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The article reports on a paper published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in February 2009 which presents global standards for the procurement of wood and paper-based products by firms moving towards sustainability. The publication is designed for use as a checklist and as a tool for structuring discussions with stakeholders. The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development (NZBCSD) has a free guide which outlines questions to ask suppliers and rates available papers.

We compare seven major European and North American sustainability analyst organizations on how they rank-order the same set of companies with regards to environmental performance. We also compare the analyst organizations' environmental rating schemes with regards to which evaluation criteria they include. Two industries are investigated: automobile and paper/forestry. Although there is fairly broad consensus on which automobile companies have the worst environmental performance, there is considerable disagreement about best-performers. The pattern is less clear for paper/forestry companies. With some notable exceptions, and for both industries, all rating schemes contain evaluation criteria targeting those aspects of company performance associated, according to life-cycle assessments, with the largest potential environmental impact. There are, however, significant divergences as to how many, and which, criteria of medium to low relevance are applied. Sustainability analyst organizations should make explicit to investors and evaluated companies on which theoretical and empirical grounds environmental evaluation criteria are selected. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the green marketing in India, which refers to the marketing approach of selling products and services based on their environmental benefits. It cites the emergence of green and sustainability trend due to the pressure given by consumers and governments for companies to embrace more sustainable and green practices. It adds that the advances in green marketing includes packaging made from recycled paper, phosphate-free detergents and bottles that use less plastic.

Examines the organizational purchase of one environmental straight rebuy product, recycled paper products. Insight into what may assist marketers of products with environmental attributes in being more effective; Advantages of the attitudes and perceptions of purchasing agents' (PAs') toward the purchase of recycled paper products; In-depth interviews held with 11 PAs; Conclusion to study; Problems in marketing environmental products.

This article examines how place and place-basedness are essential to understanding the conflict dynamics of natural resource use. Based on a single case study and using an ethnographic approach to examine a place, the paper unearths how place is mobilised in corporate–community relations. This study defines place-basedness as having two relational elements: ecological and social embeddedness. It finds four positions with differing place identifications, meanings, and relationships with the ecological and social place. This article concludes that while ecological embeddedness enhances the ability to resist natural resource use through knowledge attribution and actively mobilising a place, the social embeddedness of some positions constrains local people's ability to resist. It also identifies attachment to and detachment from place as two aspects of a central mechanism whereby countering positions are mobilised in the hegemonic struggle. The findings contribute to our understanding of place as a constituting part of corporate–community relations and place-basedness both as a resource for and hindrance to resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of existing condition, rules and implementation of CSR and create harmony models of corporate social responsibility (CSR) between regulation, Javanese culture values and universal principles, to fill the lack of CSR regulation in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approach This study is based on sociology legal research. The regulations and principles have been studied by using the approach of law and social sciences. That characteristic is descriptive evaluative. The primary data are taken from interview with the senior source relations of PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE) in Jakarta, President Director of PT Rosalia Indah Group in Surakarta and Your Honour Prince of Surakarta Hanadiningrat Kingdom. Secondary data are obtained from the review of the literatures pertaining to the material. Secondary data consist of legal materials such as regulations, books, papers and other references. Data analysis technique use theoretical interpretative.Findings CSR is implemented by company only for lifting the image. CSR fund allocation is still a company’s secret, and it becomes evidence of the lack of transparency for companies to manage and provide social cost to society. It can also be found that some companies collect donations from the public for disaster relief, but in the distribution of aid, they use the name of a CSR company. There is polarization in the implementation of CSR. A government- owned company is already bound by the provisions of the Regulation of the Minister of state-owned enterprises.Research limitations/implications This paper discusses the CSR implementation in Indonesia and it creates a model of accountability of CSR to fill the legal vacuum that occurs at this time. This paper formulates a good relation between traditional Javanese value, government regulations and universal CSR principle.Practical implications There remains a mismatch between the Javanese values of philosophy with the positive regulatory norms that result in the implementation of CSR only to meet the requirements of the positive regulatory norm and ignore the obligations involved and to aid the prosperity of the public society.Social implications Communities around a company have not been able to enjoy the advantages of the company. Communities should fight for their own lives without being dependent on or being supported by a company’s existence.Originality/value This research combines the Javanese values with the positive legal regulations in the implementation of CSR in Indonesia. This research has not been conducted by the others. This research will provides benefits on the idea of imposing sanctions on the non-implementation of CSR, not only through positive legal regulations but also through social sanctions embodied in the Javanese values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does a corporation know it emits carbon? Acquiring such knowledge starts with the classification of environmentally relevant consumption information. This paper visits the corporate location at which this underlying element for their knowledge is assembled to give rise to carbon emissions. Using an actornetwork theory (ANT) framework, the aim is to investigate the actors who bring together the elements needed to classify their carbon emission sources and unpack the heterogeneous relations drawn on. Based on an ethnographic study of corporate agents of ecological modernisation over a period of 13 months, this paper provides an exploration of three cases of enacting classification. Drawing on ANT, we problematise the silencing of a range of possible modalities of consumption facts and point to the ontological ethics involved in such performances. In a context of global warming and corporations construing themselves as able and suitable to manage their emissions, and, additionally, given that the construction of carbon emissions has performative consequences, the underlying practices need to be declassified, i.e. opened for public scrutiny. Hence the paper concludes by arguing for a collective engagement with the ontological politics of carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant issue that is increasingly affecting the operations of companies is the policies of governments with regard to the natural environment and the activities of nongovernmental