session 11 - corporations and sustainability 2.0

Question 1

WHat is a certified B Corp?

Answer 1

• for profit business that balances pruposes and profit
• certfified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and envrionmental perfromance, accountabilitiy and transparency (B Impact Assessment)
• expetcted to consider the impact of decisions on all stakeholders (stakeholder governance)

Question 2

What is a benefit organization?

Answer 2

• specific legal structure available in some U.S. states and countries
• leggaly required to pursue a triple bottom line (profit, social impact and environmental sustainability)
• requires to publish annual benefit reports that measure their social and environmental perfromance, often using third-party standards

Question 3

What are the differences between a certified B corp and a benefit corporation?

Answer 3

Question 4

WHat is enterprice integration - Sustainable Business 1.0?

Answer 4

Business responding to market shifts to increase competitive positioning by integrating sustainability into pre-existing business
- reducing unsustainability
- inward focus: health and vitality of the organization
- incremental

Question 5

WHat is market transformation - sustainable business 2.0?

Answer 5

Business transforming the market: companies creat market shifts rather than waiting for them and enable new forms of business sustainability
- creating sustainability
outward focus: health and vitality of the market and society
- transformational

Question 6

WHat are the new business conceptions and systematic corporate strategies of the next phase of business sustainability?

Answer 6

1. corporation purpose from SH to StH
2. new behaviours concerning consumption (e.g., Black Friday)
3. operations shift to circular models
4. partnerships to shift market
5. government engagement to establish rules for market
6. transparency to regain customer’s trust
7. metrics from financial to societal impact