Research Paper on:
Outline for DBA Research Proposal

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Meno asks his friend, "And how will you enquire, Socrates, into that which you do not know? ... how will you ever know that this is the thing which you  did not know?" This question seems all too applicable to the question of why relatively few businesses have determined to adopt formal sustainability programs or choose to be more  transparent and accountable to stakeholders as well as the general public. At least in the US, innovation and creativity have been the mantras of the corporate world for years.  Yet organizations operate under many constraints that prevent them from pursuing practices that could be more sustainable than current ones. The purpose here is to present an outline  for proposed research into this area of business management. I. Introduction (above) II. Financial Constraints A. Investment analysts forecasts 1. Senior management under constant and intense pressure to meet analysts  quarterly estimates. 2. Precludes ability to plan for the future when quarterly profit is not immediately forthcoming. B. Pressure to continually increase value to shareholders 1. Bruno (2002) notes, "With  stock prices king, managements are under mind-boggling pressure to produce profit" (p. NA). 2. One organizational psychologist says, "If a company wants to be around for 100 years, they should  realize that producing 15% to 20% increases in earnings every quarter will have a cost in the long-run" (Bruno, 2002; p. NA). 3. Organizations frequently complain that such close attention  to quarterly reports renders them unable to give any real attention to sustainability issues not required by law. III. Building the Business Case A. How do organizations justify the initial  capital expense of building more sustainable practices, particularly when some of the solutions available are expensive and can serve to reduce EPS in the short term? 1. Enrons use of