In recent years, corporations of all sizes and orientations have become more sensitive to social issues and stakeholder concerns, and they are collectively striving to become better corporate citizens (in some cases, urged on by shareholder pressure or government regulations). The best practices in corporate sustainability are no longer the exclusive domain of companies like Ben & Jerry's or Body Shop as they were a decade ago; now, large, multi-national companies like G.E. and Wal-Mart are leading the way with significant financial and organizational commitments to social and environmental issues. To help managers and academics keep their eye on the ever-moving target of sustainability, award-winning author and academic Marc Epstein's provides an authoritative and comprehensive guide to implementing corporate sustainability initiatives and to measuring both their social and financial impacts.

Epstein (management, Rice U.) gives advice on how to implement corporate sustainability practices in large organizations, building upon his own research and the "best practices" of some 100 real world companies. He devotes separate chapters to the role of senior management in developing strategy; organizational design issues underpinning sustainability; capital investment, costing and risk management strategies; measurement of sustainability process and results; measurement of the social, environmental, and economic impacts of corporate activities; the role of feedback and internal reporting; and external communications. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Epstein outlines the ethical arguments for sustainable business practices and lays out large-scale strategies on how to implement and measure the actual social and financial impacts of these initiatives.