ABSTRACT This research investigates the patterns of bioeconomy‐related disclosure on the websites of Canadian municipalities, viewed through the lenses of legitimacy, stakeholder, and institutional theories. Our sample consists of the 100 largest Canadian cities by population. Three patterns of municipalities' bioeconomy‐related disclosure emerged from our cluster analysis: limited bioeconomy disclosure, centered on biodiversity, and waste management and recycling; biodiversity‐driven disclosure, with particularly high biodiversity scores relative to the sample average, whereas other dimensions remain less well covered; and balanced extensive disclosure, thoroughly covering all the bioeconomy aspects coded. Significantly, no municipality explicitly frames its disclosure under the label “bioeconomy” (e.g., dedicated section, named strategy, and standardized terminology). Instead, bioeconomy appears as an implicit accountability issue, scattered throughout environmental and community‐related content. Greater harmonization and coordination are needed to improve bioeconomy‐related disclosure, transparency, awareness, and accountability at the municipal level. Conceptually, our research invites us to rethink municipal environmental web disclosure as a protobioeconomy reporting system. Drawing on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) public sector standards and bioeconomy literature, we build a bioeconomy‐related disclosure index that combines environmental and community dimensions. We then discuss how disclosure patterns can guide the design of monothematic bioeconomy reporting and the development of bioeconomy‐related performance indicators in public sector management accounting.
The rising demand for sustainable investments reflects investors' increasing interest in aligning their financial goals with environmental and social values. Investors need to have a good comprehension of both the financial and sustainability dimensions of mutual funds to make well-informed decisions. This study investigates the role of investors' knowledge of finance, sustainability, and sustainable finance in determining sustainable mutual fund comprehension. Data were collected through a survey of 504 Swedish investors. This study used a set of questions to measure the literacy scores and three short texts from real mutual funds with different sustainability labels to measure investors' understanding. The results indicate that investors demonstrate a clearer comprehension of mutual funds with lower sustainability degrees compared to those with higher degrees or no sustainability label. Investors with higher objective financial literacy, subjective sustainability literacy, and objective sustainable finance literacy are more likely to have a better understanding of sustainable mutual funds.
This Agenda 2050 argues that we as business in society or other management scholars implicitly too often pretend that the tenets of conventional economics will provide a thriving future for us humans and for the rest of the beings we coexist with, despite all the evidence to the contrary. It further argues that we can no longer ignore the ecological-social (eco-social) and political realities of polycrisis, the intersecting array of civilization-threatening crises now facing humanity. The essay argues that we as scholars need to take the scholarly and intellectual risks to study and speak out about systemic issues, critique conventional economics, and address the very real perils humanity is facing, and do so in both our teaching and research. Incorporating alternative or heterodox economics frameworks, bringing systems thinking, and transformative or systemic change processes into business in society research could be helpful ways to broaden the research agenda to help scholars and leaders better understand and cope with polycrisis.
This study examines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences brand activism and business outcomes in Indian startups, focusing on Zomato. It analyzes the impact of economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities on a company's brand and competitive advantage. Integrating stakeholder, legitimacy, and attribution theories, the research explores the theoretical processes linking CSR, brand activism, and business performance. Using secondary data, the study assesses Zomato's CSR and brand engagement alongside its market fundamentals and financial performance. The findings emphasize the importance of implementing ethical and philanthropic aspects of CSR to achieve successful brand reputation and manage brand activism. The study contributes to the literature on the stakeholder approach to CSR and the challenges faced by startups in emerging markets. It provides recommendations for entrepreneurs and managers, highlighting the significance of aligning CSR with stakeholders' perceptions and organizational values, as well as effective communication and stakeholder management. Future research directions include analyzing CSR and brand activism across industries and using primary data to examine stakeholder perceptions.
This study examines how foreign ownership shapes firms' environmental engagement by treating disclosure as part of a multi-stage governance process rather than an isolated reporting choice. Drawing on agency and institutional theories, we develop a three-stage framework-policy adoption, indicator-based performance measurement, and disclosure-and test it using panel survey data on more than 3000 firms in Chile. We find that foreign ownership is associated with systematic differences in how firms formalize and operationalize environmental engagement. We further show that these ownership-related differences are conditioned by product-market competition and export intensity, consistent with market discipline and international scrutiny partially substituting for ownership-based monitoring and legitimacy pressures. By unpacking engagement into sequential stages and identifying boundary conditions, the study helps reconcile mixed prior evidence and clarifies where ownership is most consequential and where differences diminish.
