Managing Sustainability is a comprehensive guide to governing, leading, and managing a successful sustainability-focused business. Being a socially and environmentally responsible business is a worthy goal for many people; however, turning the goal into reality is a daunting process. This book takes a clear and practical approach to the "nuts-and-bolt" of achieving this goal, and covers steps to be taken by directors and executives to create and implement appropriate strategies, policies, and management systems. It recognizes that corporate social responsibility ("CSR") is like any other important management initiative and requires proactive leadership from the top of the organization. Key topics include: * Understanding how CSR is changing the traditional fiduciary duties of directors and officers * Developing and implementing internal governance instruments to provide a foundation for decision-making around CSR * Integrating CSR into the duties and responsibilities of the chief executive officer and other members of the C-suite team, as well as into their compensation arrangements * Conducting continuous audits and assessments of the sustainability governance and management framework using certification and rating systems to evaluate and improve CSR performance and effectiveness Current and aspiring leaders wishing to build a sustainability-centered business will appreciate the straightforward and actionable guidance offered by this book.

Managing Sustainability is a comprehensive guide to governing, leading, and managing a successful sustainability-focused business. Being a socially and environmentally responsible business is a worthy goal for many people; however, turning the goal into reality is a daunting process. This book takes a clear and practical approach to the "nuts-and-bolt" of achieving this goal, and covers steps to be taken by directors and executives to create and implement appropriate strategies, policies, and management systems. It recognizes that corporate social responsibility ("CSR") is like any other important management initiative and requires proactive leadership from the top of the organization. Key topics include: * Understanding how CSR is changing the traditional fiduciary duties of directors and officers * Developing and implementing internal governance instruments to provide a foundation for decision-making around CSR * Integrating CSR into the duties and responsibilities of the chief executive officer and other members of the C-suite team, as well as into their compensation arrangements * Conducting continuous audits and assessments of the sustainability governance and management framework using certification and rating systems to evaluate and improve CSR performance and effectiveness Current and aspiring leaders wishing to build a sustainability-centered business will appreciate the straightforward and actionable guidance offered by this book.

Sustainability and Corporate Governance is the first extensive and targeted guide for directors and their legal advisors on creating a governance framework for corporations that integrates all the recognized principles of sustainability now being discussed in boardrooms all over the world. The book provides a step-by-step approach on integrating sustainability principles into the activities of the board of directors including detailed guidance on legal, regulatory and business aspects of organizing and operating board committees and designing the sustainability management unit. Essential topics covered include: * Elements of an effective framework for implementation of sustainability governance, including required policies, procedures and committee charters * Organization of the governing board to effectively address sustainability issues and implement sustainability strategies * Best practices and processes to engage company stakeholders Corporate board members and attorneys will appreciate the book's practical forms and checklists, complete coverage of all facets of sustainability governance, summaries of relevant international and national guidelines and instruments, and a curated list of samples and case studies from companies all around the world.

Although corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been adopted by many companies, few of them are practicing it with any formal strategy, and the common situation seems to be a portfolio of disparate CSR programs and initiatives, some of which the support core strategy and others of which appear adjacent and discretionary. The diversity of potential CSR initiatives is one issue; however, developing a strategic orientation is complicated by the fact that each company has its own unique set of drivers and motivations for CSR and ideas and responsibilities for those initiatives come from all parts and levels of the organization. Strategic planning for sustainability is far from easy or precise, if only because it requires that simultaneous consideration be given not only to economic performance and development but also to environmental protection and the social wellbeing of employees and other persons and groups outside of the organization. This book is intended as a comprehensive guide to the key steps required to strategically approach becoming a successful sustainable business including conducting a CSR assessment, developing a CSR strategy and the accompanying business case, developing and implementing CSR commitments, and measuring the performance and effectiveness of the planning initiative.

