Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Company Involvement in Sustainable Development—Proposition of a Theoretical Framework

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Contemporary Challenges in Cooperation and Coopetition in the Age of Industry 4.0

Part of the book series: Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics ((SPBE))

Abstract

The idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR) responding to the challenges of sustainable development is currently being questioned, mainly due to its implied nature and alleged lack of genuine involvement of businesses in the implementation of CSR ideas. We argue that the basic requirement for genuine involvement of a company is the engagement of its employees in projects supporting sustainable development goals. Such projects can create positive social change in the organization and lead to various beneficial outcomes for the company. However, factors that trigger company willingness to conduct the aforementioned projects are still unclear. The aim of the paper is to present a theoretical framework in this regard.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Adamczyk, J., Nitkiewicz, T.: Programowanie zrównoważonego rozwoju przedsiębiorstw. PWE, Warszawa (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Adler, P.S., Kwon, S.W.: Social capital: prospects of a new concept. Acad. Manag. Rev. 27(1), 17–40 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Alhaddi, H.: Triple bottom line and sustainability: a literature review. Bus. Manage. Stud. 1(2), 6–10 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., Kalleberg, A.L.: Manufacturing Advantage: Why High-Performance Work Systems Pay Off. ILR Press, London (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bailey, T.: Discretionary Effort and the Organization of Work: Employee Participation and Work Reform Since Hawthorne. Teachers College and Conservation of Human Resources, Columbia University (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Barlie, L.S.: Alliances for Sustainable Development, Business and NGO Partnerships. Palgrave Macmillan, London (2010)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  7. Berzina, K.: Enterprise related social capital: different levels of social capital accumulation. Econ. Sociol. 4(2), 66–83 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Beske, P., Seuring, S.: Putting sustainability into supply chain management. Supply Chain Manage. Int. J. 19(3), 322–331 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Biggemann, S., Buttle, F.: Conceptualising business-to-business relationship value. In: 21st IMP Conference, pp. 1–3. IMP, Rotterdam (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Blumberg, M., Pringle, C.: The missing opportunity in organizational research: some implications for a theory of work performance. Acad. Manag. Rev. 7(4), 560–569 (1982)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Borsdorf, F.F.: Social capital as a key source for sustainable development in protected mountain areas: experiences from Großes Walsertal biosphere reserve. In: Borsdorf, A., Stötter, J., Veulliet E. (eds.) Innsbruck Conference 2011, Managing Alpine Future, II, pp. 427–439. Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Boselie, P., Dietz, G., Boon, C.: Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and performance research. Hum. Resour. Manage. J. 15(3), 67–94 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Bos-Nehles, A.C., Van Riemsdijk, M.J., Kees Looise, J.: Employee perceptions of line management performance: applying the AMO theory to explain the effectiveness of line managers’ HRM implementation. Hum. Resour. Manage. 52(6), 861–877 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Bourdieu, P.: The forms of capital. In: Richardson, G. (ed.) Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. Greenwood Press, New York (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Brundtland, G.H.: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future (1987). http://www.un-documents.net. Last Accessed 4 Mar 2017