This research investigates the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on each of the components of sustainability (environmental, social, and governance) (ESG) in European and American companies. This research uses the maximum available data for a more detailed and comprehensive investigation. The European and American companies (a total of 15,740 company-years) in 11 categories, including basic materials, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, real estate, technology, telecommunications, and utilities, were categorized and estimated separately in four separate models based on the panel data model. The research results indicate a significant positive relationship between EPU and ESG. If the EPU index increases, the ESG index also increases. Also, the results show that if EPU rises, disclosure quality in the context of ESG-related issues will improve. Examining the relationship between ESG and EPU can help companies formulate effective and sustainable strategies and decisions and play a key role in achieving ESG goals. Improving transparency and providing more detailed information about measures taken in the field of ESG will give shareholders more confidence in the sustainable performance of companies.
The growing emphasis on sustainability necessitates a re-evaluation of traditional value creation and capture challenges, highlighting the intricate interrelation between value (un)captured and recaptured. This study investigates the dynamics of overtourism and undertourism in the sustainable development of regions. This prominent incidence of oversupply and undersupply underscores the tension between short-term economic benefits and long-term sustainable value capture. Introducing the conceptual framework of value loops and a robust value cascade, this study explores how vendors generate, lose, and reclaim economic, social, and environmental value and how other value stakeholders perceive it. Focusing on overtourism and undertourism as an exemplary manifestation of sustainable value paradoxes, the study examines the cyclical processes of value creation, (un)capture, and recapture. These paradoxes illuminate the compromises inherent in sustainability ambiguities, such as balancing economic growth with cultural heritage conservation. The study identifies trailblazing actionable approaches for reclaiming previously uncaptured value, emphasizing the roles of heritage-based, sustainable practices, stakeholder collaboration, and digital innovation.
Digital labor is becoming more organized, mediated, and commercialized through online platforms as platform capitalism grows. Although previous research has looked at digital employment in a variety of industries, workers behind virtual idols have received less attention. This examines the labor practices and lived experiences of virtual idol operators in platform-mediated production contexts on China's Bilibili platform. The study uses virtual ethnography, which combines participant observation and textual analysis, and is based on Marxian labor alienation theory. The results show that operators do a lot of unpaid labor, such as character design, content development, emotional management, and promotional work, in addition to compensated activities like live-stream performances. Four aspects of alienation are produced by these practices: estrangement from oneself, labor objects, labor tools, and work products. Platform dependence, intellectual property restrictions, and algorithmic governance all influence this kind of alienation. Operators respond by using coping mechanisms such as identity unmasking, emotional release, and adaptable self-adjustment. This study emphasizes the wider implications of platform governance and applies labor alienation theory to new types of immersive digital production. To encourage the long-term growth of the virtual idol economy, it emphasizes the necessity of more robust legislative frameworks, more contractual protections, and more human-centered platform design.
Employees often face a dilemma between upholding ethical standards and meeting demanding business goals, especially under ethical leaders who enforce strict moral expectations. This tension highlights how employees' cognitive interpretations of ethical leadership (EL) shape their behaviors. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study examines how EL influences two contrasting pro-organizational behaviors-organizational citizenship behavior for health, safety, and environment (OCBHSE), and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB)-through employees' CSR attributions. Data were collected from 276 employees and 108 supervisors in Taiwanese service firms across three survey waves and analyzed using CB-SEM and fsQCA. CB-SEM results show that EL fosters OCBHSE while reducing UPB. Value- and stakeholder-driven CSR attributions positively mediate EL's effect on OCBHSE, whereas egoistic-driven attributions negatively mediate it. Strategic- and egoistic-driven attributions positively mediate the EL-UPB relationship, whereas value-driven attributions weaken it. FsQCA further reveals five configurations leading to high OCBHSE and three to high UPB. These results offer theoretical and managerial insights for designing policies to leverage EL and CSR strategies to manage OCBHSE and UPB effectively.
The tourism industry is embracing technology to drive growth and promote sustainable development. This study aims to investigate the role of anthropomorphic artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping sustainable consumer behavior in tourism, focusing on the mediating role of consumer trust and the moderating effect of emotional connection. A mixed-methods approach has been adopted, combining quantitative survey data analyzed using SPSS and AMOS, with qualitative insights derived from interviews with tech-oriented, sustainability-conscious tourists analyzed through thematic analysis. Moderation analysis using Process-Macro further explored the impact of emotional connection. The findings reveal that anthropomorphic AI significantly enhances consumer trust, which mediates sustainable consumption practices among tourists. Moreover, emotional connection strengthens the relationship between AI-driven trust and sustainable behavior. The study contributes to technology adoption literature by integrating emotional connection as a critical factor influencing trust in AI and promoting responsible consumption. Practically, the research offers strategic insights for tourism enterprises and AI developers, emphasizing the importance of designing empathetic and human-like AI systems to foster consumer trust and encourage sustainability. This study provides valuable guidance for aligning technological innovation with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in promoting responsible consumption within the tourism sector.
