Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Stakeholders pressure”

As the clothing industry is influenced by fierce competition and fast changing trends, firms must handle high stakeholder pressure such as for example, increased environmental and social awareness. According to the UN (2019), the clothing industry is the second biggest polluter to the environment, thus demonstrating the urgent need for CSR initiatives to make significant impact in this industry. In fact, many firms have been innovative, but the benefits from these innovations have yet to be seen.  The main purpose of this study is to understand how innovation and CSR can be combined to offer value for stakeholdersin the clothing industry and evaluate this through the relationship of the Porter hypothesis, stakeholder theory and value co-creation. This thesis adopts a mixed-method approach by responses from interviews and from a self-completing questionnaire. This is supported by the analysis of secondary data reports from firms in the clothing industry and governmental institutions. The results of this study conclude that firms experience two forms of stakeholder pressure which forces them to innovate, supporting the argument for the ‘strong’ form of the Porter hypothesis. Furthermore, it finds that value creation is inextricably linked to stakeholder theory.

Ce travail de thèse en Géographie Humaine a pour objectif d’identifier et d’analyser les valeurs qui font entrer le massif forestier des Landes de Gascogne dans un processus dit de patrimonialisation au travers des discours et actions de ses acteurs. Affecter des valeurs à un espace forestier, le patrimonialiser ne correspond plus simplement à la mise en place d’espaces protégés où le « exceptionnel » est adoubé. Le processus ne se définit plus par la simple protection officielle qui soustrait à l’action humaine des éléments jugés remarquables : des objets et des espaces de plus en plus communs et quotidiens sont également appropriés par des groupes sociaux variés tout autant spécialistes qu’ « amateurs ». Le massif forestier des Landes de Gascogne constitue, selon nous, un espace exemplaire pour traiter de cette appropriation d’un espace forestier « ordinaire », qui n’a, a priori, rien de « remarquable », du moins, selon les critères de la patrimonialisation institutionnelle. Forêt d’origine artificielle à vocation de production en grande majorité privée, le massif forestier landais a toujours été plus ou moins décrié pour sa gestion intensive remettant en cause sa capacité à être porteuse de valeurs autres qu’économique et pouvant aller jusqu’à remettre en question son statut de forêt. Pour autant, bien que la vocation productive de ce massif soit sa raison d’être, la forêt landaise est aussi porteuse de valeurs culturelles, naturalistes et sensibles qui la font entrer dans une volonté de préservation qui dépasse, et parfois se confronte, à sa simple importance économique. La dernière tempête Klaus de Janvier 2009, a permis d’à la fois révéler et catalyser ses valeurs qui, face à un tel bouleversement, s’exacerbent. Aborder la patrimonialisation de cet objet forestier à part entière, partagé entre nature et culture, permet ainsi de questionner l’idée même de patrimoine naturel et le processus qui le sous-tend. La thèse s’appuie sur l’analyse d’une centaine d’entretiens semi-directifs effectués auprès de différents acteurs du massif (sphère forestière privée et publique, élus, collectivités territoriale, Parc Naturel Régional, milieu associatif) et menés selon une double échelle d’analyse (de l’échelle « massif » à l’analyse plus localisée de quatre terrains d’étude)
This thesis in Human Geography aims to identify and analyze the values which imply an heritage process through the words and actions of its actors. To associate a forest with values, to launch an heritage process does not mean only to set it as a protected area where the exceptional character of this area is acknowledged. This process cannot be reduced to official protection, preserving from human activities some elements considered as remarkable: more and more common areas and elements are equally owned by different social groups, specialists just as much as amateurs. With this regards, the forest of Landes de Gascogne constitutes a good example of heritage process of a common and ordinary forest, with nothing “remarkable” at first sight, at least according to the usual criteria of institutional natural heritage. This artificial forest has a production purpose and is privatized for its vast majority. Therefore, this forest has always been more or less pointed out for its intensive exploitation, questioning its ability to circulate values outside economic ones, and even the legitimacy of its status as a forest. Nevertheless, and however its production purpose is its first determination, this forest is also carrying cultural, natural and sensible values which generate a willingness of preservation going beyond, or even confronting the simple economic concern. The last storm in January 2009, Klaus, enabled to unveil and catalyze those valued, which, in front of such an event, became clearer. To consider the heritage process of this forest as a whole, shared between nature and culture, also allows pondering over the idea of natural heritage in itself and the process behind. This thesis has been written thanks to the analysis of a hundred of semi-structured interviews of different actors of the forest (private and public areas, elected representatives, local communities, Regional Natural Parc, associations) and realized according to a double-scale analysis (from the whole forest scale to the more localized analysis of four different field studies)

Corporate sustainability confronts significant challenges when supply chain managers pursue short-term financial performance to meet stakeholders' expectations. To achieve sustainable economic success, organizational managers need to understand the relationship between corporate sustainability and long-term financial performance. Based on the resource dependence theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between sustainable supply chain management (SCM), stakeholder pressure, and corporate sustainability performance. The population consisted of worldwide public organizations from Newsweek Global Green Ranking 2016 list engaged in sustainable SCM. The secondary data for the study were collected from databases hosted by Sustainalytics and Standard & Poor's. The hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated statistically significant relationships between sustainable SCM and corporate sustainability performance, F(5, 158) = 3,981, p = .002, R2[.112], and between stakeholder pressure and corporate sustainability performance, F(5, 158) = 2,552 p = .030, R2[.075]. Analysis of the relationship between sustainable SCM and corporate sustainability performance with stakeholder pressure as a moderator showed non-significant interaction effect, F (5, 158) = 5.54, p < .001, R2 =.11. R2 -chng =.0007, p-int = .669. With stakeholder pressure as a mediator, the relationship showed non-significant indirect effect, b = .024, z = 0.97, p = .329. The findings of this study could contribute to the social change given that sustainable development of supply chains support the conservation of natural resources and living standards of stakeholders.

