Theoretical and methodological research trends in B Corp companies in 2018-2023
Abstract
The article aims to identify the main research trends in which the theoretical and methodological study of B Corps is currently being developed. A mixed, non-experimental and descriptive exploratory methodology was used for this purpose, through a document review matrix that made it possible to systematize the selected documents. The elaboration of the matrix exclusively considered high impact scientific articles from the Ebsco, Scopus and Web of Science databases, after applying the filters, a total of 59 articles were consolidated for review and content analysis. The main findings show 8 theoretical research trends that establish the main characteristics, advantages and weaknesses of B Corps in different fields. Likewise, in methodological terms, 12 research tools were identified, distributed in 3 approaches: quantitative, qualitative and mixed. This literature review contributes to demonstrate the importance of the analysis of B Corps as an important organizational phenomenon in today's society and as a contributor to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The production of scientific literature in the field of economic and administrative sciences, specifically around the B Corps, makes it possible to learn about a phenomenon of great interest for the Latin American business reality.
Keywords
Similar Articles
-
Círculo virtuoso de la educación empresarial: una propuesta de modelo para el desarrollo de un tejido empresarial de calidad
John Orlando Crissien Castillo
-
Influence of corporate governance and management practices on the percpetion of unity and harmony in family- owned companies
Gonzalo Eduardo Gómez Betancourt, José Bernardo Betancourt Ramírez, Diógenes Lagos Cortés, Ricardo Aparicio Castillo
-
Innovation intensity and competitiveness of micro and small textile handicraft exporting enterprises
Alberto Magno Cutipa-Limache, Fortunato Escobar-Mamani, Manuel Anchapuri, Darío Valreymond-Tacora
-
Impact of ICT on the management of hotel companies affiliated to Cotelco in Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia
Diana Oliveros Contreras, Gabriel Mauricio Martínez
-
La cadena de financiación: Una necesidad para el desarroll o económico y social a partir del emprendimiento
Francisco Javier Matíz B, Yida Mogollón Cuevas
-
The energy of thefuture: Bialcohols from urban solid residuals (USR)
José Alejandro Martínez, Nancy Montoya, María Sierra
-
La visión gerencial como factor de competitividad
José María González A., Oscar Manrique Salas, Orlando González Bonilla
-
Social imaginary of social responsibility in the agro-industrial sector of the department of Magdalena, Colombia
Devinso Jiménez-Sierra
-
Social entrepreneurship in integral training
David Ricardo Ocampo Eljaiek
-
Analysis of social leadership in pymes in Santa Marta —Colombia—, for the post- conflict agreement from the Corporate Social Responsibility perspective
Devinso Jiménez Sierra, Alejandrina Rincón Acevedo, Leonardo Pérez Suescún
Authors
References
Ardito, L., Dangelico, R. & Messeni, A. (2021). The link between female representation in the boards of directors and corporate social responsibility: evidence from B Corps. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28(2), 704-720. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2082
Attanasio, G., Preghenella, N., De Toni, A. & Battistella, C. (2022). Stakeholder engagement in business models for sustainability: The stakeholder value flow model for sustainable development. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(3), 860-874. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2922
Barbu, T., Boitan, I. & Cepoi, C. (2022). Are cryptocurrencies safe havens during the COVID-19 pandemic? A threshold regression perspective with pandemic-related benchmarks. Economics and Business Review, 8(2), 29-49. https://doi.org/10.18559/ebr.2022.2.3
Barroso, M., Castillo-Espacia, A. & Ruiz-Mora, I. (2023). La dimensión medioambiental y los ODS en la comunicación estratégica de las empresas de triple impacto. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 29(1), 27-42. https://dx.doi.org/10.5209/esmp.82341
Baudot, L., Dillard, J. & Pencle, N. (2022). Hybrid organizations and an ethic of accountability: the role of accountability systems in constructing responsible hybridity. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 35(3), 598-626. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-11-2019-4287
Bengo, I., Nakamura, C., Gerli, F. & Souza, R. (2022). Settling hybrid identity through impact assessment? The case of B Corps. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420676.2022.2120531
Bianchi, C., Reyes, V. & Devenin, V. (2020). Consumer motivations to purchase from benefit corporations (B Corps). Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(3), 1445- 1453. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1897
