Michael H. Mitias on Challenges of Universalism

The age-old philosophical idea of universalism defended by Husserl has in our times come under heavy inter-continental intellectualistic attacks. Advocates of localism, relativism and particularity have accused it of being a form of “Euro centrism”, and thus of being an essentially hegemonic concept. This paper examines Michael H. Mitias on challenges of universalism. Despite its short-comings, Mitias is perfectly in order when he insists that universalism does not set cultural understandings aside, for it does not iconoclastically view them as the cultural muck of history or as a cluster of irrational prejudices. This may be a good start point in terms of the future needs of our humanity and collective destiny, but it may not be enough to secure this future for all of us.George U. Ukagba, Sylvester Idemudia Odia – Department of Philosophy and Religions, Faculty of Arts, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria2630331

Unintentional social consequences of disorganised marketing of corporate social responsibility: figurational insights into the oil and gas sector in Africa.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a concept that is widely associated with large transnational corporations (TNCs) and increasingly small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The concept is contentious with wide ranging debates about intent and impact, not least from critics who perceive CSR to ostensibly be a marketing tool. Before examining some of the current flaws within CSR, it is important to establish how the concept is being applied

Drilling their own graves:How the European oil and gas supermajors avoid sustainability tensions through mythmaking

This study explores how paradoxical tensions between economic growth and environmental protection are avoided through organizational mythmaking. By examining the European oil and gas supermajors’ ‘‘CEOspeak’’ about climate change, we show how mythmaking facilitates the disregarding, diverting, and/or displacing of sustainability tensions. In doing so, our findings further illustrate how certain defensive responses are employed: (1) regression, or retreating to the comforts of past familiarities, (2) fantasy, or escaping the harsh reality that fossil fuels and climate change are indeed irreconcilable, and (3) projecting, or shifting blame to external actors for failing to address climate change. By highlighting the discursive effects of enacting these responses, we illustrate how the European oil and gas supermajors self-determine their inability to substantively address the complexities of climate change. We thus argue that defensive responses are not merely a form of mismanagement as the paradox and corporate sustainability literature commonly suggests, but a strategic resource that poses serious ethical concerns given the imminent danger of issues such as climate change

External stakeholders and the social enterprise (SE) identity formation in a developing country context: a social exchange perspective.

Purpose: Drawing on theories of organisational identity, social exchange and stakeholder engagement, this study aims to investigate the processes and practices involved in the formation and shaping of identities of social enterprises (SEs) that operate in the Malawian hospitality and tourism industry. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on an interpretive research paradigm, data collected from 22 semi-structured interviews with four founders of case SEs and stakeholders, and SEs’ reports and other publicly available documents were generated and analysed following a grounded theory approach. Findings: The authors show that the trajectory SEs followed and the exchanges that occurred with the external stakeholders allowed three out of four case SEs to swiftly re-evaluate their pre-existing identities and work towards the formation of their new identities. Practical implications: This study provides an opportunity for policymakers and other actors in developing countries to frame and place SEs in line with the wider societal realities in such contexts. This may in turn call for policymakers to increase actors’ engagement with SEs and provide the necessary support that can allow SEs to be an effective force for the public good. Originality/value: This paper highlights the role of exchanges with external stakeholders in identity formation and shaping within SEs in the hospitality and tourism sector in the context of institutional voids. By adopting the social exchange theory, this paper introduces a dynamic lens to identity formation and shaping and helps to explain how, across different tourism ventures, stakeholder engagement and different modes of exchange unfold in the inter-organisational and community domains. It further shows how the ventures’ value orientations on the one hand, and stakeholder engagement practices and the ensuing exchanges, on the other hand, are closely interwoven.</p

Sustainability led innovations in the hospitality industry: A case study of the adoption of the Green Key Scheme standards in the Netherlands

The adoption of sustainability standards within organizations represents one of the most significant challenges that firms face. This qualitative based study draws on the core-periphery thesis of organizational change and the resource-based view of the firm to explore the three adoption architectures firms can use to integrate green certification scheme standards into their business operations. As a result, we examined the nature of the linkages between the different adoption mechanisms, and how such linkages might influence a firm’s sustainability performance. The study demonstrates that organizational attributes, previous experience with a sustainability agenda and the degree of fit between the externally generated sustainability standard and the prevailing business practices can affect the abilities of firms to integrate sustainability standards into their organization structures and thus their sustainability performance. Hence, this paper opens new avenues for sustainability certification researchers to look at the various configurations of standards adoption architectures, and also for practitioners to broadly embrace both institutional and organizational exigencies relevant to the internalization of certification standard