Our planet suffers from severe climate change and environmental issues has never been as important as it is now. Countries and communities come together to get involved in environmental questions and to work against a sustainable future. Companies are also expected to take act on this concern and incorporate sustainability into their business practices. To account for this, company’s disclosure a sustainability report and the numbers of companies that do so has increased rapidly the last years. From 2011 to 2013 there was almost a 50% increase of submitted sustainability reports. Since then, sustainability reporting has gone from optional to mandatory as a new law came into place in 2016. However, as companies start to disclosure sustainability reports more than ever before, new issues have arisen. The lack of regulation means that there is no guarantee for quality in the report and studies has shown that the stakeholders demand higher quality and more transparency of the sustainability report. Thus, it could be of importance for companies to produce reports of better quality in order to meet the demands of their stakeholders. Retaining a good relationship is crucial and it affects the growth of the company as it affects competitive advantage and the possibility to manage risks. Previous literature has found evidence that stakeholder pressure has influence on the transparency, which has similarities to quality, of the sustainability reports globally. With this thesis we aim to contribute with additional information to existing literature with a new geographical area, Sweden. We also aim to contribute to understanding of how quality of the sustainability reports can be determined. The critical assessment of the sustainability reports from each stakeholder becomes more important and previous literature has shown that different stakeholders have different effect on transparency in the sustainability reports. First and foremost, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate if the pressure from different stakeholder groups has an effect on the quality of the sustainability report. We intend to do so with the following research question: Does stakeholder pressure have an effect on the quality of sustainability reports? The companies will be split into four different groups based on the industry the company operates within and the sub-purpose is to see if there is any difference in the impact on the quality of the sustainability reports between the different groups. The quality will be determined by adherence level to the GRI G4 framework, how many other standards and guidelines the report is in compliance with and the existence of external assurance. The population is the 127 companies who has their reports available in the GRI database. We have conducted a quantitative study using a linear regression analysis on those 127 companies. The results led us to the conclusion that the relationship between stakeholder pressure and the quality of the sustainability reports cannot be explained by the model used in this thesis. A two-sample t test was conducted for each group of industry to see if there was any difference of the mean of quality if the companies was represented in the industry or not. The results showed us that the mean of the quality was higher for the companies operating in an environmentally sensitive industry.

Yes
In this paper, we examine how and when chief executive offers’ (CEOs’) reputation enhances environmental innovation by considering quality management as a mediating mechanism of this relationship. In addition, we introduce stakeholder pressures (primary and secondary stakeholder pressures) as important contingencies of the relationship between CEOs’ reputation and quality management. Moreover, we test the moderating role of resource commitment on the quality management-environmental innovation relationship. We test our research model using data from a manufacturing industry sample of 217 firms from Ghana. We find that quality management mediates the relationship between reputation and environmental innovation. Moreover, the relationship between CEOs’ reputation and quality management is amplified when levels of both primary and secondary stakeholder pressures are greater. Finally, our findings show that the effect of quality management on environmental innovation is enhanced when resource commitment is greater. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
The full-text article of this paper will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 14 Apr 2022.

Corporate Social Responsibility increases in importance, especially in the context of Supply-Chain Management. This is anchored in the rising competitiveness between entire supply-chains, as a competitive shift from individual companies to supply-chains as entities is taking place. Hence, the entire supply-chain becomes more critical in the creation of a competitive advantage. Corporate Social Responsibility has the potential to create legitimacy in the eyes of stakeholders and thus, also may contribute to the creation of this competitive advantage for entire supply-chains. Therefore, changing societal demands and stakeholder pressure stimulate the necessity for supply-chains to integrate Corporate Social Responsibility and thus, the three dimensions of the Triple-Bottom-Line (People, Planet, Profit) approach (as opposed to the traditional economic paradigm) into their operations.   With regards to this necessity it becomes worthwhile to explore how individual actors within supply-chains perceive pressure and whether the shift from inter-firm competition to inter-supply-chain competition is accompanied by a similar shift in stakeholder pressure (based on the Triple-Bottom-Line) from individual companies to entire supply-chains. A set of four interrelated theories, namely ‘business as open systems’, ‘social contract theory’, ‘stakeholder theory’ and ‘legitimacy theory’, is used to approach this topic. Then, the perceived pressure is investigated by means of a series of qualitative interviews with representatives of seven companies within the clothing industry, located at different positions of supply-chains. These positions include Suppliers of Raw Material, Manufacturer, Logistics and Retailers. Findings show that primary stakeholders, especially employees and customers, are perceived to be the most influential sources of CSR-related pressure. This pressure includes a wide range of demands, covering all three dimensions of the Triple-Bottom-Line. The assumption that supply-chains as entities perceive stakeholder pressure is not yet supported by these findings. What can be identified is a noticeable ‘trickle-up’ effect, meaning that pressure flows upstream from retailers to suppliers of raw materials. The shift in stakeholder pressure onto chains as entities is not identified due to the sample available to the authors. Further research should investigate this shift by means of examining single supply-chains instead of various companies from different chains.

This study presents the findings of an in-depth qualitative study of corporate responses to stakeholder pressures in the context of Canada’s oil sands. The study applies institutional theory and particularly, theory of organisational fields, strategic responses, institutional pressures and institutional work to examine interactions between stakeholders and oil companies. I argue that existing organisational theory often neglects to consider the tactics and mechanisms through which key stakeholder groups attempt to change, maintain or disrupt prevailing institutions. Furthermore, I argue that existing work in this area has failed to fully consider the potential significance of communities as powerful stakeholders. The study finds that the logics of protest used by social movement stakeholders to exert pressures differ from the logics and associated tactics currently suggested in the existing literature. More specifically, the findings indicate that the core logic used to pressure oil companies and the collective industry, are based on ‘bearing witness’. Another contribution that this study makes is to understand corporate responses to stakeholder pressures (specifically the public, non-government organisations, communities and through establishing an inter-organisational collaboration) at an individual and field level. This reveals that corporations and their field level organisations respond relationally (attempting to build new relationships with stakeholder groups, or their own competitors) use existing social networks, mimic these relations through mass marketing communication channels and embed themselves more within local communities. The responses used also aim to shape the external environment to make it more supportive in the future.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERATION OF Teresa K. Betts, for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Business Administration defended December 14, 2011, 10:00 a.m. 108 Rehn Hall at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: THE ROLE OF COMPETITIVE CAPABILITIES AND STAKEHOLDER PRESSURE IN THE ADOPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES AND IMPACT ON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Suresh Tadisina This paper examines the underlying effect of manufacturing plants' competitive capabilities and their adoption of environmental practices. A Natural Resource Based View (NRBV) theoretical approach was utilized to develop and test a set of hypotheses surrounding how manufacturing plants with specific competitive capabilities would have a greater likelihood of implementing sets of environmental practices with similar underlying resources and capabilities. Further analysis evaluated how the influence of stakeholder pressures moderated the relationship between competitive capabilities and the degree of adoption of environmental manufacturing practices. Multiple regression results indicate quality and cost competitive capabilities are positively significantly associated with the adoption of specific environmental practices. Further analysis indicates stakeholder pressures do not moderate the relationship between competitive capabilities and the degree of adoption of environmental practices. Unique sets of stakeholder pressures are independent predictors for each set of environmental practices. ANOVA analysis indicates competitive process flexibility capability and product design environmental practices and competitive product innovation capability and product design environmental practices positively significantly impact business performance. This study contributes to the literature by providing insights into competitive capabilities which link to the degree of adoption of specific environmental practices and insights into synergies which may exist between competitive capabilities and environmental practices and their effects on business performance.

