Research

My research expertise focuses on global sustainability strategy, driven by a strong interest in exploring how firms can design and implement strategies to tackle pressing sustainability issues, such as climate change and public health deficiencies.

Extant focus in this area has largely revolved around the conditions under which it pays for firms to do good—i.e., how addressing sustainability issues offers financial, relational, and reputational benefits to firms. Yet, there remains a great need for research to shed light on how firms embed sustainability into their ordinary strategies. 

I study the reciprocal relationship between strategy and sustainability in two main areas: (i) how firms design and implement strategies to advance sustainability and (ii) how sustainability issues affect firm strategies. I also examine how firms help tackle a public health crisis to catalyze scholarly interest in such an urgent sustainability issue. 

In this context, I do not favor an unchecked expansion of corporate power. I acknowledge that excessive political influence by firms can lead to multifaceted issues. Instead, I advocate for a nuanced understanding that positions companies as key contributors to societal solutions, not merely as economic units. Committed to bridging the gap between academia and real-world application, I aim to foster a better understanding of how firms can play a pivotal role in addressing sustainability challenges.

1. Firm strategy to advance sustainability

• Montiel, I., Cuervo-Cazurra, A., Park, J., Antolín-López, R., & Husted, B. W. (2021). Implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(5), 999–1030.

• Cuervo-Cazurra, A., Doh, J. P., Giuliani, E., Montiel, I., & Park, J. (2022). The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: Pros and cons for managers of multinationals. AIB Insights, 22(1), 32530.

• Business-NGO partnerships for sustainability (working paper)

2. Impact of sustainability issues on firm strategy

• Park, J., Cuervo-Cazurra, A., & Montiel, I. (2023). The evolution of sustainability concerns over business activities: From local to cross-national to global. In Goerzen, A. (Ed.), The research handbook on international corporate social responsibility. Edward Elgar Publishing.

• Firm environmental performance and divestitures (working paper)

3. Business and public health

• Park, J., Montiel, I., Husted, B. W., & Balarezo, R. (2022). The grand challenge of human health: A review and an urgent call for business-health research. Business & Society, 61(5), 1353–1415. 

• Montiel, I., Park, J., Husted, B. W., & Velez‐Calle, A. (2022). Tracing the connections between international business and communicable diseases, Journal of International Business Studies, 53(8), 1785–1804.

• Montiel, I., Park, J., Husted, B. W., & Velez‐Calle, A. (2022). A primer for preventing pandemics: Insights for business. Rutgers Business Review, 7(3), 267–273.