An evaluation system on corporate sustainability, theory and application in China

• Main Author: Zhang, Xubiao
• Other Authors: TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Wirtschaftswissenschaften
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Technische Universitaet Bergakademie Freiberg Universitaetsbibliothek "Georgius Agricola" 2009
• Subjects: China; Unternehmen; Nachhaltige Entwicklung; Umweltbezogenes Management; sustainability; evaluation; ddc:650; rvk:QP 305
• Online Access: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:swb:105-4976382; http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:swb:105-4976382; http://www.qucosa.de/fileadmin/data/qucosa/documents/2167/WirtschaftswissenschaftenZhangXubiao497638.pdf

This dissertation examines the development of the corporate sustainability evaluation system as a tool to implement the concept of sustainability management into business operations in China. The research focuses upon the theory construction and evolution, the application as a management tool, and the response to problems in corporate sustainability. The thesis presents a series of case studies that outline differing approaches to implement it during the business operation. It also presents the evaluation system enable corporation and related stakeholders group to improve corporate management towards sustainable development. Corporations are part of our increasingly complex and global system, drawing on and impacting on that system. Sustainable development poses a challenge to the traditional mindset of business operation. Increasingly the corporate performance is judged not just by the services, products and profits they make but also by the impacts they have on human and social well-being and on the natural environment on which we all depend for life. This thesis develops a special system to evaluate corporate sustainability and its impact to social and environment. In a quest for improved corporate sustainability performance, many organizations have developed numerous methods to monitor and measure its process. Unfortunately, many of these methods appear to be neither applicable nor able to promote effective decision-making. As a potential remedy, a theoretical framework was developed in this thesis using principles of integrated system to create a performance measurement system for corporations in China. On the basis of literature reviews and theoretical analysis, this thesis constructs a framework to identify key factors in sustainability, redefined procedure towards sustainable business. The discussion also argues that sustainability evaluation will change the way that companies perform, their day-to-day operations and improve corporate productivity through combining the agenda of sustainable development with corporate interests. The thesis also developed a practice oriented business management tool, through experiment by internal and external approaches in various corporations in China with considering all factors affected business operations and managing all factors in holistic way.