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Promoting Sustainable Organizations with Sweden's Natural Step
Abstract
A sustainable society can persist over generations,1 being farseeing, flexible, and wise enough to nourish its physical and social systems of support. Sustainable businesses are a key element in transforming society toward sustainability2 For firms willing to inquire into the challenge presented by sustainable development, the journey ahead may involve radical transformation not only of organizational practices, but also of the ways of thinking that led to those practices in the first p/ace. The Natural Step, a Stockholm-based environmental education organization has partnered with a number of major businesses in Sweden to promote organizational transformation as an important element in the societal shift toward sustainable development. This article examines the Natural Step-its philosophy, history, practices, successes, possible limitations, and application to firms pursuing sustainability.
... ISO 14001 estandarra lortzeko betekizunak ingurumen-kudeaketaren berezko printzipioetan oinarritzen dira (Russell eta Sacchi, 1997;Bradbury eta Clair, 1999;Bullinger et al., 1999;Henriques eta Sadrosky, 1999;Corbett eta Cutler, 2000), eta bost ataletan bereizten dira: a) goi-zuzendaritzak ingurumen-politika definitzea; b) ingurumen-kudeaketarako sistemaren planifikazioa; c) inplantazioa eta sistemaren funtzionamendua; d) egiaztaketa eta neurri zuzentzaileak; eta e) goi-zuzendaritzak sistema berrikustea etengabeko hobekuntza-prozesua gauzatzeko. Zentzu horretan, lehenengo irudian IKS baten aplikaziorako fase horiek zehazten dira. ...
... Testuinguru horretan, industria-enpresen estrategietan ingurumen-faktoreak barneratzeak ez zuen behar besteko garrantzirik izan. Bestalde, Europar Batasuneko beste zenbait herrialdetan ez bezala, gizarteak ingurumen-gatazkarekiko eginiko pronuntziamenduak, eta areago, ingurumen-legediak atzerapenez garatu ziren (Peattie eta Ringler, 1994;Andersson eta Wolff, 1996;Bradbury eta Clair, 1999). Horrek IKS inplantazio-tasa baxuen zergatia azaltzen du hein handi batean. ...
Ekonomi eta enpresa-jardueran ekimen ugari izan dira azken hamar-kadetan ingurumenaren kudeaketari buruz. Kontzeptu horrekin izendatu nahi izan dira mota askotako ingurumen-jarduketak, esaterako, ekoizpen-prozesuen kontrola eta kudeaketa hobetzea, edota Ingurumena Kudeatzeko Sistema (IKS aurrerantzean) izenekoak ezartzea. IKSak ingurumenaren kudeaketarako enpresa-autorregulaziorako ekimen gisa definitu izan dira. IKS horiek ezartzeko eta ziurtatzeko, nazioarteko erreferentzia-ereduak hartu ohi dira oinarri. Nazioartean eredurik zabalduenak ISO 14001 estandarra eta Europar Batasuneko EMAS erregelamendua (Ingurumen Kudeaketako eta Ikuskaritzako Sistema) dira. Artikulu honen helburua Europar Batasuneko EMAS ereduaren analisi deskribatzaile eta xehatua egitea da. GAKO-HITZAK: Autorregulazioa · Ingurumena Kudeatzeko Sistemak · EMAS · ISO 14001.
... Step, etc) (Hawken 1993;Weizäcker et al. 1998;Bradbury & Clair 1999;Elkington 1999;Hawken et al. 1999;Nattrass & Altomare 1999) Green-entrepreneurship (Anderson 1998;Issak 1998;Walley & Taylor 2002) ...
... It is about understanding problems and/or issues and subsequently move the existing practice from 'Point A to Point B'. There are only eight empirical papers out of these 35 articles: descriptive data analysis (Holt 2003;Wheeler et al. 2005), content and database analysis (Coopey 2003), experimental research design (Martin 1982;Burton et al. 1991;Cordano et al. 2003) and case studies (Bradbury & Clair 1999;Rohweder 2004). ...
This paper explores the integration of the discipline of 'entrepreneurship education' and 'education for sustainable development' and offers a new perspective to practice sustainable development in the arena of business and entrepreneurship (called the 'SWOMM' approach - sustainable ways of making money). As a way to explore such integration, three sets of literature review were conducted and explored: the areas of UN and UK governmental strategies for sustainable development, education for sustainable development and entrepreneurship education. This subsequently discovered that research which promotes sustainable development in entrepreneurship is lacking, particularly with respect to educational provision. This paper therefore offers a process model for educationalists to facilitate their venture of integrating 'entrepreneurship education' with 'education for sustainable development' and argues for its importance.
... Scandic Hotels, Electrolux, Swedish McDonalds 282 Social learning towards a sustainable world Hilary Bradbury followed suit. Each company, along with many more to follow, began to use DNS process which drives toward resolution of difference through seeking higher orders of consensus anchored in the four system conditions to shape strategy and help design new products and processes (Bradbury and Clair 1999). Studies independent of DNS (e.g. ...
... Prior to 2010, only 16 studies of entrepreneurship had involved videos in their methodology. These early studies mainly relied on reviewing archival company produced videos in case analysis (for example, Bradbury & Clair, 1999) or creating videotaped interviews or focus groups with entrepreneurs (for example, Hienerth, 2006;Buttner, 2001). In terms of analysis, most of this early video-based research focused on either on converting video to verbatim transcripts (thus losing visual elements) (for example, Hienerth, 2006;Buttner, 2001) or reviewing videos as part of a broader interpretive analysis of case (for example, Berger et al., 2004). ...
Video research methods provide a powerful yet accessible way for researchers to observe and theorize entrepreneurial phenomena by analyzing entrepreneurship “in motion.” Despite the growing uptake of video data in entrepreneurship research, there is no available overview or analysis of current uses of video research methods, which makes it difficult for interested researchers to grasp its value and possibilities. Our systematic review of 142 entrepreneurship research articles published in leading journals reveals three dominant video research methods: (a) videography of entrepreneurship “in the wild” (such as pitching and other naturally occurring practices); (b) video content analysis using entrepreneur-generated videos (such as crowdfunding and archival videos); and (c) video elicitation in “manufactured” contexts (such as interviews and focus groups, experiments and interventions). Building on these studies, we put forward a research agenda for video-based entrepreneurship research that capitalizes on the unique affordances of video to understand the interactional, embodied, material, and emotional nature of entrepreneurial practice.
