu, 2018. "A framework for evaluating the performance of sustainable service supply chain management under uncertainty," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 359-372.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tao Li & Junlin Zhu & Jianqiang Luo & Chaonan Yi & Baoqing Zhu, 2023. "Breaking Triopoly to Achieve Sustainable Smart Digital Infrastructure Based on Open-Source Diffusion Using Government–Platform–User Evolutionary Game," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-24, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Saurav Chandra Talukder & Zoltán Lakner, 2023. "Exploring the Landscape of Social Entrepreneurship and Crowdfunding: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-22, June.
    2. Else, Tim & Choudhary, Sonal & Genovese, Andrea, 2022. "Uncovering sustainability storylines from dairy supply chain discourse," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 858-874.
    3. Jung Eon Kwon & Hyung Rok Woo, 2017. "The Impact of Flipped Learning on Cooperative and Competitive Mindsets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Robin Hogrefe & Sabine Bohnet-Joschko, 2023. "The Social Dimension of Corporate Sustainability: Review of an Evolving Research Field," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.
    5. Kumar, Satish & Chavan, Meena & Pandey, Nitesh, 2023. "Journal of International Management: A 25-year review using bibliometric analysis," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(1).
    6. Desirée Knoppen & Louise Knight, 2022. "Pursuing sustainability advantage: The dynamic capabilities of born sustainable firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1789-1813, May.
    7. Raghu Raman & Nava Subramaniam & Vinith Kumar Nair & Avinash Shivdas & Krishnashree Achuthan & Prema Nedungadi, 2022. "Women Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development: Bibliometric Analysis and Emerging Research Trends," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-31, July.
    8. Mariani, Marcello M. & Hashemi, Novin & Wirtz, Jochen, 2023. "Artificial intelligence empowered conversational agents: A systematic literature review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    9. MaruÅ¡a Premru & Matej ÄŒerne & SaÅ¡a BatistiÄ, 2022. "The Road to the Future: A Multi-Technique Bibliometric Review and Development Projections of the Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Research," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.
    10. Adriana Liute & Maria Rosa De Giacomo, 2022. "The environmental performance of UK‐based B Corp companies: An analysis based on the triple bottom line approach," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 810-827, March.
    11. Tejaswi Patil & Zillur Rahman, 2023. "Mapping the Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) field: document co-citation and bibliographic coupling approach," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 20(2), pages 491-520, June.
    12. Gulyas Greta & Molnar Elisabeta Ilona, 2023. "Wellness Tourism Management Research A bibliometric analysis," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 18(2), pages 172-191, June.
    13. Mukherjee, Debmalya & Kumar, Satish & Pandey, Nitesh & Lahiri, Somnath, 2023. "Is offshoring dead? A multidisciplinary review and future directions," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    14. Viviana D’Angelo & Valeria Belvedere, 2023. "Green Supply Chains and Digital Supply Chains: Identifying Overlapping Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-18, June.
    15. Yao, Ye & Du, Huibin & Zou, Hongyang & Zhou, Peng & Antunes, Carlos Henggeler & Neumann, Anne & Yeh, Sonia, 2023. "Fifty years of Energy Policy: A bibliometric overview," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    16. Huichen Gao & Shijuan Wang, 2022. "The Intellectual Structure of Research on Rural-to-Urban Migrants: A Bibliometric Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-19, August.
    17. Francesca Bartolacci & Andrea Caputo & Michela Soverchia, 2020. "Sustainability and financial performance of small and medium sized enterprises: A bibliometric and systematic literature review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1297-1309, March.
    18. Ioana Bianca (Campean) Patrinjan, 2022. "CSR and Environment: a Bibliometric Mapping," Ovidius University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, Ovidius University of Constantza, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 0(1), pages 390-399, September.
    19. Sureka, Riya & Kumar, Satish & Colombage, Sisira & Abedin, Mohammad Zoynul, 2022. "Five decades of research on capital budgeting – A systematic review and future research agenda," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    20. Mustafa Kavacik & Kevser Çinar & Saadet Zafer Kavacik, 2023. "Visual Mapping of Social Commerce Articles on WoS Database Between 1995 and 2023," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6706-:d:1124394. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.