organizations in promoting codes of practice and other forms of nonlegal regulation. The onset of new regulations and codes of conduct is placing significant operational burdens on firms to merely comply with new requirements and changed circumstances. Furthermore, there is a need in strategic terms to anticipate and to plan for environmental concerns and to incorporate this thinking into corporate strategy. Thus a new subfield of strategic management is beginning to emerge: that dealing with the natural environment as it affects corporate strategy. Alan Rugman and Alain Verbeke in their paper corporate strategies and environmental regulations' organize the literature on environmental regulations and corporate strategy into a new managerial framework They go on to develop a resource-based view of the interaction between the firm's key resources (core competences) and environmental regulations including the implications for the development of 'green' capabilities. Finally, they analyze the deployment of 'green' capabilities within a standard international business model and explore hypotheses on the relationships between environmental regulations, competitiveness, and corporate strategy. The question about how firms should respond to environmental regulations can be seen in broad terms as part of the debate on corporate social responsibility. A fundamental problem in this area has been that there are no definitions of corporate social responsibility or corporate social responsiveness that provide a framework or a model for consistent systematic collection, organization, and analysis of corporate data relating to these important concepts (Clarkson, 1995). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of RAE: Revista de Administração de Empresas is the property of Fundacao Getulio Vargas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper we investigate the status of corporate social responsibility (CSR) research within the management literature. In particular, we examine the focus and nature of knowledge, the changing salience of this knowledge and the academic influences on the knowledge. We present empirical evidence based on publication and citation analyses of research published from 1992 to 2002. Our results demonstrate that, for CSR research published in management journals, the most popular issues investigated have been environmental and ethics; the empirical research has been overwhelmingly of a quantitative nature; the theoretical research has been primarily non-normative; the field is driven by agendas in the business environment as well as by continuing scientific engagement; and the single most important source of references for CSR articles was the management literature itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: India accounts for 4.5% of industrial energy use worldwide. This share is projected to increase as the economy expands rapidly. The level of industrial energy efficiency in India varies widely. Certain sectors, such as cement, are relatively efficient, while others, such as pulp and paper, are relatively inefficient. Future energy efficiency efforts should focus on direct reduced iron, pulp and paper and small-scale cement kilns because the potentials for improvement are important in both percentage and absolute terms. Under business as usual, industrial energy use is projected to rise faster than total final energy use. A strong focus on energy efficiency can reduce this growth, but CO2 emissions will still rise substantially. If more substantial CO2 emissions reductions are to be achieved then energy efficiency will need to be combined with measures that reduce the carbon intensity of the industrial fuel mix. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In contribution to limited research on ways to be greener in the events industry, this paper demonstrates the importance of cross-organization coordination in implementing green events. In a case study on China Import and Export Fair, we examined the interplay of stakeholders in the process of greening from the perspective of value chain governance. The results revealed that (1) key stakeholders formed a profit-driven value chain that inhibited the promotion of green booth, (2) the fair used institutional power and bargaining power to engage key stakeholders, and (3) developed a governance model to encourage greening by using multiple instruments of governance (i.e., green booth standards, knowledge transfer, and a green booth competition). In light of those results, this paper expands the scope of literature on green events by offering novel insights into governance along value chains and highlighting their managerial implications for promoting green events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores some interconnections between the business and environmental ethics movements. The first section argues that business has obligations to protect the environment over and above what is required by environmental law and that it should cooperate and interact with government in establishing environmental regulation. Business must develop and demonstrate environmental moral leadership. The second section exposes the danger of using the rationale of "good ethics is good business" as a basis for such business moral leadership in both the business and environmental ethics movements. The third section cautions against the moral shallowness inherent in the position or in the promotional strategy of ecological homocentrism which claims that society, including business, ought to protect the environment solely because of harm done to human beings and human interests. This paper urges business and environmental ethicists to promote broader and deeper moral perspectives than ones based on mere self-interest or human interest. Otherwise both movements will come up ethically short. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a discussion of the external or side effects of business and rational responses to these external effects for profit-maximizing firms. Some people would argue that the rational response for the profit-maximizing firm is to do nothing about its external effects until required by law; whereas others, as we in this paper, argue that the rational response for the profit-maximizing firm is to take some action. The first section of the paper deals with the meaning of externalities, of which pollution is a fundamental type, and the phases of a solution to such problems. In the second section, the paper deals with rational responses for the profit-maximizing firm regarding its externalities, in which many aspects of the popular arguments against the rationality and the practicability of independent corrective action by a firm are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost two decades ago, Prahalad and Hammond [Harv Bus Rev, 80(9):48–59, 2002] introduced the base/bottom of the pyramid (BOP) approach to profitably serving the poor with business models adapted from developed markets while alleviating poverty. In response to disappointing results and ethical criticism, the BOP approach evolved from a just-for-profit approach with a passive role of the poor to an inclusive development approach that integrates the principles of the triple bottom line. A recent review of the BOP literature [Dembek et al., J Bus Ethics 165(3):365–382, 2020], however, reveals a lack of empirical evidence to support the sustainable BOP approach. In this paper, we specify the assumptions underlying the sustainable BOP approach and test them using structural equation modeling with clustered robust standard errors on a unique dataset of 212 firms. Our findings show that BOP business model involvement and adaptive capacity are significant drivers of the triple bottom line at the BOP; however, business model adaptive capacity does not guarantee an ecologically sustainable performance at the BOP. We find that there is a need for further extension of the ethical foundations of the sustainable BOP approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent innovation diffusion in organisations literature suggests that innovation diffusion dimensions and characteristics