In light of increasing stakeholder pressure as well as regulatory efforts, corporate sustainability reporting is on the rise. Although there is increasing regulation, significant flexibility remains for firms how to report sustainability information. In this paper, we examine the effects of quantifying sustainability information in financial terms (i.e., monetization) on perceptions of reporting appropriateness. We develop and test theory predicting that the impact of monetizing negative sustainability information differs when the information concerns the environmental versus the social perspective of sustainability. Specifically, we predict and find that monetization negatively impacts the perceived appropriateness of reporting social sustainability information but to a lesser extent reporting environmental sustainability information. Additional explorative analyses indicate that such lower perceived reporting appropriateness spills over to further negative organizational consequences, specifically, that individuals' overall perception of a firm as respectable decreases. In conclusion, we suggest exercising caution in uncritically embracing monetization in sustainability reporting-particularly when severe negative social incidents are concerned-and to be more humble as to the limits of what accounting can legitimately quantify in such terms.
Literature on sustainability reporting in India is growing steadily, signifying the academic interest in the field. However, despite the rise in literature, review work on the field's emergence, evolution, and trends has been underdeveloped. This study analyzes the trends and development of sustainability reporting (SR) research in the Indian context. It explores the factors motivating businesses' adoption of sustainability reporting, the evolution of reporting practices, and the regulatory changes in India that have promoted sustainability reporting. A bibliometric literature analysis is conducted using Scopus and Web of Science data of 357 publications. The study reveals the development and trend of sustainability reporting research in India through keyword analysis, influential articles, publication trends, and the intellectual structure through five themes, namely, CSR disclosures, the Role of corporate governance, Sustainability reporting and financial performance, the Role of employees and culture, and Determinants of sustainability reporting in the Indian context. This review would support the evolving reporting regulations in India. It can raise awareness, establish a knowledge basis, benchmark against global practices, encourage stakeholder participation, and inform policy development. By utilizing the paper's insights and recommendations, regulators can work toward establishing more robust sustainability reporting requirements that drive positive change in the country.
This study aims to develop a comprehensive conceptual model of the relationships between telework and socioeconomic, transportation, and environmental variables, based on a systematic literature review. The methodology consisted of a systematic review of the literature, considering articles published up to 2025. The temporal analysis of the selected articles reveals a growing interest in the topic over time. The profile of the teleworker is evaluated, highlighting factors such as age, education, income, and type of work. The relationships between teleworking and sustainable modes of transportation, such as biking and walking, are also emphasized. Among the possible relationships between telework and urban structure, urban sprawl is highlighted. The impact on quality of life is also addressed, considering main variables such as schedule flexibility and the balance between personal and professional life. The study offers relevant insights for decision-makers, human resource managers, and urban planners, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex relationships that exist with telework. Therefore, the research advances in understanding how telework can influence the dynamics of cities, providing important information to face contemporary urban challenges.
This study investigates the impact of board gender diversity on the voluntary recognition of science-based emission-reduction targets (SBT) as a major tool of substantive corporate climate management. SBT refers to the aim of the Paris Climate Agreement to decrease global warming to below 2.0 degrees C and preferably to 1.5 degrees C. Grounded in the stakeholder agency, critical mass and upper-echelons theories, the panel includes 2016 observations from 336 firms with headquarters in a European Union (EU) member state between 2016 and 2021. The results reveal that the ratio and critical mass of female directors, female nonexecutives, and female members in the audit committee are positively related with SBT, while female CEOs show insignificant results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical study on the relationship between board gender diversity and SBT. The findings highlight the relevance of sustainable boards in achieving better carbon management practices.
A range of collaborative approaches to address complexity in the business environment including strategic alliances, public private partnerships, issues management alliances, innovation and enterprise zones, supply chain certification and partnerships, industry self-regulatory systems, and technology incubators are evidence of collaboration across sectors. This paper suggests that these may be part of a bigger adaptation. Such new models may be critical in addressing challenging issues of immigration and workforce development, disruptive technologies, globalization, corruption, and sustainability. The paper builds the case that these collaborative responses are not simply new forms but represent a new logic and values. They incorporate a "both and" logic and a more ecological perspective. They recognize that going it alone may not be sufficient. Partnering with NGOs, third-party organizations, and even government agencies may lead to better solutions. Finally, they challenge leadership to generate new conversations and ask different questions. The paper provides three detailed cases that illustrate collaborative responses to issues and new forms of adaptation including industry self-regulation, recycling, and employment programs for persons with disabilities. It concludes with suggestions for future research.