... L'expérience de la recherche-action participative semble cependant impliquer d'une manière limitée l'Europe méditerranéenne, sauf exception comme par exemple dans les cas de Danilo Dolci (1973) ou Paolo Orefice (1981). Cette méthodologie aura plus de chance dans les pays scandinaves où Ulf Himmerstrand (1981) et Paul Oquist (1978) ont contribué significativement à sa croissance, suivis par plusieurs sociologues parmi lesquels Max Elden (1983Elden ( , 1985Elden ( , 1991, Morten Levin (1985), Bradbury Clair (1999), Kristiansen Bloch-Poulsen (2008. Nombreux sont aussi les projets et les études de recherche participative conduits en Asie et Sud Amérique. ...
... L'expérience de la recherche-action participative semble cependant impliquer d'une manière limitée l'Europe méditerranéenne, sauf exception comme par exemple dans les cas de Danilo Dolci (1973) ou Paolo Orefice (1981). Cette méthodologie aura plus de chance dans les pays scandinaves où Ulf Himmerstrand (1981) et Paul Oquist (1978) ont contribué significativement à sa croissance, suivis par plusieurs sociologues parmi lesquels Max Elden (1983Elden ( , 1985Elden ( , 1991, Morten Levin (1985), Bradbury Clair (1999), Kristiansen Bloch-Poulsen (2008. Nombreux sont aussi les projets et les études de recherche participative conduits en Asie et Sud Amérique. ...
The dominant approach to much of the research in the field of tourist hospitality appears, like much of the current research, to adopt a positivist perspective, with a clear emphasis on data collection and processing, as well as data analysis. The existence of qualitative research methods in the field of management allows the researcher to approach and interpret in a different way the latent meaning of organisational action, otherwise a little or not at all comprehensible. In this context, "action research" occupies a privileged place. The concept of "action research" refers to multiple research systems and methodological proposals, which oppose the traditional separation between research (with its specific methods), theory and possible results or applications to a specific object. Its history and its various evolutions may represent a privileged perspective for questioning the multiple evolutions of applied and public sociology, and more specifically of the methodology of social research. And therefore, also to look at the national specificities, dialogues and forms of disciplinary hybridizations that have accompanied the course of social sciences. This article illustrates the evolution of action research and its variants, focusing mainly on the Anglo-Saxon tradition, considered the most suitable for a reading of the epistemological evolution of this methodology, keeping an eye on the Italian and French perspectives. This perspective will also allow us to observe the recent development of certain sociological trends characterised by a more "committed" or "professional" application, applicable to the field of tourist hospitality. Abstract L'approche dominante d'une grande partie de la recherche dans le domaine de l'hospitalité touristique apparait, comme une grande partie de la recherche actuelle, une perspective positiviste, avec un accent particulier posé sur le recueil et le traitement des données, ainsi que sur leur analyse. L'existence de méthodes de recherche qualitative dans le domaine du management permet au chercheur d'approcher et d'interpréter d'une manière différente le sens latent de l'action organisationnelle, autrement peu ou pas du tout 2 compréhensible. Dans ce cadre, la « recherche-action » occupe une place privilégiée. Le concept de « recherche-action » fait référence à des systèmes de recherches et des propositions méthodologiques multiples, qui s'opposent à la séparation traditionnelle entre recherche (avec ses méthodes spécifiques), théorie et possibles résultats ou applications à un objet spécifique. Son histoire et ses différentes évolutions peuvent représenter une perspective privilégiée pour questionner les nombreuses évolutions de la sociologie appliquée et de la sociologie publique, et plus spécifiquement de la méthodologie de la recherche sociale. Et donc également pour se pencher sur les spécificités nationales, les dialogues et les formes d'hybridations disciplinaires qui ont caractérisé le parcours des sciences sociales. Dans le cadre de cet article, on va illustrer l'évolution de la recherche-action et de ses variantes, en nous penchant principalement sur la tradition anglo-saxonne, considérée comme la plus adaptée pour une lecture de l'évolution épistémologique de cette méthodologie, en gardant un oeil sur les perspectives italienne et française. Cette perspective nous permettra également d'observer le développement récent de certains courants sociologiques caractérisés par une application plus « engagée » ou plus « professionnelle », applicable au milieu de l'hospitalité touristique.
... Step [67], [68], [47], [46], [69], [70], [71], [72], [73]; ...
... Step' (see Figure 10) (Alexius and Furusten, 2013;Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Herbertson and Tipler, 2006;Holmberg, 2006;Holmberg et al., 1996;Martin and Schouten, 2014;Altomare, 1999, 2013). Imagine looking at a giant funnel on its side. ...
... Step' (Alexius and Furusten, 2013;Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Herbertson and Tipler, 2006;Holmberg, 2006;Holmberg et al., 1996;Martin and Schouten, 2014;Altomare, 1999, 2013). Imagine looking at a giant funnel on its side. ...
This article combines entrepreneurship, economics and sustainability to build a new theory of biosphere entrepreneurship. Going beyond business and social entrepreneurship, which add value to economic and social spheres, respectively, biosphere entrepreneurship adds value to the biosphere. The purpose of this article is to define biosphere entrepreneurship, and to devise and extend mental models (frameworks) relating entrepreneurship and climate change in order to facilitate theory building. Using images and visual depictions, the article elaborates a series of illustrative candidate frameworks that suggest a theoretical model of biosphere entrepreneurship. The article aims to show how the Earth, humanity, and the economy are connected through negative and positive entrepreneurship. It extends extant frameworks from the fields of financial and capital, entrepreneurial allocation, risk and survival, value and disvalue creation, growth and de-growth, socio-cultural frameworks, and entrepreneurial opportunity in order to substantiate the existence of entrepreneurial activity that adds value to Earth. The article concludes with implications for entrepreneurship education. What should educators be doing to help our young entrepreneurs come to grips with existential and catastrophic risks to the planet? (Includes 11 colour figures)
... While both theorists highlighted different companies in different articles, the Swedish people were known as collectively conscious of environmental problems based on influences from the 1962 book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Still, "Sweden was not congenial to the development of The Natural Step because of the conformity in the Swedish industrial sector reinforced by a relatively small number of powerful companies and a relative lack of entrepreneurial spirit" ( Bradbury & Clair, 1999, p. 64). Therefore, one must view early and successful case studies from that background rather than one indicative of how well TNS worked outside of Sweden. ...
