Purpose
The present digital era has integrated the conventional telecommunications companies as service providers in this ever-competitive environment. Towards gaining business competitiveness, businesses are operated from the stance of dynamic business model that places focus on both economic activities and, more importantly, value-added benefits. One essential value embedded into business strategies refers to the aspect of sustainability in conjunction to environmental social governance (ESG). Within the context of Malaysia, ESG practices have been expected to grow rapidly in years to come, along with the vision of becoming a digital economy nation, by 2050. The continuous discussions appear to support the significance of implementing ESG practices amidst organizations, which in turn, could enhance a more sustainable economic growth for the country. Although many studies have probed into the dimensions of ESG, little attention has been given to the ESG practices incorporated into business strategy agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper combed through the literature to retrieve the multi-dimensions of ESG concepts, as well as related in-depth insights into ESG disclosures amongst leading companies established in Malaysia. As for the research design, this study used the content analysis method and the ESG Grid as the benchmarking tool to explore superior commitments amongst its peers.
Findings
As a result, this study stumbled upon two major outcomes: the pattern of ESG disclosures in telecommunications industry and the approaches in implementing ESG practices in telecommunications companies. These two aspects appear essential to establish a competitive advantage, apart from addressing the issues raised by concerned stakeholders.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies may explore deeper into comprehending the ESG practices by using the interview method and incorporating other industry or arena.
Practical implications
The decisions made by the companies to invest in ESG practices mark the ability of a company in devising viable survival strategies within the industry.
Originality/value
Hence, this study offers several vital insights into the practical value to learn from the best experiences, aside from analyzing the current progress of ESG practices within the context of developing nation.
In order to successfully accomplish the social and business mission, social enterprises need to identify the appropriate elements of resources that affect their performance since the management of resources is important to ensure the effectiveness of social enterprise. Thus, this study aims to examine the role of intellectual capital, in terms of human capital, structural capital and relational capital on the effectiveness of social enterprise which is represented by the financial viability. Information on the financial viability and intellectual capital were obtained from the content analysis of the annual reports of 210 social enterprises registered under the Registry of Societies (ROS) in Malaysia for the financial period 2010. The results from the statistical analysis revealed that on average, most of the social enterprises in Malaysia would be able to financially sustain in the future. Based on the multivariate analysis, the results highlighted that human capital has a significant positive influence on the financial viability of social enterprise while structural capital and relational capital do not have significant positive relationship with the financial viability of social enterprise. Overall, the findings concluded that human capital was the most influential factor in enabling the effectiveness of social enterprise.
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