are not independent of each other, rather organisational internal environment interacts with both an organisational external environment and an innovation's characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to examine the validity of the framework consisting of organisational innovation dimensions and characteristics within Saudi Arabian organisations. We test this model with survey data from a large-scale survey of 223 Saudi public and private project-based organisations, these organisations had either adopted, or intended to adopt, the project management office (PMO). To obtain a broad representation of respondents, and to minimise bias, the survey did not target any specific industry. Statistical analysis, specifically exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to ascertain the factors underlying each construct. Structural equations modelling (SEM) was sequentially utilised to determine the factor structure of the model and to assess the relationships between model constructs. This paper took an initiative step towards a conceptual framework for organisational innovation diffusion, represented by the PMO. Its results revealed that perceived organisational innovation climate functions as a gateway to the organisational innovation diffusion. It was also found that technology mediate the relationships between socio-culture and organisation climate for innovation. More importantly, PMO complexity was not related to the intention to implement the PMO. The quantitative study showed that the framework is a useful tool for studying the diffusion of organisation innovation. The model can potentially form the foundations of a framework for organisations seeking to enhance the organisational innovation diffusion that could in turn strengthen their business performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important strategies for reducing carbon emissions is to optimize firms' operation decisions in business practices. This paper proposes a green vendor-managed inventory (a green VMI) model with a supplier and a manufacturer under a carbon emissions trading mechanism. The proposed model integrates both environmental and economic goals under a carbon emissions constraint, and then the members' optimal decisions are obtained. Comparing this model with the traditional VMI model, this paper finds that, in the green VMI model, whether the supplier should sell or buy carbon credit depends on the carbon cap. Further, the impacts of the carbon cap and the carbon emissions factors on the optimal decisions, the carbon emissions, and the total costs in the supply chain are examined analytically. Finally, numerical experiments are performed to verify the theoretical results. It is shown that, after introducing the carbon trading mechanism, the VMI model could increase the total cost of the supply chain under some specified set of parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development (SD) will be the driving force to Twenty-first Century as automation was to the Twentieth Century and stream was to Nineteenth Century. There are two levels of sustainability: Macro-Level (country, cities) and Micro-Level (manufacturing enterprises and its town and regional areas). In this paper, Micro-Level of sustainability will be discussed. The major challenge of manufacturing enterprises is modelling and assessing the sustainable development performance. Introducing indexes for sustainable development assessment in manufacturing enterprises is important not only to enable them to quantitatively estimate SD, but also to determine the requirements of components for these enterprises to survive. The main objectives addressed in this paper is how to model the required components and how to introduce a new assessment framework for assessing sustainability from lowest levels, dimensions up to sustainable development level according to Micro-Level. The three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) are modelled, estimated and incorporated into a concept, the so-called ‘general sustainable development index’. Based on these concepts, the sustainable models will be analysed and presented through covering all aspects/issues of sustainability. The ultimate goal of this paper is considering the needs of manufacturing enterprise to be sustainable as well as to be globalised through introducing the concept of economic-social-environmental sustainable development and basic attitudes related to creating sustainable development value in engineering practices (economic), social (political) and environmental community. An industry-based case study is used to represent sustainability through aspects, performance metrics, indicators and pillars. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although the same environmental regulations apply to all regions in China, legal enforcement can be different due to local economic development priorities. There is still a lack of knowledge about how regional disparities affect the operating performance results of the implementation of corporate environmental management practices, thus providing little information for foreign companies when they invest and develop their production base in China. To fill this research gap, this paper collects data from the Fortune 500 Chinese firms to investigate the moderating role of regional disparities in affecting the performance results of corporate environmental management efforts based on the institutional theory. The disclosed corporate environmental responsibility (CER) practices serve as proxy to represent corporate environmental management practices. Content analysis approach was applied to collect and analyze CER practices published in the corporate reports of Chinese manufacturers. The results show that CER has a positive impact on operating income, while regional disparities influence the relationship between CER and corporate operating income. Specifically, CER and operating income are positively related in Eastern China; on the contrary, they are negatively related in Western China. This paper adds to the body of knowledge about environmental discrepancies in the same emerging economy, and provides insights for systematic consideration in terms of the issues of government environmental regulations and corporate environmental strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has recently been much discussion about a preferred ecological outcome for late capitalism to work toward, that is sustainable consumption. Related to this is a fundamental question, can business in Western industrial society (some now use the label risk society) be transformed into ecologically sustainable organizations? If we optimistically assume the answer to this question to be 'yes' how would these organizations communicate with the world in which they operate? This paper reports the author's application of a social constructionist approach to 'green' communicative acts and those responsible for them in an attempt to start answering such questions. In a qualitative empirical study of an environmental and social justice communications consultancy the social world of the people involved is explored as they interact with and communicative the issues with which they are concerned in risk society. A main research theme attempted to relate three issues of ecocentrism to what is known as marketing communications. In this respect the author has concentrated on a leading edge agency and four of its clients in the fields of animal, personal health and planet preservation. In the analysis the author lays the foundations for a new theory, Sustainable Communication, which can account for communicative acts, in any eco-discourse (Harris, 1996), that have issues of sustainability as their focal point. This point is then problematized for the reader in relation to capitalist organizations and the final discussion proposes that others, interested in this theoretical area, play with this notion of Sustainable Communication to help in it future development. In this respect the author proposes a fruitful allegiance between Critical Macromarketing and Sustainable Communication. Throughou the