New Horizons In Research On Sustainable Organisations

Environmental sustainability practice and research have advanced over the past decade from novelty to near-mainstream status today. During this environmentally critical time period, sustainability practitioner techniques, such as environmental, energy and social auditing, other sustainability information and related systems, and a wide variety of environmental sustainability approaches have been developed, improved and institutionalised, advancing both the practice and research of environmental sustainability management and policy. However, academics and practitioners in the sustainability field still have widely differing perspectives on what a sustainable organisation is or might be, but seldom take the opportunity to share these respective sustainability visions, let alone the multiple ways to achieve them. New Horizons in Research on Sustainable Organisations is intended to bridge this gap between academics and practitioners with cutting-edge research from both groups on progress towards sustainability. After working on sustainability-related projects involving other academics, both research- and practitioner-oriented graduate students, consultants, managers and activists, the lead co-editors of this volume saw the need to encourage information exchanges among differing networks of sustainability stakeholders to create a pathway for researchers and practitioners in the general area of organisations and the natural environment to address issues of common interest. There are many networks in the general subject area, but the cross-pollination of ideas between academics and practitioners remains sketchy. New Horizons in Research on Sustainable Organisations is intended to present and encourage such cross-pollination. The chapters in this volume are presented in three subsets, generally proceeding from the most "macro" to the most "micro" in terms of perspective and applicability. However, this arbitrary division belies the integration from macro through meso (or mid-range) to micro levels that is apparent in these studies. Macro approaches typically include wider geographic scopes, greater numbers of stakeholders, and more complex explanatory factors than micro approaches. Each chapter adopts one or more particular sustainability world-view and then grounds these and the other chapter elements within actual organisations. Therefore, the reader is advised to envision not a one-dimensional continuum but rather a circle in which the macro view both feeds back and feeds forward to the micro view. This volume addresses a number of intriguing and important sustainable organisation phenomena such as multiple sustainable development perspectives, changing environmental politics, environmental management systems variations, voluntary environmental programme performance, complex adaptive systems, and environmental technology development. Additionally, several models are suggested, such as cultivation, capabilities and business ecology frameworks.

Drawing upon research and practitioner narratives from management, leadership, organizational studies, entrepreneurship and sustainable business domains, this book explores the many pathways that enable emerging countries to transform knowledge into action to achieve economic and sustainable development. The authors take a holistic approach to ‘transforming knowledge’ that goes beyond the mere ‘application of knowledge’ to include the assimilation, adaptation, and contextualization of knowledge to suit the unique contexts, needs and conditions existing in emerging countries. They then presents success stories and case studies comprising innovative solutions for emerging economies that practitioners can utilize. Current research in management is highlighted by bringing together academics, practitioners, policy-makers and interest groups from diverse regions and perspectives.

This edited book presents cutting edge international research in operations management sustainability and topical research themes. As the sustainability agenda gains greater prominence and momentum throughout society, business actors and stakeholders are increasingly concerned with the impact of current business operations. There is a growing need for OM research and practice which reflects these concerns. Based on demands from industry and society at large, universities and schools now develop academic programs which are meant to serve this need – yet there is no clear and manifest research program concerning OM and sustainability. This book is of use to both researchers orientating themselves in this new and exciting field and educators seeking inspiration to develop new courses.

Since this classic book was first published in 2003, sustainability has increasingly become mainstream business for leading corporations, whilst the topic itself has also been a hotly debated political issue across the globe. The sustainability phase models originally discussed in the book have become more relevant with ever more examples of organizations at later stages in the development of corporate sustainability. Bringing together global issues of ecological sustainability, strategic human resource management, organizational change, corporate social responsibility, leadership and community renewal, this new edition of the book further develops its unified approach to corporate sustainability and its plan of action to bring about corporate change. It integrates new research and brings illustrative case studies up to date to reflect how new approaches affect change and leadership. For the first time, a new positive model of a future sustainable world is included - strengthened by references to the global financial crisis, burgeoning world population numbers and the rise of China. With new case studies including BP's Gulf oil spill and Tokyo Electric Company's nuclear reactor disaster, this new edition will again be core reading for students and researchers of sustainability and business, organizational change and corporate social responsibility.