With sustainability initiatives attracting quality employees, many businesses concentrate more on their ecological imprint than on sustaining their human capital. Theories such as Karl-Henrik Robèrt’s The Natural Step (1997, 2000, 2002) prize a balance with the environment above one with people. Yet, an increasingly ageing workforce with increasingly common chronic diseases has led corporations to hemorrhage money—from direct costs because of absenteeism to indirect costs because of decreased productivity. Although eligible in many countries for accommodations, many chronically ill employees choose not to self-disclose, instead, masking their illnesses from employers. Questioning the sustainability of The Natural Step (TNS) from this perspective, this paper also critiques TNS’ evolution as a theoretical construct through the lens offered by the General Method of Theory Building in Applied Disciplines.
... Step in 1989 (Bradbury & Clair, 1999), Miljömålen or environmental objectives in 1991 (Miljömål, 2017), and the Kretslopp för Hållbar Utveckling project in 1995 (Johansson, 1995), which can be translated as Circularity for Sustainable Development. Sweden's prioritization of the natural environment can also be seen in the latest listing of nations achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ...
... Step' (Alexius and Furusten 2013;Bradbury and Clair 1999;Herbertson and Tipler 2006;Holmberg 2006;Holmberg, Robert, and Eriksson 1996;Martin and Schouten 2014;B. Nattrass and Altomare 1999;Brian Nattrass and Altomare 2013). ...
... Naturally, all of these facts indirectly and directly influence the operation and the role of organizations as the centers of civilization development [27]. And, as we focus on for-profit organizations, we can observe that in the last ten years many companies have decided to take up the so-called eco-friendly strategy [28]. Different motives lead companies to make the decision to go green [29]. ...
Mission and vision statements are a critically important piece of business communication from an organization to all of its stakeholders [1]. Today, it is quite easy for even a small company to create a website and sell goods all over the world and most companies around the world have increasingly adopted mission statements with corporate values as a top issue on their agendas. These mission and vision statements must be constantly revised and modified in response to changes within the organization and its environment [1]. In contrast to traditional strategic management approaches, today's companies have focused on the social strategy activities, such as philanthropy, corporate values for having the competitive advantage [2]. Therefore, social responsibilities should also be considered to include concerns for social factors and the environment within the missions of the companies [3].Personal and ethical values constitute the basis of their mission statements with an emphasis of the strategy formulation along with the significance of international or global operations [4]. Following the information that the natural environment is an increasingly salient component of the global commercial environment as is reflected in growing academic and practitioner interest in corporate management of environmental issues [5], " going green " is analyzed in current mission and vision statements as the basic emphasis which acquires the definition of involving the concepts of ethical behavior, social responsibility and protection of the environment.
... Some companies consider sustainability adoption an opportunity for creating a marketing and competitive advantage (Clemens and Douglus, 2006). According to Hawken (OECD, 1996) quoted by Bradbury & Clair (1999): "Sustainability is an economic state where the demands placed upon the environment by people and commerce can be met without reducing the capacity of the environment to provide for future generations. It can also be expressed in the simple terms of an economic golden rule for the restorative economy: Leave the world better than you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm life or the environment, make amends if you do". ...
Over the last decade, most manufacturing organizations have
been experiencing pressure to incorporate sustainability practices in
their supply chains. The key reasons behind this pressure may be stated
as increased consumer awareness towards environmental issues, stricter
environmental laws and regulations, and increased competition. This
paper seeks to identify the factors affecting sustainability adoption in
the Indian automobile supply chain and investigate the interrelationships
existing among them. The factors have been identified on
the basis of a comprehensive literature review and expert opinion. Data
were collected through a survey of 157 Indian automobile companies; a
carefully prepared questionnaire was used as research instrument. Partial
least square (PLS) approach was used to investigate the relationships
among various factors leading to sustainability performance. Results
indicate that external influence and expected sustainability benefits
positively affect top management's commitment towards adoption of
sustainable practices. Further, it was found that a better buyer-supplier
relationship positively impacted the triple bottom line of sustainability
which comprises economic, social, and environmental performance measures.
The buyer-supplier relationship was assessed after breaking it down to
three constructs - supplier selection, supplier development and supplier
performance review. This study is unique and carries a high originality
value as it offers a better understanding of: 1) each construct (supplier
selection, supplier development and supplier performance review) of the
buyer-supplier relationship; and 2) every construct's effect on each
dimension (economic, social and environmental) of supply chain
sustainability of the Indian automobile industry. Such a comprehensive
and detailed study involving the observation of each construct of the
buyer-supplier relationship, and analysis of the effect that each
construct has on the three dimensions of sustainability has not been
carried out before. This way, the study makes a significant contribution
to the existing body of literature. The present study has several
practical implications which would enable managers to adopt sustainable
practices in their supply chain.
... Dublin City Council has also adopted the framework for sustainable Dublin (FSD) in its most recent development plan, which is a systematic and strategic approach to sustainable development based on the natural step. The natural step is a framework to guide decision-making, goals and actions in a community or organisation in relation to sustainable environmental, social and economic development (Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Robèrt, 2002). Developed in Sweden by Dr Karl-Henrik Robèrt, a doctor and cancer specialist, the framework is now used internationally by corporations, local authorities and communities to provide structure and guidance in terms of their sustainability objectives (Upham, 2000). ...
Sustainable development indicators are an important tool in the management of cities and regions, whose use allows the baselining of current performance, the setting of targets and the measurement of progress over time. Large numbers of sustainable development indicator suites are used internationally and further suites have been developed at the individual city and region scale. This can lead to confusion over what measurements should be prioritised. Stakeholder participation in sustainable development practice is well established; however, in order to be successful there is a need to develop a structured process of participation that results in tangible outputs. This work presents a case study of stakeholder engagement aimed at developing a shared vision of sustainable development for the Dublin region. Interviews and workshops were used to develop a sense of co-ownership of the project and integrated top-down indicators suites with bottom-up measures. A set of 38 headline sustainable development indicators was identified that examine all aspects of the city region's development and include all stakeholders in the coordinated movement towards the vision of a more sustainable Dublin. A number of issues were identified throughout the process such as data gaps and a lack of established indicators to measure specific issues relevant at a regional scale. The indicators identified have been integrated into the Dublin region Sustainability Report and will inform future development plans for the region. While this method was tested in the Dublin region, it could easily be utilised by other city regions to identify their own suite of indicators.
