MSL599 Project: Corporate Sustainability Performance Literature Review

This literature review explores the intricate relationship between corporate sustainability performance, technology, and transformational leadership. It highlights how advancements in technology, such as mobility, cloud computing, and smart technologies, significantly impact corporate sustainability. The review also examines how transformational leadership styles moderate this relationship, emphasizing the role of leaders in integrating sustainability practices and fostering organizational commitment. The study references key academic sources, including Epstein (2018), Nguyen et al. (2017), and Thomson et al. (2016), to support its arguments. It discusses the importance of leadership in driving sustainability initiatives and the impact of technology on information dissemination and data management. The review further analyzes the influence of leadership qualities and the understanding of sustainability within organizations. Overall, the review provides a comprehensive overview of the key factors influencing corporate sustainability performance in the context of technological advancements and leadership styles.

Running head: CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE
Corporate Sustainability Performance
Name of the Student:
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1CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE
H1. Technology has a significant relationship with corporate sustainability
performance.
Mobility, cloud and broadband are transforming the modern industries. The different
kinds of utilities are deploying the smart metering for saving the costs of electricity and
reducing the carbon emissions (Schweer & Sahl, 2017). Also, the connected cars are
enhancing the safety and enabling the electric vehicle charging, while the smart grids and the
more efficient public transport are easing the challenges of urbanization. With the same, the
technology is transforming the ways in which one meet the basic needs. According to Epstein
(2018), corporate sustainability has come to the forefront of the economic and corporate
concerns as of the highly globalize nature of business. As per him, the way in which the
information and data are stored, disseminated and processed have undergone a significant
change over the past decade. It has been the direct outcome of the advancements in the field
of computer technology. Today, documents might be electronically prepared, stored, filed
and archived without leaving any comfort on anyone’s chair (Schwertner, 2017). With the
same, the data are managed with enough efficiency that was not possible under earlier
manual data system management. Computers are potential of sorting and grouping the data
and performing complicated calculations at a high rate of accuracy that was never ever
possible and this means that the customers’ lists and preferences as well as the information
regarding the competitors, performance and financial indicators might be developed and
created in just a matter of seconds.
Rossiter (2018) in this context have also highlighted the contribution of internet and
e-mail facilities. He argued that the advent of internet and e-mailing has made the
dissemination of information instantaneously possible. The most sophisticated hardware at
lower prices, the increased level of user-friendly software as well as higher computer literacy
is several developed nations have all aided to increased usage by corporations of the

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computer information systems. Moreover, the use of Information Technology (IT) for
managing information flows as well as the resulting potential of increasing the efficiency and
capacity of storage of data, their processing as well as dissemination has changed the nature
and significant of the information for the modern corporations world-wide.
H2. Transformational leadership style moderates the relationship between technology
and corporate sustainability performance.
According to Yahaya and Ebrahim (2016), transformational leadership style is
positively related with the organisational performance. The companies that make the most
progress towards the sustainability practices have the leaders who believe that the right thing
to do in this case is to do well for the business. There are a total of three significant factors
that influence the level to which a company integrated the sustainability and the other types
of leadership. These three factors are- the strength of leadership qualities and commitment of
the CEO of the company, the degree of understanding of the Board about the relevance of
sustainability to risk and strategy and finally, the prevalence of a senior leader with
leadership skills, authority and expertise for making it happen. Transformational leaders’
style is the style in which the leaders inspires and motivates other in order to bring a positive
change in the ones who follow them (Nguyen et al., 2017). To do the same, they tend to do
everything that makes the way smooth. These leaders are highly enthusiastic, passionate and
energetic and are completely concerned and involved in the whole process. Modern
organisations focus more on technological advancements and modern strategies to make the
workflow smooth and secured. According to Thomson et al. (2016), transactional leadership
is the style where "leaders and followers make each other to advance to a higher level of
moral and motivation." Transformational leaders understand this need in order to bridge the
gap in between the technology and the corporate sustainability performance of the company.
The way in which the information and data are stored, disseminated and processed have

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undergone a significant change over the past decade. It has been the direct outcome of the
advancements in the field of computer technology. The role of technology in the process is
significant and therefore, transactional leaders makes use of technology in order to train and
develop their followers to know these needs and importance. They are all focused on helping
each and every members of the group to succeed.

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References:
Epstein, M. J. (2018). Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and
measuring corporate social, environmental and economic impacts. Routledge.
Nguyen, T. T., Mia, L., Winata, L., & Chong, V. K. (2017). Effect of transformational-
leadership style and management control system on managerial performance. Journal
of Business Research, 70, 202-213.
Rossiter, D. G. (2018). Past, present & future of information technology in
pedometrics. Geoderma, 324, 131-137.
Schweer, D., & Sahl, J. C. (2017). The digital transformation of industry–the benefit for
Germany. In The drivers of digital transformation (pp. 23-31). Springer, Cham.
Schwertner, K. (2017). Digital transformation of business. Trakia Journal of Sciences, 15(1),
388-393.
Thomson III, N. B., Rawson, J. V., Slade, C. P., & Bledsoe, M. (2016). Transformation and
Transformational Leadership:: A Review of the Current and Relevant Literature for
Academic Radiologists. Academic radiology, 23(5), 592-599.
Yahaya, R., & Ebrahim, F. (2016). Leadership styles and organizational commitment:
literature review. Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 190-216.