  16. Burt, R.S: Structural holes versus network closure as social capital. In: Lin, N., Cook, K.S., Burt R.S. (eds.): Social Capital: Theory and Research. Transaction Publishers, New York (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Chang, KCh., Wong, J.H., Lin, Y., Li, YCh., Chen, H.G.: External social capital and information systems development team flexibility. Inf. Softw. Technol. 53(6), 592–600 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Cirnu, C.E., Kuralt, B.: The impact of employees’ personal values on their attitudes toward sustainable development: cases of Slovenia and Romania. Management 18(2), 1–20 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Coleman, J.S.: Social capital in the creation of human capita. Am. J. Sociol. 94 (Supplement: Organizations and Institutions: Sociological and Economic Approaches to the Analysis of Social Structure), 95–120 (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  20. de Bruijn, T., Tukker, A. (eds.): Partnership and Leadership: Building Alliances for a Sustainable Future. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  21. de Gruyter, A., Chung, H. Oh, M., Labianca, G.: Group social capital and group effectiveness: the role of informal socializing ties. Acad. Manage. J. 47(6), 860–875 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Demortier, A.L., Delobbe, N.El, Akremi, A.: Opening the black box of HR practices—performance relationship: testing a three pathways AMO Model. Acad. Manage. Ann. Meet. Proc. 1, 1201–1206 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Doda, S.: The importance of corporate social responsibility. J. Sociol. Res. 6(1), 86–91 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Eccles, R., Miller, G., Perkins, K., Serafeim, G.: How to become a sustainable company. MIT Sloan Manage. Rev. 53(3), 43–50 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Elkington, J.: Cannibals with forks. The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business. Capstone Publishing Ltd., Oxford (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Escher, I., Glińska-Neweś, A., Brzustewicz, P.: Znaczenie osobistych więzi partnerów relacji biznesowej na etapie jej kończenia. Organizacja i Kierowanie 2(176), s. 269–283 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Galpin, T., Whittington, J.L., Bell, G.: Is your sustainability strategy sustainable? Creating Cult. Sustain. 15(1), 1–17 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Gerhart, B.: Human resources and business performance: findings, unanswered questions, and an alternative approach. Manage. Revue 16(2), 174–185 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Glińska-Neweś, A.: Pozytywne relacje interpersonalne w zarządzaniu. Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika, Toruń (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Glińska-Neweś, A., Sudolska, A., Escher, I.: Więzi osobiste jako komponent relacji biznesowych w ocenie reprezentantów polskich przedsiębiorstw. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wrocławiu 444, 140–149 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Godkin, L.: Mid-management, employee engagement, and the generation of reliable sustainable corporate social responsibility. J. Bus. Ethics 130, 15–28 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Grant, A.M.: Relational job design and the motivation to make a prosocial difference. Acad. Manag. Rev. 32(2), 393–417 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Grudzewski, W.M., Hejduk, I.K., Sankowska, A., Wańtuchowicz, M.: Sustainability w biznesie czyli przedsiębiorstwo przyszłości. Wydawnictwo Poltext, Warszawa (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Halinen, A., Salmi, A.: Managing the informal side of business interaction: personal contacts in the critical phases of business relationships. In: 17th IMP Conference, pp. 1–20. IMP, Oslo (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Håkansson, H., Snehota, I.: Developing Relationships in Business Networks. Routledge, London (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Hartman, C.L., Hofman, P.S., Stafford, E.R.: Partnerships: A Path to Sustainability. Bus. Strateg. Environ. 8(5), 255–266 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Herriman, J., Storey, H., Smith, P., Collier, G.: Working relationships for sustainability: improving work-based relationships in local government to bring about sustainability goals. Commonwealth J. Local Gov. 10, 116–133 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Hoffman, A., Bansal, P. (eds.): Oxford Handbook on Business and the Environment. Oxford University Press, New York (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  39. Hopwood, B., Mellor, M., O’Brien, G.: Sustainable development: mapping different approaches. Sustain. Dev. 13, 38–52 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Ji, L., Huangb, J., Liuc, Z., Zhua, H., Caia, Z.: The effects of employee training on the relationship between environmental attitude and firms’ performance in sustainable development. Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manage. 23(14), 2995–3008 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Karwacka, M.: Siła współpracy. Relacje przedsiębiorstw z organizacjami pozarządowymi w kontekście społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu. Nomos, Kraków (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Knies, E., Leisink, P.: Linking people management and extra-role behaviour: results of a longitudinal study. Hum. Resour. Manage. J. 24(1), 57–76 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Krot, K., Lewicka, D.: Innovation and organisational trust: study of firms in Poland. Int. J. Innov. Learn. 10(1), 43–59 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Laszlo, Ch.: Firma zrównoważonego rozwoju. Wydawnictwo Studio Emka, Warszawa (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Liu, Z, Li, J., Zhu, H., Z., Wang, L.: Chinese firms’ sustainable development—the role of future orientation, environmental commitment, and employee training. Asia Pac. J. Manage. 31, 195–213 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  46. Marin-Garcia, J.A., Martinez Tomas, J.: Deconstructing AMO framework: A systematic review. Intangible Capital 12(4), 1040–1087 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Moran, P.: Structural vs. relational embeddedness: social capital and managerial performance. Strateg. Manage. J. 26, 1129–1151 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  48. Morgan, R.M., Hunt, S.D.: The commitment—trust theory of relationship marketing. J. Mark. 58(3), 20–38 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Muniady, R.A/L, Al Mamun, A., Mohamad Mohd, R., Yukthamarani Permarupan, P., Zainol, N.R.B.: The Effect of Cognitive and Relational Social Capital on Structural Social Capital and Micro-Enterprise Performance, October–December, pp. 1–9 (2015), http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244015611187. Last Accessed 4 May 2017