... Step and the Global Initiative Guidelines to incentivize firms to go beyond minimal sustainability requirements (Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Delmas and Terlaak, 2002;Hedberg and von Malmborg, 2003). In addition, these groups influence firms to adopt sustainable practices since they have a huge impact on public opinion and guide consumers' behaviour (Gunningham et al., 2004). ...
The objective of this paper is to study the impact of institutional pressures at the country level (i.e., coercive, regulatory, normative) on the adoption of sustainable supplier development practices. Globalization is allowing firms to expand in new markets and to leverage on localization advantages by establishing foreign plants and sourcing internationally. Plants located in different countries might be subject to different institutional pressures shaping their organizational response to sustainability within and outside their domain (e.g., in relation to their suppliers). The paper also aims to examine if firm specific capabilities (e.g., supply chain integration) play an enabling role in the adoption of sustainable supplier development practices. To analyse these relationships we relied on both primary and secondary data, and used hierarchical linear modelling to test our hypotheses. The results show that mimetic pressures have a positive effect on the adoption of sustainable supplier development and that this influence is positively moderated by the firm’s level of supplier integration. Coercive and normative pressures have no effect on the adoption of sustainable supplier development practices. Overall our results suggest that sustainable supplier development is a proactive practice adopted for competitive reasons and enabled by firm specific capabilities.
... Lietuvoje žemės ūkio ir kaimo plėtra (Lietu� vos kaimo plėtros..., 2007) numatoma per in� vesticijas į ūkius, jų modernizavimą ir veiklos įvairinimą, kokybiškų produktų gamybos plėtrą ir rinkodarą, užimtumo didinimą skatinant al� ternatyvią veiklą ir socialinės būklės gerinimą, kaimo atnaujinimą ir infrastruktūros plėtrą bei aplinkosaugą ir racionalų gamtos išteklių nau� dojimą. Kaimiškųjų regionų ir kaimo vietovių plėtra darnaus vystymosi kontekste akademinėje bendrijoje analizuota tiek užsienio (McConnell, Brue, 1986;Young, 1991;Ciani, 1998;Brandbury, Clair, 1999;Nattrass, Altomare, 1999 ...
... During the past few decades, there have been tremendous efforts on how to reach sustainable environment. Some of the works are dedicated to Natural Step (Bradbury & Clair 1999), sustainable development (Bansal & Roth, 2000), private sector and non-governmental organization (NGO) partnerships in the sustainability domain (Rondinelli & London 2003) global environmental programs (Christmann & Taylor 2002), and engaging so-called 'fringe' stakeholders to construct sustainable business models (Hart & Sharma 2004). Robèrt (2000) explained tools and concepts for sustainable development and addressed how they are associated with a general framework for sustainable development. ...
Green management plays an important role having better environment friendly industry and it is one of the prominent methods for reducing future issues surrounding our planet. The present study presents an empirical study of the implementation of green management for a real-world case study of steel industry. The study designs a questionnaire and distributes it among some experts from a steel industry. One of the main objectives of the survey is to investigate whether the firm is in good conditions in terms of green management perspective and the preliminary results of our survey indicate that the company received 340.6 points out 1000 points, which means the present conditions of the firm is quite unfavorable. There are many reasons describing the present conditions of the firm such as the lack of an integrated responsibility, weak management support and involvement, shortage of financial support, etc. The study also provides some guidelines for having better green management outcomes, which are setting better accounting procedures for evaluating the cost/benefit of projects and priding sufficient financial support for projects.
... In Austria, the EcoProfit public-private partnership initiative (Fresner 1998;Martinuzzi, Huchler, and Obermayr 2000) was created to support the implementation of environmental management in companies, which it has extended to 10 countries in more than 2,000 enterprises worldwide. Further awareness raising campaigns targeting SMEs include the Natural Step, developed in Sweden (Bradbury and Clair 1999;Holmberg 1998;Robert 2000), Envirowise in the United Kingdom (Coskeran and Phillips 2005;Gibson 2001), and the Green Network in Denmark (Lehmann 2006). ...
Many scholars have emphasized the importance of sustainability management in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Although various publications discuss different approaches and potential barriers of implementation, a review of the existing research on sustainability management tools for SMEs is nonetheless missing. Based on a systematic review of the academic literature, this paper discusses reasons why SMEs should implement sustainability management tools. A further analysis reveals that most such tools are perceived to have little to no implementation in SMEs. The main implementation barriers and facilitating criteria are discussed. In addition, implications for future research, SME management, and public policy are drawn.
... • La démarche stratégique adoptée par l'entreprise face aux enjeux écologiques : l'entreprise durable adopte une démarche proactive, avec des changements radicaux dans la stratégie de l'entreprise et sa mise en oeuvre à tous les niveaux, y compris au niveau de la culture de l'entreprise (JENNINGS et ZANDBERGEN, 1995 ;SHRIVASTAVA et HART, 1996 ;BRADBURY et CLAIR, 1999). ...
... The notion of ''sustainable development'' was popularised in the Brundtland Report, commissioned by the United Nations (UN) where it is defined as meeting ''the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'' (Brundtland, 1987). The ''limits to growth' debate triggered in the 1970s led to a continuing stream of research (for examples, see Meadows et al., 2004;Cole et al., 1973;Hart, 1995;Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Cowell et al., 1999;Phaal et al., 1999;Jansson et al., 2000;Senge and Carstedt, 2001;Paramanathan et al., 2004;Porter and Kramer, 2006;Tukker et al., 2008;Nidumolu et al., 2009;Hansen et al., 2009). Significantly, investment in sustainability projects has held up throughout the recent recession, suggesting a combination of enforced compliance with increasingly tough legislation and a perception of the major opportunities implicit in this agenda (Stern, 2011). ...
Purpose ‐ This study aims to explore the experience of eight international companies, focusing on their strategies in sustainable innovations in China. Design/methodology/approach ‐ This investigation is accomplished using a case study methodology. The research is based on the companies' secondary data and 47 semi-structured face-to-face interviews carried out in Chinese (Mandarin) between September 2010 and March 2012. Access to the selected companies was supported by WWF China. Findings ‐ The findings of this study are summarised in a theoretical framework suggesting four different levels of multinational corporations' (MNCs') sustainability-driven innovations in China. Research limitations/implications ‐ The paper is based on the research population of MNCs being WWF Climate Savers partners in China. The research sample has no Chinese-only companies. Originality/value ‐ From the academic perspective this research is a qualitative analysis of the best practices in sustainable innovation of MNCs in China and an attempt to map them to a theoretical framework. From a policy-making perspective, this paper is a report on existing practices and positive experience in responsible industry leadership. For practitioners this study shows how to create profitable growth in harmony with environmental sustainability and good corporate citizenship.
