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The Case of Corporate Sustainability in the United States of America

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Corporate Sustainability in International Comparison

Part of the book series: Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science ((ECOE,volume 31))

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Abstract

Being the third largest country by population and the largest economy today, the United States of America (US) impacts changes and developments on a global scale while US companies also face national and international challenges such as resource consumption, emissions control, as well as health and safety concerns. The findings on the current state and progress of sustainability management and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the US reveal that social issues are closely managed and that the stakeholders demand according engagement by the companies. The US companies surveyed that are engaged in sustainability are also quite society-oriented. Striving for legitimacy, risk-orientation and compliance therefore can be seen as predominant motives for dealing with sustainability issues. At the same time the companies have the potential to seize market opportunities by being more innovative with respect to their business models, products and services.

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Morelli, J., Harms, D. (2014). The Case of Corporate Sustainability in the United States of America. In: Schaltegger, S., Windolph, S., Harms, D., Hörisch, J. (eds) Corporate Sustainability in International Comparison. Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science, vol 31. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06227-3_14

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