Triple bottom line (TBL) and sustainability are two related constructs that are used interchangeably in the literature. A comprehensive review of the relevant literature was conducted and revealed an inconsistent use of the term sustainability. On the other hand, consistency in terms of referring to the three lines simultaneously is built into the structure of TBL as the construct is explicitly based on the integration of the social, environmental, and economic lines. The purpose of this paper is not to support an argument that favors the use of one term over the other, but to provide an overview of the presence of both terms in the literature. In light of that, researchers in the business, management, and sustainability fields are encouraged to pay particular attention to how they use these terms in their studies.
Using grounded theory as a methodological approach, the influence of triple bottom line (TBL) was explored as an emerging, yet substantially important phenomenon on strategic positioning through image differentiation. This study makes a contribution to the sustainability scholarship (TBL as a subset of sustainability) and the marketing scholarship by introducing and exploring the dynamics among TBL, strategic positioning, differentiation, and image. This is done by presenting The Influence of TBL on Strategic Positioning Framework, which illustrates how these four variables are connected. This work also contributes to strategic management, social investing, and human resource scholarship by suggesting the positive impact of the TBL Image (a term defined and introduced in this study) on developing long term strategies, talent acquisition and retention, and business growth within a global organization.
This paper is based on a study that explored triple bottom line (TBL) as an emerging phenomenon using grounded theory. Presented here are the results from the section concerning talent acquisition and employee engagement of the original study. The presented results suggest that TBL Image (a term developed in the study) is positively associated with talent acquisition and employee engagement. This is illustrated by the introduction of the TBL Image Diagram, which provides an insight into how the image of the organization (as TBL-oriented) enables it to attract (and retain) talent and improve employee engagement. This paper contributes to sustainability scholarship by presenting new findings regarding TBL (as a sustainability-related construct) using grounded theory in light of the lack of empirical research on TBL in the related literature. The study also contributes to human resource scholarship by providing new insight into new elements that influence talent acquisition and employee engagement. Practitioners in human resource management benefit from this study as the findings further their understanding of how to influence the organization from an employee perspective through the TBL lens.
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