... The notion of ''sustainable development'' was popularised in the Brundtland Report, commissioned by the United Nations (UN) where it is defined as meeting ''the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'' (Brundtland, 1987). The ''limits to growth' debate triggered in the 1970s led to a continuing stream of research (for examples, see Meadows et al., 2004;Cole et al., 1973;Hart, 1995;Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Cowell et al., 1999;Phaal et al., 1999;Jansson et al., 2000;Senge and Carstedt, 2001;Paramanathan et al., 2004;Porter and Kramer, 2006;Tukker et al., 2008;Nidumolu et al., 2009;Hansen et al., 2009). Significantly, investment in sustainability projects has held up throughout the recent recession, suggesting a combination of enforced compliance with increasingly tough legislation and a perception of the major opportunities implicit in this agenda (Stern, 2011). ...
Purpose – This study aims to explore the experience of eight international companies, focusing on their
strategies in sustainable innovations in China.
Design/methodology/approach – This investigation is accomplished using a case study methodology.
The research is based on the companies’ secondary data and 47 semi-structured face-to-face
interviews carried out in Chinese (Mandarin) between September 2010 and March 2012. Access to the
selected companies was supported by WWF China.
Findings – The findings of this study are summarised in a theoretical framework suggesting four
different levels of multinational corporations’ (MNCs’) sustainability-driven innovations in China.
Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on the research population of MNCs being
WWF Climate Savers partners in China. The research sample has no Chinese-only companies.
Originality/value – From the academic perspective this research is a qualitative analysis of the
best practices in sustainable innovation of MNCs in China and an attempt to map them to a
theoretical framework. From a policy-making perspective, this paper is a report on existing
practices and positive experience in responsible industry leadership. For practitioners this study
shows how to create profitable growth in harmony with environmental sustainability and good
corporate citizenship.
... Step (Bradbury and Clair 2012), Bellagio STAMP (Pintér et al. 2012), MetroQuest (Walsh and Burch 2012). Of particular relevance to our efforts here, Metro Quest is a software system designed to help workshop participants develop future desirable scenarios (Walsh and Burch 2012). ...
Existing approaches to sustainability assessment are typically characterized as being either “top–down” or “bottom–up.” While top–down approaches are commonly adopted by businesses, bottom–up approaches are more often adopted by civil society organizations and communities. Top–down approaches clearly favor standardization and commensurability between other sustainability assessment efforts, to the potential exclusion of issues that really matter on the ground. Conversely, bottom–up approaches enable sustainability initiatives to speak directly to the concerns and issues of communities, but lack a basis for comparability. While there are clearly contexts in which one approach can be favored over another, it is equally desirable to develop mechanisms that mediate between both. In this paper, we outline a methodology for framing sustainability assessment and developing indicator sets that aim to bridge these two approaches. The methodology incorporates common components of bottom–up assessment: constituency-based engagement processes and opportunity to identify critical issues and indicators. At the same time, it uses the idea of a “knowledge base,” to help with the selection of standardized, top–down indicators. We briefly describe two projects where the aspects of the methodology have been trialed with urban governments and communities, and then present the methodology in full, with an accompanying description of a supporting software system.
... Industry programmes include Responsible Care and Sustainable Slopes (King and Lenox, 2000;Rivera and de Leon, 2003). NGO programmes include the Natural Step and the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines (Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Hedberg and von Malmborg, 2003). ...
Abstract When integrated with key organizational characteristics, institutional theory can yield new insights to understand dierences,between firms’ strategies. We propose that a company’s functional organization and internal power structure influence its facility managers’ sensitivity to and interpretation of institutional pressures. Combining over 500 responses from an original survey with exist- ing data sources, we show how two corporate departments aect how facility managers perceive and respond to various institutional pressures to adopt envi- ronmental management,practices. 1 INSTITUTIONAL PRESSURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
... The Natural Step (2005) originated in Sweden and is based on four basic principles or system conditions that state, in a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing (1) concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth's crust, (2) concentrations of substances produced by society and (3) degradation by physical means, and that (4) people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs. Large global companies such as IKEA and Electrolux have partnered with the Natural Step to begin transforming their thinking and business practices into a realization of the Earth's systems (Bradbury and Clair, 1999). The International Organization for Standardization (2004) devised the ISO 14000 standards and frameworks as tools for managers to adopt a holistic and strategic approach to environmental policies, plans, and actions. ...
As our planet's resources and carrying capacity have become exponentially strained in the last century of vast industrialism, it will be imperative for the corporations that currently determine the flow of global economic resources to advance into a position of sustainable post-industrial prosperity. It is essential that firms create and maintain synergistic relations with the biosphere, key stakeholders, and the global community. There have been many great strides in the last decade to expand environmental and social considerations in business and a path toward a sustainable future has been initiated. Today the corporation must go beyond pollution prevention and product stewardship toward a holistic and proactive model of management in a network of mutually beneficial relationships with the Earth and communities. Significant challenges remain with respect to large system changes and creating a new set of norms that are widely accepted by organizations worldwide.
... Industry programmes include Responsible Care and Sustainable Slopes (King and Lenox, 2000;Rivera and de Leon, 2003). NGO programmes include the Natural Step and the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines (Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Hedberg and von Malmborg, 2003). ...
ABSTRACT Why do some ,firms adopt environmental ,management ,practices that go beyond ,regulatory compliance,while other firms decide to comply to regulations? This paper leverages institutional theory by proposing that firms respond to the pressure of institutional actors such as politicians, regulators, customers, competitors, and local communities. However, the way in which plants perceive and act upon these pressures depends upon plant- and parent company-specific factors, including their track record of environmentalperformance, the competitive position of the parent company,and the organizational structure of the plant. Weexamine,several firm characteristics that are expected to have ,moderating ,effects on the
... Step regarding sustainability (Bradbury & Clair, 1999;Natural Step, 2003), Denny's (Labaton, 1994), Coca-Cola ("Anti-Bias Task Force," 2002), Odwalla (Lawrence, 2005), Volkswagen on design for recycling (IHS, 2004), or Interface Carpets on sustainability (Anderson, 1998 organizational ethics that students are likely to encounter conflicts with their own principles (Brass, Butterfield, & Skaggs, 1998). For example, in the U.S. cases of widespread sexual abuse by Catholic priests, one might reasonably Faculty Action a the "right" course of action might be to promote ethics within the organization, given the context of the manager's responsibilities. ...