paper, especially in the secton on 'building blocks,' the author chooses to illustrate key points for the reader by drawing on data from the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a review and categorization of the environmentally related research published in the major English language marketing journals over the period from 1971 to 1997. It traces the development from the early research which focused predominantly on the characterization of the "green" consumer, conceptualization of environmental consciousness, environmentally related behaviours such as recycling, and attitudes towards environmental problems such as pollution. This was followed by a period in which energy conservation, legislation, and public policy issues were added to the agenda which remained predominantly managerialist in perspective. While the same issues were studied within the 1990s, the research agenda was expanded again to include broader issues such as environmental values and institutions. Most recently, the macro issues of sustainable marketing and its relationship to the dominant social paradigm have been introduced into the literature. The paper concludes by arguing that the examination of the macro issues from an interdisciplinary perspective is necessary for further development of marketing thought in this area, and that a synthesis of the macro and micro perspectives is necessary for effective and enduring public policy regarding the marketing/environmental relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental consciousness has consistently been shown to be much more than a passing fad. However, very little academic research has been conducted in the UK in developing ecological segmentation variables for targeting the environmentally-concerned/aware segments of the population. This paper follows established procedures from the measure development literature and attempts to develop measures encapsulating individuals'. (1) perceived knowledge about green issues, (2) attitudes toward the environment and (3) levels of environmentally-sensitive behaviour. The quality of the derived measures is assessed by means of dimensionability, reliability and validity checks and their potential usefulness for marketing purposes highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - A previous paper in this journal focused on how the integration of standards-based management systems used by major contractors operating within the construction sector could contribute to improvements in the environmental performance of a company. However, it was seen that the lack of a recognised management system framework to guide organisations and their operations was proving inhibitive to success. This paper aims to address that shortcoming, presenting a workable and useful framework for configuring integrated management systems (IMSs) targeted at delivering better environmental performance. It aims to report on a government-funded research project examining the developments in and applications of IMSs applied to the environment, quality and safety of construction projects in the UK. Design/methodology/approach - The research project used a triangulated approach collating qualitative and quantitative data acquired by the multiple collection methods of questionnaire survey, structured and semi-structured interviews and case studies. The qualitative approach involved the development of theory from data, or grounded theory, and evaluation of data, or analytic induction, while the quantitative approach used data-sampling methods and database coding and analysis. Findings - The findings show that a number of prominent UK principal contracting organisations have introduced integrated standards-based systems for managing a construction project's environment, quality and safety. Notwithstanding, problems have readily been encountered and these appear to have occurred predominantly from a lack of an effective management system framework within which corporate organisation and project operations are arranged within the context of their business environment. The establishment of a robust framework is highlighted as being fundamental and essential to ensuring better environmental performance. Originality/value - The research examines environmental performance within the project environment of the construction industry. The findings add to the current body of knowledge and will be of value to contractors seeking to satisfy the environmental requirements of their business through an effective management approach. Moreover, the research has wider value through transferable applications and experiences for other industry sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to explore whether a linkage between environmental effects and financial performance exists; and second, to investigate whether firms displaying more environmental effort show a more significantly positive relationship between environmental performance and financial performance than those displaying less green effort. Design/methodology/approach - The study adopts correlation analysis of a sample comprising of 51 European companies from 14 industries across 15 countries to investigate the possible relationship between firm environmental performance (including three measures: sustainable value, sustainable value margin, and return to cost ratio) and financial performance. Findings - The paper does not find a positive relationship between firm environmental performance and financial performance. Both the Pearson correlations and Spearman's rho are statistically insignificant for both the full sample and the carbon-intensive sectors. When the lag effect on firm financial performance is considered, the result remains the same. The result suggests that corporate good guys in Europe do not necessarily reap the rewards of their green effort. Research limitations/implications - Future research may investigate the relationship between firm environmental efforts and financial performance across industries with different technologies and product life cycles, or industries with similar pollutions/emissions or usage pattern of natural resources, such as the petroleum industry and the transportation industry. Practical implications - Although it was not possible to find a positive association between environmental performance and financial performance, still, being perceived as a green company may improve a company's image and reputation, thus attracting more talented workers and green-conscious customers. Originality/value - The paper provides a new perspective on the relationship between firm environmental performance and financial performance in monetary terms by taking a broader view at the environmental outcomes. While past studies only measure firm environmental performance based on damaging impacts to the environment, the research also considers the efficiency of resource use by the firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology. Organization & Management / Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Slaskiej. Seria Organizacji i Zarzadzanie is the property of Silesian Technical University, Organisation & Management Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Sociology is the property of Canadian Journal of Sociology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In a recent systematic review of the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) literature in this journal, we developed a typology of architectures as a basis for the process of SBSC design, implementation, use, and evolution. This paper addresses a comment by Hahn and Figge (2016) designed to stimulate further research. We argue that the existing literature demonstrates that the SBSC management tool can play an important role in corporate sustainability. The SBSC architectures—as representations of goals and priorities—form an integral and iterative part of the corporate sustainability strategy-making process and therefore cannot be isolated from it. However, the concept as such should not be overloaded (e.g. as a tool for radical change). In this paper, we first reflect on the potentials and constraints of the SBSC in relation to (1) radical or transformational change and (2) measuring performance outcomes on the level of human-earth systems. Second, we discuss the importance of SBSC architecture concerning (1) how it enables the integration of sustainability into business organisations; (2) how both strictly hierarchical cause-and-effect chains and less hierarchical designs can allow companies to seek inclusive profits; and (3) the contingency-based use of generic architectures (i.e. using the sustainability strategy and value system to determine a fitting architecture) in contrast to its use as a diagnostic tool (i.e. the architecture revealing the sustainability strategy and value system). