Manon Filler

Title of Dissertation: From Intentions to Actions: Exploring the Integration of Sustainability in Organizational Practices

Supervisor: Prof. Markus Beckmann
University: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Scholarship: Application for the Klaus Murmann Scholarship
Cohort: 9th Cohort, since 2020
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Short Abstract

  Over the past decades, industrialized countries have engaged in discussions regarding resource and environmental challenges, leading to a scientific consensus on the limits of the natural environment's carrying capacity. Recent reports, such as the Global Risks Report by the World Economic Forum, highlight the urgent need for sustainable development, which has become a guiding principle for decision-making at various levels of society, including businesses.

  As expectations for and in corporations to transform the economy and address sus-tainability challenges have risen, companies are now considering social and ecological aspects in their business decisions and practices. This shift toward sustainability in companies is the primary research focus of this cumulative dissertation.

  My research aims to address two fundamental problems related to corporate sustain-ability, with a specific emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The first problem is related to the distinct characteristics of SMEs, such as closeness to the corporate’s environment or limited financial and human resources, that influence the sustainability integration and thus the response to different expectations. Thus, I am investigating the impact of certain expectations on sustainability change under those SME-specific conditions, exploring the underlying mechanisms and processes that drive or hinder change in SMEs. To gain these insights, I am, for example, examining the influence of non-financial reporting on sustainability integration of different levels of SMEs. The second problem I am addressing in my PhD pertains to the concept of "sustainability maturity". The objective is to develop a comprehensive understanding of what sustainability maturity entails, recognizing its context-dependent nature which often remains unconsidered.

  By delving into the influences of different expectations on change mechanisms and process and comprehensively examining sustainability maturity, this research endeav-ours to enrich the understanding of sustainable practices and foster more effective and responsible approaches for corporate sustainability change of SMEs.

• Research Interests

  • Corporate Sustainability Management

  • Corporate Social Responsibility

  • Corporate Purpose

  • Business Ethics

• Education

  • 2022, Master of Arts, Technische Universität Dresden, Internationales Hochschulinstitut Zittau, Germany
  • 2020, Bachelor of Arts, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany

• Professional and Academic Career

  • 2023 - Today, project management, Wittenberg Center of Global Ethics, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany
  • 2021 - 2022, senior student assistant (WHK), Technische Universität Dresden Internationales Hochschulinstitut Zittau, Zittau, Germany 
  • 2020 - 2021, senior student assistant (WHK), Hochschule Zittau, Zittau, Germany
  • 2019 - 2020, student assistant (SHK), Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF, Magdeburg, Germany
  • 2018, student intern, T-Systems International GmbH, Berlin, Germany

• Publications

  • N/A

• Conference Contributions: Talks

  • NAMA conference, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, 5 – 7 October 2022, Paper: “Nachhaltige Transformation und standardisierte Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung kleiner und mittlerer Unternehmen: Eine Analyse am Beispiel des Deutschen Nachhaltigkeitskodex“

• Conference Contributions: Posters

  • N/A

• Memberships

  • 2021-2022, sneep e.V. (student network for ethics in economics and practice)

• Awards

  • 2020, Best Bachelor's Degree of the Faculty of Human Sciences