Description
Book SynopsisHow businesses can and are acting to redress social and environmental issues is a question of growing academic interest. Bringing together a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, this insightful Research Agenda evaluates the current state of the art of sustainability and business and assesses key challenges for the field.
Multidisciplinary chapters provide instrumental, economic, network and political perspectives on issues that are crucial in gaining insight into sustainability challenges facing businesses today, from socially responsible consumption behaviours and organisational resilience to climate change and sustainability transitions in extractive industries. Its diverse contributions highlight the breadth and depth of analyses and perspectives that are necessary to set a dynamic agenda for future research on sustainability and business. Advancing novel research questions and methodologies, the editors illustrate the path ahead for carrying out research that impacts the science and practice of business and sustainability, as well as creating meaningful change for our species and planet.
Offering an advanced yet accessible introduction to the current state and future direction of sustainability and business, this incisive Research Agenda will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of business, sustainability studies, and environment studies. Its practical insights will also benefit MBA students and business executives moving into sustainability.
Trade Review‘This timely collection offers a comprehensive review of interdisciplinary scholarship in sustainable business, alongside a future agenda for progressing research on multiple themes. An essential reference point for undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers wishing to contribute to this increasingly important field of inquiry.’ -- Josephine Mylan, University of Manchester, UK
‘Sustainability asks profound questions of contemporary businesses that cannot be answered through business-as-usual approaches, economists’ tendency to assume away unfortunate things, or by analyses limited to individual firms. This book resets the business and sustainability research agenda through a refreshingly multi-level perspective on key issues including supply-chains, post-pandemic resilience, degrowth and low-carbon transitions. A must-read to grasp the challenging future now unfolding for business.’ -- Ken Peattie, Cardiff University, UK
‘Despite the wide use of Brundtland's 1987 definition of sustainability, the term continues to be understood differently by different actors. The editors have assembled an impressive collection of thinkers across different supply chains and governance regimes to highlight the gaps in our current understandings on how sustainability is understood and operationalised within the corporate sphere. With a good balance of conceptual chapters and case studies, this book will serve both generalist and specialist scholars alike.’ -- Helena Varkkey, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Table of ContentsContents: 1 An introduction to A Research Agenda for Sustainability and Business 1 Sally V. Russell, Rory W. Padfield and Christian Bretter 2 Sustainability agency in business: an interdisciplinary review and research agenda 19 Tiina Onkila, Satu Teerikangas, Katariina Koistinen and Marileena Mäkelä 3 A critical review of the socially responsible consumer 37 Ning Lu, Phani Kumar Chintakayala, Timothy Devinney, William Young and Ralf Barkemeyer 4 Examining both organisational environmental sustainability & organisational resilience: sketching an initial framework 53 Kerrie L. Unsworth and Rebecca Pieniazek 5 Just transition: the tension between work, employment and climate change 69 Jo Cutter, Vera Trappmann and Dunja Krause 6 Business models for sustainability: the current state of the literature and future research directions 85 Suzana Matoh, Katy Roelich and Jonatan Pinkse 7 A research agenda for green supply chain management 103 Chee Yew Wong and Qinghua Zhu 8 Researching business and sustainability in specific sectors: the example of the construction industry 119 Alice Owen and Paul Francisco 9 A research agenda for the extractive industries and the low carbon transition 135 Laura Smith, James Van Alstine and Alesia Ofori 10 Business sustainability in SMEs: towards an Afrocentric research agenda 153 Samuel Howard Quartey 11 Sustainability management tools: value of reporting and assurance 167 Kari Solomon, Sally V. Russell and Effie Papargyropoulou 12 Digital disruption: towards a research agenda for sustainability and business in a digital world 185 Rory W. Padfield, Alexandra Dales, Jyoti Mishra and Thomas Smith 13 Resilience in times of crisis: lessons learnt from COVID-19, and the future resilience of businesses and society 205 Zahra Borghei Ghomi, Layla Branicki, Stephen Brammer and Martina K. Linnenluecke 14 The need to align research on economic organisations with degrowth 217 Ben Robra and Iana Nesterova Index 233
