A LITERATURE REVIEW OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY: ETHICAL LEADERSHIP, ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, AND STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
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Abstract
This academic article aims to review and synthesize literature from research studies and scholarly papers concerning the key factors contributing to business sustainability. The study focuses on three main dimensions 1) Ethical leadership 2) Organizational culture 3) Stakeholder management. Data were collected between July and September 2025. In today’s highly competitive and rapidly changing business environment, non-financial factors play an increasingly vital role in driving long-term success. The synthesis reveals that these three factors significantly influence business sustainability through a sequential relationship: ethical leadership affects organizational culture, which in turn influences stakeholder management collectively leading to sustainable business outcomes. Ethical leadership serves as the foundation of this process; leaders who uphold moral principles foster credibility and serve as ethical role models, thereby cultivating a culture of responsibility and integrity within organizations. Such an ethical organizational culture promotes transparency and accountability, shaping employee behavior and strengthening positive stakeholder relationships. Strategic stakeholder management further supports trust, acceptance, and collaboration between businesses and their stakeholders, ultimately contributing to sustainable development. Based on the literature review and synthesis, it can be concluded that ethical leadership, organizational culture, and stakeholder management each have a direct and significant impact on business sustainability. The proposed conceptual framework provides a basis for future empirical studies to examine the interrelationships among these variables in greater depth. variables.
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References
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