As multinational corporations strive to meet market demands from
shareholders, investors, consumers, and society for transparency and
traceable social impact, accurately assessing companies' sustainability
performance requires a systematic method for measuring impacts against
sustainable development objectives. This study examined the relationship
between corporate sustainability performance measures and globally
aggregated quality-of-life indicators to enhance understanding of the social
impact of multinational corporations (MNCs). The research was framed by
stakeholder and paradox tension theories, providing a foundation for
understanding how MNCs use these tools to assess their social impact, and
how the results relate to sustainable development progress at national and
global levels relevant to quality-of-life.
This study used a mixed methods approach with qualitative and quantitative
data analysed in a staged content analysis and comparative case studies
completed using a modified social impact evaluation approach. The Cases
were organised by countries (boundary) and industries (scope). The
boundary consisted of the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and the
Republic of Korea (South Korea). The scope consisted of MNCs across
Health Care Providers & Services (Health Care), Interactive Media & Home
Entertainment Services (Interactive Media Services), Published Media &
Entertainment (Media & Entertainment), Restaurants, Leisure &
Entertainment (Restaurants & Entertainment), and Hotels, Cruise Lines &
Resorts (Hospitality). The Case evaluation was conducted using a new
evaluation framework, Realising Impact for Sustainability Excellence (RISE),
on 130 companies, 470 corporate reports and documents, and 211 survey
responses.
The findings reveal that the corporate sustainability strategies and
performance measures used by multinational corporations have a peripheral
relationship with quality-of-life indicators. Additional findings highlight how
these entities implement a range of sustainability management tools, how
such tools relate to quality-of-life indicators, and the factors facilitating or
hindering the realisation of sustainability objectives as they relate to societal
impact. My research contributes to gaps in the academic literature and
professional practice concerning the identification and evaluation of the
societal impacts of corporate sustainability initiatives. Additionally, it
presents an evaluation framework that highlights the need for reliable
accountability systems in corporate sustainability performance.