Bianchi, C., Devenin, V. & Reyes, V. (2022). An empirical study of consumer purchase intention for responsible enterprises in Chile. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 65(1), 105-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2021.1879032
Blasi, S. & Sedita, S. (2022). Mapping the emergence of a new organisational form: an exploration of the intellectual structure of the B Corp research. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29(1), 107-123. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/csr.2187
Burger-Helmchen, T. & Siegel, E. (2020). Some thoughts on CSR in relation to B Corp labels. Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 10(4), 20200231. https://doi.org/10.1515/erj-2020-0231
Cantele, S., Leardini, C. & Piubello Orsini, L. (2023). Impactful B Corps: a configurational approach of organizational factors leading to high sustainability performance. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 30(3), 1104-1120. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2407
Chen, W. & Marquis, C. (2022). Remaking capitalism: the movement for sustainable business and the future of the corporation. Management Decision, 60(11), 2897-2903. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-08-2021-1086
Contreras, F., Soria-Barreto, K. & Zuniga-Jara, S. (2022). Managerial support and innovative work behaviour in B Corps: examining the effect of female employee work engagement and corporate reputation. Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 12(3), 809–831. https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2021.2017255
Díez-Busto, E., Sánchez-Ruiz, L. & Fernández-Laviada, A. (2020). Protocol: systematic literature review about B Corp. Working Papers on Operations Management, 11(1), 39-53. https://doi.org/10.4995/wpom.v11i1.13147
Diez-Busto, E., Sánchez-Ruiz, L. & Fernández-Laviada, A. (2022). B Corp certification: why? how? and what for? A questionnaire proposal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 372, 133801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133801
Dionisio, M. & Raupp, E. (2022). Integrating corporate social innovations and cross-collaboration: An empirical study. Journal of Business Research, 139, 794-803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.09.039
Eltweri, A., Faccia, A. & Foster, S. (2022). International standards on auditing (ISAs) Adoption: an institutional perspective. Administrative Sciences, 12(3), 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12030119
Ferioli, M. (2022a). B Corp: un nuovo modello di business per la mobilità sostenibile. il caso del Gruppo Maganetti. Economia Aziendale Online, 13(1), 53-73. http://dx.doi.org/10.13132/2038-5498/13.1.53-73
Ferioli, M. (2022b). Sustainability report as a non-financial disclosure tool for B Corps: analysis of the Italian fashion industry. Economia Aziendale Online, 13(3), 459-478. http://dx.doi.org/10.13132/2038-5498/13.3.459-478
Fonseca, L., Silva, V., Sá, J., Lima, V., Santos, G. & Silva, R. (2022). B Corp versus ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications: aligned, or alternative paths, ¿towards sustainable development? Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29(3), 496-508. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2214
Gazzola, P., Grechi, D., Ferioli, M. & Slavata, D. (2022a). B Corps and listed companies: empirical analysis on corporate social responsibility and innovation activity. Kybernetes, 52(12), 5928-5949. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-04-2022-0549
Gazzola, P., Amelio, S., Grechi, D. & Alleruzzo, C. (2022b). Culture and sustainable development: the role of merger and acquisition in Italian B Corps. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29(5), 1546-1559. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2290
Gazzola, P., Paterson, A. Amelio, S. & Ferioli, M. (2022c). Certified B corporations and innovation: crowdfunding as a tool for sustainability. Sustainability, 14(24). 16639. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416639
Hankammer, S., Kleer, R., Müh, L. & Euler, J. (2021). Principles for organizations striving for sustainable degrowth: framework development and application to four B Corps. Journal of Cleaner Production, 300, 126818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126818
Huang, S., Chiu, A., Chao, P. & Arniati, A. (2019). Critical success factors in implementing enterprise resource planning systems for sustainable corporations. Sustainability, 11(23), 6785. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236785
Huang, P. & Madhavan, R. (2021). Dumb money or smart money? Meta‐analytically unpacking corporate venture capital. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 15(3), 403-429. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1369