In order to know whether or not the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative and its related commitments are actually improving the company's performance, it is necessary to have in place procedures for reporting and verification, each of which are important tools for measuring change and communicating those changes to the company's stakeholders. While certain CSR and corporate sustainability disclosures have now become minimum legal requirements in some jurisdictions, in general such disclosures are still a voluntary matter and companies have some leeway as to the scope of their disclosures and how they are presented to investors and other stakeholders. This book is intended to be a practical introduction to sustainability reporting and communications that begins by discussing material legal and regulatory considerations and the some of the major sustainability reporting frameworks and then continues with detailed illustrations of how companies might create and distribute their sustainability reports and develop and implement their CSR communications strategies.

All managers, regardless of where they work, must understand certain basic concepts such as the functions, roles, and skills associated with the managerial position and the styles available to managers for use in any given situation. However, context matters, and it is essential that managers understand the role that culture plays in being effective in their positions. This book begins with a brief description of the history and evolution of "management studies", continues with an overview of the scope and practice of comparative management studies, and provides examples of the research that has been done on cross-cultural transfer of management theories. In addition, the book includes materials on the search for, and analysis of, dimensions of management styles that can be used as a basis for creating models that can be used for comparison purposes.

A wide range of definitions and conceptualizations of "management" have been offered and it is often difficult for managers to fully and clearly understand their roles within the organization; however, managers striving for effectiveness and success would do well to invest time and effort into understanding the functions, roles and skills associated with the managerial position. As with definitions of management, researchers and commentators have developed a variety of lists of managerial functions. The consensus seems to be that managers can expect to be involved in planning, organizing, leading and controlling, and that these functions will be needed when working with a range of organizational resources including people, cash, physical assets and information. While the specific day-to-day activities of managers will vary depending on his or her place in the organizational hierarchy, he or she must nonetheless have the ability to understand the behaviors and feelings of the people who report to them, senior officials above them in the organizational hierarchy, other colleagues throughout the organization, and external stakeholders such as customers, supplier and regulators. In addition, managers must be able to maintain self-awareness and monitor their personal capacities for dealing with the stress of their jobs and engaging in activities that will further their career development. In order to be adroit practitioners of their craft, managers must understand certain basic concepts such as the functions, roles and skills associated with the managerial position; the different levels of managerial effectiveness and how they are measured; and the styles available to managers and the factors that determine which style might be preferred in a particular instance. Practicing Management includes guides on a wide array of topic relating to the practice of management including the roles and activities expected from an effective manager; specific skills which can be learned and perfected by persons that aspire to management positions; styles of management; management systems; organizational performance and effectiveness and managing in developing countries.

Leadership is a universal phenomenon that has preoccupied scholars, politicians and others for centuries. In the management context leadership has been consistently identified as playing a critical role in the success or failure of organizations and some surveys have pegged almost half of an organization's performance on the quality and effectiveness of its leadership team. Apart from organizational performance, researchers have consistently found a strong correlation between leadership styles and behaviors and the job satisfaction and performance of subordinates. When formal interest in the study of leadership first began in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the so-called "great man" theory, which assumed that certain individual characteristics or traits could be found in leaders but not in non-leaders and that those characteristics could not be developed but must be inherited, was quite popular and many assumed that leaders were simply "born and not made". As time passed, however, the consensus within the community of leadership scholars and consultants shifted significantly to the current working proposition that while some people do indeed appear to be natural leaders from birth it is nonetheless possible for many others with sufficient desire and willpower to develop into a "leader" by following a continuous process of work, self-study, education, training and experience. Practicing Leadership is intended to serve as a guide to basic principles of leadership and begins with an overview of definitions and conceptions of leadership and then continues with discussions of the roles and activities expected from an effective leader; personality traits and attributes which can be learned and perfected by persons that aspire to leadership positions; styles of leadership, which encompass the strategies used by leaders to engage with their followers and leadership in developing countries.

Leadership is a universal phenomenon that has been consistently identified as playing a critical role in the success or failure of organizations. This book begins with an overview of the history and evolution of leadership studies and traces some of the major "schools" of leadership studies that have attracted the interest of researchers since the 19th century. Also discussed are the various theories and models of leadership that have emerged over that period. The author introduces cross-cultural leadership studies and then discusses cross-cultural competencies of global leaders, which are the practical applications of the information available from the researchers to the day-to-day activities of leaders in business organizations around the world. Finally, the book assesses the research on cross-cultural leadership, culture, and leadership in developing countries.