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relation between longitudinal emission reduction investment of supply chain enterprises and the government's subsidy policy is studied in this paper, the game model against subsidy of the government for emission reduction investment of manufacture and retailer is developed. This study analyzes the optimal investment of enterprises and the optimal emission reduction subsidy of the government under the Nash and Stackelberg game conditions. The results show that the government's emission reduction subsidies for two parties on the supply chain, as well as the benefits to such two parties, are affected by the cooperative relationship in the supply chain. That is, manufacturer and retailer are in the highest position in the Nash game, followed by the Stackelberg game and the lowest in central decisions. Comparing the subsidy differences of the government in the emission reduction investment by manufacturer and retailer under different force structures, the longitudinal emission reduction investment in the supply chain and the government's subsidy policy under different game conditions are concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose “Economic crises” and “corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives” are two issues that dominate the modern business agenda. Although related, these issues have been analysed separately, and so a significant gap is perpetuated between the two. What are the effects of economic crises on CSR initiatives? Can organisational social initiatives withstand economic crises? The purpose of this paper is to answer these questions.Design/methodology/approach An integrative literature review was conducted, considering: the economic and geographical context in which the research was conducted; the focus of each piece of research; the adopted research methods; organisational theories of analytical support; the sectors analysed; and the effects of economic crises on CSR initiatives and environmental management.Findings Some of the findings were as follows: most of the studies analysed reported that CSR helps companies to cope with economic crises by increasing the efficiency of investments and establishing better relations with stakeholders and markets; environmental practices are related to negative environmental performance in periods of economic crises; and CSR relates positively to financial performance in periods of economic crises.Originality/value This is one of the first integrative literature reviews to investigate what happens to the relationship between businesses and sustainable change management in periods of crises. This paper also offers a future research agenda for the issue, with 12 questions still unanswered by the latest research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper emphasizes the importance of the role played by social responsibility in supporting sustainable businesses. The first part of the paper displays a short historical evolution and a series of definitions of this concept from the perspective of the social, environment and economic preoccupations of the French and German approaches of the issue concerning sustainable development that appears to meet the needs of nowadays generation. The largest part of the paper displays the advantages of CSR for organizations, employees, and communities as well as the implementation stages of CSR within corporations. The final part of the paper presents three approaches that characterize the practice of corporate social responsibility: the restrictive, cumulative and integrative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss the existing empirical findings of the corporate environmentalism-competitiveness investigations as well as their methodological and cognitive shortcomings. Design/methodology/approach – An examination of the literature was conducted to identify the most seminal and novel studies exploring the relationship between corporate environmentalism and competitiveness. A range of works were selected and their conceptual frameworks, variables and statistical design were obtained and analysed. Findings – Although existing studies tend to suggest that corporate environmentalism have a positive (or at least neutral) impact on competitiveness, more detailed and critical examination of these studies shows important methodological, cognitive and logical shortcomings, which challenge these findings. Research limitations/implications – It is not an exhaustive review of all the existing studies, but rather a selection of the most seminal studies which represent different approaches and methodologies applied as well as a variety of empirical findings. Practical implications – The study challenges the existing empirical findings arguing that corporate environmentalism positively affects a company's competitiveness. The present paper claims that the ultimate conclusion on the relationship can be determined after at least some of the most significant shortcomings are solved. Originality/value – The study is based on a broad investigation of existing studies, out of which the most seminal and original papers were selected. In addition, the paper offers suggestions for the future empirical investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore the performance measures for the green manufacturing practices in the Indian manufacturing industries.Design/methodology/approach – A tentative list of items/variables was developed for green manufacturing performance measures based on a thorough and detailed analysis of the pertinent literature. The survey questionnaire contained 128 items/variables, developed based on the literature and interviews with nine manufacturing industry experts, specifically green manufacturing areas. A total of 400 questionnaires were mailed out, and 114 were returned, of which 108 were valid, representing a response rate of 27 percent. Using the data collected, the identified items/variables were performed via factor analysis to establish reliability and validity.Findings – A total of 12 performance measures of green manufacturing with their 66 items/variables have been developed: top management commitment, knowledge management, employee training, green product and process design, employee empowerment, environmental health and safety, suppliers and materials management, production planning and control, quality, cost, customer environment performance requirement, customer responsiveness and company growth.Research limitations/implications – This study obtained 108 valid responses from the Indian manufacturing industries; the limitation of the study is the insufficient sampling. Future research needs to be performed using a larger sample and studying more countries.Practical implications – The performance measures developed in this study enables decision makers to assess the perception of green manufacturing in their organization and in prioritizing GM efforts.Originality/value – This study is probably the first to provide an integrative perspective of performance measures for green manufacturing practices in the Indian manufacturing industries. It gives valuable information, which hopefully will help this business sector to accomplish green manufacturing practices. This paper fills the gap in the literature on identification, establishment and validation of performance measures of green manufacturing for Indian manufacturing industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose As the concept