Journal of Management and Sustainability; Vol. 8, No. 4; 2018 ISSN 1925-4725 E-ISSN 1925-4733 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 22 Literature Review of Management System Frameworks for CSR and Other Sustainability Concepts Pek Yew Liew 1 & Christoph Luetge 1 1 Peter Loescher Chair of Business Ethics and Global Governance, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany Correspondence: Christoph Luetge, Peter Loescher Chair of Business Ethics and Global Governance, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstrasse 21, 80333 Munich, Germany. Tel: 49-89-2892-5130. Received: October 10, 2018 Accepted: November 8, 2018 Online Published: November 25, 2018 doi:10.5539/jms.v8n4p22 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/jms.v8n4p22 Abstract This paper presents an overview and analysis of plan-do-check-act (PDCA) based management system frameworks and other similar structured frameworks that were developed for the systematic implementation and management of corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate sustainability (CS) and sustainable development (SD). With the aim of providing a comprehensive insight to support future research on this topic, this paper focuses on uncovering the different systematic approaches that can be adopted for the implementation and management of these stakeholder concepts at the organizational level. Our extensive literature search for articles that were published between 2000 to 2017 was able to identify only nineteen relevant articles, which indicates that there is very limited research in this field of work. Our analysis of the frameworks revealed that diverse approaches were developed for CSR. Apart from the traditional management system approach that are based on ISO 9001 (quality management standard) or ISO 14001 (environmental management standard), a variety of other approaches such as frameworks that are built on ISO 26000 (social responsibility guidance standard), organizational change management theories as well as other concepts that are similar to the PDCA cycle were developed for CSR. In contrast to the approaches for CSR, the frameworks that were developed for the implementation and management of CS or SD are mainly based on ISO 14001. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, literature review, management system framework, PDCA cycle, sustainability, sustainable development 1. Introduction Management systems have a long history in the world of business, particularly specific ones such as management systems for ensuring the quality of products and services as well as for the management of environmental, health and safety (Argandoña, 2004). However, despite the proliferation of function specific management system standards (MSS) at the international level, there is to date no internationally recognized MSS for the systematic implementation and management of broad concepts such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and other related concepts such as Corporate Sustainability (CS) and Sustainable Development (SD). ISO 26000 which was launched in 2010 is currently the only internationally recognized guidance standard for CSR but it does not discuss any requirements for CS/SD. Apart from this, it is not a MSS and cannot be certified (International Organization for Standardization [ISO], 2010). In the absence of a MSS that prescribes requirements for a systematic approach, it is difficult to implement and manage CSR and CS/SD effectively at the organizational level (Singh, Murty, & Gupta, 2007; Asif, & Searcy, 2014). This is because these concepts cover a broad spectrum of issues which needs to be managed with a long term perspective and require the engagement of multiple stakeholders from within and beyond the boundaries of the organizations. In fact, these concepts require a paradigm shift in the way businesses operate (Azapagic, & Perdan, 2003). In order to cope with these challenges, organizations need a systematic approach that focuses on organizational structures, infrastructures and behavior patterns. The approach should be repeatable and uses data and information to enable learning. It should also build in the opportunity for evaluation, improvement, innovation, and knowledge sharing, thereby a gain in maturity (Education Criteria for Performance Excellence [ECPE], 2011; Asif, & Searcy, 2014). According to Pojasek (2012b), the most straightforward approach is to adopt a management system structure that has a PDCA focus. The continuous and repetitive feature of PDCA cycle provides an excellent means to drive