The financial crisis together with new social and environmental challenges have shown the limits of the profit-centric shareholder supremacy model which has created material wealth at the expense of both the environment and the people living in it. A profound transformation of the economic and social ecosystem is occurring where companies are expected to become actors of change and put in place sustainability-driven practices that create value for the community by addressing its needs and challenges (Weaver, Trevino, e Cochran 1999). It is evident that the traditional economic short-term mindset in corporate decision-making hampers long-term commitments to sustainability, stakeholders and society (Slawinski e Bansal 2015; Slawinski et al. 2017) and that organizational prioritizations must include social and environmental practices. This brought to the convergence of the profit and non-profit sectors towards new hybrid forms of for-profit and for-benefit organizations (Billis 2010) and practices that define teal and flourishing enterprises. On the one hand, Benefit Corporations, B Corps, and Social Purpose Companies, with their reinforced commitment to sustainability-driven practices and abound mission to generate a public benefit are a clear example of the convergence of for-profit companies toward a strong sustainability focus (Nigri, Michelini, e Grieco 2017; Hiller 2013). At the same time, as more companies change their statutes, there is a shift of the non-profit sector towards a more business-oriented approach. The aim of this paper is therefore to shed light on the SDG Action Manager, a web-based impact management solution that enables businesses to take action on the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations Global Compact, aimed to provide organizations with an opportunity to learn about, manage, and improve their sustainability performance. Moreover, the paper is aimed at pinpointing how the integration with the benefit impact assessment can drive the aforementioned transformation.
The UN Global Compact SDG Action Manager: how benefit corporations and purpose-driven businesses are driving the change
Del Baldo Mara
2021
Abstract
The financial crisis together with new social and environmental challenges have shown the limits of the profit-centric shareholder supremacy model which has created material wealth at the expense of both the environment and the people living in it. A profound transformation of the economic and social ecosystem is occurring where companies are expected to become actors of change and put in place sustainability-driven practices that create value for the community by addressing its needs and challenges (Weaver, Trevino, e Cochran 1999). It is evident that the traditional economic short-term mindset in corporate decision-making hampers long-term commitments to sustainability, stakeholders and society (Slawinski e Bansal 2015; Slawinski et al. 2017) and that organizational prioritizations must include social and environmental practices. This brought to the convergence of the profit and non-profit sectors towards new hybrid forms of for-profit and for-benefit organizations (Billis 2010) and practices that define teal and flourishing enterprises. On the one hand, Benefit Corporations, B Corps, and Social Purpose Companies, with their reinforced commitment to sustainability-driven practices and abound mission to generate a public benefit are a clear example of the convergence of for-profit companies toward a strong sustainability focus (Nigri, Michelini, e Grieco 2017; Hiller 2013). At the same time, as more companies change their statutes, there is a shift of the non-profit sector towards a more business-oriented approach. The aim of this paper is therefore to shed light on the SDG Action Manager, a web-based impact management solution that enables businesses to take action on the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations Global Compact, aimed to provide organizations with an opportunity to learn about, manage, and improve their sustainability performance. Moreover, the paper is aimed at pinpointing how the integration with the benefit impact assessment can drive the aforementioned transformation.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
