Sustainability is garnering ever -greater public interest and discourse. However, the business consequences of sustainability caliber greater inspection-and inspection of another kind than the "green"- oriented focus that's most common. Will sustainability reshape threats and the chances that companies face and shift the competitive landscape? If so, how? How worried are other stakeholders and executives about the impact of sustainability efforts on the corporate bottom line? What -if anything -are companies currently doing now to capitalize on sustainability- ? And what strategies are they pursuing to place themselves competitively for the future? To start answering those questions, MIT Sloan Management Review and collaborator The Boston Consulting Group conducted indepth interviews with more than 50 global thought leaders, followed by the Company of Sustainability Survey of more than 1,500 world-wide executives and supervisors about their perspectives on the intersection of sustainability and business strategy, including their assessments of how their own companies are acting on sustainability threats or chances right now. The study identifies three important hurdles that impede decisive corporate action: a lack of understanding of what sustainability is and means to an enterprise; trouble modeling the business case; and defects in execution after a plan has been developed.
The study also shows that while neophyte professionals think of sustainability mainly in environmental and regulatory provisions, with any benefits stemming primarily from brand or image improvement, practitioners with more knowledge tend to consider the economical, social and even personal impacts of sustainability-related changes in the company landscape.
Sustainability and Competitive Advantage case study solution
PUBLICATION DATE: October 01, 2009 PRODUCT #: SMR327-HCB-ENG
This is just an excerpt. This case is about STRATEGY & EXECUTION
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