of corporate sustainable management activities (CSMA) has become an increasingly important element of corporate management, much attention has been paid to its impact on customer relationship. Although there exists many studies concentrating mainly on the environment aspect of CSMA, only a few address the three dimensions of CSMA (environmental, social and economic) and examine their comprehensive impact on relationship marketing. In an attempt to fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the influence of CSMA on customer satisfaction (CS), word of mouth intention (WOMI) and repurchase intention (RI).Design/methodology/approach The data come from 214 shipping industry practitioners (shippers, freight forwarders and third party logistics service providers in South Korea). Structural equation modeling (SEM) is employed to test the impact of CSMA on CS, WOMI and RI.Findings Based on a survey conducted in South Korea, the findings indicate that environmental and economic aspects of CSMA play a significant role in enhancing CS and the enhanced CS positively affects WOMI and RI.Research limitations/implications As the field data were obtained from only one industry, future replication of the findings to other industries should consider industry-specific factors, if applicable.Practical implications The results highlight several implications for shipping industry practitioners to consider when establishing the strategy for effective corporate sustainable management to enhance CS.Originality/value This study is one of the first empirical attempts to explore how CSMA affects CS in the shipping industry. In addition, this paper empirically investigates the influence of CS on WOMI and RI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Economic, environmental and social pressures have increased the need for business organisations to control and manage their energy performance on a continual basis. Responding to these pressures follows a learning curve that is influenced by changing drivers and barriers. Consequently, different energy management factors have different development priorities over time. This paper explores the development priority of one factor, namely, energy performance measurement, in the energy-intensive industrial sector, which is the most advanced industrial sector in its energy management learning curve. In addition, the paper identifies the research and development needs of energy performance measurement that are required to further improve energy performance. The results are based on interviews carried out with managers and operators in three energy-intensive industrial sectors in Finland. Energy performance measurement is found to be the third development priority in energy management, behind resource and commitment issues. This represents a paradox as resources and commitment are prerequisites for energy performance measurement to be developed, whereas energy performance measurement influences the very same issues by enforcing changed behaviour. Several deficiencies are identified in energy performance measurement in the temporal, systemic and organisational dimensions. Research should be continued towards the implementation of energy performance measurement as a process, the integration of energy performance metrics into overall management and the development of metrics for different industrial sectors, companies and operating cultures. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green revolutions, going green, environmental protection, sustainable life style, sustainable development, protecting our earth and many more have become a natural phenomenon in our everyday life. Green marketing is a tool used by many companies in various industries to follow this trend. This concept has enabled for the re-marketing and packaging of existing products which already adhere to such guidelines. Additionally, the development of green marketing has opened the door of opportunity for companies to co brand their products into separate line, lauding the green-friendliness of some while ignoring that of others. This paper mainly focuses on the concept, need, importance & strategy of green marketing in India. Researcher also examines the present scenario of green marketing and reasons that organizations are adopting green marketing as a tool for sustainable development. Data has to be collected from multiple sources of evidence to understand the importance of green and sustainability management, in addition to books, journals, websites, and news papers. The paper analyses whether the manufacturers are cognizant about green products and eco-labeling, and also the difficulties in implementing green marketing. A guideline is given to the Indian manufacturers for producing green marketing products. INSET: 45. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically explore the impact of absorptive capacity (AC) on explorative and exploitative innovation in business cluster settings, and the environment's moderating role on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of Central European companies, the paper applies multivariate data analysis techniques to test the effect of AC on innovation performance and potential moderators, respectively. Findings – The empirical evidence indicates that AC impacts both explorative and exploitative innovation, and that the strength of the impact depends on the business clusters' level of dynamism and competitiveness. Environmental dynamism and competitiveness positively moderate the effect of AC on explorative innovation, and negatively moderate the effect of AC on exploitative innovation. Research limitations/implications – Several research limitations apply. First, only one interview per firm was conducted on a self-reporting basis. Second, the survey's focus was on SMEs. Third, questionnaire translations and differing interviewer behaviour may bias the results. Practical implications – The findings suggest that firms in business clusters must develop AC to gain the fruits of agglomeration effects. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the cluster's environmental conditions, since dynamism and competition play a significant role for innovation. Originality/value – Although the importance of AC has often been highlighted, much more remains to be understood about its role in business cluster settings. This issue is addressed in this work by providing systematic, empirical evidence on how AC affects innovation performance at the firm level, and on how this relationship depends on the business cluster's environmental characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The recent performance literature suggests that policies that enhance corporate environmental performance are more likely to lead to sustainable development, as these strategies are connected to superior technical efficiency. This paper aims to investigate the possible link between the environmental performance achieved by Greek listed firms and the level of their technical efficiency, using financial reporting information as a proxy for environmental performance. Design/methodology/approach – Data extracted from the financial statements of the most polluting firms listed in Athens Stock Exchange were used. An econometric framework based on stochastic frontier analysis was developed to estimate the probable linkage between the level of environmental performance, measured by environmental performance indicators (EPIs), and efficiency. Findings – The empirical findings reveal that improved environmental performance is a potential source of competitive advantage leading to more efficient processes, improvements in productivity, lower costs of compliance and new market opportunities. Research limitations/implications – This research was based on corporate financial data coming from the firms listed in Athens Stock Exchange whose activities can be considered as environmentally harmful. Practical implications – From the stock market investor's perspective, the combination of financial and environmental information can lead to decisions with prosper future growth, whereas regulating authorities and managers can adopt useful policies for sustainable development. Originality/value – In this paper content analysis approach was used on financial and environmental reporting data to measure the level of corporate environmental performance. