This dissertation investigates how companies can substantively integrate sustainability into their strategy and operations amid a fundamental transformation from shareholder primacy toward a stakeholder-centric paradigm. Through three distinct but interconnected studies, the research examines complementary instruments that support systematic incorporation of environmental, social, and governance considerations into organizational strategy and operations to create stakeholder value.
The first study conceptually advances understanding of social-commercial hybridization by examining how traditional companies can redesign themselves to effectively integrate societal goals alongside profit objectives. Adapting Galbraith's Star Model, it develops a framework identifying four distinct stages of hybridization, characterized by varying degrees of organizational realignment to support dual goals.
The second study quantitatively investigates how companies adjust their sustainability communications after obtaining B Corp certification. Analyzing website content from 2,316 certified B Corps and their certification assessment data, the study reveals complex dynamics in sustainability signaling while contributing to the debate about certification effectiveness.
The third study qualitatively analyzes how mandatory sustainability reporting frameworks can drive broader sustainability progress through multi-stakeholder collective action. Drawing on interviews with EU sustainability experts, the research maps the stakeholder ecosystem and identifies how various actors can transform reporting from compliance exercises into catalysts for stakeholder value creation.
Collectively, this research reveals that effective sustainability integration requires a multifaceted approach: holistic internal alignment through organization design, credible external validation, and collective stakeholder engagement through regulatory frameworks. The findings demonstrate that sustainability integration should be approached as a dynamic journey rather than a binary state, with complementary instruments reinforcing each other across organizational boundaries.