Fully integrating sustainability into a corporate strategy has progressively become the ubiquitous norm. However, designing a credible, effective sustainability strategy still appears to be a challenging task and lacking employee support frequently labels the strategies as insignificant public relations practices. As the awareness for sustainability issues prevails, the call for a substantial paradigm shift in corporate mindsets emerges: For any sustainability strategy to be successful, the affected employees need to be aligned and engaged behind it. Human Resource Development (HRD) as proper training enabler for such strategies offers important voice and expertise to realize the true satisfaction of sustainability ambitions. At the present time of globalization and due to the critical need to consider environmental, social, and financial consequences of business operations, the sustainability movement cannot be considered a passing trend. Since HRD is expected to play a facilitative role in establishing corporate sustainability, this work proposes theoretical approaches linking HRD with sustainability and corporate responsibility. The empirical purpose of this study is to investigate the current engagement of HRD in the field, examining one fundamental question: Assuming that employees are key success factors for sustainability strategies, how can HRD professionals and departments ensure that sustainable behavior will be part of all members of a company? Drawing from qualitative expert interviews with senior HRD managers of large companies that declare explicit commitment to sustainability within different industries, the evidence shows that their engagement still tends to be limited. This research concludes with an argument for greater involvement of HRD in corporate sustainability endeavors and offers suggestions for research and practice towards this end.

'The environmentalist's bible' Times Higher Education Supplement. 'Essential reading' The Good Book Guide. In this 23rd edition of State of the World - long established as the most authoritative and accessible annual guide to our progress towards a sustainable future - the studies pay particular attention to China and India, two of the world's most rapidly developing countries in terms of industry, population and significance to the global economy, and associated impacts on the environment. Published in 27 countries and 22 languages, State of the World draws on the breadth of expertise in the Worldwatch Institute's team of writers and researchers. Each year's edition of State of the World is relied upon by national governments, UN agencies, development workers and law-makers for its up-to-the-minute analysis and information. It is essential for anyone concerned with building a positive, global future. This year's edition covers: China, India and the new world order; rethinking the global meat industry; safeguarding freshwater ecosystems; cultivating renewable alternatives to oil; an introduction to nanotechnology; curtailing mercury's global reach; turning disasters into peacemaking opportunities; reconciling trade and sustainable development; building a green civil society in China; and, transforming corporations.

In this important new book, Godfrey Barrett-Lennard challenges the individualist focus of traditionalist psychology by proposing that the human condition is basically relational and interdependent. Rich in depth and scope, The Relationship Paradigm explores relationship systems over an absorbing vista of multiple connections. This includes relations within the self, interpersonal relationships, relationships between and within communities, organizations and nations, and relationships with animals. There is a chapter on relations in war. The result is a sophisticated account of the complex weave of human relationships, providing counselors and other professionals who work with people with a foundation of thought that will offer fresh insights both for practice and the search for new knowledge. Combining new ideas with practice principles and illustrations, this is a book of rare value for students, practitioners and research enquirers.

Fundamental societal changes in the globalising European countryside impact women's migration decisions. The chapters in this volume represent diverse attempts to explain women's movements from rural areas, taking prevailing labour market conditions as well as gender relations into account. Utilising empirical findings from countries including Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain, this collection particularly aims to build bridges between research following the 'cultural turn' and functionalist explanations which refer to material and practiced ruralities. The international range of contributors to Women and Migration in Rural Europe focus on societal constructions of gender and rurality, and in doing so, address various female perspectives on rural life. The analysis of the different working and living conditions in different parts of rural Europe reveals distinct obstacles but also prospects for young women. Importantly, the book includes policy implications with respect to the challenges of demographic change, questions of gender equality and women's contribution to rural development.