Governance In The Business Environment

Theoretical and empirical accounts of the role of business in shaping international environmental policies.

Transforming Governance: New Values, New Systems in the New Business Environment, edited by Maria Aluchna and Güler Aras addresses the current state, as well as the development of corporate governance and its perceived tasks and functions, in response to the changing market and regulatory environment. Divided into three parts, the book firstly addresses the variety of theoretical approaches. The inefficiencies, scandals and crises as well as the significant shortcomings and current criticism of shareholder value provide a new setting and theoretical assumptions for the purpose and role of corporate governance in the economy and society. The second section of the book goes on to discuss the forces which lead to the changing corporate governance paradigm, as companies are expected to incorporate not only shareholders but also stakeholders expectations and report and improve upon social and environmental performance. The focus of this section is to present the impact of stakeholders, the requirement for corporate social responsibility and sustainability, as well as the increasing importance of women in management and their participation at corporate board level. Section Three contains corporate governance case studies within various organizational and institutional settings; including the case of family companies, social enterprises/benefit corporations, sustainable companies and emerging markets. The book's contributors comprise both researchers and business experts addressing both theoretical and practical dimensions.

Published in association with the Social Responsibility Research Network, Volume 2 in this new and exciting series takes a global interdisciplinary perspective to the matter of governance in the business environment and includes key topics and contributions from the UK, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Japan, China and Malaysia.

For many Americans, capitalism is a dynamic engine of prosperity that rewards the bold, the daring, and the hardworking. But to many outside the United States, capitalism seems like an initiative that serves only to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few hereditary oligarchies. As A History of Corporate Governance around the World shows, neither conception is wrong. In this volume, some of the brightest minds in the field of economics present new empirical research that suggests that each side of the debate has something to offer the other. Free enterprise and well-developed financial systems are proven to produce growth in those countries that have them. But research also suggests that in some other capitalist countries, arrangements truly do concentrate corporate ownership in the hands of a few wealthy families. A History of Corporate Governance around the World provides historical studies of the patterns of corporate governance in several countries-including the large industrial economies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States; larger developing economies like China and India; and alternative models like those of the Netherlands and Sweden.

This new edition of Organisations and the Business Environment provides a completely revised, extended and updated edition of the original successful text. It provides contemporary and comprehensive coverage of the subject matter which is highly relevant to business and management students at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional levels. The text is written in a clear and concise style, illustrated with topical examples and data. Organisations and the Business Environment (second edition) comprises four sections: * Business Organisations ¡V discusses the evolution of organisational and managerial theories and concepts with particular emphasis on their relevance in the 21st century. The different types of organisations and their missions, visions, goals and objectives are examined. * The External Business Macro-Environment ¡V describes and considers the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, ecological and legal influences on organisations, utilizing the PESTEL framework of analysis. This section includes a review of the internationalization of businesses and examines the role of GATT and the WTO, single markets and trading blocs. * The External Business Micro-Environment ¡V provides a review of the market system and the nature of supply and demand. Market structures are examined in the light of monopolistic regimes and working for competitive advantage. The impact of government intervention is explored via regulatory bodies, privatization, and nationalization programmes. * Business Management ¡V explores the major aspects of contemporary business organisations, including corporate governance and business ethics. In particular, this section tackles the areas of structure, culture, change, quality management and the principal functions of organisations. This textbook is a user-friendly resource with end of chapter questions, activities and assignments to consolidate learning. Its strong emphasis on topical examples enables students to understand how theory is applied in business contexts, including, GlaxoSmithKline, BT, Scottish and Newcastle, Hanson plc and a number of not-for-profit organisations. There is additional Tutor Resource material, including presentation slides, data charts, chapter summaries, questions and answers. "An excellent book...good use of learning objectives, questions and potential assignments." Paul Blakely, Lecturer, University College of Warrington.

