Controlling for sustainability strategies: findings from research and directions for the future

Ghosh, Biswaraj; Herzig, Christian; Mangena, Musa

doi:10.1007/s00187-019-00279-8

Cited by 37 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…Since the financial crisis of 2008/09, many reform initiatives on sustainable corporate governance and sustainable management control were discussed and finalised from an international perspective (e.g., Feder and Weißenberger 2019;Ghosh et al 2019;Johnstone 2019;Lingnau et al 2019). Boards of directors are motivated to engage in implementing a sustainability management system and increasing their sustainability expertise.…”

Section: Discussion and Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding increased research on business case(s) for CSR (Reinhardt et al 2020;Salzmann et al 2005), firm value substantially may be affected negatively through damage to firm reputation as a consequence of corporate irresponsibility. Sustainable management control regarding CSR-related board expertise represents a strategy to decrease conflicts of interest between management and different stakeholder groups, and to strengthen firm reputation (e.g., Feder and Weißenberger 2019;Ghosh et al 2019;Johnstone 2019;Lingnau et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do chief sustainability officers and CSR committees influence CSR-related outcomes? A structured literature review based on empirical-quantitative research findings

2020

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Although an increasing amount of empirical research has been linked to the impact of management control and governance on corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues since the financial crisis of 2008/09, heterogeneous results have characterised this research field. Regarding the group level of corporate governance, the efficacy of board committees (e.g., audit, compensation or CSR committees) has been included in recent research designs. However, analyses of corporate governance at the individual level are related to the effects of top management members [e.g., chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO) or chief sustainability officer (CSO)] on CSR outcomes. This paper aims to convey a detailed understanding of sustainable management control’s impact as CSR-related board expertise. In more detail, we focus on the influence of both CSR committees and CSOs on three CSR measures mainly analysed in empirical-quantitative research: (1) CSR reporting; (2) CSR assurance (CSRA); and (3) CSR performance. We motivate our analysis with increased relevance from practical, regulatory and research perspectives, and we employ a systematic literature review of the symbolic vs. substantive effects of sustainability-related board composition. Based on our theoretical model (legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and upper-echelons theory), we selected 48 quantitative peer-reviewed empirical studies on this research topic. Our analysis shows that CSR committees positively influence CSR reporting and performance. Thus, there are indications that the implementation of a CSR committee is not a symbolic act, but instead substantively contributes to CSR activities. However, in light of inconclusive empirical research results and a lack of studies that have analysed CSO-related effects, a notable research gap has been identified. Moreover, we note the main limitations of prior research in this review and develop an agenda with useful recommendations for future studies.

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Section: Discussion and Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do chief sustainability officers and CSR committees influence CSR-related outcomes? A structured literature review based on empirical-quantitative research findings

2020

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“…It is interesting to note that our review of the literature also stresses MFCA's role for strategic decisions, which had not been made explicitly by ISO [13]. Strategic decision-making plays a pivotal role in an organization due to its long-term effects [82] and therefore has also been widely addressed in the literature of accounting and control for sustainability strategy [83]. In various studies of our sample, it is shown how MFCA can support managers in ensuring the future sustainability of an organization (e.g., implementing cleaner production processes) [52,61,74].…”

Section: Benefits Of Mfca Application In Developing Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Material Flow Cost Accounting in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

Tran

Herzig

2020

Sustainability

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This study aims to provide a better understanding of material flow cost accounting (MFCA) application in developing countries, which are characterized by rapid structure transformation leading to serious environmental problems. By systematically reviewing the existing literature, our analysis of 28 studies from nine developing countries (China, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam) shows that MFCA research has primarily focused on Asian developing countries. Moreover, while the use of MFCA is often associated with improving eco-efficiency, the reviewed studies also indicate a high relevance for strategic decision-making processes within organizations. Finally, one of the key challenges in MFCA application reported in developing country studies lies in existing accounting systems with limited data availability and insufficient cost allocation. Based on our findings and gaps identified in the MFCA literature, we suggest paths for further research, including the necessity of quantitative research and comparative analysis of MFCA application across countries, the further investigation of MFCA application in small and medium-sized enterprises as well as in various manufacturing and service sectors in developing countries.

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“…Similarly, studies related to the use of MCSs for sustainability and CSR have been conducted to identify how companies use MCSs and/or SCSs in their sustainability and CSR practices (Crutzen et al, 2017;Durden, 2008;Riccaboni and Leone, 2010). Some scholars have argued that formal and informal controls need to reinforce one another to promote sustainability and CSR objectives internally, while others discuss the primacy of informal controls negating the need for formal controls (Crutzen, 2017;Ghosh et al, 2019). Control congruity or primacy is based on research undertaken on a limited number of organizations (Ghosh et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%