Multiple institutional and stakeholder demands have led to different strategies in the measurement and disclosure of Carbon-related information. Although scholars acknowledge the prevalence of competing institutional logics as being a driver of different outcomes, existing research offers conflicting views on their implications, thus lacking clarity. In response, this paper proposes two frameworks (a) to clarify the institutional and stakeholder influences on carbon disclosure and (b) to depict four different types of carbon disclosure strategies to assess a company's "true" carbon position. We identify various concepts of institutional fields, organisations, and stakeholders that influence disclosure and combine the two critical concepts of logic centrality and stakeholder salience to categorise the multiple institutional and stakeholder pressures on carbon disclosure. Whereas the first framework proposes that institutional theory and stakeholder theory both provide, on different levels, a theoretical foundation to examine the influences on carbon disclosure, the second model categorises carbon disclosure outcomes in terms of logic centrality and stakeholder salience. Both frameworks advance the understanding of the interaction between firm-level agency and field-level pressures and synthesise the current literature to offer conceptual clarity regarding the varied implications and outcomes linked to carbon disclosure practices and strategies.

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In the context of the discussion about sustainable development emerges a paradigm based on social and environmental values, derived from the conscious and responsible use of natural resources, whose premise is to reach the satisfaction of the needs of the present generation, in a way that does not compromise the ability to attend the demands of future generations. In this sense, organizations have adopted more sustainable strategies and practices to minimize environmental and social impacts, in addition to achieving economic-financial gains and achieving legitimacy in the face of stakeholders. In view of this, this dissertation aims to analyze how is the sustainability management for organizational legitimacy in front of the pressures of the stakeholders in an agricultural cooperative in western Paraná. A theoretical model based on Stakeholder Theory, Legitimacy Theory and the Triple Bottom Line was developed, which presupposes that organizations are pressured by their stakeholders through the power, legitimacy and / or urgency to adopt sustainability practices economic, environmental and social, in order to gain, maintain and / or regain legitimacy in the face of these pressures. With a qualitative approach, it was aimed to explain these relationships through the case study procedure in an agricultural cooperative, in this way, interviews were conducted with managers and main stakeholders. From the content analysis, the research propositions were confirmed: stakeholders pressure organizations to adopt sustainability practices, through power, legitimacy and / or urgency; sustainability involves the balance of economic, environmental and social dimensions; organizations seek strategies to win, maintain and / or regain legitimacy. Therefore, it was concluded that there are pressures for adoption of sustainable practices by the main stakeholders, nevertheless, the cooperative has a proactive position in adopting economic, environmental and social practices, since it does more than is required by the legislation. This has brought financial benefits, as well as minimizing environmental impacts and demonstrating social responsibility, which is reflected in the image and reputation to its stakeholders and to a greater competitive advantage
No contexto de discussão acerca do desenvolvimento sustentável emerge um paradigma baseado em valores sociais e ambientais, provenientes do uso consciente e responsável dos recursos naturais, cuja premissa consiste em alcançar a satisfação das necessidades da geração presente, de forma que não comprometa a capacidade de atender as demandas das futuras gerações. Neste sentido, as organizações têm adotado estratégias e práticas mais sustentáveis para minimizar os impactos ambientais e sociais, além de obter ganhos econômico-financeiros e alcançar legitimidade perante os stakeholders. Diante disso, essa dissertação tem como objetivo analisar como é a gestão da sustentabilidade para legitimidade organizacional frente às pressões dos stakeholders em uma cooperativa agropecuária do oeste do Paraná. Para tanto, foi desenvolvido um modelo teórico embasado na Teoria dos Stakeholders, Teoria da Legitimidade e no Triple Bottom Line, o qual pressupõe que as organizações são pressionadas pelos seus stakeholders por meio do poder, legitimidade e/ou urgência, para adotar práticas de sustentabilidade econômica, ambiental e social, a fim de ganhar, manter e/ou recuperar legitimidade frente a estas pressões. Com uma abordagem qualitativa, objetivou explicar estas relações por meio do procedimento de estudo de caso em uma cooperativa agropecuária, dessa maneira, foram realizadas entrevistas com gestores e principais stakeholders. A partir da análise de conteúdo confirmaram-se as proposições da pesquisa: os stakeholders pressionam as organizações para adotar práticas de sustentabilidade, por meio do poder, legitimidade e/ou urgência; a sustentabilidade envolve o equilíbrio das dimensões econômica, ambiental e social; as organizações buscam estratégias para ganhar, manter e/ou recuperar a legitimidade. Portanto, concluiu-se que existem pressões para adoção de práticas sustentáveis pelos principais stakeholders, apesar disso, a cooperativa tem um posicionamento proativo na adoção de práticas econômicas, ambientais e sociais, visto que faz além do que é exigido pela legislação. Isso tem trazido benefícios financeiros, além de minimizar os impactos ambientais e demonstrar a responsabilidade social, o que se reflete na imagem e reputação perante seus stakeholders e em maior vantagem competitiva.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xviii, 204 p. : ill. (some col.). Advisor: Packianathan Chelladurai, College of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-167).

