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Corporate sustainability – integrating environmental and social concerns?
Author(s) -
Schaefer Anja
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
corporate social responsibility and environmental management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.519
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1535-3966
pISSN - 1535-3958
DOI - 10.1002/csr.70
Subject(s) - sustainability , corporate social responsibility , business , social responsibility , corporate sustainability , process (computing) , social sustainability , public relations , environmental sustainability index , environmental resource management , political science , economics , ecology , computer science , biology , operating system
This article presents a case of the early stages of an attempted integration of environmental management and corporate responsibility in a UK utility company, which may, in due course, develop into a more holistic orientation towards corporate sustainability. The company had made some deliberate attempts to link environmental and social responsibility issues. However, this integration was partial and contested within the company. The case shows that dealing with environmental soundness and starting to integrate environmental and social issues and management need not be a sequential process. Institutional and wider social factors are shown to play a strong role in influencing company thinking and actions in this area, seemingly sending rather mixed signals in this case. The case also highlights the role of sustainability champions in making links between the organization's business purpose, its environmental performance and its social responsibility in terms of the long term sustainability of the region and the company's future. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.