  50. Nahapiet, J., Ghoshal, S.: Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Acad. Manage. Rev. 23(2), 242–266 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Labianca, H., Oh, G., Chung, M.: A multilevel model of group social capital. Acad. Manag. J. 31(3), 569–582 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  52. Pero, M., Moretto, A., Bottani, E., Bigliardi, B.: Environmental collaboration for sustainability in the construction industry: an exploratory study in Italy. Sustainability 9(1), 1–25 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Polman, P., Bhattacharya, C.: Engaging employees to create a sustainable business. Stanford Soc. Innov. Rev. Fall, 34–39 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  54. Prior, D., Surroca, J., Tribo, J.A.: Are socially responsible managers really ethical? Exploring the relationship between earnings management and corporate social responsibility. Corp. Gov. Int. Rev. 3(16), 160–177 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Roszkowska, P.: Rewolucja w raportowaniu biznesowym. Interesariusze, konkurencyjność, społeczna odpowiedzialność. Difin, Warszawa (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  56. Shaladi, B.: Business relationship development and the influence of psychic distance. Innov. Mark. 8(3), 73–80 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  57. Stephan, U., Patterson, M., Kelly, C., Mair, J.: Organizations driving positive social change: a review and an integrative framework of change processes. J. Manag. 42(5), 1250–1281 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  58. Temminck, E., Mearns, K., Fruhen, L.: Motivating employees towards sustainable behaviour. Bus. Strateg. Environ. 24, 402–412 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Vroom, V.H.: Work and Motivation. Wiley, New York (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  60. Weck, M., Ivanova-Gongne, M.: The importance of cultural adaptation for the trust development within business relationships. J. Bus. Ind. Mark. 28(3), 210–220 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Wolf, J.: Improving the sustainable development of firms: the role of employees. Bus. Strateg. Environ. 22, 92–108 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Yaziji, M., Doh, J.: NGOs and Corporations. Conflict and Collaboration. Cambridge University Press, New York (2009)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  63. Zakrzewska-Bielawska, A.: The relationship between managers’ network awareness and the relational strategic orientation of their firms: findings from interviews with polish managers. Sustainability 10(8), 1–20 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Online Sources/Netography

  1. Social Capital. Sustainable Jersey Sustainability Summit, Conference material underwritten by “The Master’s Program in Sustainability Studies at Rampo College of New Jersey. http://www.sustainablejersey.com/fileadmin/media/Events_and_Trainings/Add_Event/2013/Sustainability_Summit/Sustainability_Briefs/Social_Capital_FINAL_9_10_13_.pdf. Last Accessed 2 Jan 2019

  2. Społeczna odpowiedzialność biznesu w polskich realiach. Teoria a praktyka http://odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/publikacje/raport-spoleczna-odpowiedzialnosc-biznesu-w-polskich-realiach-teoria-a-praktyka/. Last Accessed 25 Oct 2018

  3. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org. Last Accessed 3 May 2017

Download references

Acknowledgements

The article was prepared within the project funded by the National Science Centre, Poland, on the decision number DEC-2017/25/B/HS4/01113.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland

    Aldona Glińska-Neweś, Paweł Brzustewicz, Iwona Escher, Barbara Józefowicz, Joanna Petrykowska & Dawid Szostek

  2. Dostoevsky Omsk State University, Omsk, Russia

    Yulia Fomina & Irina Katunina

Authors
  1. Aldona Glińska-Neweś
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paweł Brzustewicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Iwona Escher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yulia Fomina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Barbara Józefowicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Irina Katunina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Joanna Petrykowska
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Dawid Szostek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aldona Glińska-Neweś .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Lodz University of Technology, Łódź, Poland

    Agnieszka Zakrzewska-Bielawska

  2. Department of Management, Lodz University of Technology, Łódź, Poland

    Iwona Staniec

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Glińska-Neweś, A. et al. (2020). Company Involvement in Sustainable Development—Proposition of a Theoretical Framework. In: Zakrzewska-Bielawska, A., Staniec, I. (eds) Contemporary Challenges in Cooperation and Coopetition in the Age of Industry 4.0. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30549-9_24

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation