B Corp Certification and Its Impact on Organizations Over Time

doi:10.1007/s10551-019-04372-9

Paper

B Corp Certification and Its Impact on Organizations Over Time

Published Dec 17, 2019 · M. Villela, Sérgio Bulgacov, G. Morgan

Journal of Business Ethics

Q1 SJR score

61

Citations

1

Influential Citations

Full textSemantic Scholar

Abstract

This study explores the impact of B Corp certification and its associated impact assessment on four case studies of small and medium-sized Brazilian companies certified as B Corps. The results reveal that although all companies had achieved high scores in the certification assessment, awarded on the basis of existing performance, they did not subsequently develop road maps for the future to improve their scores in the way which the B Corp Impact Assessment process endorses as one of the benefits of certification. Their incremental changes are discussed in the light of the main motivations and expectations of these companies’ founders with regard to the certification. A central role of the B Corp certification for this group of companies was to improve their external reputation with investors, clients and consumers. They were not strongly driven to reshape internal processes in ways which would advance their scores in the impact assessment and which would tackle complex problems of corporate governance. Our findings contribute to enriching the discussion of stakeholder engagement and corporate governance in hybrid organizations and contribute to the emerging agenda on studying change over time in B Corps.

Study Snapshot

B Corp certification in Brazilian small and medium-sized companies improved their external reputation but did not significantly change internal processes to advance their impact assessment scores or address corporate governance issues.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

Sign up to use Study Snapshot

Consensus is limited without an account. Create an account or sign in to get more searches and use the Study Snapshot.

Create an account

Paper

B Corp Certification and Its Impact on Organizations Over Time

Sign up to use Study Snapshot

References

Measuring the Integration of Social and Environmental Missions in Hybrid Organizations

The SEMI measure reveals that hybrid organizations' integration of social and environmental missions varies, and may not align with Certified B Corporation audit results.

Mapping the Intellectual Structure of Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Citation/Co-citation Analysis

Nine distinct clusters of social entrepreneurship research were identified using bibliometric analysis, providing an overall perspective of the field and identifying influential works and scholarly communication.

Prosperity: Better Business Makes the Greater Good

Prosperity challenges traditional business thinking and proposes a new agenda for corporations to promote economic and social wellbeing for customers and communities.

Corporate Governance in Contention

Corporate governance needs a fundamental overhaul to better align with modern corporations' role in economic, cultural, and political institutions.

Employees as Conduits for Effective Stakeholder Engagement: An Example from B Corporations

Employee ownership and involvement positively impact external stakeholder engagement, with certification playing a role in this relationship.

Firms as Political Entities: Saving Democracy through Economic Bicameralism

Firms must be properly organized to unleash workers' motivation and creativity, and nurture democracy in the workplace.

A configural framework of practice change for B corporations

B Corps update their practice configurations over time, influenced by factors such as size, sector, and practice nature, to achieve their intended impact.

Imprinting with purpose: Prosocial opportunities and B Corp certification

Certified B Corporations enhance the entrepreneurial journey by embracing prosocial certification, offering insights into opportunity, identity metamorphosis, and change resistance.

Citations

How certified benefit corporations contribute to corporate social responsibility disclosure: Empirical evidence from Italy

Italian B-Corp Certified Benefit Corporations disclose more CSR practices on their websites, with non-financial performance significantly influencing disclosure levels.

Catalysing Action and Transdisciplinary Pathways towards Sustainable Transitions

This special issue aims to catalyze action and transdisciplinary pathways towards sustainable transitions, promoting a liberal economic model that prioritizes contributing positively to society's welfare.

How Do Hybrid Organisations Use Socio-environmental Impact Information? An Exploratory Analysis in European B Corps

European B Corps with better alignment between economic and social objectives and high innovation use more socio-environmental impact information in decision-making.

Does corporate social responsibility dimensions effects on employees’ satisfaction and retention for sustainability?

Enhancing employee satisfaction and retention in banks through ethical and philanthropic CSR activities, while economic CSR has no significant impact, is crucial for sustainability.

Unpacking Environmental, Social, and Governance Score Disparity: A Study of Indonesian Palm Oil Companies

Standardized sustainability reporting and more transparent rating methodologies are needed to improve ESG scores for Indonesian palm oil companies, benefiting all stakeholders.