ABSTRACT
In the last ten years, consulting firms and non-governmental organizations have increasingly used the notion of ‘business case’ for corporate sustainability in order to enhance the integration of sustainability issues in the companies’ strategies. Although, the scope of issues and methods in this field is expanding continuously, an unequivocally supported definition of business models for sustainability is still missing. Furthermore, different indicators have been used to measure the financial consequences of the business models for sustainability leading to an unclear vision of business model for sustainability. This chapter provides an inductive typology of the academic work concerning business strategies for sustainability through a computerized content analysis of 58 articles from 1995 to 2015. The results highlight four major themes around which the academic research is organized: the relationship between corporate sustainability and financial performance, corporate sustainability under stakeholder engagement and institutional pressures, the strategic management of the corporate sustainability, and increasing awareness of the sustainable development issue. The business case for corporate sustainability research has evolved from a quantitative towards a more managerial dimension, highlighting the integration of the sustainability performance within the management of a corporate business strategy.
