Special Issue "Business Strategies concerning the Sustainable Development Goals and the SDG Compass"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Beatriz Aibar-Guzmán
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Financial Economics and Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: corporate social responsibility; corporate social reporting; sustainability business ethics; eco-innovation; management accounting
Prof. Dr. Cristina Aibar-Guzmán
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Financial Economics and Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: corporate social responsibility; corporate social reporting; sustainability assurance; business ethics; eco-innovation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) explicitly call for the active involvement of companies to transform political agreements into real environmental and social changes. This implies, at the same time, a challenge and an opportunity for companies which can lead to a “win-win” scenario in which their contribution to sustainable development provides companies with long-term competitive advantages and new business opportunities. However, achieving the SDGs not only requires companies to “do things differently” (i.e., behave in a way that is more compatible with sustainability) but also to “do different things”. Therefore, companies that rise to meet this challenge will find that the SDGs lend meaning and focus to their competitive strategies and value-creation process. Indeed, business contribution to the SDGs requires integrating the SDGs into companies’ core competitive strategy, organizational culture, and business model. In this sense, the SDG compass provides a guide to help companies in this process, explaining how to formulate, execute and communicate SDG-related strategies.

Researchers have highlighted the need to create and implement a sustainable business model based on the integration of the SDGs into long-term strategies and to search for innovative solutions to the challenges arising in this regard. However, more research is needed to understand how companies can contribute to the SDG being met and how their integration into business strategies can create value for the company and enhance firm performance. This Special Issue aims to fill this gap and calls researchers from various academic disciplines to address the study of a broad spectrum of topics related to busines strategies concerning the SDGs and the SDG compass, including:

  • Business contribution to the SDGs;
  • The SDGs as a strategic tool for corporate management and governance;
  • Strategic change associated with the adoption of the SDGs by companies;
  • The SDGs and value creation;
  • Explaining factors of the adoption of the SDGs by companies (i.e., firm size, industry, country, profitability);
  • SDGs implementation;
  • Human resource management and the SDGs;
  • Entrepreneurship as a means of tracking the SDGs;
  • Collaborative approaches (e.g., public–private partnerships, alliances) as a means of pursuing the SDGs;
  • The SDGs and product development;
  • Eco-innovation as a means of tracking the SDGs;
  • Integration of the SDGs into the companies’ information system;
  • The reporting of corporate social responsibility (CSR) information in the framework of the SDG compass;
  • The integration of SDG-related objectives into the companies’ performance evaluation system;
  • Market opportunities from SDG-related strategies;
  • The SDGs as a guide for investments and new business opportunities;
  • The SDGs as a guide for reducing costs and risks;
  • Capital markets and the SDGs.

All methodologies and research approaches (e.g., conceptual, empirical, and case studies) are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Beatriz Aibar-Guzmán
Prof. Dr. Cristina Aibar-Guzmán
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • 2030 Agenda
  • SDG compass
  • SDG reporting
  • sustainable development
  • corporate social responsibility
  • business trategy
  • strategic change
  • eco-innovation
  • entrepreneurship