This study investigates when and how environmental performance aligns with a firm's financial performance. Using 911 firm-year observations from Canadian firms listed on S&P/TSX composite index over the period 2018-2022, our findings indicate that environmental performance may negatively impact financial performance. However, this relationship shifts when firms integrate the development and commercialization of environmental products, also known as eco-designed products, into their environmental strategies. The interaction between environmental performance and environmental products positively affects financial performance, mitigating and in some cases offsetting the adverse effects of environmental initiatives on financial performance. Our findings suggest that firms can convert environmental performance into economic value more effectively by shifting from broad, firm-level environmental visions to customer-oriented and brand-integrated actions. By offering eco-designed products, companies can differentiate themselves, send visible and credible signals of their environmental commitment, reduce information asymmetry and align their sustainability efforts with stakeholder expectations. In doing so, firms actively engage consumers in sustainability initiatives, transforming them into co-creators of economic value while simultaneously contributing to the preservation of a healthy environment.
In times of multiple environmental and social crises, corporate communication and engagement practices related to sustainability, summarized here under the umbrella concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), are becoming increasingly important. Social media has the potential to support interaction between companies and their stakeholders in the context of CSR. However, the current form of social media is not designed to support dialogic interaction, making the realization of this potential difficult. Nevertheless, this study argues that social media can still fulfill functions that support stakeholder engagement for CSR. Although research often focuses on the effectiveness of corporate communication in eliciting responses on social media, stakeholders' perspectives on online communication have received less attention. This case study is based on nine interviews with German climate activists and analyzes stakeholder communication from their perspective. Drawing on the interviews and the critical tasks of stakeholder engagement outlined in the literature, this study identifies barriers to interaction between companies and stakeholders and proposes five alternative functions of social media in this context. These are (1.1) responsible agency and (1.2) being part of the climate (filter) bubble-finding allies; (2.1) pre-testing ideas and (2.2) allowing (constructive) confrontation, to soften the dialogic fronts; and (3) monitoring key concerns.
During times of great volatility and uncertainty, understanding the relationship between faith-based collectivist subcultures within individualist societies provides opportunities for communities to embrace the unique qualities presented by collectivism. Collectivist values of interdependence and collaboration may support greater affective commitment and sense of place. Hypotheses suggest a positive relationship between faith-based collective participation and both affective commitment and sense of place. Additional hypotheses proposed that emotional intelligence shares an indirect relationship between the initial variables. The results demonstrated the strong relationship between a person's collectivist, faith-based participation and their resulting commitment and that EI did not have an effect on the relationship. This research supports the ongoing discussion around individualist-collectivist cultures and subcultures, suggesting that collectivist subcultures within larger individualistic societies warrant further exploration. In order to understand the impacts of faith-based participation on societies, this study's methods should be extended to broader areas within the United States and abroad.
Carroll's seminal work on the pyramid of corporate social responsibility (CSR) provided a metaphor outlining the foundational aspects of a responsible corporation. Subsequently, corporations have begun moralizing on issues that extend well beyond those that are related to the corporation's business, including many controversial social issues. The wide dispersion of moral stands from corporations on all kinds of controversial social issues has now moved the moral discussion of corporations beyond their corporate social responsibilities and into a newer area of corporate social advocacy (CSA). This paper provides a complementary metaphor-the butte of CSA-that takes into account this newfound moralizing of corporations on many controversial social issues. The foundations from this new metaphor are then used in a model to chart paths to various outcomes along a CSR-CSA continuum, helping to identify when a corporate stance will be considered more CSA compared to when a corporate stance will be considered more CSR. An explanation of how the butte of CSA and its CSR-CSA continuum model make contributions toward theory, practice, and future research is discussed. Overall, this article should enhance discussions on the morality of corporations, both in terms of corporations' responsibility to behave morally and also in terms of corporations' advocacy on how others should behave morally.
This study examines the sociocultural and psychological factors influencing social entrepreneurship intention (SEI) within the Indian context. Drawing from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Mair and Noboa's (2006) model, and Social Cognitive Theory a conceptual model is developed and tested. A research instrument was developed and implemented on a sample of 149 social entrepreneurs who have been in this business for no more than a year in India. The study employed a cross-sectional design recall bias survey technique to gather data. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling using SMART-PLS (version 4). The results show that Social empathy, religiosity, and role models positively influence SEI, while moral obligation does not. Gender moderates the relationship between moral obligation and SEI, with a stronger effect in males, and between role models and SEI, with a stronger influence in females. Further, it is found that gender does not significantly moderate the relationships between social empathy or religiosity and SEI. These findings emphasize the importance of contextual sociocultural factors in shaping SEI in India. These results highlight the need for gender-sensitive approaches in promoting SEI and provide opportunities for future research to understand empathic responses in diverse populations.
