Sustainable Business Models ― Principles, Promise, and Practice

This book provides a rich overview and takes a closer look at the current state of theory and practice in the field of sustainable business models. The chapters in this book examine and analyze existing and new approaches towards sustainable business models and showcase the implementation of sustainable business through both quantitative and qualitative studies, including several case studies and many practical examples. It approaches these issues from the standpoints of diverse business disciplines to yield new insights and ideas that are relevant from both an academic and professional perspective. In its essence, the book examines how firms’ value creation processes can be driven by sustainability and social responsibility and how this impacts business and society. Readers will find a range of sustainable business models that have been employed and are being pioneered in various industries around the globe – which are thoroughly investigated and discussed, and put into a comprehensive conceptual framework.

Lars Moratis is Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility at Antwerp Management School and Professor of Sustainable Business at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences. He has published several books and various articles in both academic and practitioner-oriented journals on topics such as CSR strategy development and implementation, CSR standards and standardization processes (including ISO 26000), the credibility of corporate CSR claims. sustainable business models, and responsible management education. He is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Frans Melissen is Professor of Sustainable Business Models at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands. In his research he focuses on the link between sustainability and human behavior, with special emphasis on mitigating the social dilemma by means of sustainable business models. Frans has authored and co-authored a number of papers in refereed journals, presented at various conferences, contributed chapters to several (text)books, co-authored the management book "Workin' Wonderland and co-edited and co-authored the textbook Hospitality Experience: an introduction to hospitality management. He is the Scientific Director of the JPI Urban Europe project Smart City Hospitality.

Samuel O Idowu is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Corporate Social Responsibility at London Guildhall School of Business & Law, London Metropolitan University, UK. He researches in the fields of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Governance, Business Ethics and Accounting and has published in both professional and academic journals since 1989. He is a freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. Samuel is the Deputy CEO and First Vice President of the Global Corporate Governance Institute. He has led several edited books in CSR, is the Editor-in-Chief of two Springer’s reference books – the Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Dictionary of Corporate Social Responsibility and an Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility. He is also a Series Editor for Springer’s books on CSR, Sustainability, Ethics and Governance. One of his edited books won the most Outstanding Business Reference book Award of the American Library Association (ALA) in 2016 and another was ranked 18th in the 2010 Top 40 Sustainability Books by, Cambridge University, Sustainability Leadership Programme. Samuel is a member of the Committee of the Corporate Governance Special Interest Group of the British Academy of Management (BAM). He is on the Editorial Boards of the International Journal of Business Administration, Canada and Amfiteatru Economic Journal, Romania. Samuel has delivered a number of Keynote Speeches at national and international conferences and workshops on CSR and has on two occasions 2008 and 2014 won Emerald’s Highly Commended Literati Network Awards for Excellence. To date, Samuel has edited several books in the field of CSR, Sustainability and Governance and has written four forewords to books. Samuel has served as an external examiner to the following UK Universities – Sunderland, Ulster, Anglia Ruskin and Plymouth. He is currently an external examiner at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Teesside University, Middlesbrough and Sheffield Hallam University, UK.