Corporate social irresponsibility (CSI), as an opposite of corporate social responsibility (CSR), refers to corporation’s failure to act responsibly. To address the actions connected to CSR and CSI, corporations need to overcome the challenges of communicating to their stakeholders and to be transparent. Stakeholders have become more skeptical regarding if the corporations are actually living up to the communicated standards. In other words, if corporations are ‘doing as they say’ and if they are ‘walking the talk’.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how top-listed corporations communicate CSR, as compared with what is communicated in media.  Method: This study used a qualitative content analysis method, by studying sustainability reports from 12 corporations over a five-year period. The study also examined media reports concerning the chosen corporations in order to get another view of the corporation’s CSR activities.  Findings: The findings showed that most of the corporation’s reports regarding CSR were in line with what media reports. There were some corporations, however, which were more aligned with media than others. This differences might be due to the fact that the corporations are acting in different industries which can affect how the corporations are focusing their CSR activities. Practical Implementations: This study can aid the understanding of how well corporations are communicating its CSR activities. It can help the corporations included in the study to understand how well its communication is perceived, as well as, to help stakeholders see if the corporations are ‘doing as they say’.

This thesis employs a six study, mixed-method research focusing on extending and expanding upon the literature examining the influences of institutional and stakeholder pressures on carbon management practices and associated carbon disclosure strategies. More specifically, the research investigates how both pressures influence the extent of disclosure in the context of the global logistics industry. In doing so, the thesis provides insights into the mechanisms behind the adoption of carbon disclosure and the effectiveness of carbon management practices. This research responds to previous research in carbon disclosure which has indicated that carbon management practices vary widely due to multiple internal and external pressures. The implications of pressures on carbon management practices have been investigated in diverse contexts such as its relationship to financial performance, carbon emissions reduction, or legitimisation tactics. Yet, the application of carbon management practices and their implications on carbon disclosure strategies and their underlying drivers has received limited research attention, in particular in the context of the global logistics industry. As a result, the first paper of this thesis addresses this gap through a systematic literature review, posing the first research question: RQ1. To what extent have carbon management practices been implemented in the global logistics industry? The results of the systematic literature review showed limited application of carbon management practices in the logistics industry, in particular carbon disclosure research was highly under-represented and was identified as the biggest opportunity for further research. These findings led to the development of Papers B and C, where similarities and differences in carbon reporting and disclosure were examined through an institutional lens. Using case studies from global logistics companies, both papers used a qualitative approach to provide insight into whether these companies follow a symbolic or substantial disclosure approach, and which underlying dominant logic drives carbon disclosure behaviour, in answering the research questions: RQ2. How does the sustainability logic influence carbon disclosure behaviour? RQ2a. Which disclosure behaviour - symbolic or substantial - dominates carbon reporting in the global logistics industry? RQ2b. How does the emergence of sustainability influence the extent of carbon reporting? The findings of this study revealed significant differences in the applied carbon disclosure approaches and their underlying logics. From an institutional logics perspective, corporate carbon disclosure practices are either dominated by a market logic emphasizing the economic benefits of carbon reductions, or by a sustainability logic following a more transparent approach. From a theoretical viewpoint, the study provides a more detailed conceptual foundation by linking the different carbon disclosure strategies to the underlying logics that drive carbon disclosure approaches. However, although both papers provide important insights into the differences in carbon reporting behaviour, the focus on institutional logics provides only limited understanding of the conditions under which these different outcomes arise. This limitation led to the development of Paper D, a conceptual paper that integrates stakeholder theory with institutional theory. Paper D thereby provides a theoretical framework for examining institutional and stakeholder influences, and complements the institutional dimension with a stakeholder dimension, leading to the research question: RQ3. How does the interaction between institutional and stakeholder pressures influence carbon disclosure strategies in global logistics companies? The paper uses both dimensions to build an integrative model that depicts four types of carbon disclosure strategies in the global logistics industry based on the extent of institutional and stakeholder pressures. To examine the extent of institutional pressures, the paper introduces the concept of ‘logics centrality’, representing the position of the sustainability logic, that is, to what extent climate change values are internally integrated into a company’s value system. To examine stakeholder pressures, the paper follows the concept of stakeholder salience, that is, to what extent external stakeholder claims are given priority. The study in Paper D seeks to understand how stakeholder pressures and institutional logics interact, thereby advancing existing research by exploring how organisations are impacted by both firm-level agency and field-level pressures. To apply the model from Paper D, Paper E was developed and represents an empirical study that utilises data collected from Bloomberg ESG and CDP data. In particular, 26 specific carbon management practices were identified in order to examine the degree of institutional as well as stakeholder pressures and their influence on disclosure strategies, posing the research question: RQ4a. To what extent do specific internal and external carbon management practices influence corporate carbon disclosure strategies? RQ4b. From a corporate perspective, what carbon disclosure strategies have been adopted? The findings show that the majority of companies align internal and external carbon management practices, reflecting a consistent strategic approach towards carbon disclosure. Most companies follow either a transparent or a symbolic approach, indicating that these companies are either engaged in both internal and external practices or in neither. From a theoretical viewpoint, the analysis indicates that most companies see the sustainability logic as a core function in the company, while at the same time giving priority to stakeholder claims that go beyond market-driven initiatives, leading to transparency and full carbon disclosure. However, although the study applies the model from Paper D and provides interesting results, it is limited as it does not address whether or how disclosure strategies have shifted over time, leading to the last research questions of this thesis: RQ4c. To what extent have internal and external pressures led to a change in carbon management practices? RQ4d. To what extent have internal and external pressures led to a change in carbon disclosure strategies? Using a similar dataset as in Paper E, the findings show overall shifts to more transparent corporate carbon disclosure strategies between 2010 and 2015, with an increase in applied carbon management practices in both internal and external actions, driven by internal practices. From a theoretical viewpoint, the study shows that companies have increasingly integrated climate change into their value systems, represented by a shift of the sustainability logic closer to the organisational core function. This research applies a more rigorous theoretical and empirical research approach to develop insight through an institutional and stakeholder lens, and therefore extends carbon disclosure research. Papers B and C identify not only the dominant logics behind carbon disclosure behaviour, but also provide interesting insights into the similarities and differences using real-life logistics examples. More importantly, Paper D develops a framework to distinguish between institutional and stakeholder pressures, providing a theoretical framework to examine the influence of these pressures on carbon disclosure strategies. This marks the first conceptual model in carbon disclosure research that combines theoretical constructs from institutional and stakeholder theory to examine and categorise internal and external influences. Finally, Papers E and F examine the influence of carbon management practices on disclosure strategies by applying the model discussed in Paper D. Both Papers E and F empirically categorise carbon disclosure strategies which have not been previously identified in carbon disclosure research, and therefore have the potential to provide a better understanding of carbon disclosure practices and strategies.