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Article
Corporate Philanthropy Strategy and Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5655; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105655 - 18 May 2021
Viewed by 469
Abstract
This paper investigates the charitable giving of Chinese firms from the perspectives of four sustainable development goals (SDGs), including Economy, Operation, Harmony, and Management. By converting corporate financial data into four independent variables, namely Economy, Operation, Harmony [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the charitable giving of Chinese firms from the perspectives of four sustainable development goals (SDGs), including Economy, Operation, Harmony, and Management. By converting corporate financial data into four independent variables, namely Economy, Operation, Harmony, and Management, this study explores philanthropic giving for SDGs. The empirical evidence shows that corporate philanthropy has a significant and positive effect on EconomyOperation and Harmony, and it is negatively related to Management. This study finds that the sample firms would undertake some social responsibilities for the economic and political benefits of legitimization or corporate philanthropy. Full article
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Article
How Can Cultural Values and Entrepreneurship Lead to the Consideration of Innovation-Oriented or Non-Innovation-Oriented Countries?
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4257; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084257 - 12 Apr 2021
Viewed by 590
Abstract
This study provides an analysis of the existing relationship between culture, entrepreneurship, and orientation towards innovation at the national level. Drawing on the creation of an Artificial Neural Network, and using a sample of 37 countries, this paper aims to catalogue each country [...] Read more.
This study provides an analysis of the existing relationship between culture, entrepreneurship, and orientation towards innovation at the national level. Drawing on the creation of an Artificial Neural Network, and using a sample of 37 countries, this paper aims to catalogue each country as innovation-oriented or non-innovation-oriented considering the six cultural dimensions proposed by Hofstede’s model and the country´s entrepreneurial activity. The results achieved suggest that three of the cultural dimensions—long-term orientation, individualism, and indulgence—are positively associated with the consideration of a country as innovation-oriented, but one of them—uncertainty avoidance—is associated with the consideration of a country as non-innovation-oriented. On the other hand, while power distance and masculinity do not seem to be significant variables in this analysis, the entrepreneurial activity rate is associated with countries classified as non-innovation-oriented. This study aims to shed light on the relationships between cultural values, entrepreneurship, and orientation towards innovation, providing valuable information for stakeholders, mainly those belonging to private sector and governments, when designing strategies aimed at creating favourable environments for the development of a country’s technology, research, and innovation. Full article
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Article
Driving Consumer Engagement through Diverse Calls to Action in Corporate Social Responsibility Messages on Social Media
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3812; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073812 - 30 Mar 2021
Viewed by 507
Abstract
Although a growing number of consumers acknowledge the importance of firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, how companies can effectively communicate these initiatives to consumers is still a challenge. Although the rise of social media platforms has provided firms with opportunities for more [...] Read more.
Although a growing number of consumers acknowledge the importance of firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, how companies can effectively communicate these initiatives to consumers is still a challenge. Although the rise of social media platforms has provided firms with opportunities for more immediate and interactive communication with consumers, recent academic studies related to social media have mostly focused on effective communication of promotional messages, and relatively little attention has been paid to prosocial messages. For better communication, social media branded messages have encouraged user participation (i.e., calls to action), but how diverse types of calls to action can generate consumer engagement remains unexplored. Using over 2000 branded posts from popular consumer product brands on Facebook and Twitter, this research explores diverse types of calls to action that drive consumers’ attitudinal (i.e., likes) and behavioral (i.e., shares) engagement with CSR-related messages on social media. The research findings suggest that the types of calls to action matter in the effectiveness of CSR messages. Specifically, CSR messages inviting consumers to brand-related programs or games generated a greater number of likes and shares. However, the overall engagement was lower when CSR messages encouraged further conversations, and rewarding consumers was also less effective. Finally, the results show that multiple calls to action within one message decrease engagement. Overall, this study contributes to the academic literature and management by providing new insights and actionable guidelines on how to encourage user participation when designing CSR messages to enhance consumers’ attitudinal and behavioral engagement within social media, thereby contributing to sustainable development while enhancing the effectiveness of marketing communications. Full article
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Article
Does a Company’s Profitability Influence the Level of CSR Development?
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3304; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063304 - 17 Mar 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 531
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to analyze the effect of economic and financial performance on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). For this reason, we have used the data from a sample made up of 662 companies, 146 registered as medium-sized or large and [...] Read more.
The objective of this paper is to analyze the effect of economic and financial performance on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). For this reason, we have used the data from a sample made up of 662 companies, 146 registered as medium-sized or large and 516 as small or micro, highlighting the significant weight of small companies in the sample. CSR has been measured using an indicator estimated from the data gathered by way of a questionnaire containing information related with the economic, environmental, and social dimensions. The analysis has been conducted by estimating panel regression models with robust errors. The results show a negative relationship between economic performance and more CSR activities implemented, supporting the Managerial Opportunism Hypothesis. Furthermore, large companies under the pressure of stakeholders are more prone to implementing certain CSR actions than small ones, meaning that a minimum size is essential according to this research. Full article

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Planned paper 1

Title: Supply chains’ failure in workers’ rights with regards to SDG compass: A doughnut theory perspective

Author: Maryam Lotfi

Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, UK

Abstract:

Many supply chains have pledged to prevent the violence in workers’ right as part of social sustainability with regards to SDG compass in their far-flung supply chains. This paper provides a way to understand why supply chain fails to overcome the violence in workers’ rights. Taking the lens of doughnut theory, the paper concludes that supply chains have shortfalls in all aspects of the social foundation when it comes to workers as one of their main stakeholders. Until supply chains are unsuccessful in overcoming all these shortfalls, moving to the next layer which is the safe and just space for all humans including workers is impossible.

Key words: Workers’ rights, SDG, Doughnut theory, supply chain, social sustainability

Planned paper 2

Title: Is New Wave of Credit-based Financial Platform Sustainable on Continuous Use Intention for Chinese Internet Shoppers?

Author: Yongrok Choi

Abstact:

The “buy now, pay later”, as a new internet financial model for untact era under the COVID19 pandemic, has been widely applied by online shoppers worldwide. Especially, the emerging micro-credit financial tool is luring younger generations deep into debt in China, who did not have any credit card experience. Thus, all the main players in the market are questioning the sustainability of this new micro-credit financial model. This paper analyzes continuous use intention of internet shoppers with the sustainability of this new micro-credit service, in the essential question of the public-private partnership perspective toward SDG. We expanded the expectation-confirmation theory with the additional role of impulsive buying in determining the continuous use intention of those users. We found significant effect of Impulsive Buying on Continuous Use Intention despite of the significant effect of Satisfaction. Not only, we further distinguish the main factors influencing Impulsive Buying. We find that Credit Limit Misconception (CLM) poses the largest impact on impulsive buying for Chinese users. Therefore, we recommend that credit-based financial platforms had better inform and educate internet shoppers with the implications of CLM, so as to manage their impulsive buying. Their user portrait and corresponding credit limit setting must not rely solely on consumers’ previous purchase behaviors, but also on other information, such as source of funds for monthly loan repayment to better depict users’ overall debt-paying ability. The appropriate regulation of the government on this new service is, therefore, necessary for sustainable entrepreneurship as a means of tracking the SDGs, because their sustainable growth must lean more on users’ satisfaction instead on seducing users’ impulsive buying behaviors. Market regulators must take consumers’ impulsive buying behavior into account and strengthen supervision on the abuse of financial platforms on credit issuing and better foster the sustainable entrepreneurship in this new financial platform business.

 

Key words: Internet consumer finance; Expectation-confirmation theory; Impulsive buying; Continuous usage

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