• Selected
• Entire List

Abstract:
Economic uncertainties have prompted American policy-makers to withdraw U.S. involvement in the Kyoto Treaty. But interestingly, some U.S. companies are taking advantage of the present lack of a mandatory U.S. GHG emission reduction program to set targets at their own pace and in their own way; a way that fits with their own strategic objectives. To date, as many as sixty corporations, with net revenues of roughly $1.5 trillion, have set reduction targets. And hundreds more are considering such steps. In point of fact, many of these companies are agnostic about the science of climate change or the social responsibility of protecting the global climate. The reasons that they are making these emission reductions are decidedly strategic. They are searching for ways to be prepared for the long term should GHG emission reductions become mandatory, while at the same time attempting to reap near term economic and strategic benefits should that future not emerge or be delayed. Using examples of specific business actions, this paper will assess a series of ways in which this is being done.

Greenhouse Gas, social responsibility, emission reduction

Abstract:
Since the early 1990s, the environmental management literature has grown from a small offshoot of mainstream academic study to become a vibrant field of its own. The contributions of this field lie in the study of corporations and their impact upon the natural world. We are impressed by the large quantity of good ideas that have developed concerning how to improve the environment in ways that are good for business. Yet we also have observed that many executives and organizations have been slow to adopt wise environmental practices. We offer insight from both behavioral decision research and organizational theory to explain the barriers to change, and suggest means of surmounting those barriers. After providing an overview of both the applied and academic areas of environmental management, we identify specific barriers to its implementation and offer direction for diffusing wise environmental management practices at a faster rate.

Abstract:
The green building movement has made tremendous achievements in the past decade. Technological advances in building systems and materials have made revolutionary possibilities in reducing the environmental impact of buildings. Economic achievements in price reductions have made these advances more feasible. And yet, adoption of green buildings within the construction and design fields remains low. The strongest barriers to a more rapid deployment of green buildings are now psychological and social. This paper surveys the form of these barriers, discussing them on three levels - individual, organizational, and institutional. The paper concludes with two categories of strategies for overcoming them: as entrepreneurial opportunities and a challenge for change. In this latter category, seven specific strategies are elaborated: issue framing, targeting the right demographic, education, structural and incentive change, indemnifing the risk, green building standard improvements, and tax reform.

Green building, social barriers, psychological barriers

Abstract:
This paper adds to the growing area of research linking institutional analysis and social movement theory. Conceiving the environmental movement as a field-level structure in pursuit of change within a broader organizational field, this paper uses social network analysis to deconstruct the movement, like the field of which it is a part, not as a unitary and monolithic actor but as an intertwined constellation of actors and clusters of actors whose membership holds differing frames regarding their individual and collective purpose. This constellation is not bounded by organizational form, such as the traditional notion of the non-governmental organization (NGO), but rather includes non-traditional forms (such as corporations) that are ideological linked to the goals of some segments of the movement. This is the outcome of protracted institutional engagement which yields a gradual merge of interests among once competing movements. This paper assesses how this merge in constituencies is related to the core identity and image of the movement and closes with a discussion of the implications of this alteration for the movement's ongoing ability to play the role of institutional entrepreneur within field level debates.

Institutional Change, Social Movements, Identity, Image

Abstract:
Guest editors' introduction of a special issue dedicated to advancing understanding of how a firm's reputation is influenced by the actions of other firms and advancing methods of managing this interdependence. It introduces the topic of reputational interdependence, summarizes the five articles and two book reviews that compose the special issue, synthesizes the findings of these articles and ties them to other literatures, and suggests directions for future research.

corporate reputation, reputation, legitimacy, interorganizational dynamics,

Abstract:
This paper redirects the study of heterogeneity in field-level studies. Through an empirical examination of board interlocks between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and corporations and foundations, this paper analyzes changes at three levels − the organizational field, population and set. Our study finds that nearly half of the NGOs in our sample have no interlocks with corporations and foundations, and that there is a strong presence of corporate ties with the remaining NGOs. Between 2000 and 2005, we find that NGO ties with foundations and other NGOs are increasing in number and density, and that the field is showing increasing centralization of a small number of NGOs. We propose that attention to these micro-levels of the organizational population and set provides a more nuanced understanding of how change occurs at the macro level levels of the organizational field.

Organizational fields, Non-governmental organizations, Institutional theory

Abstract:
Over the past four decades, the concept of corporate environmentalism was born and redefined through multiple iterations. Concurrent with this evolution in corporate practice has been the emergence of academic research focused on business decision-making, firm behavior and the protection of the natural environment. Among the academic sciences this is a relatively new field, coming into being only in the early1980s with articles addressing the overlap between business strategy and the environment (i.e. Royston, 1979; 1980), and later, with the formation research consortia such as the Greening of Industry Network (Fischer and Schott, 1993) and the Management Institute for Environment and Business (now part of the World Resources Institute). What began as a modest offshoot of management research has grown into a maturing area of study within the management sciences. It is now possible to step back and view the state of this field in terms of where it has been and where it is going. This chapter will consider what is distinct about existing research in business decision-making and the environment and consider future directions in which the field is going.

environmental strategy, social responsibility, ecology

Abstract:
While "sustainability" has become a major concern in business today, there has been little progress toward a sustainable future. This is because the idea of sustainability in academic and policy debates is too small and too beholden to the assumptions that have created today's environmental and development crises. Current calls for reform have neither the vision nor the authority to sustain us in the relationships to self, society, and environment that define our human being. Reaching beyond our secular profession of business management to our Christian faith, we argue for a bigger idea of sustainability that puts these relationships into their true context based on our relationship to God. We identify sustainability with four principles of Christian theology - which we label anthropic, relational, ethical, and divine love - and we link economic development with eight principles of Catholic social doctrine - which the Church labels unity andmeaning, common good, universal destination, subsidiarity, participation, solidarity, social values, and love. We believe this bigger idea of sustainability transforms talk about the future from a gloomy contentiousness rooted in fear to a bright cooperation rooted in hope.

sustainability, market, faith, God, Catholic Church

Abstract:
In 2005, the number of organizations that described themselves as environmental NGOs reached 6,493. But, are all of these organizations part of same the environmental movement? This paper uses the tools of social network analysis to illustrate that the movement is actually an intertwined constellation of networks, each with multiple and differentiated constituencies, some of which intersect with business organizations. By creating network clusters of NGOs based on (a) issue keywords, and (b) board interlocks with corporations and foundations, this paper challenges the simple classifications of "non-governmental organization" or "corporation" as accurate descriptors of who is in and who is out of the movement. In the end, such classifications may serve as misnomers, lumping many organizations or clusters of organizations with varied interests into one category. This result has implications for both the roles that individual NGOs can play when engaging with business and how they interact with the network as a whole.

nvironmental movement, network analysis, board interlocks, radical flank effect

Abstract:
The past century has witnessed unprecedented economic growth and prosperity along with unprecedented depredations upon nature. To resolve these developments, there is debate between two moral postures. One takes a human-centered, or anthropocentric, view of our relationship to nature to emphasize the value of securing the resources needed for further development. The other takes an environment-centered, or ecocentric, view of our relationship to nature to emphasize the value of conserving her integrity and beauty. This article explores tensions underling these two views and finds that neither adequately reconciles us to nature. This article offers an alternative, theocentric view of our relationship to nature, founded upon Catholic Christianity, that reconciles in God our value for resources and nature and establishes a divine order of man and nature apart fromhuman egoism and intentions. This article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this theocentric viewfor environmental policy and practice.

God, nature, man, environmentalism, ecocentrism, anthropocentrism, theocentrism, Catholic Church, Protestant Reformation