Today's textile industry is developing and all the more companies are starting to focus on sustainability issues, as demands from society rapidly increases. The aim of this study is therefore to identify what pressures are put on companies within the textile sector in Indonesia from both internal and external stakeholders. Through this, an identification of drivers and barriers that are met while working with sustainable development is defined. Research on sustainability within Indonesia's textile sector is today very limited. Because of this, a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews with brand manufacturers active within the Indonesian market has been conducted. The chosen method was found to be best suited to obtain a deep understanding of the actual situation in a short period of time. The study is based on three companies, all located in Bali where the interviews also took place. Results indicate that brand manufacturers in Indonesia do not experience any pressures from stakeholders. However, when working with sustainable development there are drivers and barriers that has an impact of these initiatives. The respondents all shared a personal interest and devotion in sustainability matters but experience great difficulties working effectively to develop in these areas, given the state of the Indonesian textile industry today.

Sustainability is a topic that has gained significant traction over the last decade. To ensure that we meet the needs of the present without compromising future generations' needs, this study examines the relationship between ESG (environmental, social and governmental) scores and external demographic pressure in an attempt to examine the relationship and a direction between the two. The primary purpose is to investigate whether external demographic pressure drives corporate sustainability. The study uses Age, Education, Gender and Income as variables for demographic pressure, where Age implies median age, Education tertiary attainment, Gender distribution of the sexes, and Income GNI per capita. Through utilizing a quantitative method, ESG scores have been collected from the Thomson Returns Eikon database, and for the demographic factors The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the World Bank have been used.  To produce a model that works globally, a global sample has been used, with the majority of the companies based in western countries. The theoretical models Behavioural Finance, Stakeholder Theory and Agency Theory have been used to analyse the underlying dynamics of the relationships between demographic pressure and corporate sustainability performance. The conclusion is that such a relationship exists, and more specifically, that all four variables used display statistically significant effects on ESG scores. However, our results diverge from previous research on corporate sustainability performance, suggesting that higher Age in a population increases ESG scores, while higher numbers of males to females, higher education level, and higher income level decreases corporate sustainability performance.  The conclusion of this study contributes to new knowledge of sustainability and an expanded understanding of the role of demographic factors in corporate sustainability. This further suggests that sustainability should be a more integrated part in companies and civil society.

The following is a study to determine if sufficient demand exists to start a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree program in dental hygiene through a joint agreement for completion degrees between Valencia Community College and the University of Central Florida. To accomplish this objective two survey instruments were administered to randomly selected licensed dentists and dental hygienists in the state of Florida. Dental hygienists represented the potential student base for the proposed programs, and dentists represented the potential and prospective employers of graduated students of the proposed programs. To determine demand and demand characteristics, one survey instrument was mailed to 1,000 dental hygienists who were randomly selected using SAS software from a population of N=12,066 dental hygienists actively licensed to practice in the state of Florida. This sample of hygienists was approximately 8.3% of the total population. Of the 1,000 samples, 134 (or 13.4%) were returned. Of the 134 surveys returned, 123 (n=123) were included in this study. Eleven surveys were not included because of a majority of missing data or because the respondent indicated he or she already possessed a Bachelor or Master degree. A Likert-scale questionnaire was sent to each group of actively licensed dentists and actively licensed dental hygienists from the state of Florida. Responses from dental hygienists were overwhelmingly positive towards the addition of the Bachelor of Science degree program with an online distance-learning component. Those in favor of the Bachelor of Science degree program also provided a favorable response towards adding a Master of Science degree program in dental hygiene. The dentists, as potential future employers, also showed strong support in their responses for the additional degree programs with an additional management track component and believed it would elevate the professional standards of the dental hygiene field.
Ph.D.
Department of Health Professions
Health and Public Affairs
Public Affairs PhD

L’objectif de ce travail de recherche a été de contribuer à répondre à la question suivante : dans quelle mesure les médias constituent-ils un mécanisme de gouvernance d’entreprise ? Après avoir réalisé une revue de littérature, trois questions de recherche ont été formulées. Tout d’abord, la question du rôle de la presse en tant que mécanisme de gouvernance d’entreprise disciplinaire a été posée, puis, plus précisément, celle de son rôle en tant que mécanisme de gouvernance disciplinaire partenariale, et enfin celle de mécanisme de gouvernance normative au sens néo-institutionnel. Chaque question a fait l’objet d’un essai. Tout d’abord, l’efficacité de la presse dans la révélation des fraudes commises par les entreprises, avant qu’une autorité officielle ne la sanctionne, a été examinée au moyen de régressions logistiques et d’analyse d’articles de presse. Ensuite, l’influence de la presse sur les dirigeants du groupe Danone a été analysée, par une étude de cas, de 1996 à 2008. Enfin, une étude de cas portant sur les liens entre divers types de presse a permis d’étudier leur rôle et leur influence dans la normalisation et la diffusion d’idées et de pratiques en matière de gouvernance d’entreprise. Premièrement, l’efficacité de la presse en tant que mécanisme de gouvernance disciplinaire doit être relativisée. Sous l’hypothèse de maximisation de ses profits, la presse française choisit les entreprises qu’elle couvre et les fraudes qu’elle révèle. Elle est plutôt une presse informative qu’une presse investigatrice. La complémentarité des mécanismes de gouvernance est confortée comme facteur d’efficacité du système de gouvernance. Deuxièmement, la presse est un mécanisme efficient de gouvernance partenariale : elle parvient à inciter les dirigeants d’entreprise à chercher à créer de la valeur partenariale plutôt qu’actionnariale. Troisièmement, l’homogénéisation actuelle de formes organisationnelles concernant la gouvernance d’entreprise semble s’expliquer par le rôle de la presse en tant que mécanisme de gouvernance d’entreprise normative au sens néo-institutionnel
The objective of this research had to contribute to the question: are media a corporate governance mechanism ? After doing a literature review, three research questions were asked. First, the question about the role of press as a corporate governance disciplinary mechanism was asked, then as a corporate governance mechanism with a view to creating stakeholder value, lastly, as a corporate normative governance mechanism in a neo-institutional view. Each question was the subject of one essay. First, the efficiency of press to reveal frauds of firms before an official authority was analyzed. In this purpose, logistic regression and an examination of articles of press was done. Second, the influence of press on the Danone Group’s direction was studied with a case study between 1996 and 2008. Third, to understand the influence between several kinds of press and their role in the normalization and the circulation of ideas and practical experiences about corporate governance, a case study was done also. First, the efficiency of press as a corporate disciplinary mechanism is not always perfect. By assuming that press maximizes its profits, the French press chooses the firms to cover and the frauds to disclose. It’s more a press which informs as a press which investigates. The complementarity of corporate governance mechanisms is confirmed in the efficiency of the governance system. Second, press is an efficient mechanism in a stakeholder value creation perspective. It manages to influence CEOs to search to create stakeholder value rather than shareholder value. Third, currently we notice an homogenization of organizational forms about corporate governance. It could be explained by the role of press as a corporate governance normative mechanism in a neo-institutional perspective