Ivanova, A., Maher, J., Marco, G. & Reinbold, M. (2018). Moderating factors on the impact of B Corporation certification on purchasing intention, willingness to pay a price premium and consumer trust. Atlantic Marketing Journal, 7(2), 17-35. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/amj?utm_source=digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu%2Famj%2Fvol7%2Fiss2%2F2&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
Kim, S. & Schifeling, T. (2022). Good corp, bad corp & the rise of B Corps: how market incumbents’ diverse responses reinvigorate challengers. Administrative Science Quarterly, 67(3), 674-720. https://doi.org/10.1177/00018392221091734
Kim, Y. (2021). Certified corporate social responsibility? The current state of certified and decertified B Corps. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28(6), 1760-1768. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2147
Kirst, R., Borchardt, M., de Carvalho, M. & Pereira, G. (2021). Best of the world or better for the world? A systematic literature review on benefit corporations and certified B corporations contribution to sustainable development. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28(6), 1822-1839. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2160
Lee, C., Dmytriyev, S., Rutherford, M. & Lee, J. (2023). The impact of B Corporations’ certification timing on a firm’s economic and social value creation. Social Responsibility Journal, 19(9), 1749-1764. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-01-2023-0058
Lepkowska-White, E., Parsons, A., Wong, B. & White, A. (2023). Building a socially responsible global community? Communicating B Corps on social media. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 28(1), 86-102. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-01-2022-0005
Li, J. & Leonas, K. (2021). Evaluation of certified B Corps in the apparel, footwear and accessory industry. Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, 25(2), 118-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/RJTA-07-2020-0077
Liute, A. & De Giacomo, M. (2022). The environmental performance of UK‐based B Corp companies: an analysis based on the triple bottom line approach. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(3), 810-827. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2919
Lucas, D., Grimes, M. & Gehman, J. (2022). Remaking capitalism: the strength of weak legislation in mobilizing B corporation certification. Academy of Management Journal, 65(3), 958-987. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2020.1688
Lumby, N. & Ngwenyama, O. (2023). Online sustainability claims: lessons from high-scoring B corporations in the Canadian food and beverage sector. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 28(6), 842-856. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-10-2022-0125
MacMillan, C. (2020). Sustainable business model innovation: a means to societal and economic good for Canadian businesses. International Management Review, 16(1), 32-41. http://www.imrjournal.org/uploads/1/4/2/8/14286482/imr-v16n1art3.pdf
Mele, C., Russo-Spena, T., Pels, J. & Tregua, M. (2020). Social business innovation: a fresh conceptualisation of collective practices. Social Business, 10(1), 5-34. https://doi.org/10.1362/204440820X15813359568246
Mion, G., Loza, G., Bonfanti, A. & De Crescenzo, V. (2023). Mission statements and financial and sustainability performance: an exploratory study of benefit corporations certified as B Corps. Journal of Business Research, 157, 113585. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296322010505
Moroz, P., Branzei, O., Parker, S. & Gamble, E. (2018). Imprinting with purpose: prosocial opportunities and B Corp certification. Journal of Business Venturing, 33(2), 117-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.01.003
Moroz, P. & Gamble, E. (2021). Business model innovation as a window into adaptive tensions: five paths on the B Corp journey. Journal of Business Research, 125, 672-683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.01.046
Muñoz, P., Cacciotti, G. & Cohen, B. (2018). The double-edged sword of purpose-driven behavior in sustainable venturing. Journal of Business Venturing, 33(2), 149-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2017.12.005
Nigri, G. & Del Baldo, M. (2018). Sustainability reporting and performance measurement systems: ¿how do small- and medium-sized benefit corporations manage integration? Sustainability, 10(12), 4499. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124499
Nigri, G., Del Baldo, M. & Agulini, A. (2020). The mondora method: quantum leaders in benefit corporations. Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 10(4), 20190309. https://doi.org/10.1515/erj-2019-0309
Paeleman, I., Guenster, N., Vanacker, T. & Siqueira, A. (In press). The consequences of financial leverage: certified B corporations’ advantages compared to common commercial firms. Journal of Business Ethics.
