Special Issue: Frameworks for sustainability management: Analysing their contribution

Compared to other disciplines of business studies, sustainability management is still a relatively young research field. Nevertheless, for the past three decades, multiple frameworks have been proposed, offering sustainability management researchers a wide variety of theoretical and conceptual anchor points. The most prominent frameworks include reference frameworks such as the planetary boundaries concept (Rockström et al. 2009; linked to the company level see e.g. Whiteman et al. 2009) and the SDGs (UN 2015; linked to the company level, see e.g. Schaltegger et al. 2018). Other frameworks offer approaches such as corporate citizenship (Carroll 1998), creating shared value (Porter and Kramer 2011), CSR (McWilliams et al. 2006), business cases for sustainability (Schaltegger and Burritt 2018), the multi-level perspective (Geels 2011), or the circular economy (Ellen McArthur Foundation 2013; Urbinati et al. 2017). Theoretical frameworks from business studies comprise, for example, stakeholder theory (Hörisch et al. 2014), dynamic capabilities (Rebs et al., 2019), or the endeavors to create distinct theories of sustainability management (Starik and Kanashiro, 2013; Dyckhoff, 2018).

These and further frameworks are used by sustainability management researchers and all have their merits and limitations. Yet, their respective potential to contribute to sustainable development differs. With this special issue, we aim to stimulate the discussion on how such frameworks enable companies to contribute to sustainable development on a societal level. We invite submissions that apply, further develop or compare frameworks for sustainability management and specify how a given framework is (un)able to contribute to corporate sustainability and sustainable development.

We seek quantitative and qualitative empirical investigations of corporate and entrepreneurial efforts to specific sustainability challenges, using the perspective of a selected framework. Conceptual contributions are also welcome and should focus on the combination or comparison of the potential contributions of different frameworks. With this approach, we hope to stimulate a discussion about the potential strengths and weaknesses of current frameworks used in sustainability management research, and to encourage a deeper understanding of how sustainability management research could be further developed for the next decades.

- Quantitative analyses of businesses contributions to pressing sustainability challenges, using selected frameworks of (sustainability) management research.

- Qualitative studies of sustainability management endeavors following the rational of a selected framework.

- Conceptual analyses, combining, or comparing frameworks of sustainability management research.

- The applicability of frameworks of sustainability management research in different contexts (e.g. with regard to different company sizes or different pressing sustainability challenges).

- Literature reviews on frameworks of sustainability management research.

- The ability of different frameworks of sustainability management research to contribute to sustainability transitions on a societal level.

- The ability of different sustainability management research frameworks to contribute to radical sustainability oriented innovations.

- The suitability of frameworks to accommodate or address accelerating climate and resource pressures.

- The applicability of different frameworks of sustainability management research at the intersection between sustainability management and other disciplines of business studies (e.g. accounting, business ethics, entrepreneurship, finance, human resource management, innovation, leadership, logistics and supply chain management, marketing, operations research, production, strategy).

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Time schedule

Contributors with ideas for papers are invited to communicate with the editors before submission. Please contact hoerisch@leuphana.de. The following schedule will be applied:

- Submission of papers: October 31, 2021

- Initial decisions made and authors informed: January 15, 2022

- Deadline for last paper revisions for consideration in the special issue: July 31, 2022

- Final decisions made: September 15, 2022

- Publication of special issue: end of 2022/beginning of 2023

Contributions

Full papers are invited to be considered for publication in the journal’s special issue. The recommended manuscript length for Journal of Business Economics is a maximum of 30 pages (450 words a page, Times New Roman, 11 pt., single space). Paper submissions should follow the editorial guidelines of the "Journal of Business Economics", which can be obtained from the website (https://www.springer.com/journal/11573/submission-guidelines). Please send your submissions via https://www.editorialmanager.com/jbec/default.aspx.

References

Carroll AB (1998) The four faces of corporate citizenship. Business and Society Review 100:1–7

Dyckhoff H (2018) Multi-criteria production theory: foundation of non-financial and sustainability performance evaluation. Journal of Business Economics 88:851–882.

Ellen Mc Arthur Foundation (2013). Towards the circular economy. Available at: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/Ellen-MacArthur- Foundation-Towards-the-Circular-Economy-vol.1.pdf.

Geels FW (2011) The mulit-level perspective on sustainability transitions: Responses to seven criticisms. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 1:24–40

Hörisch J, Freeman RE, Schaltegger S (2014) Applying Stakeholder Theory in Sustainability Management: Links, Similarities, Dissimilarities, and a Conceptual Framework. Organization & Environment 27:328–346.

McWilliams A, Siegel DS, Wright PM (2006) Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategic Implications. J Management Studies 43:1–18.

Porter M, Kramer M (2011) Creating Shared Value. Harvard Business Review 94:62–77

Rebs T, Thiel D, Brandenburg M, Seuring S (2019) Impacts of stakeholder influences and dynamic capabilities on the sustainability performance of supply chains: a system dynamics model. Journal of Business Economics 89:893–926.

Rockström J et al. (2009) A safe operating space for humanity. Nature 461:472 Schaltegger S, Beckmann M, Hockerts K (2018) Sustainable entrepreneurship: creating environmental solutions in light of planetary boundaries. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing 10:1–16

Schaltegger S, Burritt R (2018) Business cases and corporate engagement with sustainability: Differentiating ethical motivations. J Bus Ethics 147:241–259

Starik M, Kanashiro P (2013) Toward a Theory of Sustainability Management: Uncovering and Integrating the Nearly Obvious. Organization & Environment 26:7–30

United Nations (2015) Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015, New York. http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E. Accessed 2 March 2017

Urbinati A, Chiaroni D, Chiesa V (2017) Towards a new taxonomy of circular economy business models. Journal of Cleaner Production 168:487–498

Whiteman G, Walker B, Perego P (2013) Planetary Boundaries: Ecological Foundations for Corporate Sustainability. Journal of Management Studies 50:307–336.