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Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility pp 2558–2564Cite as

Triple Bottom Line

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Synonyms

People, Planet, Profit; Three pillars, 3BL

Definition

Triple bottom line (TBL) accounting widens the conventional reporting structure to include ecological and social performance, in addition to economic performance.

Spreckley (1981) first introduced the notion of TBL in a paper in which he specified what enterprises or “socially responsible enterprises” should incorporate in their performance assessment.

John Elkington (1994) coined the expression “triple bottom line” in his book Enter the Triple Bottom Line.

The United Nations 2005 World Summit Outcome Document clarifies sustainability. It refers to the “interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars” of sustainable development as economic development, social development, and environmental protection. Furthermore, the notion of TBL underlies a company having obligations not only to its shareholders, but also to a wider spectrum of stakeholders, including the environment. “Stakeholders” here refers to any entity (individual...

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References and Readings

  • Avery, G. C., & Bergsteiner, H. (2011). Sustainable leadership: Honeybee and locust approaches. New York: Routledge.

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  • Bocean, C., & Barbu, C. (2007). Corporate governance and firm performance. Management & Marketing Journal, 5(1), 125–131. Universitaria Press.

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  • Brown, D., Dillard, J., & Marshall, R. S. (2006). Triple bottom line: A business metaphor for a social construct. Portland, OR: Portland State University, School of Business Administration. www.recercat.net/bitstream/2072/2223/1/UABDT06-2.pdf. Retrieved 17 Jun 2011.

  • Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future, 1987, Oxford University Press

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  • Elkington, J. 1997. Cannibals with Forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. Capstone: Oxford.

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  • Elkington, J. (2004). Enter the triple bottom line, The Triple Bottom Line: Does it All Add Up? Assessing the Sustainability of Business and CSR edited by Adrian Henriques and Julie Richardson. Earthscan: London

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  • Goethe-Institut (2008). Sustainability – From principle to practice. http://www.goethe.de/ges/umw/dos/nac/den/en3106180.htm. Retrieved 16 Jun 2011.

  • IISD (2002) Business and sustainable development: A global guide. Winnipeg: International Institute of Sustainable Development. http://www.bsdglobal.com/tools/principles_triple.asp. Retrieved 16 Jun 2011.

  • Milton, F. (1970). The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits, The New York Times Magazine, September 13

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  • Quinn, L., & Baltes, J. (2007). Leadership and the triple bottom line – Bringing sustainability and corporate social responsibility to life, A CCL Research White Paper. www.ccl.org. Retrieved 25 Jul 2011.

  • Spreckley Freer, Social Audit - A Management Tool for Co-operative Working, 1981, Beechwood College Ltd., UK.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, st. A. I. Cuza nr.13, 200585, Craiova, Dolj, Romania

    Dr. Catalina Soriana Sitnikov (Deputy Dean)

Authors
  1. Dr. Catalina Soriana Sitnikov
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Catalina Soriana Sitnikov .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. London Metropolitan Business School, London Metropolitan University, Moorgate, London, UK

    Samuel O. Idowu

  2. Loyala University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Nicholas Capaldi

  3. International Labor Organization, International Training Center, Viale Maestri del Lavoro, Turin, Italy

    Liangrong Zu

  4. Indian Institute of Plantation Management, Bangalore, India

    Ananda Das Gupta

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© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Sitnikov, C.S. (2013). Triple Bottom Line. In: Idowu, S.O., Capaldi, N., Zu, L., Gupta, A.D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28036-8_465

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28036-8_465

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-28035-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-28036-8

  • eBook Packages: Business and Economics

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