The Grand Challenge of Human Health: A Review and an Urgent Call for Business–Health Research

Abstract

Considering the urgency of addressing grand challenges that affect human health and achieving the ambitious health targets set by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the role of business in improving health has become critical. Yet, our systematic review of the business–health literature reveals that business research focuses primarily on occupational health and safety, health care organizations, and health regulations. To embrace the health externalities generated by business activities, we propose that future research should investigate the conditions under which business (a) articulates and participates in health challenges, (b) engages in multilevel actions toward tackling health challenges, and (c) improves health outcomes and its impact on the health of external stakeholders, including customers and local communities. We also urge business scholars to engage with the public health research community to increase impact.

Using review articles to address societal grand challenges

“…Similarly, ‘scoping reviews’ and ‘gateway reviews’ are a special breed of review articles that address topics which are common in other fields but have not yet made their way into the MOS arena (Paré et al., 2015). Some examples include the review of the existing MOS research on climate change (Nyberg et al., 2022), public health (Park et al., 2022) and human rights (Schrempf‐Stirling et al., 2022).…”

How healthy are employee-related CSR initiatives: a mapping and discussion of applying health-related employee benefits as part of companies' CSR programs

“…health, is included in the annual reports, it can thus be inferred that it is firmly established as part of the corporate CSR program. Furthermore, it seems reasonable to assume that employee-directed health-related initiatives as part of the corporate CSR agenda will increase in the near future, and that the role and involvement of companies in relation to employee health might change (Park et al, 2022). This calls for more research on the prevalence and communicative operationalization of employee health as part of a corporate CSR program.…”

“…Chen et al, 2019;ENWHP, 2007;Lis, 2012), "internal CSR activities such as workplace health promotion and its impact on employee wellbeing are less understood" (Gorgenyi-Hegyes et al, 2021). So, the role of corporations in supporting and improving health in society seems to be changing (Park et al, 2022), and even though the notion of creating the best possible settings for ensuring workers' health sounds immediately appealing, there is a need for further research that focuses on exploring the prevalence and content of health-related employee benefits as part of CSR programs. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the following research question.…”

The SDGs: A change agenda shaping the future of business and humanity at large

“…These include an article by Lopez‐Torres et al (2021) on “Stakeholder Engagement, CSR Development and SDGs Compliance: A Systematic Review from 2015 to 2021,” which synthesizes the main approaches, issues and methodologies that have dominated in this field for the past 5 years, identifying trends and promising lines of scholarship pertaining to the relationships of Stakeholders, CSR, and Human Resources Management. Another relevant meta‐analysis review is presented by Park et al (2022), entitled “The Grand Challenge of Human Health: A Review and an Urgent Call for Business‐Health Research.” Here, the authors analyze the business‐health literature in the context of the ascendancy of SDG 3 on Good Health and Well‐Being. Another interesting review article by Hishan et al (2020) focuses on CSR for Climate Change Using Social Contracts: A New Research Agenda” outlining a conceptual model, using social contract theory, that can offer a holistic approach for disaster mitigation in the context of the unabated escalation of climate change.…”