Ethics education that prepares students to address ethical challenges at work is a multifaceted and long-term endeavor. In this article, the authors propose an inductive ethics pedagogy that begins the process of ethics education by grounding students in their own individual ethical principles. The approach centers on developing students' ethical self-knowledge in three ways: using an inductive method to aid students in learning ethics from a foundation of their own beliefs, distinguishing ethics from related concepts, and examining ethical conduct at four different levels of analysis—individual, group, organizational, and international perspectives. The authors define ethics and provide a model, new to the literature, that distinguishes ethics from related concepts, such as law, morality, or values. They include a discussion of ethical and cultural relativism and ethical absolutism relevant to the global context. This article is intended for the ethics educator in undergraduate and graduate business courses.
... (3) activities that harm nature; and (4) unnecessarily large amounts of resources that do not yield an equivalent human value (e.g. Bradbury and Clair, 1999). ...
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive definition of green management. In the quest to systematically develop an inclusive definition, it seeks to take an exploratory approach to investigate the existing literature on green management from three different perspectives: first, tracing the history of how this concept emerged over time; second, considering the practices in which green organizations actually engage, focusing specifically on one company that has been recognized and honored for its extraordinary efforts toward sustainability; and third, reviewing the current developments in critical theory related to environmental issues and business.
Design/methodology/approach
– This exploratory review of the literature uses a tripartite approach to forge a sound definition and conceptualization of the term green management. Exploration of green management from the three angles mentioned revealed some commonalities and consistencies in the terminology and concepts. Factors common to the three perspectives were included in the proposed definition of green management.
Findings
– The ultimate product of the review is a comprehensive definition of green management. The identification of several commonalities using a tripartite approach lends support to the proposed definition and indicates to both researchers and practitioners that certain factors should not be ignored when attempting to study or practice green management.
Originality/value
– To the authors' knowledge, green management has never been collectively reviewed from these three perspectives and the systematic approach resulted in a comprehensive definition that can help coordinate future research efforts around a common conceptualization.
... Step group and its work on biodegradable containers with Earthshell (Berry and Rondinelli, 1998;Bradbury and Clair, 1999;Starik and Rands, 1995) enhance McDonald's reputation for being environmentally responsible (Rondinelli and London, 2003). Of course, they are also part and parcel of a strategy enacted specifically to signal social responsibility to McDonald's stakeholders (McWilliams, 2001). ...
The article builds on and expands a narrative perspective on strategy. Specifically, we develop a more Bakhtinian model in which corporate fiction and humor serve the firm’s strategic dialogic imagination. We develop this model through an analysis of the McDonald’s corporation. Through the grotesque humor of its fictitious Ronald McDonald world, McDonald’s develops its dialogic imagination and transforms its strategic narratives. That is, strategic transformation is enacted narratively in and through its corporate fiction regenerating and revitalizing existing strategic narratives. Implications for research on McDonald’s in particular and strategy in general are discussed.
... Naturally, all of these facts indirectly and directly influence the operation and the role of organizations as the centers of civilization development [27]. And, as we focus on for-profit organizations, we can observe that in the last ten years many companies have decided to take up the so-called eco-friendly strategy [28]. Different motives lead companies to make the decision to go green [29]. ...
Mission and vision statements are a critically important piece of business communication from an organization to all of its stakeholders [1]. Today, it is quite easy for even a small company to create a website and sell goods all over the world and most companies around the world have increasingly adopted mission statements with corporate values as a top issue on their agendas. These mission and vision statements must be constantly revised and modified in response to changes within the organization and its environment [1]. In contrast to traditional strategic management approaches, today's companies have focused on the social strategy activities, such as philanthropy, corporate values for having the competitive advantage [2]. Therefore, social responsibilities should also be considered to include concerns for social factors and the environment within the missions of the companies [3].Personal and ethical values constitute the basis of their mission statements with an emphasis of the strategy formulation along with the significance of international or global operations [4]. Following the information that the natural environment is an increasingly salient component of the global commercial environment as is reflected in growing academic and practitioner interest in corporate management of environmental issues [5], “going green” is analyzed in current mission and vision statements as the basic emphasis which acquires the definition of involving the concepts of ethical behavior, social responsibility and protection of the environment.
... Step (Bradbury and Clair 1999), sustainable development (Bansal and Roth 2000), global environmental programmes (Christmann and Taylor 2002), privatesector and non-governmental organisation (NGO) partnerships in the sustainability domain (Rondinelli and London 2003) and engaging so-called 'fringe' stakeholders to build sustainable business models (Hart and Sharma 2004). Other mainstream management practitioner-oriented journals that have published articles on sustainable organisations include the Harvard Business Review (Porter and van der Linde 1995;Prahalad and Liberthal 1998;Walley and Whitehead 1994), California Management Review (Howard et al. 2000;Delmas and Terlaak 2001;Toffel 2003) and Sloan Management Review (Hart and Milstein 1999). ...
... TNS concerned itself with identifying root causes for environmental problems (Robèrt, 1997). Through 1999 in Sweden, over 25 large companies, 17 local authorities (governmental bodies), and several national authorities have adopted or aligned their strategies and at least some of their practices with the conditions specified by TNS (Bradbury and Clair, 1999). In addition, companies in other European nations and in the US have begun evaluating and applying TNS for use in their strategies. ...
Diversification poses a strategic management dilemma. Paths to sustainability require firms to develop new products and technologies and to adjust their networks of suppliers and customers; sustainability requires diversification. To become fully sustainable, firms need to diversify in ways unrelated to their core knowledge of technology and markets. Financial markets tend to discount shares of firms that diversify. The current literature does not distinguish sustainability related diversification (SRD) from other motives for diversification. This paper, after reviewing the related literature, proposes some testable propositions that could lead to the development of a mid-range theory of sustainability-related diversification.