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study conducted with Greek firm level data that explores the relationship between EPIs and productivity, an issue which has not been lucidly investigated in the academic literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the intellectual capital became the most important recourse of the information era, and management relies on information and innovative intelligence, organisations should change the system of evaluation and find new, up-to-date methods. The traditional (especially financial) performance evaluating methods (general accounting methods) are not able to visualize the value of the knowledge, information, or immaterial stocks, in spite of these are the critical, key factors of today's and tomorrow's organization. In addition the environment should not be forgotten in the rank of the critical recourses of a company's success factor, especially that the improvement of the organisation's environmental performance increases the benefits. The lack of effectiveness of traditional performance evaluating methods and environmental management accounting in case of evaluation of environmental performance is a consequence. Have the organizations realized their intellectual capital and the benefits of the environmental performance's improvement? Have they evaluated it? How does an organization know the usability of the new, modern evaluating methods in case of intellectual capital or in case of environmental performance or in case of environmental management accounting? Or maybe do they need incentives for evaluation? The paper is the summary of different secondary and primary researches, which tries to answer these, before mentioned questions and the key issues of the intellectual capital and the environmental performance (evaluation) and also of the usability of the new, up-to-date methods. Therefore the paper -- the answer -- is the consequence of theoretical research, where the practice also will be appear, because the common solution -- in connection with up-to-date methods, environmental performance and environmental management -- will be presented by the method of Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) and other suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to describe the link between financial performance and the level of sustainability. In a novel approach, the paper classifies firms based on past financial success to address a potentially reciprocal relationship. For the groups of better and worse performing firms and for the entire sample, the above link is then tested, also accounting for non-linearity in the relationship. We show that environmental management system (EMS) implementation as a proxy for a firm's sustainability level is only positively associated with the financial performance of financially well-performing firms. Conversely, it has a negative association with the performance of less good firms. We show that this implies that firms cannot change from good to bad performance, and vice versa, solely through the implementation of an EMS, and also that the result remains when introducing non-linearity in the link. Based on this result, we discuss implications for the direction of causality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper seeks to shed more light on how businesses have used the language of sustainability in their disclosures. The study employs interpretive textual analysis and takes a closer look at how the corporate talk of sustainability has developed in the disclosures of three major Finnish companies during the period 1987-2005. In-depth understanding is sought by limiting the analysis of disclosures from four anchor points only. The findings indicate major changes in the ways the case corporations have used sustainability-related concepts over the two decades. Over time sustainability seems to have transformed from a possibly revolutionary concept into an evolutionary one, if not to one merely concerned with sustaining of the status quo. Moreover, whereas in the early disclosures the conceptualisation of sustainability appears to be rather polyphonic, in more recent years the companies use fairly similar rhetoric drawing on the discourse of weak sustainability. As a longitudinal study the paper makes a contribution to the still relatively limited body of research deconstructing corporate social and environmental disclosures from an interpretive standpoint. However, the study focuses only on the disclosures of three case companies in one particular country, and thus the generalisation of the findings must be approached with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Businesses have an unrivalled ability to mobilize human, physical and financial capital, often manage large land holdings, and draw on resources and supply products that impact a wide array of ecosystems. Businesses therefore have the potential to make a substantial contribution to arresting declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. To realize this potential, businesses require support from researchers in applied ecology to inform how they measure and manage their impacts on, and opportunities presented to them by, biodiversity and ecosystem services. 2. We reviewed papers in leading applied ecology journals to assess the research contribution from existing collaborations involving businesses. We reviewed applications to, and grants funded by, the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council for evidence of public investment in such collaborations. To scope opportunities for expanding collaborations with businesses, we conducted workshops with three sectors (mining and quarrying, insurance and manufacturing) in which participants identified exemplar ecological research questions of interest to their sector. 3. Ten to fifteen per cent of primary research papers in Journal of Applied Ecology and Ecological Applications evidenced business involvement, mostly focusing on traditional rural industries (farming, fisheries and forestry). The review of UK research council funding found that 35% of applications mentioned business engagement, while only 1% of awarded grants met stricter criteria of direct business involvement. 4. Some questions identified in the workshops aim to reduce costs from businesses’ impacts on the environment and others to allow businesses to exploit new opportunities. Some questions are designed to inform long-term planning undertaken by businesses, but others would have more immediate commercial applications. Finally, some research questions are designed to streamline and make more effective those environmental policies that affect businesses. 5. Business participants were forward-looking regarding ecological questions and research. For example, representatives from mining and quarrying companies emphasized the need to move beyond biodiversity to consider how ecosystems function, while those from the insurance sector stressed the importance of ecology researchers entering into new types of interdisciplinary collaboration. 