Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review‘For over 30 years a plethora of scholars and practitioners of sustainability – including myself – turned to the firm, and their collaborative initiatives with stakeholders, in the hopes of offering efficient and effective ways to address the myriad of environmental challenges facing the planet. As this important tome by three leading corporate sustainability scholars point out – the hopes that building the “business case” for sustainability would lead to “win win” outcomes did not come to pass: from an array of measures from the climate crisis to mass species extinctions – the world is now much worse off than it was when we collectively turned to corporate sustainability governance for solutions.As a corrective, Barnett, Henriques and Husted make a compelling, and ironic call for “bringing government back in”. What makes their argument refreshing, and important, is that this doesn’t mean jettisoning corporations as playing an important role in advancing sustainability – but rather the “business case” for doing so.
The result is a compelling and important argument for those seeking to draw on government, companies and society as a means to ameliorate, rather than exacerbate, some of the world’s most pressing ecological challenges.
A profoundly important book.’ -- Benjamin William Cashore, National University of Singapore
‘This book casts a much needed critical eye on the mantra of the win–win scenario, the idea that business can do well economically by doing good for society and the environment. The reality is far more complex and, as the authors rightly point out, “The self-interested actions of independent firms operating in deregulated global markets will not add up to a sustainable world.” What is needed is the fresh and sober look at business sustainability that this book provides; its promises, premises, realities and possibilities. Before business and the market can play its proper role in solving our sustainability challenges, this book makes the case that we need to rethink the proper role of government in resetting the structures of the market. This book is a welcome addition to the ongoing discussion on this very important topic, written by three accomplished scholars in this topic.’ -- Andrew Hoffman, University of Michigan, USA and author of “Management as a Calling: Leading Business, Serving Society”
Table of ContentsContents: Preface PART I CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY: PREMISES AND PROMISES 1. Surveying sustainability 2. Profiting from sustainability 3. Sustaining society PART II THE REALITIES OF CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY 4. Satisfying stakeholders shan’t sustain society 5. Baked-in biases of the business case 6. Digital detours are dubious PART III GETTING GOOD WITH GOVERNMENT 7. Sussing out the scope of social control 8. Gripes against government 9. Learning to lean on Leviathan Index