... Some studies have also focused on the impacts of SD/CSR strategies on the development of corporate resources and competencies. These resources and competencies may involve organizational learning (Mathieu and Soparnot, 2006); employee motivation and organizational commitment (Gara, 2005;Koubaa, 2005); conflict resolution by taking into account stakeholder interests (Dontenwill and Reynaud, 2005); the legitimacy of SD/CSR actions (Lobel, 2006); acquiring a license to operate (Zinkin, 2004); organizational transformation (Bradbury and Clair, 1999); the evo lution of corporate values (Coonjoo and Beeharry, 2003); and decision making (Knox, 2004). ...
The following study carries out a review of research on the strategy process of multinational enterprises (MNEs) regarding sustainable development (SD) in order to highlight the main theoretical and methodological choices made by researchers and their impact on the process of knowledge development in this field. The selected works all answer the following questions: "How are SD strategies formulated in MNEs? Which factors influence them? What do they result in?" The analysis of the works will be carried out within an integrative framework which is to be traced back to previous reviews of the literature as well as the theoretical and empirical research about this topic. The analysis will mainly focus on two levels: 1) the theoretical paradigms and perspectives selected as well as the questions raised, 2) the implemented methodologies in terms of analysis unit, investigation sample and data collecting methods. The criteria will be applied to sort out all the registered works and will thus enable us to appraise the choices made quantitatively and qualitatively by enhancing the general trends, the most striking gaps and the difficulties encountered. A critical reflection will then be carried out in parallel about the consequences of the choices on the evolution of the research field and its ability to build up a corpus of cumulative knowledge. This critical reflection will enable us to make several recommendations for future research that might have useful implications for the construction of theory and research methodology.
Background. The theme of sustainability is widely supported in Kazakhstan
at the state level and by large national companies, however, for medium and small enterprises
this area requires awareness. Companies do not always understand the value of sustainable
development innovations and how they can be effectively managed. This research
describes the experiences of 7 organizations and, in particular, their efforts to introduce sustainable-
driven innovations in Kazakhstan. This article is aimed at a study of medium and
small companies in Kazakhstan that focused on the development of sustainable development
innovations and reveal the barriers to development. Materials and methods. The study uses a
qualitative research method, which is based on collecting and analysing qualitative data from
semi-structured interviews. Results. Research results reveal that only 18 % of those surveyed
were supported financially by government assistance. In addition, 87 % of respondents were
faced with market and development barriers. 2 of investigated enterprises show 1st level of
maturity while 5 of them correspond to the requirements of the 2nd level. Conclusions. The set
of recommendations based on the modified Adams et al model will contribute to the creation
of a sustainable development policy for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Austria has emerged as one of the most successful European countries from the recent economic and financial crises. The country consistently displays high standards of security, environmental conservation, relatively little social inequality, good infrastructure, and a functioning welfare system. Its economic model, sometimes called the (eco) social market economy, seeks to balance economic and societal concerns and is rooted in a long established social partnership (denoting the formalized relationships between the government, employer, and employee interest groups). Given this firmly entrenched and institutionalized form of social solidarity, Austria has developed into a hidden champion in the field of CSR in several ways. Since 2003, institutional stakeholders, including the Austrian Business Council for Sustainable Development, the Austrian Economic Chambers and the Federation of Austrian Industries, together with several Austrian ministries and other stakeholders have jointly contributed to the firm establishment of CSR in Austria. In addition, a broad range of CSR focused academic and professional training programmes have developed in Austria, promoting skills and knowledge on responsible management practices. Austria also features a variety of internationally renowned cooperation programmes between municipalities, consultancies and companies to establish environmental management practices at the local level and maintains a successful system of grants and subsidies for environmental improvements. The latter have led to the successful implementation of more than 40,000 measures in Austrian companies over the past 20 years, even though they are not necessarily branded as CSR initiatives. Austria also chose an unconventional approach in the implementation of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive of the European Commission in Austria in 2016/2017. In addition to its translation into national law, the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism concluded a voluntary agreement on minimum standards for auditing sustainability reports with companies, consultancies and auditors (rather than setting guidelines for reporting about itself). This illustrates a certain propensity to employ unconventional and innovative approaches to embedding CSR.
This study explores a systematic strategy to design appropriate bioremediation projects for marginalized regions that have the potential to contribute to sustainable development in that region. Ecological Engineering (EE) is of particular value for the development of appropriate bioremediation technology for such regions but a stricter planning tool than provided by EE itself, is also needed when the goal of the project goes beyond remediation targets. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) applies basic principles for sustainability and includes a stepwise strategic planning mechanism for their application. The inclusion of EE within the FSSD may steer soil bioremediation projects in rural areas in developing countries and sparsely populated regions in industrialized countries towards sustainability. The utility of the approach was tested on two cases of soil pollution in marginalized regions: the Chinandega region in Nicaragua (pesticide polluted agricultural soil) and a former filling station (diesel polluted residual area) in Gäddede, northern Sweden. The study demonstrates how the inclusion of the EE key concepts within the FSSD may increase the utility of EE for strategic sustainable development within the region. No difficulties in terms of conflicting suggestions were found in the proposed integrated approach; the two tools were found to contribute on different aspects to provide support to project management and decision making.
Sustainability has emerged as one of the most important, if not the most important, influences on the way business is conducted in the twenty-first century.
The rapidly changing business environment of today requires chief executives to deal with challenges that business school and early career experiences did not prepare them to manage. Strategies to stay globally competitive and return dividends to shareholders consume a majority share of a top executive’s time. But pressures from outside and inside the firm are forcing social and environmental issues onto the CEO’s agenda. Based on our interviews with leading corporate exeßcutives, covered in Chapter 2, a great many CEOs believe that managing the business-society relationship is a vital part of their job. The majority say that they are now attentive to a wide range of stakeholders and a disparate set of issues.
Companion Web Site: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/parker/default.htmWhat is globalization? How have the world economies changed in recent years? What impact do these changes have on business and management practice? Through creative use of examples, case studies and exercises from organizations worldwide, this book demonstrates the many levels at which globalization impacts on contemporary businesses, society and organizations and elucidates the ways in which different globalization trends and factors interrelate.Focusing on an integrated approach to understanding the effects of global trends such as new technologies, new markets, and cultural and political changes, the book enables students to understand the wider implications of globalization and apply this to their study and comprehension of contemporary business and management.Each chapter: - opens with a short and current case which introduces the key concepts covered in that chapter - provides an overview of chapter objectives to allow the student to navigate easily- illustrates the chapter concepts with useful boxed examples- concludes with a review of the key chapter concepts learnt- provides a series of review and discussion questions - offers 'Global Enterprise Project' assignments for applying course concepts to the same company- gives up-to-date references from many sources to direct student's further reading.
