Toward a System Theory of Corporate Sustainability: An Interim Struggle

Sooksan Kantabutra ()
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Sooksan Kantabutra: Center for Research on Sustainable Leadership, College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-27

Abstract: In response to the prevailing sustainability problems that are difficult to solve since they are characterized by complex interdependencies, and the effort to solve one aspect of a sustainability problem may lead to other problems, the present study’s objective is to develop an interim, system-based theory of corporate sustainability to fill in significant gaps in the corporate sustainability field. The paper starts by outlining the gaps, introducing a theory building approach, followed by discussing components of the emerging theory. As a system-based theory, the emerging theory is demonstrated through the Corporate Sustainability system, comprising Sustainability Culture, Resilience and Corporate Sustainability Performance subsystems. These subsystems interact to ensure a continuous delivery of sustainability performance outputs and outcomes. The resulting theory is highly dynamic in nature with a feedback loop of learning to reflect the actual reality of high-velocity environment. Implications for corporate practitioners and theorists are also discussed.

Keywords: corporate sustainability; theory building; resilience; sustainability practices; sustainability performance; sustainability organizational culture; sufficiency economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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