The purpose of this paper is to explore the new forms of governance that are emerging to facilitate corporate sustainability.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the new forms of governance that are emerging to facilitate corporate sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology draws on multiple case study research, examining the research question through the lens of two case examples: a government/industry partner program, itself comprising multiple cases, and an industry consultative committee.
Findings
While these cases involve different motivations for collaborative decision‐making, they each involve inter‐organisational decision‐making. Such decision‐making requires the establishment of new processes of governance.
Research limitations/implications
More case examples need to be explored and subjected to more detailed discourse analysis.
Practical implications
Suggestions for new decision‐making models that could be usefully taken up by governments and corporations to address stakeholder disputes.
Originality/value
The paper makes suggestions for appropriate forms of governance by process if sustainability outcomes are to be achieved that are acceptable to a range of corporate stakeholders.
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Suzanne Benn, Stephen T.T. Teo and Andrew Martin
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of specific human resource management (HRM) practices in the implementation of environmental initiatives in terms of their impact…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of specific human resource management (HRM) practices in the implementation of environmental initiatives in terms of their impact on employee attitudes to the organization and to its environmental programme.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a mixed method approach comprising a survey of 675 employees and 16 semi-structured interviews undertaken across two organizations.
Findings
Survey data, analysed using path analysis, showed that participation in environmental initiatives is directly associated with higher levels of employee engagement with the organization, higher rating of their organization’s environmental performance, and lower intention to quit. The qualitative study supports the quantitative data, also highlighting other aspects of environmental initiatives that may affect employee attitudes.
Research limitations/implications
Future study should either collect longitudinal data or rely on data collected from two waves of data collection. Objective performance data should also be collected in order to better understand the causal effect of HRM on environmental performance.
Practical implications
Our findings have implications for the business case for sustainability, providing some evidence that implementing environmental initiatives with HRM support may not only motivate staff around environmental programmes but may provide wider benefits for organizations in terms of overall job satisfaction and employee retention.
Social implications
Successful implementation of environmental management initiatives have both organizational and employee level outcomes. Employees who were more aligned with their organizational environmental objectives were found to be more engaged and less likely to quit.
Originality/value
This study provided both quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence to support the importance of integrating the HRM function into the implementation of environmental initiatives.
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This paper seeks to examine the insights that the individual agency perspective offers to the study of public‐private partnerships (P3s). It extends prior research, which has…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to examine the insights that the individual agency perspective offers to the study of public‐private partnerships (P3s). It extends prior research, which has primarily adopted an economic and structural perspective, by considering the ways by which individual actors involved in these complex arrangements can shape their evolutionary path.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual paper identifies the key research issues and questions in the P3 literature and highlights how these concerns can be further illuminated by the insights offered through the individual agency perspective.
Findings
The paper identifies four key issues in the P3 literature questions as the antecedents of P3s, pre‐formation processes, governance models and mechanisms, and evolution and adaptation. Introduction of the individual agency perspective to these research concerns highlights additional potentially explanatory factors for P3 formation and successful adaptation. The paper demonstrates that considering this perspective alongside current explanations can extend our current thinking and usefully add depth, breadth and linkage to P3 research.
Practical implications
This research challenges the current conceptions of P3 governance as one of choosing the appropriate structural option. It offers agency considerations at each stage in the sequence of P3 process and argues that individual capability and action can influence the success and effectiveness of these arrangements.
Originality/value
This research introduces a managerial perspective to the study of P3s and reframes the current thinking around governance of these forms. This contrasts with the more economic and structural agendas of public policy research.
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The paper aims to explore the extent to which the legal experience of minority shareholder actions in Hong Kong supports the sociological model of the Chinese family firm as…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to explore the extent to which the legal experience of minority shareholder actions in Hong Kong supports the sociological model of the Chinese family firm as developed by Wong Siu‐lun and reports some preliminary findings for the period 1980‐1995.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based upon the analysis of 275 minority shareholder petitions in the High Court of Hong Kong between the years 1980 and 1995 inclusive. It also draws upon material from a questionnaire sent to law firms involved in those petitions and interviews with members of the Hong Kong judiciary with experience of hearing minority shareholder cases, members of the legal profession and accounting and company secretarial professions directly or indirectly involved in the administration of companies in Hong Kong and regulators.
Findings
The findings indicate that the problematic early, emergent stage of the model as described by Wong Siu‐lun is quite accurate. Whilst there is considerable support for some aspects of the model of the Chinese family firm, the experience indicates a number of complex dynamics at play, some of which the model does not take into account. However, the findings, at least by implication, do point to the cohesive strength of the Chinese family firm with occasional fault lines resulting in some “disputes” of earthquake proportions which may rumble on in some cases for years.
Practical implications
The findings demonstrate the usefulness of lifecycle modeling of the family and other type of corporate firm. It also demonstrates some of the complex subtleties at play. The findings also have implications for the law matters thesis of La Porta et al.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to actually examine the legal experience of minority shareholder protection in a particular jurisdiction (Hong Kong) by examining the petitions and writs actually filed and relating them to a sociological model of the Chinese Family firm.