6. Synthesis and applications. Businesses from a variety of sectors demonstrated a clear interest in managing their impacts on, and exploiting opportunities created by, ecosystem services and biodiversity. To achieve this, businesses are asking diverse ecological research questions, but publications in leading applied ecology journals and research council funding reveal limited evidence of direct engagement with businesses. This represents a missed opportunity for ecological research findings to see more widespread application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore and investigate the process of green management adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises. Design/methodology/approach - The study used the qualitative methods of case study, in-depth interviews and document analysis to collect data from two companies, one in the acoustic equipment, the other in the electronics industry. Findings - The paper finds that the extant literature in the field of business and management has largely ignored green management practices within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study finds that SMEs can make themselves greener by making strategic and organizational changes. For greener management, the factors of organizational structure, innovation capability, human resources, cost savings and competitive advantage can influence organizational change. The outcomes of the case studies confirmed this. The paper argues that further research is needed in order to identify how management practice might reduce negative sustainability impacts. The paper argues that such research can benefit from the methodological and theoretical insights of other disciplines. Originality/value - The paper is of benefit to academics and managers by providing a new way to consider green management and strategies of SMEs. Since green sustainability is obviously challenging to all companies, to increase understanding of how to cope with green management is necessary, but has been rarely researched in SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to carry out a literature review of the quantitative studies that have analyzed the impact of green management on financial performance. Design/methodology/approach - An examination of the literature was undertaken to review the quantitative studies that analyze the influence of environmental management on financial performance. A total of 32 studies were identified, examining the environmental variables used, the financial performance variables, the statistical analyses, and the main findings obtained by these studies. Findings - Results are mixed, but studies where a positive impact of environment on financial performance is obtained are predominant. In addition, the findings show that the set of firms, industries and countries are varied. Some studies use environmental management variables and other works employ environmental performance variables, and regression analysis prevails. Research limitations/implications - The study does not consider studies that analyze the influence of environmental management on environmental performance. Implications for future research are suggested. Practical implications - The paper offers interesting implications for managers, pointing out that a real commitment to green management may result in a positive influence on financial performance. Originality/value - The findings are derived from an exhaustive literature review of quantitative studies that have studied the green management-financial performance link. In addition, ideas for improving future research in this field are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do national and sectoral innovation systems interact with each other? The paper explores this unexplored question by carrying out a cross-sector cross-country analysis of European systems of innovation in the 1990s. The empirical study takes Pavitt’s (Res Policy 13:343–373, ) taxonomy as a starting point, and it investigates the cross-country variability of Pavitt’s sectoral patterns of innovation. The analysis leads to three main results. First, the various technological trajectories show large differences across countries, due to the influence of national innovation systems. Second, there is evidence that the interaction between national systems and sectoral patterns of innovation constitutes an independent source of variability in the sample. Third, the analysis leads to the identification of eight sector- and country-specific technological trajectories in European manufacturing industries, and, based on that, proposes a refinement of Pavitt’s taxonomy. The refined taxonomy, in a nutshell, suggests that sectoral systems must be supported by and interact with their respective national systems in order to become industrial leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - In recent years, "trade up" argument has gained momentum. It argues that international integration can benefit developing countries' environments by fostering the adoption of voluntary environmental standards, such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification. Based on this argument, a social marketing program that encourages greenness among buyers, especially downstream industrial buyers (for example, auto industry) in developed countries could motivate firms in developing countries go green. The purpose of this paper is to provide an investigation on whether "trade up" is a real hope, and what is required to make it real. Design/methodology/approach - Theoretical modeling and case studies. Findings - This paper finds that international trade does gear up the adoption of ISO 14001 standards in China through increasing pressures from international green customers. However, our analyses suggest that the adoption of ISO 14001 certification does not necessarily improve firms' compliance with existing environmental regulations in China. The actual impact depends on how stringently environmental agency carries out inspections. We also find that in China, ISO 14001 certification motivates little, if any, environmental performance improvement beyond bottom-line environmental regulations. Research limitations/implications - This finding suggests that the "trade up" argument as well as a social marketing strategy targeting international buyers (including downstream industries) need to be scrutinized carefully before being used to guide practice. Originality/value - Few efforts have been made to explore the actual impacts of ISO 14001 certification in developing countries. This paper fills this gap. It provides empirical support for Andreasen's argument that social marketing should be applied more broadly to achieve the desired impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New requirements and regulations have increased the pressure on companies to provide information on their products. This is challenging for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) since they lack both expertise and resources. In this paper, the possibilities to develop environmental product declarations (EPDs) for products with use of data-assistant tools are explored. A case study of furniture production in Norway is used to exemplify this. A database with specific environmental data for materials used in furniture has been developed. The database is used to conduct the life cycle assessment (LCA) for selected products and is the backbone of a data-assistance tool used to design and present the EPDs. Five key performance indicators are selected. The database and these KPIs ensures standardised assessments of products that enables both comparison of existing products as well as assessment of environmental performance of redesigned products and potential new products. This paper shows how this enables the SMEs to both provide environmental performance information to stakeholders as well as enables them to identify possible improvements with limited resources and competence on environmental performance and LCAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces various reports published within the issue on management strategy and the environment.

Environmental activists are increasingly resorting to private strategies such as boycotts and protests focused on changing individual firms' behavior. In this paper, we examine activists' use of such “private politics” to engender firm compliance with activist objectives. We begin by developing a simple theoretical model of an activist campaign from which we develop a set of empirical hypotheses based on a set of observable features of firms. We test our hypotheses using a unique dataset of environmental activist campaigns against firms in the United States from 1988 to 2003. This paper fills an important need in the literature as one of the first empirical attempts to examine the private political strategies of activists and has important implications for the burgeoning literatures on industry self-regulation and the nonmarket strategies of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]