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This case study draws on secondary sources as well as my personal experience and industry contacts within the cement sector during my time teaching in Spain, a country where the cement industry plays a significant role in the economy. I have also benefited from conversations with my colleague, Arnaud Blandin, an ESG expert with a deep understanding of the sustainability challenges facing the cement industry, particularly in Asia, where he lived for several years. His contribution is acknowledged in the disclaimer below the title.

This case study explores how Holcim, the global leader of the cement industry addresses the sustainability imperatives through a set of structured initiatives and policies. The case focuses on the challenges faced by Holcim at a time when the imperatives of climate change, resource scarcity and stakeholder expectations converged to reshape the very foundations of its business strategy, compelling the firm to reimagine its operations through a lens of environmental, social and governance principles. The case starts with a brief description of the industry of cement, which is, at the same time, one of the most consumed products globally but also a major contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions and then to global warming. Next, the case briefly introduces Holcim and its major competitors. Then, the case presents the major environmental challenges for the cement industry as well as the possible solutions with operational advances, innovation and collaboration within actors. Finally, the case details the ESG strategy of Holcim in 2023 with a first evaluation of its results.

This case study has been written for Master of Business Administration and Master of Science students. The case can be used in multiple courses, including Corporate Strategy, Business and Society, Ethics and Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility and General Management Implementation.

The purpose of this research is to understand how people living with chronic illness understand their healthcare needs, particularly as they can be disrupted by natural hazards events (e.g. earthquakes, flooding and landslides), which can result in chronic health conditions becoming acute. Research has shown that, because of such disruption, people with chronic illness face the greatest risk of adverse health outcomes during a disaster, placing significant demand on healthcare systems.

The research draws on a narrative analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight people who have a chronic illness and live in a hazard-prone location, namely Petone, Lower Hutt, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Two major narrative themes were identified: “Social Capital”, which included the three subthemes of community, social connection and support and family and friends. Tellers also experienced a strong sense of “Independence”, as demonstrated through seven subthemes that included declaration, defiance, rules, experience, acceptance, responsibility, self-surveillance and self-management.

Practice output from this research includes the development of fit for purpose emergency management policies and other educational resources to ensure equity, access and choice for people with a chronic illness and their communities.

This research produces in-depth knowledge and insight into the preparedness and response needs of people who live with a chronic illness. This is an under-research area in disaster management in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Routine medical treatment for people living with chronic illness can be disrupted by natural hazard events (e.g. earthquakes, flooding and landslides), which can result in chronic health conditions becoming acute. Research has shown that, because of such disruption, the chronically ill face the greatest risk of adverse health outcomes during a disaster, placing significant demand on healthcare. This research investigates how people living with chronic illness experience disaster preparedness and response while residing in a hazard-prone location, namely Petone, Lower Hutt, Aotearoa New Zealand. The study argues that it is imperative to acknowledge the experiences of people with chronic illness as they provide specific insights into their needs during a disaster.

The current research investigates the gender difference in the attitudes of current employees and job seekers (or “future” employees) to payroll cost reduction methods (downsizing vs cutting pay).

Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, we analyzed a secondary dataset (survey data) of 2,139 employees in Ireland. In Study 2, we conducted an online experiment on 384 people in the US.

Study 1 reveals that, for males, downsizing survivors' commitment and job satisfaction levels are higher than those of employees whose pay is cut. In contrast, there were no differences in the commitment and job satisfaction levels between survivors of downsizing and pay-reduced employees for females. The analysis in Study 2 indicates that females are more attracted to organizations that utilize pay cuts over downsizing to overcome financial difficulties. In contrast, males demonstrated no differences in job-seeker attraction outcomes to organizations that chose either of these two payroll cost reduction methods. Thus, the results of the two studies indicate that females, compared to males, form less negative (or more favorable) attitudes toward pay cuts over downsizing.

The findings urge organizations to consider gender differences and develop relevant mitigation plans when one method must be chosen to reduce payroll costs.

The outcomes of this research indicate that the selection of a payroll cost reduction method may lead to a disparate impact on gender composition in an organization.

The study addresses gaps in sustainable luxury consumption research by analyzing the role of social norms in different cultural settings. It investigates how social norms, self-control, conspicuousness and future orientation shape sustainable luxury consumption in individualistic (UK) versus collectivist (China) national cultures.

The study was based on survey data from British and Chinese luxury product consumers collected through online panels. The final sample included 452 valid responses from the UK and 414 from China. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

The study found that descriptive norms positively influence sustainable luxury consumption in individualistic (UK) and collectivist (China) cultures. Injunctive norms affect sustainable consumption only in the UK. Future consequences universally impact sustainable consumption. Conspicuous consumption negatively affects preferences for sustainable luxury brands. Self-control enhances the impact of descriptive norms in the UK but reduces the impact of injunctive norms in China.

This study uniquely explores how social norms and cultural influences impact sustainable luxury consumption in individualistic and collectivistic societies. It highlights the moderating role of national culture, providing actionable insights for luxury brands to enhance sustainable consumption with culturally tailored strategies. The research challenges the universality of the theory of normative social behavior, advocating for its refined application across different cultures.