Guest editorial

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-03-2021-474
• Published date: 08 March 2021
• Date: 08 March 2021
• Pages: 229-236
• Subject Matter: Strategy,Corporate governance
• Author: Ivo Matser,Boleslaw Rok,Thomas Osburg,Yury Blagov

Guest editorial

Ivo Matser, Boleslaw Rok, Thomas Osburg and Yury Blagov

With a growing number of companies stepping up and taking more responsibility

towards their employees,communities and the planet, business is now emergingas

a true player in fostering societal progress. Business provides real value to a wide

range of stakeholders,including employees, customers, shareholders andsociety at large. It

provides solutionsto various needs, access to products and services, creates jobsand skills

development. In some companies,having a positive impact is deeply embedded within their

purpose and business models –this is particularly true for emerging start-ups which are

f‌inding new creative ways to solve social problems while simultaneously growing their

business.

But many companies are still adopting “business as usual” approaches which often take

value away from people and the planet, polluting the environment, overusing precious

resources, contributing to theloss of biodiversity or selling harmful products. Such business

models may still appear to provide value to shareholders in the short term, but they neglect

long-term consequencesand impact.

The amount and quality of information provided by companies, the diff‌iculties in measuring

and externalizing impact and the variety of existing reporting frameworks, tools and

indicators represent some of the challenges businesses are facing in maximizing their

positive impacton society.

To tackle these challenges, the Academy of Business in Society (ABIS) convened the 18th

Annual Colloquiumon “Business in Society: Measuring Impact andCreating Change” hosted

by ESMT Berlin on 29–30 October 2019. The conference provided a platform for high level

discussions where the ABIS business-academic network ref‌lected on the importance of

measuring impact,shared the challenges that academia and business arefacing in doing so

and showcasedbest practices.

Stemming from the conference, the ABIS Special Issue: Measuring Impact and Creating

Change combinesresearch papers addressing three dimensions:

䊏enablers and barriers in change for sustainability, i.e. actual and potential driving

forces and challenges in integrating sustainability into business practice and

implementing the SDGs;

䊏existing models and examples of business impact measurement as well as their current

use in practice and potential developments; and

䊏emerging, innovative approaches in which businesses and organizations –start-ups

and business schools in particular –are taking on more responsibility and contributing

to solve social problems while pursuing their organizational purpose.

The followingsections offer an overview and introductionto each of these dimensions.

Change

As the world of business is being challenged by societaland environmental risks and crises,

policymaker regulations and consumer demands and with the pace of digital innovation

Ivo Matser is based at

Academy of Business in

Society, Bruxelles,

Belgium.

Boleslaw Rok is based at

Kozminski University,

Warszawa, Poland.

Thomas Osburg is based at

the Fresenius University of

Applied Sciences,

Mu

¨nchen, Germany.

Yury Blagov is based at

PwC Center for CSR,

Graduate School of

Management, St

Petersburg University, St

Petersburg, Russian

Federation.

DOI 10.1108/CG-03-2021-474 VOL. 21 NO. 2 2021, pp. 229-236, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1472-0701 jCORPORATE GOVERNANCE jPAGE 229