While sustainability-dedicated managers and related titles represent a profession that has hardly existed for more than a decade, it is not surprising that the field of research concentrating on these professionals is in itself relatively new. With an increasing demand for corporations to take their social and environmental responsibility, and a corporate sustainability characterized by tension and paradox, we found it of importance to explore the role and entanglements of these professionals. By analysing 17 in-depth interviews with sustainability-dedicated professionals from the private sector in Sweden, our interpretation is that sustainability managers hold the function of selling sustainability, with talk as their main weapon. Expressly, in the intersection between business-case logics and sustainability logics, sustainability managers have to, above all, make a convincing case for sustainability, inwards and outwards. Therefore, they draw dynamically on different narratives which we conceptualise in three roles: the chameleon, the pragmatic, and the nagging manager. Through these roles, we intend to capture the fluidity with which the managers relate and engage with sustainability, and hence we do not mean to ossify a role’s dynamics within a single, static or stereotypical category. We discuss these findings and concepts to the background of previous studies and existing literature.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosphy (PhD)
Over the last three decades there has been increasing pressure from stakeholders on businesses to be environmentally responsible. Business organisations cannot help but take this consideration seriously because it has a far-reaching impact on their very survival. This research is intended to bring insights into how and why a business’s management responds to environmental pressure from stakeholders. How a business responds to its stakeholders is known as environmental strategy. In addition, this study also investigates how proactiveness in implementation of each type of environmental strategy impacts on a business’s environmental effectiveness and competitive advantage. In Malaysia palm oil is the most important agricultural commodity in the country, and contributes substantially to the economy. Unfortunately, its activities are not without environmental costs. Deforestation, depletion of flora and fauna, excessive use of chemicals, air and water pollution are the results of the industry’s activity. But due to stakeholders’ pressures, the industry has embraced environmental management in its activities, albeit at a slow pace. Against this background, this study seeks to investigate the efficacy of corporate environmentalism, using a number of palm oil companies as case studies. This study is paramount as no such study has previously been conducted in Malaysia. The Malaysian palm oil industry offers an interesting case for studying corporate environmentalism in developing countries. Using a mixed-methods or triangulation of analysis of nine palm oil companies, which are listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, as case studies, this research investigates the environmental practices of the palm oil companies, and the relationship of these practices with stakeholders’ pressures, environmental effectiveness and competitive advantages. The results of the study reveal that three levels of overall environmental strategy are adopted by the participating palm oil companies. They are labelled by the researcher as minimalists - four companies; intermediators - two companies; and proactivists - three companies. The minimalists refer to companies that exercised the lowest environmental strategy, while the proactivists are those who exercised the highest environmental strategy. The intermediators are in the middle, that is, those companies that seem to be in the early stage of becoming proactivists, but have yet to achieve such a level. The proactivists were classified as those who exercised a proactive strategy, but both intermediators and minimalists exercised a reactive environmental strategy. In terms of the relationship between environmental proactiveness and stakeholders’ pressure it was found that the management of the more proactive companies tended to perceive a wider range of threats from environmental stakeholders compared with reactive companies. Apart from regulatory stakeholders, they also perceived pressure from primary stakeholders, especially their top management, as well as secondary stakeholders including ENGOs, competitors, and the media. On the contrary, reactive companies only perceived threats from regulatory stakeholders. Not only did proactivists differ in terms of stakeholders’ pressure, they were at the same time perceived to be more environmentally effective and to gain more competitive advantages than less proactive companies. Based on the research findings it seems there is a significant positive correlation between a proactive environmental strategy and both environmental effectiveness and competitive advantage among Malaysian palm oil companies. In this study measurement of the environmental strategies and environmental effectiveness was solely based on a triangulation of surveys (seven-point scale items) and in-depth interviews. In order to increase the validity of the study, future researchers need to triangulate these data with other quantitative data. For instance, at a company level, a company’s resources can be measured based on its financial statistics such as sales, net profit, return on investment, and the amount spend on research and development. Moreover, the environmental effectiveness of a mill can be measured in terms of monthly data of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), of palm oil mill effluents and Ringelmann Chart of air emissions, and the amount of money expended on de-sludging for certain periods of time. In both plantations and mills, future researchers can gather data related to environmental accidents, fines and court cases. The key findings of this research are instructive. The majority of the participating palm oil companies in Malaysia adopted reactive environmental strategies. Only a few adopted proactive environmental strategies, and they were more likely to exercise environmental practices at strategic and tactical levels such as top management involvement in environmental issues as well as deploying environmental management systems which mostly related to the bottom line of their businesses. Serious attention towards the destruction of the tropical rainforest as a result of their activities is lacking among participating companies.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosphy (PhD)
Over the last three decades there has been increasing pressure from stakeholders on businesses to be environmentally responsible. Business organisations cannot help but take this consideration seriously because it has a far-reaching impact on their very survival. This research is intended to bring insights into how and why a business’s management responds to environmental pressure from stakeholders. How a business responds to its stakeholders is known as environmental strategy. In addition, this study also investigates how proactiveness in implementation of each type of environmental strategy impacts on a business’s environmental effectiveness and competitive advantage. In Malaysia palm oil is the most important agricultural commodity in the country, and contributes substantially to the economy. Unfortunately, its activities are not without environmental costs. Deforestation, depletion of flora and fauna, excessive use of chemicals, air and water pollution are the results of the industry’s activity. But due to stakeholders’ pressures, the industry has embraced environmental management in its activities, albeit at a slow pace. Against this background, this study seeks to investigate the efficacy of corporate environmentalism, using a number of palm oil companies as case studies. This study is paramount as no such study has previously been conducted in Malaysia. The Malaysian palm oil industry offers an interesting case for studying corporate environmentalism in developing countries. Using a mixed-methods or triangulation of analysis of nine palm oil companies, which are listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, as case studies, this research investigates the environmental practices of the palm oil companies, and the relationship of these practices with stakeholders’ pressures, environmental effectiveness and competitive advantages. The results of the study reveal that three levels of overall environmental strategy are adopted by the participating palm oil companies. They are labelled by the researcher as minimalists - four companies; intermediators - two companies; and proactivists - three companies. The minimalists refer to companies that exercised the lowest environmental strategy, while the proactivists are those who exercised the highest environmental strategy. The intermediators are in the middle, that is, those companies that seem to be in the early stage of becoming proactivists, but have yet to achieve such a level. The proactivists were classified as those who exercised a proactive strategy, but both intermediators and minimalists exercised a reactive environmental strategy. In terms of the relationship between environmental proactiveness and stakeholders’ pressure it was found that the management of the more proactive companies tended to perceive a wider range of threats from environmental stakeholders compared with reactive companies. Apart from regulatory stakeholders, they also perceived pressure from primary stakeholders, especially their top management, as well as secondary stakeholders including ENGOs, competitors, and the media. On the contrary, reactive companies only perceived threats from regulatory stakeholders. Not only did proactivists differ in terms of stakeholders’ pressure, they were at the same time perceived to be more environmentally effective and to gain more competitive advantages than less proactive companies. Based on the research findings it seems there is a significant positive correlation between a proactive environmental strategy and both environmental effectiveness and competitive advantage among Malaysian palm oil companies. In this study measurement of the environmental strategies and environmental effectiveness was solely based on a triangulation of surveys (seven-point scale items) and in-depth interviews. In order to increase the validity of the study, future researchers need to triangulate these data with other quantitative data. For instance, at a company level, a company’s resources can be measured based on its financial statistics such as sales, net profit, return on investment, and the amount spend on research and development. Moreover, the environmental effectiveness of a mill can be measured in terms of monthly data of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), of palm oil mill effluents and Ringelmann Chart of air emissions, and the amount of money expended on de-sludging for certain periods of time. In both plantations and mills, future researchers can gather data related to environmental accidents, fines and court cases. The key findings of this research are instructive. The majority of the participating palm oil companies in Malaysia adopted reactive environmental strategies. Only a few adopted proactive environmental strategies, and they were more likely to exercise environmental practices at strategic and tactical levels such as top management involvement in environmental issues as well as deploying environmental management systems which mostly related to the bottom line of their businesses. Serious attention towards the destruction of the tropical rainforest as a result of their activities is lacking among participating companies.