Paelman, V., Van, P. & Vander, H. (2020). Effect of B Corp certification on short-term growth: European evidence. Sustainability, 12(20), 8459. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208459
Parker, S., Gamble, E., Moroz, P. & Branzei, O. (2019). The Impact of B Lab Certification on Firm Growth. Academy of Management Discoveries, 5(1), 57-77. https://doi.org/10.5465/amd.2017.0068
Pascual, J., López, A., Torres, A. & López, B. (2021). Multiple paths for being recognized as a high impact firm in the banking sector. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istrazivanja, 34(1), 2790-2811. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2020.1842224
Pollack, J., García, R., Michaelis, T., Hanson, S., Carr, J. & Lewis, S. (2021). Pursuing B Corp certification: exploring firms’ entrepreneurial orientation and prosocial motivation. Academy of Management Discoveries, 7(2), 294-316, https://doi.org/10.5465/amd.2019.0083
Rajandran, K. (2018). Multisemiotic interaction: the CEO and stakeholders in Malaysian CEO statements. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 23(3), 392-404. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-03-2016-0025
Reynolds, G., Lambert, S. & Podder, J. (2019). Australian and New Zealand B Corps and their use of social media. In M. Bilgin, H. Danis, E. Demir & U. Can (Eds.), Eurasian Studies in Business and Economics (pp. 85-93). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18652-4_7
Richardson, A. & Higgins, E. (2019). B corporation certification advantages? Impacts on performance and development. Business and Professional Ethics Journal, 38(2), 195-221. https://doi.org/10.5840/bpej201961981
Rodrigues, J. & Comini, C. (2019). O movimento B Corp: significados, potencialidades e desafios. Organizações e Sustentabilidade, 7(1), 47-70. https://doi.org/10.5433/2318-9223.2019v7n1p47
Saiz-Álvarez, J., Vega-Muñoz, A., Acevedo-Duque, Á. & Castillo, D. (2020). B Corps: a socioeconomic approach for the covid-19 post-crisis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01867
Sharma, G., Beveridge, A. & Haigh, N. (2018). A configural framework of practice change for B corporations. Journal of Business Venturing, 33(2), 207-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2017.12.008
Sousa, C. & Sadao, E. (2018). Mapeamento de negócios sociais e organizações congêneres no Brasil. Revista de Ciências da Administração, 20(52), 123-137. http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2018V20n52p123
Tabares, S. (2021a). Do hybrid organizations contribute to sustainable development goals? Evidence from B Corps in Colombia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 280(1), 124615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124615
Tabares, S. (2021b). Certified B corporations: an approach to tensions of sustainable-driven hybrid business models in an emerging economy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 317, 128380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128380
Tabares, S., Morales, A. Calvo, S. & Molina, V. (2021). Unpacking B Corps’ impact on sustainable development: an analysis from structuration theory. Sustainability, 13(23), 13408. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313408
Wecker, A. & Froehlich, C. (2022). The B Corp movement, advantages & challenges: the perception of certified brazilian companies. Revista de Administração da UFSM, 15(4), 596-614. https://doi.org/10.5902/1983465969844
Yasuda, N. & Kotabe, M. (2021). Political risks and foreign direct investments by multinational corporations: a reference point approach. Global Strategy Journal, 11(2), 156-184. https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1380