Title: Corporate social responsibility and the challenge of triple bottom line integration: insights from the Lebanese context

Authors: Dima Jamali, Toufic Mezher, Hiba Bitar

Addresses: Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut, Bliss Street, P.O. Box 11-0236, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon. ' Engineering Management Program, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Riad El-Solh Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon. ' International Company for Advanced Systems, Dolphin Center 302, Rawche, P.O. Box 13/6041, Beirut, Lebanon

Abstract: The notion of sustainability has been evolving and is increasingly understood to encompass considerations of economic viability, as well as environmental sustainability and social responsibility. This paper examines how linking these three legs of sustainability remains a challenge and explores empirically the performance of a sample of Lebanese organisations in the three strands of responsibility. The findings suggest that organisations in a developing country context report challenges in maintaining a sustainable performance on the three dimensions, respectively and that Triple Bottom Line (TBL) integration remains a distant aspiration. Recommendations for enhancing the sustainability performance of companies are provided as well as practical suggestions and insights into how to improve the prospects of TBL integration.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR; Lebanon; economic impact; environmental impact; social impact; sustainability; sustainable development; developing countries; integration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2006.011557

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2006 Vol.5 No.4, pp.395 - 414

Published online: 01 Dec 2006 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article