University Social Responsibility

This chapter highlights the role of technology-based universities in public-private partnerships (PPP) to strengthen and deploy the digital single market strategy. Moreover, it analyzes how these collaboration channels have link knowledge management as a tool for sustainable collaboration. Given the need to establish collaboration channels with the private sector, according to Lee, it is critical to establish the impact of sharing sophisticated knowledge and partnering at the same time. This chapter wants to highlights two relevant aspects of PPP: on the one hand, the importance of integrating the participation of a technology-based university with three objectives: (1) the coordination, (2) the funding management, and (3) the dissemination of results; and the other hand, the participation private sector that is represented by agile agents capable to execute high-value actions for society. With the recognition of these values, the investment and interest of the projects under way are justified by public-private partnership.

Micro-Foundations of Corporate Sustainability

This chapter introduces readers to the micro-foundation framework in corporate sustainability. Traditionally, strategic management and corporate sustainability research have explained why firms become more sustainable from a macro-level perspective. In recent years, new research has focused on the micro-level mechanism at the individual or group level. This research stream is known as the micro-foundations movement and tries to highlight individual characteristics, knowledge, background, etc. when firms decide to become more sustainable. Through the literature review, the authors tried to identify the studies published in top journals about the micro-foundation framework. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to give a primary introduction and an overview of the micro-foundations framework in corporate sustainability and identify what mechanisms have been found at the micro-level that explain why firms become more sustainable.

Environmentally Proactive Strategies and Absorptive Capacity

The objective of this chapter is to deepen into the association between corporate governance and the adoption of environmentally proactive strategies. The theoretical approach used is the knowledge-based view. This chapter explains how the environmentally proactive strategies could be enhanced by the director interlocks, who help the company to acquire environmental knowledge. The concept of the environmental absorptive capacity is used to inquire how the knowledge from the director interlocks is utilized to improve the company's environmental responsiveness. The results of the analysis conducted indicates that the main contribution of the director interlocks is to help companies to acquire resources and environmental knowledge, useful to deploy environmentally proactive strategies. This study is of particular importance for firms, establishing environmentally proactive strategies. The study invites investors, CEOs, and managers to consider the director interlocks to renew the environmental capacities and comply the most stringent requirement of stakeholders.

CSR in the Spotlight

This study has as its aim to analyze the existence of a possible theoretical relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) development and two factors, namely business location and managers' gender. The industrial district (ID) theory serves as the basis to demonstrate the possible influence of location on this type of environment with an improved implementation of social practices. At the same time, the authors will also consider the possible influence of internationalization within the cluster on CSR development since globalization itself can further favor the implementation of CSR practices. The study additionally examines the role that the variable ‘directors' gender', and more precisely, women directors, can play as a key factor in the development of such practices. The implications that the concurrence of these factors might have, along with the future lines of research that would derive therefrom, will finally be considered.

Challenges in Green Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management in Sustainability and Industry 4.0

The conceptual model proposed in this study is used to serve a guide for Industry 4.0 to understand the effect of GIC (green intellectual capital) and GKM (green knowledge management) on sustainability. Green challenge in Industry 4.0 has increasingly become a hot topic in both academia and practice. Among the Industry 4.0 topics, digital chain monitoring has a great impact on the performance of the company. The study of the industrial digital chain is a great green challenge in the 21st century in order to understand and manage the flows of green information. Knowledge of the human, relational, and structural (including technological aspects) will help to better understand and management the effects of traceability on sustainability. Several of the concepts and variables in the suggested model can easily be managed by organizations if they carefully measure their green intangible nature with smart sensors.

An Entrepreneur Sees the Reward

The aim of this chapter is to advance the understanding of how social entrepreneurs analyze and apply intellectual capital and corporate social responsibility within their companies. From the extensive literature review, the broad definitions of intellectual capital, and corporate social responsibility, the measurement models and the management of intellectual capital and the development process of corporate social responsibility were identified. Modern, socio-economic, philanthropic, and classical views were taken into consideration to explain corporate social responsibility in detail. In order to develop holistic understanding, the relationship between intellectual capital and corporate social responsibility on the basis of entrepreneur were analyzed. The understanding of the intellectual capital and corporate social responsibility in companies were shown by theoretical framework of resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, stakeholder theory, and legitimacy theory.

Corporate Sustainability, Business Sustainability, or Corporate Social Responsibility

Despite the high academic and business interest in corporate sustainability and everything related to the impact of organizations on their social and environmental environment, there is still a notable confusion between the concepts of corporate social responsibility, corporate sustainability, and even business sustainability. This chapter helps to identify common aspects and differentiating elements between these concepts, which allow researchers and practitioners to understand the existing literature on the topic and to propose lines of work and research in an appropriate manner, according to its objectives and analysis perspectives. The text includes a review of the concept of corporate sustainability and a set of criteria and recommendations to make an appropriate choice and contribute to a more logical convergence in the use of the terms.

The Concept of Corporate Social Responsibility

The concept of corporate social responsibility continues in a state of lack of academic consensus, which makes it difficult to propose new research proposals on the company's social and environmental commitment. With the aim of facilitating research tasks, this chapter systematically compiles a list of definitions of the concept and lists a set of dimensions or drivers that are either present in these definitions or can be considered as fundamental elements or perspectives for the study of corporate social responsibility. As conclusions, the most relevant ideas presented in the chapter are compiled. The incorporation, in academic studies, of perspectives based on impacts of business activity rather than principles of action is also proposed, since they present a possible greater operability. These concepts are corporate social performance or corporate sustainability.

Corporate Social Responsibility and the Local Community Effect

The objective of the chapter is to take a multilevel perspective to better understand how CSR practices are developed inside a cluster. The authors aim to describe how CSR practices are developed comparing both firm's characteristics (e.g., innovative capacity, marketing innovation, international activities) and local interactions inside the cluster. In particular, they evaluate how internal dynamics of the cluster, defined by the networks of relationships that are developed with supporting organizations, along with leading firms in the cluster, shape a new institutional framework that locally legitimates CSR practices.

Exploring the Links Between CSR, Good Governance, and Corporate Reputation

The chapter looks to contribute in a theoretical way to the measurement of the concepts of CSR (corporate social responsibility), good governance, and reputation in SMEs, since they are concepts of great importance in business management and are related. Social responsibility actions through the exercise of good governance means that SMEs can obtain a solid reputation. The purpose of the chapter is to develop how companies that incorporate social responsibility into their business model achieve a better image in the eyes of their stakeholders. Codes of ethics play an important role as an instrument of good governance. As a result, the chapter proposes measurement indicators to be used in future empirical research to verify the effects of causality. They can be a valuable tool for knowledge management as a source of innovation for SMEs.