In a dramatic departure from its voluntary origins, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is rapidly shifting to hold multinational companies accountable for more than traditional shareholder performance. This CSR movement is embracing new environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks that both promote global sustainability goals and enhance accountability for negative impacts businesses can have on ‘planet and people’. This collection of essays by leading businesspeople, international civil servants, legal practitioners, academics, and other experts offers a forward-looking and pragmatic perspective that illuminates the major themes in this movement towards increasingly sustainable, transparent and accountable business practices. The collection shows how CSR has evolved to account for societal pressures, environmental, climate change and human rights impacts, international policy imperatives and the practical challenges of regulating commercial activity that transcends borders. The chapters offer an in-depth examination of current issues including: international frameworks and multistakeholder initiatives catalysing foundational change; the shifting emphasis on corporate imperatives to avoid harm to third parties; trends in CSR, focused on assuring the planet's future sustainability and social stability; regulatory initiatives around the globe, including Europe, North America, Asia and Africa; and extended accountability for activities of corporate group members and supply chains. The pressure and business case for companies to incorporate CSR into corporate governance is intensifying with each quarter, shareholder meeting, and regulatory agenda. The integration of CSR and new ESG frameworks into multinational corporate strategy and operations is key to sustainable business models that can generate long-term value for the organization and all stakeholders. Their acceptance as cornerstones of 21st century business practice appears inevitable. Taking full account of the imperative for companies and their lawyers to grapple with the practical and legal challenges in this area, this volume is an invaluable and pragmatic addition to the practitioners’ toolbox at this important juncture in an ever-more dynamic field.

Governance and Business Models for Sustainable Capitalism touches upon many of the central themes of today’s debate on business and society. In particular, it brings attention to a recurrent tension between efficiency, innovation, and productivity on the one hand, and fairness, equity, and sustainability on the other. The book argues that we need radical rethinking of business models and economic governance, beyond the classical doctrine, which sees social and ecological responsibility as lying with public-policy regulation of purely profit-seeking firms. In spite of the popular CSR agenda, business – as we know it today – is both too transient and too limited in its motivation to carry the regulatory burden. We need to adopt a much wider concept of 'partnered governance', where advanced states and pioneering companies work together to raise the social and environmental bar. The book suggests that civil engagements based on moral rather than formal rights, and amplified through the media, may provide a healthy challenge both to autocratic planning and to solely profit-centered commercialization. The book also proposes a triple cycle theory of innovation for sustainability: a novel framing of the efficacy of green and prosocial entrepreneurship as intertwined with political visions and supportive institutions. In addition, the book offers reflections on the ways in which further digital robotizaton may enable transition to an ‘Agora Economy’ where productive efficiency is combined with expanded civic freedoms. Aimed primarily at researchers, academics, and students in the fields of political economy, business and society, corporate governance, business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability, the book will additionally be of value to practitioners, supplying them with information regarding the challenges associated with the shaping of sustainable or ‘civilised’ market capitalism for a better world.

This book explores the concepts of sustainability and governance in relation to the governance of corporations – hence the ubiquity of the term corporate governance – and other bodies. It examines how these concepts are regularly used by politicians and by the media. The two concepts are however largely treated as being separate and discrete, and given equal coverage. The argument in this book is that the two concepts are inter-related and that good governance is a prerequisite for sustainability. The focus of the book therefore is different from most, as it seeks to integrate these two important issues. The approach used in this book is based on the tradition of the Social Responsibility Research Network – a worldwide body of scholars that, over its 20-year history, has sought to broaden the discourse and to treat all research as inter-related and business-relevant. The book examines diverse aspects of the changes to corporate and institutional behaviour that have recently manifested by focusing on these two aspects of sustainable development. Thus, the authors explore engagement and partnership between organisations, in order to consider the extent to which the focus has changed so much that we need to think about new approaches to our understanding of sustainability and differing effects in practice. The international mix of authors makes this an original contribution, sharing some of the best ideas from around the world.

Using the concept of public policy as an integrating theme, this classic book explores the social and political environment of business from a managerial focus. It considers specific issues and outlines many management-oriented techniques for dealing with such issues -- showing how issues are raised in our society and how business and government interact in the resolution of those issues. Content is organized into five major sections. Part I covers theoretical and conceptual material and expands coverage of the institutional and public policy aspects of government. Part II deals specifically with the public policy process. Part III focuses on specific public policy issues of concern to management. Part IV explores the ethical and international dimensions of public policy. Part V discusses management responses to public policy issues in the context of a strategic management framework. There is a chapter on public issues management that includes discussions about stakeholder management and the legal environment of business and a chapter on corporate political strategies. Each chapter begins with a brief company oriented incident and includes short cases at the end of most chapters. This book will be useful to managers who deal with public policy issues, such as Public Affairs and Public Relations professionals, Directors of Executive Education, Management Training Executives or Public Policy Analysts.