Ecology has become an integral part of the strategic context in which corporations operate. This book examines fully the strategic issues, concepts and tools which managers must understand to sustain their own business competitiveness as society evolves toward a new definition of progress. In addition, it is argued that strategic environmental management provides an excellent learning context for the development of more general competitive capabilities.
This book is a first step towards understanding the complexity of corporate environmental strategy while explaining the relationships between the numerous dimensions of the concept. When we think of corporate environmental strategy, we usually have in mind a dull and stereotypical statement issued by the CEO, addressing aspects such as pollution reduction, stakeholder dialogue, and unfailing care for the environment. However, genuine environmental protection relies on proactive policies, managerial commitment, cleaner technologies, and advanced management procedures. The author identifies a series of environmental strategy dimensions, some of which have been thoroughly researched in the literature, whereas others have only emerged in recent years. The main dimensions presented in this book include corporate environmental performance; environmental accounting and disclosure; environmental management practices; greening the supply-chain; environmental values and responsibility; green entrepreneurship and innovation; environmental training, culture and policies; and environmental legitimacy and reputation. For each dimension, the author develops a discussion framework, which provides the necessary operational definitions, methodological implications, and practical situations in which these constructs can be used. Each section contains a visual representation of the relationships between the dimensions of corporate environmental strategy and the actions of decision-makers and relevant stakeholders.
The rise of sustainability has swept away the traditional views about firms’ competitiveness, survival and profitability, advocating new approaches. Although the strategic decisions on sustainable issues become more important, many firms have erroneously narrow view of environmental strategies and related practices generally have only an outward-looking focus. In line with these considerations, this book aims to investigate the “environmental dimension” as a new “strategic variable” for contributing to strengthen the competitive positioning of firms and to increase the value creation process. The author provides a comprehensive framework for green management by highlights practices and tools to translate strategy into effective environmental ideas. The focus is on goals and actions, from a side, and on the implementation of appropriate control systems useful for monitoring the results of environmental performance, on the other. As such, the book enriches sustainability literature, offers new insights for scholars, and provides implications for practitioners involved in green management.
Ecology has become an integral part of the strategic context in which corporations operate. This book examines fully the strategic issues, concepts and tools which managers must understand to sustain their own business competitiveness as society evolves toward a new definition of progress. In addition, it is argued that strategic environmental management provides an excellent learning context for the development of more general competitive capabilities.
Hardbound. Scanning has long been an important element of strategic management and is continually developing. Companies need to identify emerging changes early enough to gain advantage from them. This intelligence is vital in a world of increasing change and uncertainty.Published in association with the Planning Forum, this book provides a framework for designing, creating and managing an environmental scanning system as a key element in the strategic management of an organization. The methodology of analysing signals of change in social, technological, competitive, political and financial contexts is investigated.Useful methods and techniques are presented, together with an extensive analysis of available literature.
The last decade has seen increasing awareness of the importance of understanding corporate environmental management systems (EMSs) and their relationships with sustainability, competitiveness and institutional practice. It is now assumed that most large companies have some version of an EMS in place with systems ranging from informal policies and practices to formalised third-party certified systems that are widely publicized by companies and are now integral to their strategic direction. No matter what level and type of system a firm chooses, both practitioners and researchers wish to examine and better understand the extent to which these systems are cross-functional, how they impact on performance evaluation, their capability to monitor supply chains and the life-cycles of products and services and, most importantly, whether these systems actually make a contribution to better environmental performance. This book provides intriguing insights into strategic and sustainable EMSs. It provides clear evidence of benefits that should exceed the costs (tangible and otherwise), and help practitioners understand the attributes of well-developed and strategically focused EMSs. It also demonstrates the link to performance measures such as reputation, improved position in the marketplace, cost, quality, waste reduction and numerous sustainable development-based metrics and issues. The comprehensive scope of topics spans several industries and provides environmental systems insight involving sustainable management systems, strategic and operational impacts of environmental systems, cross-country comparisons of EMS design processes and results, product-based environmental systems, EMS impacts at innovative organisations and environmental systems integration within specific industries. The book is split into three sections. First, the book covers the broad issues of planning and designing an EMS and includes topics such as performance evaluation, comparisons between multinational environmental systems, sustainable development and links between already established quality systems and an EMS. The second section focuses on EMS implementation and operation and incorporates some corporate or industry-specific case studies. The third and final category of the book highlights the use of an EMS to evaluate business processes. Strategic Sustainability will be essential reading for both managers faced with decisions regarding their own EMSs and to researchers seeking additional insights from state-of-the-art examples for further theoretical development and testing.
This core text provides a complete breakdown of specific business functions as they relate to environmental legislation and standards, and competitive and social pressure. As the principal text for a wide range of management courses, this book presents the situation faced by industry, analyses the legislative measures being introduced and describes the changes required by business to conform to the new standards of environmental performance. It provides a complete picture of the integration of legislation and business policy to put greener management into practice.
As businesses face an increasing array of environmental challenges, including climate change, air and water pollution, and solid waste management, environmental management has become an increasingly important area of expertise. Elements of Environmental Management is an interdisciplinary textbook for students and business professionals that integrates corporate environmental strategy with environmental economics, environmental law, and environmental engineering. Written by Werner Antweiler, an expert on international trade and environmental economics, Elements of Environmental Management approaches environmental issues from a business perspective: How can businesses respond to public policies and regulatory requirements? How does emission trading work? What technological options are available to prevent or mitigate pollution? Using examples from a wide range of industries, Antweiler presents the essential tools for examining environmental problems from a business perspective.
Environmental concerns can greatly affect business success, regardless of whether a business person or corporation shares those concerns. Today's corporate managers must understand the power of environmental issues, and shift their mindset from one focused on environmental "management" to one focused on strategy.Competitive Environmental Strategy examines the effects of environmentalism on corporate management, explaining how and why environmental forces are driving change and how business managers can think about environmental issues in a strategic way. The author discusses: the evolving drivers of corporate environmental strategy, including regulators, shareholders, buyers and suppliers, insurers, investors, and consumers how environmentalism alters basic conceptions of competitive strategy and organizational design how external institutions create both opportunity and limitations for environmental strategy how environmental threats can be incorporated into risk management, capital acquisition, competitive position, and other management concerns The book ends with an overall discussion of competitive environmental strategy and draws connections to the emerging issue of sustainable development. Each chapter features insets that ask fundamental questions about the relationship between environmental protection and business strategy, and ends with a list of additional recommended readings. Every individual who wishes to engage in business management in the 21st century will need an appreciation for the implications of environmental issues on corporate activities, and vice-versa.Competitive Environmental Strategy offers a valuable overview of the subject, and provides a wealth of real-world examples that demonstrate the validity and applicability of the concepts for business people, clearly showing how managers are turning an understanding of environmental issues to competitive advantage.
The book looks at the need of minerals for humanity, how and what the oceans offer as minerals in general, the technological developments achieved and the insight into future technologies and designs in this field before finally focusing on the mineral wealth of the Indian Ocean. It eventually poses some tough questions that need answers if deep seabed mining is to become a success in the future. In addition, it discusses the efforts of the key players in this field operating in the Indian ocean that has rejuvenated the deep seabed mining both economically and strategically. Since, commercial profitability of marine minerals occurs only if the demand is greater than the supply, at times, the decision gets governed by strategic reasoning. Hence, the book aims to give an idea of the driving forces that guide such decision-making and the development of deep seabed mining.
