Paul T.M. Ingenbleek and Caspar Krampe
As corporate sustainability is systemic, it cannot be achieved without effective involvement of suppliers. This study aims to examine the drivers of supplier companies’ resource…
Abstract
Purpose
As corporate sustainability is systemic, it cannot be achieved without effective involvement of suppliers. This study aims to examine the drivers of supplier companies’ resource allocation to a sustainability issue that affects customer companies and society at large.
Design/methodology/approach
Supplier companies’ resource allocation for a sustainability issue is explained from variables at the levels of the institutional, supply chain and internal environments of a supplier company. The framework is tested with a moderated regression model on 102 supplier companies in animal-based supply chains, focussing on their resource allocation for farm animal welfare.
Findings
The findings show that supply chain factors have the strongest influence on suppliers’ resource allocation, including a strong effect of investment specificity and a U-shaped effect of chain integration. Also, significant effects from institutional variables, namely, the pressure on consumer companies, and an inverted U-shaped effect of sustainability competition are found. The innovativeness, referring to the internal environment of supplier companies, appears as another important factor for the allocation of resources to animal welfare, as a sustainability issue.
Research limitations/implications
The results have implications for consumer market companies to deal with sustainability issues that require involvement of their suppliers, for supplier companies to increase their competitive positions and strengthen their relationships within the supply chain, and for policymakers seeking solutions for sustainability issues in the market domain.
Originality/value
While existing literature focusses mostly on the corporate sustainability of highly visible and large consumer companies, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the drivers of supplier companies’ resource allocation for a sustainability issue, namely, animal welfare. It provides insights on what drives supplier companies, usually operating outside the spotlight, to become part of a sustainability transition.
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Joanna Dyczkowska, Joanna Krasodomska and Fiona Robertson
Stakeholder capitalism (SC) advocates that organisations should focus on creating long-term value for all key stakeholders rather than maximising short-term profits for…
Abstract
Purpose
Stakeholder capitalism (SC) advocates that organisations should focus on creating long-term value for all key stakeholders rather than maximising short-term profits for shareholders. This paper aims to explore whether and how business organisations have applied stakeholder capitalism principles (SCPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these efforts were communicated in integrated reports.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on the content analysis of the text extracted from the integrated reports of 22 companies categorised as excellent in the 2020 EY Excellence in Integrated Reporting Award 2020. The research material consisted of paragraphs that reflected how the company observed the SCPs in practice.
Findings
The stakeholder responsibility principle was the most represented by the examined companies, followed by the principles of continuous creation, stakeholder engagement and stakeholder cooperation. The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled the necessity of implementing innovative solutions to counteract the virus's spread. It has also spurred the need for two-way digitalised communication between the executives and stakeholders. The new situation also required collaborative approaches in the forms of partnerships, joint initiatives and programmes to ensure employee safety and help communities recover from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic.
Originality/value
This study links SC with integrated reporting (IR) and contributes to the literature by providing new insights into how SCPs have been applied during the COVID-19 pandemic. This discussion suggests that whereas these principles determine how the companies must act to satisfy stakeholders expectations, integrating reporting may help develop a report that is stakeholder-oriented and which responds to their information needs.
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Chiara Hübscher, Susanne Hensel-Börner and Jörg Henseler
Given the pressing global challenges underpinning the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, marketing managers can no longer focus only on purely economic outcomes but…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the pressing global challenges underpinning the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, marketing managers can no longer focus only on purely economic outcomes but must simultaneously respond to social and environmental concerns. This requires the teaching of new competencies in marketing education, as also reflected in today’s accreditation requirements for business schools. Therefore, this paper aims to explore how current research into marketing education incorporates sustainable development.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a bibliometric literature review – examining 71 publications using the bibliographic coupling method – the current research front in marketing education is analysed.
Findings
This paper identifies seven trending topics in marketing education research that both highlight a currently prevalent sustainability gap in marketing education research and – when combined into a framework – help marketing education researchers and educators to address this gap.
Originality/value
This paper extends the already established concept of education for sustainable development to include the concept of marketing education for sustainable development (MESD) for the first time. The MESD framework combines its raison d’être with guidance on how sustainable development should be taught and what the learning objectives should be for future marketing managers.
Propósito
Dados los apremiantes retos mundiales que sustentan los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de las Naciones Unidas, los directores de marketing ya no pueden centrarse únicamente en los resultados puramente económicos, sino que deben responder simultáneamente a las preocupaciones sociales y medioambientales. Esto requiere la enseñanza de nuevas competencias en la educación de marketing, como también se refleja en los requisitos de acreditación actuales para las escuelas de negocios. Por lo tanto, este documento explorará cómo la investigación actual sobre la educación en marketing incorpora el desarrollo sostenible.
Metodología
A través de una revisión bibliométrica de la literatura -examinando 71 publicaciones mediante el método de acoplamiento bibliográfico- se analiza el frente actual de la investigación en educación en marketing.
Resultados
En este artículo se identifican siete temas de tendencia en la investigación sobre educación en marketing que ponen de manifiesto una laguna en materia de sostenibilidad que prevalece actualmente en la investigación sobre educación en marketing y que, combinados en un marco, ayudan a los investigadores y educadores en educación en marketing a abordar esta laguna.
Originalidad
Este artículo amplía el concepto ya establecido de Educación para el Desarrollo Sostenible (EDS) para incluir por primera vez el concepto de Educación en Marketing para el Desarrollo Sostenible (EMDS). El marco EMDS combina su razón de ser con orientaciones sobre cómo debe enseñarse el desarrollo sostenible y cuáles deben ser los objetivos de aprendizaje para los futuros directores de marketing.
目的
鉴于联合国可持续发展目标(SDG)所依据的紧迫的全球挑战, 营销经理不能再只关注纯粹的经济成果, 而必须同时应对社会和环境问题。这就要求在营销教育中教授新的能力, 这也反映在当今商学院的认证要求中。因此, 本文将探讨目前对市场营销教育的研究是如何纳入可持续发展的。
方法
通过文献计量学文献综述–使用文献耦合法对71份出版物进行研究–分析了当前市场营销教育的研究前沿。
研究结果
本文确定了营销教育研究中的七个趋势性课题, 这些课题既突出了当前营销教育研究中普遍存在的可持续发展差距, 又–当结合成一个框架–帮助营销教育研究者和教育者解决这一差距。
原创性
本文扩展了已经建立的可持续发展教育(ESD)的概念, 首次将可持续发展的营销教育(MESD)的概念纳入其中。MESD框架将其存在的理由与指导如何教授可持续发展以及未来营销经理的学习目标相结合。