Dear Colleagues,

The key “economic problem” usually arises as a need to relate economic and ethical factors that appear to be contradictory in society and organizations. There is a so-called background, the self-understanding of positive economics, that economics is a kind of exact social science and it thus does not rely on normative theory. However, mainstream economics always contains normative starting points. They are especially visible in terms of efficiency or optimality and well-being. In the case of economics, the normative foundation is taken seriously; economics should also include the concept of economic borders with responsibility. The juxtaposition of economics and ethics is thus partly artificial. Downstream economics always relies on normative argumentation, albeit implicitly. It is central that the starting point is an interpretation of utilitarianism based on a strong principle of inviolability.

The distinction between sustainable and unsustainable development already involves setting out an ethical issue. For this reason alone, there is a need for a Special Issue of Sustainability.

It has become clear that the concepts of both well-being and optimality are problematically used in this basic economic theory. There is no reason to criticize economic discourse for 'immorality', but rather to reveal the normative rationale on which economic theory is based. "Economy" and the distinction between “ethics,” including economic speech in the form of criticism, reinforces the problematic notion of free economics without any discussions of responsibility.

Responsible behaviors are increasingly being embedded into new platforms, business models and strategies that are designed to meet environmental, societal and governance deficits. Sustainability in the long run is the core of business operations, and responsibility is examined through the company’s economic, social and environmental impact. Responsibility plays a part in the competitiveness of companies in markets. Responsibility cannot be fulfilled by only talking about it. Responsibility-related issues must be instilled into the heart of the company’s business practices and business model. It can be used to compete for clients, personnel and investors. A successful company profits not just its owners, but also its stakeholders and society as a whole. The areas of voluntary responsibility are based on values, attitudes, as well as ethical and moral considerations. Responsibility requires strong ethical leadership, responsibility-taking on an individual level, as well as company-level learning, all of which are essential aspects of developing responsible business practices. Real actions, contracts and a commitment to the company and the essence of sustainable development are needed. Society needs responsible companies, and companies need society. Both societal partners will take care of their duties, thereby supporting and improving sustainable development on a wider scale.

Traditionally, responsibility issues have been linked to economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainability. Therefore, key notions of Corporate Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Environmental Management have become very popular in academia as corporations are moving beyond old models of transparency, business ethics and stakeholder engagement. Shareholders are now more aware of broader questions of responsibility.

New challenges are linked to ecological transparency, more socially responsible business models and better environmental management systems, taking circular economy and biodiversity challenges more seriously into consideration. Ecological innovations and R&D focusing on green transition challenges are also receiving more attention. This Special Issue of Sustainability provides the opportunity for scholars, research groups, specialists and students to contribute to newest scholarly discussions about the CSSREN field with a broad analysis on the subject of Corporate Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental Management. It is important to pay attention to three focal areas: (1) the significance of responsibility; (2) definitions of economic, social and environmental responsibility and (3) organizations’ strategies, values and leadership styles when organizations aim to demonstrate responsibility in their business.

Inside corporations and companies, key functions are production, PR and marketing, human resource management, supply chain planning, accounting knowledge management and R&D activities. All these important sub-functions of business administration are in rapid transition process where CSSREN issues and ethical questions are becoming more relevant.

This Special Issue aims to build a larger situation analysis of these vital changes in modern companies and corporations. We hope to receive scientific articles with fresh insights into the key challenges of Corporate Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Environmental Management.

Prof. Dr. Jari Kaivo-oja
Dr. Antti Ainamo
Guest Editors

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• corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• organizational social responsibility (OSR)
• corporate sustainability
• environmental management