Introduction on the European Corporate Sustainability Framework (ECSF)

Abstract

This article describes the European Corporate Sustainability Framework (ECSF). This framework addresses complex issues such as Corporate Sustainability, Corporate Responsibility and Corporate Change. It is a conceptual framework based on the tradition of the quality management approach and the concept of phasewise development. The framework is based on several theories and models, all proven individually over several decades. These theories are the Emergent Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory (ECLET) of Professor Graves, The Four Phase Model Ó (Hardjono), EFQM's Business Excellence Model, Kaplan and Norton's Business Balanced scorecard, the research deliverables of the project ''The European Way to Excellence'' and the SqEME Ò methodology. All these models, theories and/or studies belong to the interpretative sociology (Milwax Burell and Morgan, 1992). The aim of the ECSF is to support organizations in their implementation of Corporate Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility (CS-R) by addressing the ambiguity and complexity of these issues.

Designing and Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility: An Integrative Framework Grounded in Theory and Practice

“…Our findings are supported by real-time industry data that offer the first examples of change process toward CSR orientation. As such, our article both identifies new insights and extends extant theory by building on previous research (Cramer, 2005;Hardjono & de Klein, 2004;Khoo & Tan, 2002;Maignan et al, 2005;Panapanaan et al, 2003;Werre, 2003). Third, we identify those factors that are critical to the successful development and implementation of CSR orientation.…”

Organizational Sustainability Practices: A Study of the Firms Listed by the Corporate Sustainability Index

“…According to [52], firms that possess a defined sustainable strategy are able to improve their financial situation and meet the demands of their stakeholders, without prioritizing any category. Sustainability categories must have the same priorities, in harmony with the internal and external public and not exclusively directed to economic matters [59].…”

Sustainable Development and Corporate Performance: A Study Based on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index

“…Sustainability philosophy assumes that we abandon a narrow version of classical economic theory 4 and develop corporate strategies that include goals that go beyond just maximizing shareholders' interests. Attention is directed to the demands of a wider group of stakeholders, since the firm's success depends on stakeholders' satisfaction (Buchholz and Rosenthal, 2005;Freeman, 1984;Hardjano and Klein, 2004;Michael and Gross, 2004).…”