碩士
國立臺南大學
科技管理研究所碩士班
99
Recent environmental management research has never examined the correlation between stakeholder pressures, perceived environmental benefits, and environmental management behavior; neither have empirical studies on business executives been conducted often. Therefore, the theoretical approach is based on stakeholders and resource-based view, with information collected from business executives having influencial power on enterprises’ policy-making to understand the opinions of domestic corporates on environmental protection and operation of environmental management. This study focuses on the top 5000 industries China Credit Information Service publishes in 2009 with focus on manufacturing industry, questionnaire object includes 3 to 4 executives who possess decision-making power. Effective samples have been collected from 167 companies, and analyzed with SEM. Research results reveal positive correlation between stakeholder pressure and perceived environmental benefits; while perceived environmental benefits, and environmental management behavior are positively correlated with profit-making and less correlated with cost-saving.

碩士
國立高雄科技大學
企業管理系
107
Industrial development has prompted the economy, but climate change has been abnormal in recent years. It shows that economic development and environmental protection have been unbalanced, and the ecological environment has been seriously polluted and destroyed. The countries around the world have noticed environmental problems. To echo the trend of sustainable development, the government and companies are concerned about the environment. However, products are inevitably contaminated during the manufacturing process. In order to ensure that the pollution generated during product transfer is kept within the standard range, some countermeasures are taken. This study used a quantitative questionnaire survey method and the sample was the executive of Taiwan's manufacturing industry. 459 questionnaires were issued and 148 valid questionnaires, with a recovery rate of 32.2%. The results of the study show that stakeholders and institutional pressures are significantly related to environmental management practices. Then, stakeholders, institutional pressures and environmental management practices have a significant correlation to sustainable development performance. And environmental management practices have an intermediary effect. Finally, the results of this study will be discussed and management recommendations will be provided.

Abstract Increased stake holders’ perceptions towards the harms of fossil fuels to society and future generations, shape and pressure the strategic environment and organizations’ practices. On the one hand, the combination of financial and environmental factors will lead to the devaluation of fossil fuel assets, damaging the long-term financial health of the ones investing in it. While on the other hand, there is also the ethical and moral framework, in which investing in these assets becomes unsustainable when pursuing a better future for society. Evidence on divestment performances from institutions of all kinds enables to come up with different constructs and configurations on divestment backgrounds, thus reaches to the understanding that it is time for organizations to move and adapt to these practices, otherwise they put reputation and value at risk.