The terms founder and promoter are used frequently when discussing new businesses. Neither of these terms has a particular technical legal meaning and they are used somewhat interchangeably in practice. However, it is useful and accurate to think of a founder as a person who assists in the formation of a new business and then continues to devote a significant amount of time and resources to the operation of business once it has been formed. The founders often become the officers, directors, general partners or managing members, and the term ""founding shareholder"" or ""founding president,"" for example, is often used to refer to one of the first shareholders of a corporation or a corporation's first president. A promoter, on the other hand, is a person, including possibly a legal entity, who assists in the formation of a business entity or obtaining subscriptions for its ownership interests, but who does not necessarily have any continuing relationship to the business once it is formed and funded. It is not surprising to find that founders play a pivotal role in the success of any new business even in situations where the founder is active in the business for only a short period of time and responsibility for oversight of the business is turned over to professional managers who were not affiliated with the business at inception. Founders not only bring the original business idea to the table, they also have a substantial influence on the organizational culture and values and goals of the initial managers and employees that lives on for a significant period of time. This book covers a variety of topics relating to founders, beginning with an overview of the motivational traits of prospective entrepreneurs and the role that entrepreneurs play in launching new businesses and then moving on the personality traits and skill sets of those persons who seek to form new business followed by a discussion of some of the practical issues relating to founders with respect to their pre-formation duties and liabilities, particularly their relationships with prior employers, and their relationships and agreements with other members of the founding group. The book also examines the role that founders have on the organizational culture of their firms and the positions that founder occupy if and when their firms reach the point where they are ready to take on the rigors of public company status and complete an initial public offering of their securities. This book is a must-have guide for anyone thinking about launching a new business and also is an excellent resource for attorneys and other professionals providing advice to their clients and academics teaching entrepreneurship classes.

Sustainability has become a multidimensional concept that extends beyond environmental protection to economic development and social equity-in other words, entrepreneurship guided and measured by the three pillars of the "triple bottom line." Sustainable entrepreneurship is the continuing commitment by businesses to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce, their families, the local and global community as well as future generations. This definition recognizes that several different stakeholder groups, not just shareholders, must be taken into account when managerial decisions are made and operational activities in furtherance of the organizational purposes are carried out. This book traces the foundations for sustainable entrepreneurship, beginning with sustainability, ecopreneurship, and social entrepreneurship and then continuing with a comprehensive review of the basic principles of sustainable entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurs can integrate sustainability into their business models. This book will be an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs who have chosen to focus their efforts on building a new concept based on the principles of sustainability from the outset. In addition, the book can be used by academics teaching sustainable entrepreneurship, a topic of surging interest to students, and by attorneys and professionals working with sustainable businesses.

A number of different methods have been used to describe growth-oriented entrepreneurship; however, there is a consensus that there is a particularly desirable form of entrepreneurship that seeks to create and scale up businesses that will drive productivity growth, create new employment, increase innovation, promote business internationalization and achieve sustainable economic growth. Innovation is a condition of growth-oriented entrepreneurship that includes both the development and commercialization of new products and services and the development and implementation of new or improved processes that enhance productivity or reduce costs associated with manufacturing or distributing existing products. Innovation involves firms pursuing distinctive business strategies and doing new things in new ways to increase productivity, product development, sales and profitability, including finding and developing new ways of identifying the needs of new and existing customers and making and marketing products that satisfy those needs. The goal of the launch phase for growth-oriented entrepreneurial ventures is to reach the point of scale up and common goals and activities associated with the launch phase include market disruption and penetration; gaining access to capital and markets and mentorship opportunities; organizational growth through management capacity, systems, resources (i.e., people, product and assets) management; embedding organizational culture; development of stakeholder relationships; monitoring and evaluation; and governance and reporting. This book provides an extensive introduction to research on growth-oriented entrepreneurship and continues with an assessment of attempts to create the appropriate framework conditions for growth-oriented entrepreneurship to flourish and sustain including financial support; government policies; government programs; education and training; research and development transfer; commercial and professional infrastructure; internal market openness; access to physical infrastructure; cultural and social norms; and protection of intellectual property rights. The final chapter looks at growth-oriented entrepreneurs in practice as they work to launch and growth emerging companies. This book is a unique compendium of research and analysis on a dynamic and important segment of entrepreneurship and will be useful to entrepreneurs, academics and policymakers.

