The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance

Robert G. Eccles; Ioannis  Ioannou; George  Serafeim

Article | Management Science | November 2014

The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance

by Robert G. Eccles, Ioannis Ioannou and George Serafeim

Abstract

We investigate the effect of corporate sustainability on organizational processes and performance. Using a matched sample of 180 U.S. companies, we find that corporations that voluntarily adopted sustainability policies by 1993—termed as High Sustainability companies—exhibit by 2009 distinct organizational processes compared to a matched sample of companies that adopted almost none of these policies—termed as Low Sustainability companies. The boards of directors of High Sustainability companies are more likely to be formally responsible for sustainability, and top executive compensation incentives are more likely to be a function of sustainability metrics. High Sustainability companies are more likely to have established processes for stakeholder engagement, to be more long-term oriented, and to exhibit higher measurement and disclosure of nonfinancial information. Finally, High Sustainability companies significantly outperform their counterparts over the long-term, both in terms of stock market and accounting performance.

Keywords: sustainability; Sustainability Management; Sustainability Research; sustainability reporting; sustainability targets; corporate social responsibility; corporate accountability; reporting; corporate governance; investor clientele; investor communication; stock market; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Performance; United States;

Format: Print

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Citation:

Eccles, Robert G., Ioannis Ioannou, and George Serafeim. "The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance." Management Science 60, no. 11 (November 2014): 2835–2857.

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The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance

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