碩士
國立高雄應用科技大學
企業管理系
103
The environment issue has been concerned by many international enterprice in these years. A lot of companies adopted green supply chain management (GSCM). In addition, the relative literatures of GSCM are increased, too. Most of the researches discussed about the institutional theory rather than the stakeholder theory. In this study, we’d like to reply the relationship among stakeholder pressure, GSCM and performance. Meanwhile, we used RBV to measure the resource in company and saw if they affected GSCM. Our sample was electrical and electronic industries in Taiwan. We used quantitive method and released 1,000 questionaries, the 194 valid were turned. Also, we got rid of the respondents that the capital is low than NT$ 10,000,000. This study used the AMOS and SPSS software and got the follow finding. The regulatory stakeholder and market stakeholder have the significant positive effect on GSCM. The green resource has a significant positive effect on the GSCM. The green resource has a partial mediation effect on the relationship between the GSCM and stakeholder pressure. GSCM has a significant positive effect on the environment performance and economic performance. The environment performance has a significant positive effect on the economic performance.

As áreas protegidas constituem sistemas socio-ecológicos, complexos e dinâmicos, sujeitos a perturbações que podem alterar as condições ecológicas e socioeconómicas de forma significativa. A capacidade de um sistema se adaptar a novas circunstâncias, mantendo a integridade da sua função e identidade, é designada resiliência, frequentemente associada aos modelos de gestão adaptativa que enfatizam a necessidade de aprendizagem e flexibilidade na tomada de decisão. Esta investigação teve como objetivo perceber como podem as áreas protegidas ser (mais) resilientes, focando-se no contributo do sistema de governança, determinante do modo como os utilizadores interagem com os recursos. O estudo foi centrado na tipologia ‘parque natural’, onde a presença humana existente implica mais interações e potenciais conflitos, tomando como casos de estudo o Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela e o Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais. Metodologicamente foi privilegiada uma abordagem participativa, com consulta e envolvimento de peritos e stakeholders em diferentes momentos, através de questionários, entrevistas e um workshop. Numa primeira fase, procurou-se clarificar a identidade das áreas protegidas (a manter através da resiliência) e identificar os principais fatores de pressão e respetivas forças motrizes, com base numa adaptação do modelo DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response). Foi possível estabelecer que, embora coexistam múltiplos objetivos, a função identitária das áreas protegidas (incluindo parques naturais) é a conservação da natureza. As principais pressões estão sobretudo relacionadas com usos e atividades humanas e são originadas por uma complexa teia de forças motrizes, na qual a ineficácia/desadequação do sistema de governança assume destaque. Estabelecidas essas bases, foram investigados os atributos que conferem resiliência e analisado o sistema de governança em Portugal, incluindo o papel da entidade gestora e o seu modelo organizacional, bem como os instrumentos de gestão disponíveis. A existência de diferentes níveis de governança, de um capital social diverso e participativo, e de processos de inovação e aprendizagem são indicados pela literatura como atributos dos sistemas resilientes. Contudo, a análise documental e as perceções recolhidas demonstram que o atual sistema de governança não cumpre tais requisitos. O distanciamento da entidade gestora, que já não possui estruturas locais com poder de decisão ao nível da área protegida, constitui a principal fragilidade, estando associado ao desconhecimento do território e à dificuldade de relacionamento com os stakeholders, o que impossibilita a implementação de uma gestão verdadeiramente colaborativa. Para além disso, a ausência de diversidade de instrumentos de gestão e de mecanismos de monitorização e avaliação compromete a inovação e aprendizagem, colocando obstáculos a uma abordagem mais adaptativa para a gestão destes territórios. Esta investigação valida e estrutura problemas antes percecionados e fornece fundamentação a necessidades já identificadas. Acredita-se que as recomendações apresentadas são relevantes para a maioria das áreas, com eventuais adaptações. Futura investigação sobre o funcionamento destes sistemas socio-ecológicos, pressões e forças motrizes, metodologias de participação e de avaliação de resultados poderá contribuir para uma melhor gestão das áreas protegidas em Portugal. No entanto, é fundamental um maior investimento e compromisso político na área da conservação da natureza, capaz de defender e integrar os interesses nacionais e locais.
Protected areas are complex and dynamic socio-ecological systems, subject to disturbances that can significantly change ecological and socio-economic conditions. The ability of a system to adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining the integrity of its function and identity is called resilience, often associated with adaptive management models which emphasise the need for learning and flexibility in decision making. This research aimed to understand how protected areas can be (more) resilient by focusing on the contribution of the governance system, which determines how users interact with resources. The study was centred on the ‘natural park’ typology, where the existing human presence implies more interactions and potential conflicts, taking as case studies the Serra da Estrela Natural Park and the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park. Methodologically, a participatory approach was privileged, with consultation and involvement of experts and stakeholders at different moments, through questionnaires, interviews and a workshop. On a first stage, the aim was to clarify the identity of protected areas (to be maintained through resilience) and to identify the central pressures and their driving forces, based on an adaptation of the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model. It was established that although multiple objectives coexist, the key function of protected areas (including nature parks) is nature conservation. The main pressures x are mainly related to human uses and activities and originated by a complex web of driving forces, in which the ineffectiveness/inadequacy of the governance system is highlighted. Having established this basis, the attributes that confer resilience were investigated, and the governance system in Portugal was analysed, including the role of the management body and its organisational model, as well as the available management instruments. The existence of different levels of governance, a diverse and participatory social capital, and innovation and learning processes are indicated in the literature as attributes of resilient systems. However, the documentary analysis and the stakeholders’ perceptions show that the current governance system does not meet these requirements. The distance of the management body, which no longer has local structures with decision-making power at the protected area level, is the main weakness, associated with the lack of knowledge of the territory and the difficult relationship with stakeholders, which makes the implementation of a true collaborative management impossible. Moreover, the lack of management tools’ diversity and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms does not promote innovation and learning, hindering a more adaptive approach to managing these territories. This research validates known issues and provides rationale for already identified needs. It is believed that the recommendations presented are relevant to most areas, with possible adaptations. Future research on the functioning of these socio-ecological systems, pressures and driving forces, methodologies for participation and outcome assessment could contribute to better management of protected areas in Portugal. However, it is essential a greater investment and political commitment in nature conservation, capable of defending and integrating national and local interests.