Entrepreneurship has become a popular career path in developed and developing countries, a phenomenon that has contributed to the intense interest in the subject shown by researchers and policymakers around the world. Several factors have come into play, including advances in technology that allowed smaller firms to take advantage of economies of scale that previously were only available to larger firms; the ability of smaller firms, because of their size, to be more flexible and responsive to market changes; implementation of government policies calculated to encourage entrepreneurial activities and behavior; support from governments and other economic units that established procurement programs to assist small businesses; high unemployment rates in recent decades due to corporate restructuring and downsizing, which have caused some workers to choose an entrepreneurial path rather than retrain for placement in an unsteady job market as a means for dealing with their midlife crisis; and changes in typical career patterns away from expectations of long-term employment with large firms in a single occupation toward a flexible labor force, a phenomenon that has led to increased interest in entrepreneurship among those with post-secondary education and an established career record build over several decades in the workplace. This book provides an introduction to a number of important topics relevant to the study and understanding of entrepreneurship and the process of creating, or giving birth to, a new business. The chapters cover definitions and types of entrepreneurship; the relationships among entrepreneurship, innovation and development; research on entrepreneurship, comparative research into entrepreneurship in multiple countries and research into cross- border entrepreneurship (i.e., international activity of small- and medium-sized enterprises and new ventures); factors influencing entrepreneurial activities; motivational traits of prospective entrepreneurs; the influence of societal culture on entrepreneurial activities and attitudes regarding entrepreneurship as a career path; the influence that the institutional environment has on entrepreneurship; and the role of entrepreneurs in launching new businesses. This book is an excellent introductory source of information on entrepreneurship research for use by academics and other professionals in their courses and for entrepreneurs looking to fit their dreams and aspirations in the broader context of entrepreneurship.

The term "impact investing" first appeared in 2008 and today the most commonly used definition is investing made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. A similar formulation was adopted by the G8's Social Impact Investment Taskforce: "the defining characteristic of impact investment is that the goal of generating financial returns is unequivocally pursued within the context of setting impact objectives and measuring their achievement." Impact investing has occurred in both emerging and developed markets and the goals of impact investors in committing their capital and ancillary resources ranging from below market to market rate returns. Impact investing has occurred in a broad range of sectors including sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, conservation and microfinance, and governments and private enterprises have turned to impact investing tools to address challenges that have arisen relating to the delivery of basic services such as housing, healthcare and education.

Sustainability is about the long-term wellbeing of society, an issue that encompasses a wide range of aspirational targets including ending poverty and hunger; ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all; ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all; and promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Clearly the challenges associated with pursuing the goals are daunting and for most businesses it may be difficult for them to see how they can play a meaningful role in address them. While it is common for "society" to be identified as an organizational stakeholder, the reality is that one company cannot, acting on its own, achieve all the goals associated with societal wellbeing. However, every company, regardless of its size, can make a difference in some small, yet meaningful way, in the communities in which they operate, and more and more attention is being focused on the impact that companies have within their communities. Focusing on the community level allows an organization to set meaningful targets and implement programs that fit the scale of its operations and which can provide the most immediate value to the organization and its stakeholders. Societal wellbeing projects and initiatives must ensure that the organization does not compromise, and instead improves, the wellbeing of local communities through its value chain and in society-at-large. This book is a comprehensive guide to community engagement and investment, beginning with a survey of community-related voluntary standards and then turning to strategy and management, community engagement, community investment and reporting and communications on community-related activities.