In der umweltökonomischen Fachliteratur werden Beratungsleistungen fast nie erwähnt.1 Eine Ausnahme stellen Wickes Werke zur Umweltökonomie dar, in denen geforderte Beratungsleistungen als Instrumente der Umweltpolitik mit öffentlichen Ausgaben verortet werden (Wicke 1989, 343), die der Behebung von Informationsdefiziten dienen und aus strukturpolitischen Gründen gerade für Klein- und Mittelbetriebe eingesetzt werden (Wicke 1992, 48 und 94). Auch in den meisten frühen Werken zum Umweltmanagement wird Beratung auf diese Zielrichtung begrenzt (z.B. Hopfenbeck 1990, 89–93; Meffert/Kirchgeorg 1992, 188 und 274; Rieck 1990, Abschnitt 5.4.1). In den zahlreichen seit Mitte der 1990er Jahre veröffentlichen Studien zum Umweltmanagement wurden Berater entweder als Interviewpartner genützt oder als Kostenfaktor beim Aufbau von Umweltmanagementsystemen berücksichtigt (Freimann 1995, 100–105; Kanatschnig et al. 1996, 72–77; Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Jugend und Familie 1999; Bundesumweltministerium/Umweltbundesamt 2000, 52; Dyllick/Hammschmidt 2000, 90–94; Baumann et al. 2003,. 255, 257, 290–291). Die Rolle von Beratungsunternehmen als eigenständige Akteursgruppe, die einen autonomen Beitrag zur Umsetzung einer Nachhaltigen Wirtschaftsweise erbringen könnte, wurde in Umweltökonomie und Umweltmanagement bisher kaum thematisiert (seltene Ausnahmen sind: Tischer 1994; Michelsen 1997; Stockmann/Meyer 2001; Mohe/Pfriem 2003; Birke et al 2003).
We hear much talk today of the knowledge economy. The reality is more stark-and far more complex-a world divided into haves and have-nots, a world that is not sustainable ecologically and perhaps not politically. Management education can be an important source of new ideas about shifting toward an integrated rather than fractured knowledge economy. In the following I present background arguments about the nature of the knowledge economy, highlight some current fractures in the world, and suggest possible content in environmental, societal, and business arenas for management education, which can be used to develop leaders and managers capable of taking the types of actions needed to create both ecological sustainability and an integrated knowledge world.
An exploratory field study conducted in Europe and the U.S. examines the challenges of managing environmental quality at the enterprise level. The results show that effective environmental quality management depend to a considerable degree on the ability to deal with the multidisciplinary organizational, technical, social, and cultural issues involved in the integration of environmental cost accounting at the enterprise level. The study suggests that the tools and techniques of modern project management can provide an important framework for developing and implementing environmental quality control systems. The recommendations put considerable emphasis on the human side, focusing on the criteria under which environmental quality is best achievable. Strong senior management leadership, people skills, organizational linkages, and alliances, all are critical for dealing with the complexities of managing responsibly toward sustained developments in today’s organizations.
ResumenEste articulo resume los resultados de un proyecto de investigacion financiado por el Instituto de la Industria de la Construccion (CII) que abarco el diseno y construccion para una construccion industrial sustentable. El proyecto de investigacion incluyo una revision global de literatura relacionada con la construccion industrial sustentable, y una encuesta de investigacion en empresas constructoras industriales, la que fue utilizada para determinar la viabilidad del empleo de practicas sustentables en el sector de la construccion industrial. Los integrantes del sector de la construccion industrial entregaron informacion sobre la utilizacion de practicas sustentables en sus empresas y numerosos ejemplos de los tipos de practicas sustentables que ya habian sido implementadas en sus companias. El proyecto de investigacion tambien desarrollo diversas fuentes de implementacion que son discutidas, tales como una guia de inicio rapido para implementar practicas sustentables, dos modelos de madurez que podrian ser usados para ayudar a evaluar el nivel de sustentabilidad de los proyectos, y listados de comprobacion para la evaluacion de proyectos de construccion industrial.
Weaving strands of theory and practice must constantly be correlated to the contextual intentions and objectives of design problems, especially in creative projects that are structured with significant references to real-world issues. This study was undertaken at Ball State University to explore the use of the model design for sustainability as a theory and practice in several courses of the interior design program. Further, the study had a twofold objective: to expand the skills and abilities of students in the philosophy and paradigms of green design initiatives; and to enhance the program's compliance with an accreditation standard in which student works must demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and contexts of sustainability in relationship to building materials, methods, systems, and end-users. This article is divided into four major sections which parallel the experience at Ball State in undertaking the study and its results. The planning and grading of green-oriented projects should also take inspiration from other disciplines, such as those embodied in eco-politics, environmental ethics, sustainable design revolutions, environmental equilibrium studies, globalization and environmental history, cultural ecology studies, and other environmental movements. The research for this study included observations of how students responded to given design problems with creative outcomes that yielded valuable ecological resolutions. Likewise, the pedagogical objective allowed both faculty and students to transform sustainable opportunities into an inspiring convergence of theory and practice.
Humor accomplishes a process of interanimation of the languages of corporate McDonald's, McDonaldland, and McDonaldization strategy. The purpose of our paper is to show how much of the academic strategy writing on corporate McDonald's is not interrelated with the sociology of McDonaldization, or even with the strategic fiction of McDonaldland. Academic strategy writing fails to define its rational theoretical position with respect to these other spheres. We therefore charge it with being sectarianism, in the habit of quoting within its sphere, but not forming a dialogical relationship. The paper will articulate the ways in which a more Bakhtinian theory of humor will facilitate the transition of management strategy towards a more dialogical approach. As well we look at Brecht and Boal for alternative formulations of humor strategy in the three spheres.
Sustainability issues are not just "out there" in the external environment. In approaching the issue of sustainability, students benefit from questioning what is it that sustains their own lives, the lives of those they care about, and the organizations in which they work. If encouraged to do this, students become better systems thinkers as they link their external and internal worlds. This article presents some clarification of the concept and practices associated with sustainable development and describes numerous class exercises to help management students move sustainable development into their own sphere of attention and practice.
