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1 – 10 of 133
Article
Publication date: 9 August 2011

Erik G. Hansen and Heiko Spitzeck

This paper aims to address partnerships between corporations and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated to corporate community involvement (CCI). It seeks to focus on how

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to address partnerships between corporations and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated to corporate community involvement (CCI). It seeks to focus on how to measure both business and community benefits derived from CCI, especially stressing the need for developing indicators beyond the input level considering outputs and impacts.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper follows a case study research strategy in a subsidiary of a multinational chemical and pharmaceutical company. Data collection is based on triangulation of data using interviews, action research, and documents.

Findings

Based on the case study presented, it was found that, when CCI is an integral part of corporate strategy, it is also possible to develop advanced performance measurement systems for CCI. Such measurement systems include input, output, and impact level metrics for both community and business benefits. Community benefits are best developed and monitored in collaboration with the NGO partner. Further, it was found that the measuring frequency partly transcends conventional reporting periods.

Practical implications

The research should motivate companies that engage in corporate community involvement to go beyond input‐level metrics in measuring the success of such initiatives. However, in order to successfully operate a performance monitoring on output and impact levels, partnering with an NGO that has greater capability in socio‐economic assessments is key.

Originality/value

This paper shows how NGOs can contribute to performance measurement as part of the strategic performance management system of a corporation and how this allows for metrics beyond common input‐level to address output or even impact‐level metrics.

Details

Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 October 2013

Erik G. Hansen and Stefan Schaltegger

This paper analyses the sustainability-oriented transformation of industries from the lens of sustainable entrepreneurship. The authors investigate the co-evolution between

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper analyses the sustainability-oriented transformation of industries from the lens of sustainable entrepreneurship. The authors investigate the co-evolution between pioneers introducing radically more sustainable offerings and (mostly large) market leaders with their responses. While sustainability pioneers introduce new products in niche markets, incumbents advance them into the mass market, together leading to the transformation of industries, markets and consumer habits.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply the sustainable entrepreneurship perspective to a case study of the German clothing retail industry with a focus on organic cotton. The analysis covers four of the ten largest German textile retailers. Data collection is based on public available sources.

Findings

The late 1970s saw the foundation of Hess Natur, which pioneered organic cotton practices and supported the development of sustainability standards in the clothing industry. In the beginning this was largely a phenomenon in niche markets, but to date some organic practices have diffused amongst mainstream retailers. This is counter-intuitive, as theory suggests that incumbents only adopt practices with significantly lower sustainability standards than companies in the niche.

Research limitations/implication

The study suggests that more research should focus on the co-evolutionary dynamics between pioneering companies and incumbents and examine whether and how sustainability practices diffuse into the mass market.

Practical implications

The findings can help managers to better understand their organisation's role in the transformation of industries towards sustainability and, vice versa, how the transformation may affect them. Leading the transformation challenge by adopting organic and other sustainable supply chain practices can be an important measure for market success.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few pieces of research investigating sustainability-oriented industry transformation from a market-based perspective. Actual data on organic cotton diffusion in German retail are presented.

Article
Publication date: 18 October 2011

Heiko Spitzeck, Erik G. Hansen and David Grayson

This paper aims to describe the emerging practice of joint management‐stakeholder‐committees (JMSCs) in which corporate executives take decisions in collaboration with

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the emerging practice of joint management‐stakeholder‐committees (JMSCs) in which corporate executives take decisions in collaboration with stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

To identify firms involving stakeholders in their governance arrangements, the authors analysed 51 companies regularly participating in Business in the Community's Corporate Responsibility Index in the UK. The data provided by the index as well as corporate reports were then analysed to evaluate the impact of JMSCs on corporate decision‐making.

Findings

The research finds that JMSCs strongly influence corporate governance mechanisms such as monitoring and measurement as well as the policy development of firms.

Research limitations/applications

The analysis builds on corporate responses given to the questionnaire sent by the Corporate Responsibility Index as well as corporate reports. Future research is encouraged to triangulate findings with stakeholder opinions on the effectiveness of JMSCs.

Practical implications

JMSCs prove to be an effective tool to involve stakeholders in corporate decision‐making processes. Owing to their effectiveness JMSCs are more likely to create trust between firms and their stakeholders.

Originality/value

The paper is the first empirical investigation into the effectiveness of engaging stakeholders in joint management‐stakeholder committees, demonstrating the impact and effectiveness of such engagement.

Details

Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, vol. 11 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 September 2012

Johanna Klewitz, Anica Zeyen and Erik G. Hansen

The purpose of this paper is to identify the role intermediaries can play in an small to medium‐sized enterprise's (SME's) pursuit for corporate sustainability with a focus on…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the role intermediaries can play in an small to medium‐sized enterprise's (SME's) pursuit for corporate sustainability with a focus on eco‐innovation. The research identifies drivers and barriers for eco‐innovation, and highlights effects induced through collaboration between SMEs and local authorities, on the one hand, and consultancies, on the other.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on an exploratory qualitative interview study among German SMEs of the metal and mechanical engineering industry that have participated in “Ecoprofit”, an intermediary based program that aims at introducing organizations to the concept of sustainable development through implementation of eco‐innovations.

Findings

The key findings are that first, the proactive approach by a public intermediary (here local authority) is one essential push factor to trigger eco‐innovations in SMEs with low absorptive capacity. Second, it is found that SMEs may need facilitation for eco‐innovation from different types of intermediaries (public and private) with different levels of support, which can range from customized and individual to more loosely held support, such as networks.

