2015 Conference

Full Presentation Panel

An Aristotelian Synthesis of Environmental Responsibility and Corporate Profitability

Dr. Steven Gable, PHD

Two views of business practice have vied for primacy over the last several decades. The first, finding its most influential spokesperson in Milton Friedman, has argued that the only legitimate business concern is that of maximizing profit. Corporations exhibit responsible behavior solely as they focus on producing profit; the possible damage corporations create, including negative environmental impacts, must surely be offset by the benefits that corporations provide society in the form of the efficient production of goods and services.

The second view, embracing the concept of the ‘stakeholder,’ seeks to identify the multiple responsibilities of effective corporate practice. In this view, corporations have responsibilities not only to shareholders, but also to other groups who can benefit or suffer harm from corporate activity. Environmental stewardship is understood as one of these fundamental responsibilities. John Mackey, a founder and executive leader of Whole Foods Market, serves as a prominent proponent of this second model.Both models emphasize essential dimensions of successful business practice. Corporations must secure profit or face bankruptcy. At the same time, corporations operate and corporate executives live within communities that suffer from irresponsible business practices. This paper will identify the strongest points of each position, arguing that, while the importance of profit must be recognized, its pursuit must not override vital environmental values. The paper will explore a possible rapprochement between the two positions based on Aristotle’s concept of the polis.

The Sustainable Corporation: From Villain to Hero?

Diana Watts, Ph.D.

Corporate strategies premised on profit maximization are  portrayed solely as the "perpetrators" of environmental degradation. From the management literature, the strategic discussion is often framed as a choice between profit or sustainability. However, there is evidence of emerging practices in terms of voluntary, market-based as well as collaborative supply chain arrangements that embrace both shareholders and stakeholders. This paper will provide  a working typology of the range of practices currently discussed in management and gray literature. The analysis will address the possibility of rethinking roles and boundaries across business, government, society and  environment for both academics and policy analysts.

The Institutional Logics Behind Organizational Greening Efforts

Georgia Piggot

Globally, organizations are becoming more aware of environmental issues, and adopting new policies and strategies to reduce their environmental impact.  This has sparked a new wave of innovation by organizations, which some have dubbed “a new industrial revolution”.  However, this process of organizational greening varies greatly among organizations - some organizations actively resist environmental improvement, while others sit at the cutting edge of the green revolution. In order to better understand this heterogeneity in environmental strategies, this presentation will examine the logics that underpin organizational greening. To do so, I employ an "institutional logics" perspective, which looks at how shared assumptions, values and belief systems shape decisions and strategies.  To explore institutional logics, I use a case study of 133 public sector organizations in British Columbia, Canada, who have undertaken concurrent efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. This presentation will report on the findings from a document analysis of five years of environmental reports, and a survey of environmental managers in each organization.  I will discuss the competing logics of environmentalism espoused by each organization, and will outline how these logics link to environmental strategies, and to broader institutional arrangements shaping greening approaches.  This will illuminate the cultural and institutional dimensions of greening efforts, and provide insight into the drivers of organizational environmental decision-making.