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The paper's purpose is to identify the inappropriateness of the current model of regulation of corporate governance, which applies worldwide; and inherent paradoxes in the five…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper's purpose is to identify the inappropriateness of the current model of regulation of corporate governance, which applies worldwide; and inherent paradoxes in the five areas of best practice in corporate governance.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a review paper building new conceptualization for research into governance. The paper identifies the origins of the issues with weaknesses in the ontological and epistemological base for theorizing about corporate governance and its regulation. It suggests an alternative theoretical basis, identifying ways forward for developing theoretically aligned best practice along with regulation that properly reflects the complexity of the post‐modern business world.
Findings
The paper calls for a fresh approach to governance theorizing for regulation and best‐practice through considering governance praxis rather than structure and the reconceptualization of governance as a process of systematically balancing out tensions in order to effect good governance.
Practical implications
Governance research and regulation requires reframing so that good theory can improve practice.
Originality/value
The paper goes against the conventional wisdom in governance research, falling in with more advanced thinking for practice‐based studies of organising.
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The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies' (MOCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies' (MOCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the scepticism of stakeholders in the producing communities about the long‐term effect and the beneficiaries of the oil companies' CSR/community development initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on semi‐structured interviews conducted in Nigeria and London. The field work was carried out in Nigeria (Abuja, Lagos and Port‐Harcourt) and in London, UK. Visits were made to the head offices of the MOCs; Ministry of Petroleum and the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission; and the office of The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People in the Niger Delta. In London, Shell International Office was visited.
Findings
The study found that expectations of host communities in the Niger Delta for CSR/community development initiatives are greater. The communities above all want social development projects that provide hope of a stable and prosperous future. The companies, on the other hand, have embraced development initiatives primarily in order to demonstrate that they are socially responsible.
Practical implications
If the host communities do not feel that the CSR projects will create a sustainable economic development, they will keep agitating for change and create an hostile environment for multinational enterprises (MNEs).
Originality/value
This research adds to the literature on MNEs' CSR initiatives in developing countries and rationale for demands for social projects by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.
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Vui-Yee Koon and Yuka Fujimoto
Organizations that prioritize humanistic responsibility create an environment of value for their employees as the most important stakeholders. However, despite the numerous…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizations that prioritize humanistic responsibility create an environment of value for their employees as the most important stakeholders. However, despite the numerous corporate social responsibility (CSR) models and research highlighting stakeholder considerations, the long-standing “social” aspect of CSR has inhibited its humanism responsibility. In response, this study proposes to move beyond the antecedents and outcomes of CSR to explore how perceived CSR can promote its humanistic responsibility both inside and outside of organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors followed Sendjaya et al. (2008) ’s methodology for developing and validating the perceived corporate humanistic responsibility (CHR) scale. Study 1 validated the CHR's content. Study 2 established the measure’ reliability, internal consistency, unidimensionality and discriminant validity. The authors describe each of the studies in the forthcoming sections.
Findings
This research has produced a comprehensive set of perceived CHR items for business leaders based on earlier CHR/humanism concepts. Through the deconstruction of CHR theory, the granular conceptualization provides employee-centric workplaces, healthy internal communication, holistic compensation, CSR-committed behaviors and holistic training and development, equipped to assess how their CHR fosters humanistic workplaces that encourage socially responsible behaviors. This, in turn, would have an immense impact on employee well-being that, in turn, flourishes societal well-being.
Research limitations/implications
Although the perceived CHR scale's psychometric properties were confirmed using multiple tests ranging from qualitative to quantitative studies, this newly developed scale requires further investigation to explore whether internal or external relevance factors affect organizations' humanistic responsibility.
Practical implications
CSR is about caring for humans and the planet. The authors have unpacked what and how the human side of CSR operates for business leaders to advance their CHR practices and responsible management learning. The perceived CHR dimensions can guide business leaders to promote multidimensional humanistic behaviors inside and outside workplaces that transcend how to strengthen the humanistic responsibility behaviors of corporations to promote CHR by articulating how the “Social” aspect of CSR ought to function for employee well-being first.
Social implications
This study responds to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) most aligned with the SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) by promoting humanistic workplaces with implications for United Nation's Principles for Responsible Management that encourages universities to educate students on humanism concepts in business management.
Originality/value
The originality lies in the empirical study of CHR. By incorporating the original concepts of humanism/humanistic management and CHR, the authors empirically articulate how CHR may be practically implemented as an elaborated humanistic synthesis for corporations.
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Grant Aguirre, David M. Boje, Melissa L. Cast, Suzanne L. Conner, Catherine Helmuth, Rakesh Mittal, Rohny Saylors, Nazanin Tourani, Sebastien Vendette and Tony Qiang Yan
This intervention study outlines the continuing journey of a university towards its sustainability potentiality. We introduce the importance of sustainable development and link it…
Abstract
This intervention study outlines the continuing journey of a university towards its sustainability potentiality. We introduce the importance of sustainable development and link it to our intervention study of potentiality for sustainability from a Heideggerian phenomenological perspective. Through a case study of sustainability at New Mexico State University, we provide an insight into the development of a new dimension of university sustainability interface. This interface exists in terms of a dialogic of sustainability, as it relates to the balancing of competing needs, such as efficiency, heart, and brand identity. An important aspect of this interface is intervention, highlighting new possibilities for the top administrators regarding the university's goals and environmentalities. A qualitative and interpretive approach using ontological storytelling inquiry is employed. Data for the study were collected through in-depth interviews with university members from all hierarchical levels. This article raises interesting ontological issues for sustainability researchers, and has implications for strategy as practice.