Originality/value

This study discusses the challenges of corporate sustainability with a focus on eco‐innovations for SMEs and proposes a “complex intermediary” consisting of a local authority and consultancies as one means to engage SMEs in sustainability. Moreover, it focuses on SMEs in the B2B context, organizations that are often overlooked despite their vast impact. Furthermore, by using a single industry approach, in‐depth findings for the metal and mechanical engineering industry are presented.

Article
Publication date: 11 August 2010

Heiko Spitzeck and Erik G. Hansen

This paper aims to explore how stakeholders are voluntarily granted influence in corporate decision making.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how stakeholders are voluntarily granted influence in corporate decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

The stakeholder governance practices of 46 companies were explored in a multiple comparative case analysis, drawing on publicly available sources.

Findings

The research finds that stakeholders are granted a voice regarding operational, managerial as well as strategic issues. The power granted to stakeholders varies from non‐participation to co‐decision making. The majority of engagements found are a combination of low power and low scope of participation, which are limited in their potential to align the views of those inside and outside the corporate boundaries.

Research limitations/implications

The data used in this research relied on publicly available sources, such as company reports, articles and web sites.

Practical implications

By seeing an array of different stakeholder governance mechanisms managers can reflect on their own approach to stakeholders and see how other companies use stakeholder engagement for scenario planning and innovation.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to empirically analyse a broad range of companies regarding their voluntary stakeholder engagement mechanisms. This design allows the creation of a heuristic for stakeholder governance as well as for identifying clusters.

Details

Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 April 2021

Deepa Guleria and Gurvinder Kaur

This article offers a bibliometric analysis and explores the relationships among the documents on ecopreneurship by using relational techniques. The results highlight the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This article offers a bibliometric analysis and explores the relationships among the documents on ecopreneurship by using relational techniques. The results highlight the publication trends; most cited documents, top contributing authors, countries and institutions with highest productivity and most contributing journals to the research field.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially, 216 documents were retrieved from the Thompson Reuters Web of Science Core Collection database with three document types: articles, review and book review. All the documents were considered for the analysis. Then VOSviewer and bibliometric analysis using R with an inbuilt utility Biblioshiny were used together for co-word analysis, co-citation network analysis, generating collaboration networks and also generating a unique three-field plot to analyze the evolution of a research field.

Findings

The results highlight the publication trends: most cited documents, top contributing authors, countries and institutions with highest productivity and most contributing journals to the research field. The network analysis of co-authorship, co-citation, keyword co-occurrence and bibliographic coupling reveals most prominent relationships between authors, documents, co-cited references, sources and countries for the available documents on the research field.

Research limitations/implications

The study helps not only in expansion of knowledgebase on the research topic but also in understanding the evolution of the ecopreneurship to provide research support further in this area.

Originality/value

Ecopreneurship is an emerging field of research connecting ecology and entrepreneurship together, making it a potential research area. The contributions made to this research field from 1989 to 2019 serve as a core for conducting this analysis. The study is an effort to help in coordinating research network across countries, authors and affiliating universities.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 39 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 15 February 2013

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Abstract

Details

Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2012

This article aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

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Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

Partnerships between corporations and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) have become increasingly sophisticated.

Practical implications

The article provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Book part
Publication date: 15 October 2019

Maxime Desmarais-Tremblay and Marianne Johnson

Alvin Hansen and John Williams’ Fiscal Policy Seminar at Harvard University is widely regarded as a key mechanism for the spread of Keynesianism in the United States. An original…

Abstract

Alvin Hansen and John Williams’ Fiscal Policy Seminar at Harvard University is widely regarded as a key mechanism for the spread of Keynesianism in the United States. An original and regular participant, Richard A. Musgrave was invited to prepare remarks for the fiftieth anniversary of the seminar in 1988. These were never published, though a copy was filed with Musgrave’s papers at Princeton University. Their reproduction here is important for several reasons. First, it is one of the last reminiscences of the original participants. Second, the remarks make an important contribution to our understanding of the Harvard School of macro-fiscal policy. Third, the remarks provide interesting insights into Musgrave’s views on national economic policymaking as well as the intersection between theory and practice. The reminiscence demonstrates the importance of the seminar in shifting Musgrave’s research focus and moving him to a more pragmatic approach to public finance.

Details

Including a Symposium on Robert Heilbroner at 100
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-869-7

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2017

Erik Mehl and Håvard Hansen

The purpose of this paper is to test the direct effects of intrinsic motivation, perceived information value, activity perception, perceived organizational support, and adaptive…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the direct effects of intrinsic motivation, perceived information value, activity perception, perceived organizational support, and adaptive selling on the propensity to collect market information and how locus of control (LOC) moderates these effects.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a cross-sectional design with a web-based survey. The respondents were business-to-business salespeople. All relationships were tested by regression modeling.

Findings

Support was found for most direct effects, and LOC moderated all supported direct effects. Thus, adding LOC as a moderator will increase the understanding of what motivates salespeople to gather information.

Research limitations/implications

This study shows that using the theoretical construct of personality as a moderator increases the understanding of what motivates salespeople to collect information.

Practical implications

Sales leaders use different motivational tools to ensure that their sales forces focus on important tasks, but the responses to a specific motivational tool may differ among salespeople. The most prominent managerial contribution of the present study is a possible explanation of why salespeople differ in information collection even when the same motivational tools are used.

Originality/value

Several researchers have focused on what drives salespeople to collect, share, and use market information at the individual-level perspective, but despite the long history of studies of the relationship between motivation and personality, focus on the effects of individual differences is lacking. This paper addresses this gap and shows how personality differences have a moderating effect on the propensity of salespeople to collect market information.

Details

Baltic Journal of Management, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5265

Keywords

1 – 10 of 133