Sustainable Enterprise Value Creation

This Open Access book provides a practical guide to the creation of sustainable enterprise value and implementation of the principles of stakeholder capitalism for corporate boards and management teams. The authors argue that business leadership is on the threshold of a new era driven by major shifts in technology, society, political economy and climate change. They set this transition in international and historical context and outline a comprehensive leadership agenda for fully integrating environmental, social, governance (ESG) and data stewardship risks and opportunities into corporate governance, strategy, reporting and partnerships. This systematic approach is illustrated with good practices by leading companies and includes an explanation of how sustainability reporting is making the leap into formal accounting standards set by the same body that oversees international financial accounting standards and what companies should do to prepare. The book’s combination of scholarly analysis and practical guidance make it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to navigate the new business context, whether from the perspective of a board director, C-suite executive, manager, policymaker, scholar or student.

This is an open access book.

“While commitment to the principles of stakeholder capitalism is growing, the practice of them is still developing.  . . . That is what makes this book such an important contribution.  It is the most extensive treatment to date of the practice and diverse legal and historical traditions of stakeholder capitalism, and it outlines an implementation framework for companies in any industry or country through their corporate governance, strategy, reporting and partnerships.  As such, it fills a gap in both scholarship and practice.”  

—From the Foreword by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

"An essential read for all current and future business leaders. We need to redirect capitalism to accelerate global systems transformations to deliver an equitable, net-zero and nature positive world. Jane and Rick expertly take leaders through the practical steps they must take to ensure their businesses continue to create long-term value for all their stakeholders. I look forward to seeing these principles and practices becoming the norm across the corporate world."

—Peter Bakker, President and CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

"An insightful and timely book. Stakeholder capitalism can no longer be only a choice but rather must become the floor of competitive practice.  A just, inclusive and sustainable future is possible but it will take major reform of investment and corporate practice. All investment must be governed with an ESG lens. And companies must accept responsibility for due diligence for human and labour rights with environmental standards as well as governance with an accountability that embeds these practices in the business model; the human centred approach so ably laid out here. A must read!"

—Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation

"Stakeholder capitalism is about adding value to all stakeholders, as this important book explains in great depth. We need to depart from the assumption that it is zero sum game. Technological advancements have made it possible to serve all stakeholders simultaneously, and it has become good business to develop sustainable solutions for the future. As such, ESG has become core to the strategy of any company, and transparency on ESG has become as important as the traditional financial reporting. Business leadership in this new era is about setting ambitious targets and over-delivering on both to create a sustainable future faster."

—Jim Hagemann Snabe, Chairman of Siemens and A.P. Moller-Maersk, Vice Chairman, Allianz

Richard Samans is Director of Research of the International Labour Organization and Chairman of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board. He was previously Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute and Special Assistant to the President for International Economic Policy in the White House.  

Jane Nelson is the founding Director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and a nonresident senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings. She has served on a variety of corporate and nonprofit boards and advisory councils and written extensively on business and sustainable development.

The views expressed in the book are the authors’ alone.