Academics, policymakers, business people, members of civil society and individuals have all recognized the significant effect the activities of the private sector have on employees, customers, communities, the environment, competitors, business partners, investors, shareholders, governments and others. It is also becoming increasingly clear that firms can contribute to their own wealth and to overall societal wealth by considering the effect they have on the world at large when making decisions and take operational actions to execute their strategies. All of this has led to growing interest in ""corporate social responsibility"", or ""CSR"", which has been described as the way that firms integrate social, environmental and economic concerns into their values, culture, decision making, strategy and operations in a transparent and accountable manner and thereby establish better practices within the firm, create wealth and improve society. The commitments and activities associated with any CSR initiative should begin with compliance with laws and regulations promulgated by the governmental entities have jurisdiction over the firm's activities; however, CSR extends well ""beyond the law"" to include important subjects as to which the law has not been able to keep. As a result, voluntary corporate responsibility standards developed from a variety of sources have emerged to fill the gap in areas such as corporate governance and ethics; health and safety; environmental stewardship; human rights (including core labor rights); working conditions and industrial relations; community involvement, development and investment; consumer issues; fair competition; anti-bribery and anti-corruption measures; accountability, transparency and performance reporting; and supplier relations. This book is intended to serve as an introduction to sustainability standards and instruments and includes chapters on initiatives of governmental and intergovernmental bodies, sectoral CSR commitments, CSR-related reporting and management standards and securities exchanges and regulators. The book also provides information on CSR-related nonprofits and NGOs that readers can use as resources for broadening their understanding of private sector activities relating to CSR and sustainability.

The comprehensive guide to all the essential legal and business considerations in structuring domestic and international strategic business alliances. Readers are provided with a clear and concise introduction to the various domestic and international laws and regulations that impact strategic business relationships, including intellectual property law, antitrust law, commercial law, tax law, agency and distribution laws, and foreign investment laws. An indispensable resource for consummating sales representation arrangements, licensing arrangements, research and development arrangements, manufacturing and distribution arrangements, joint ventures, equity investment, and negotiated acquisitions. The book is intended for entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals. Entrepreneurs, executives, lawyers, accounts, and others involved in structuring cooperative business arrangements will benefit from the step-by-step approach to each strategic business relationship. The book provides guidance on each of the crucial steps in the negotiation process, including the selection of the prospective strategic business partner, the protection of trade secrets and confidential information, the due diligence process, representations and warranties, and dispute resolutions. Readers will gain an understanding of the essential bodies of law that might affect a relationship, such as intellectual property law, antitrust and competition law, laws relating to the sale of goods, agency and distribution laws, tax laws, export controls and antiboycott laws, and foreign inbound investment and technology transfer laws. The book covers each basic strategic business relationship that a firm might enter into to facilitate the development, manufacture, and distribution of products and services, including long-term functional contracts and joint ventures, minority investments, and negotiated acquisitions.

This comprehensive guide to all the essential legal and business considerations in financing the business activities of the modern corporation. Readers are provided with a clear and concise introduction to the legal and contractual framework that governs the major capital raising transactions in which a firm might be involved, with a particular emphasis upon the federal and state securities laws. An indispensable resource for consummating any private investment transaction, public offering, or commerical loan transaction, as well as dealing with disclosure requirements, the structuring of underwriting arrangements, and complying with public company responsibilities. Intended for entrepreneurs and managers at firms of all sizes.

The comprehensive guide to all the essential legal and business considerations to be taken into account in structuring and negotiating technology-driven corporate alliances. Readers are provided with a clear and concise introduction to the nature and scope of the legal rights relating to new technologies and a framework for evaluating prospective business partners and for identifying the key contracting issues. An indispensable resource for consummating licensing, research and development, manufacturing and distribution, and corporate partnering arrangements, as well as managing relationships with university researchers and raising capital for research activities.

Entrepreneurs, executives, technology managers, lawyers, accountants and researchers will benefit from the step-by-step approach to each technology-driven transaction, beginning with the description of the law of technology and intellectual property; continuing with the initial investigation of the technology which is to be the subject of the transaction and the general contractual components of any transaction; and ending with the essential elements of each relationship, including permitted uses of the technology, compensation, representations and warranties, covenants, closing conditions, indemnification, and the procedures for ensuring that the technology remain a valuable asset for each party. The book covers each of the stages involved in developing, manufacturing, licensing, distributing, and financing technology-based products and will serve as an invaluable and constant resource in making sure that all of the important issues have been considered before the deal is sealed.