Synopses & Reviews
NEW EDITION, REVISED AND UPDATEDMost companies today have some commitment to corporate social responsibility, but implementing these initiatives can be particularly challenging. While a lot has been written on ethical and strategic factors, there is still a dearth of information on the practical nuts and bolts. And whereas with most other organizational initiatives the sole objective is improved financial performance, sustainability broadens the focus to include social and environmental performance, which is much more difficult to measure.
Now updated throughout with new examples and new research, this is a complete guide to implementing and measuring the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. It draws on Marc Epsteins and new coauthor Adriana Rejc Buhovacs solid academic foundation and extensive consulting work and includes best practices from dozens of companies in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and Africa. This is the ultimate how-to guide for corporate leaders, strategists, academics, sustainability consultants, and anyone else with an interest in actually putting sustainability ideas into practice and making sure they accomplish their goals.
Synopsis
Senior executives who have committed their organizations to improved sustainability are realizing that implementation is particularly challenging. While a lot has been written on ethical and strategic factors, there is a dearth of information on the practical nuts and bolts of implementation. And whereas with most other organizational changes, functions, and initiatives the sole objective is improved financial performance, which is clear and easy to measure, sustainability broadens the focus to include both social and financial performance. This creates significant challenges in evaluating the trade-offs between social and financial performance.
Now completely updated with new examples and new research, this book offers a complete guide to implementing and measuring the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. It draws on Epstein and new coauthor Rejc Buhovacs solid academic foundation and extensive consulting work and includes best practices from dozens of companies in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and Africa. It is intellectually rigorous yet accessible to corporate managers. This is the first and still the best book to provide managers with detailed guidance on how to implement sustainability and objectively measure its success.
About the Author
Marc J. Epstein is distinguished research professor of management at Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He was also recently visiting professor and Wyss Visiting Scholar in Social Enterprise at Harvard Business School. Prior to joining Rice, Epstein was a professor at Stanford Business School, Harvard Business School, and INSEAD (European Institute of Business Administration). Epstein is the author of eighteen books and well over 100 professional papers and is currently editor-in-chief of Advances in Management Accounting.
Adriana Rejc Buhovac is an associate professor of management in the faculty of economics at the University of Ljubljana. Her research is focused on the design and implementation of strategic performance measurement systems as well as on sustainability implementation. She is a member of the editorial board of Advances in Management Accounting.
Table of Contents
1: Improving Social and Financial Performance in Global Corporations
2: A New Framework for Implementing Corporate Sustainability
3: Leadership and Strategy for Corporate Sustainability
4: Organizing for Sustainability
5: Costing, Capital Investments, and the Integration of Social Risk
6: Performance Evaluation and Reward Systems
7: The Foundations for Identifying and Measuring Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts
8: Measuring Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts
9: Sustainability Management Reporting to Improve Performance
10: External Sustainability Reporting and Verification
11: The Benefits of Sustainability for Corporations and Society