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Corporate sustainability – integrating environmental and social concerns?

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  • Anja Schaefer

Abstract

This article presents a case of the early stages of an attempted integration of environmental management and corporate responsibility in a UK utility company, which may, in due course, develop into a more holistic orientation towards corporate sustainability. The company had made some deliberate attempts to link environmental and social responsibility issues. However, this integration was partial and contested within the company. The case shows that dealing with environmental soundness and starting to integrate environmental and social issues and management need not be a sequential process. Institutional and wider social factors are shown to play a strong role in influencing company thinking and actions in this area, seemingly sending rather mixed signals in this case. The case also highlights the role of sustainability champions in making links between the organization's business purpose, its environmental performance and its social responsibility in terms of the long term sustainability of the region and the company's future. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Anja Schaefer, 2004. "Corporate sustainability – integrating environmental and social concerns?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(4), pages 179-187, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:11:y:2004:i:4:p:179-187
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.70
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    2. Richard Lamming & Adam Faruk & Paul Cousins, 1999. "Environmental soundness: a pragmatic alternative to expectations of sustainable development in business strategy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(3), pages 177-188, May.
    3. Sanjay Sharma & Audun Ruud, 2003. "On the path to sustainability: integrating social dimensions into the research and practice of environmental management," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(4), pages 205-214, July.
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    2. Gabriella D’Amore & Maria Testa & Luigi Lepore, 2023. "How Is the Utilities Sector Contributing to Building a Sustainable Future? A Systematic Literature Review of Sustainability Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Francesco Gangi & Eugenio D'Angelo & Lucia Michela Daniele & Nicola Varrone, 2021. "Assessing the impact of socially responsible human resources management on company environmental performance and cost of debt," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1511-1527, September.
    4. Marival Segarra‐Oña & Angel Peiró‐Signes & José Albors‐Garrigós & Blanca De Miguel‐Molina, 2017. "Testing the Social Innovation Construct: An Empirical Approach to Align Socially Oriented Objectives, Stakeholder Engagement, and Environmental Sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(1), pages 15-27, January.
    5. Jonathan P. Doh & Peter Tashman, 2014. "Half a World Away: The Integration and Assimilation of Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Sustainable Development in Business School Curricula," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(3), pages 131-142, May.
    6. Miguel Pina e Cunha & Arménio Rego & João Vieira da Cunha, 2008. "Ecocentric management: an update," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(6), pages 311-321, November.
    7. Joaquin Sanchez‐Planelles & Marival Segarra‐Oña & Angel Peiro‐Signes, 2022. "Identifying different sustainable practices to help companies to contribute to the sustainable development: Holistic sustainability, sustainable business and operations models," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 904-917, July.
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