Identifying Worldviews on Corporate Sustainability: A Content Analysis of Corporate Sustainability Reports

Companies commonly issue sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. This study seeks to understand worldviews of corporate sustainability, or the corporate message conveyed regarding what sustainability or CSR is and how to enact it. Content analysis of corporate sustainability reports is used to position each company report within stages of corporate sustainability. Results reveal that there are multiple coexisting worldviews of corporate sustainability, but the most dominant worldview is focused on the business case for sustainability, a position anchored in the weak sustainability paradigm. We contend that the business case and weak sustainability advanced in corporate sustainability reports and by the Global Reporting Initiative are poor representations of sustainability. Ecological embeddedness, or a locally responsive strategy that is sensitive to local ecosystems, may hold the key to improved ecological sensemaking, which in turn could lead to more mature levels of corporate sustainability worldviews that support strong sustainability and are rooted in environmental science. This must be supported by government regulation

Content Trends in Sustainable Business Education: An Analysis of Introductory Courses in the U.S.

Purpose – This study aims to identify the content in introductory business sustainability courses in the USA to determine the most frequently assigned reading material and its sustainability orientation. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 81 introductory sustainable business course syllabi reading lists were analyzed from 51 US colleges and universities. The study utilized frequency counts for authors and readings and R analysis of key words to classify readings along the sustainability spectrum. Findings – The study reveals the most frequently assigned authors and readings in US sustainable business courses (by program type) and places them along the sustainability spectrum from weak to strong. In total, 55 per cent of the top readings assigned in the sample advocate a weak sustainability paradigm, and 29 per cent of the top readings advocate a strong sustainability paradigm. Research limitations/implications – This study focused on reading lists of introductory courses in the USA; cases, videos and supplemental materials were excluded, and the study does not analyze non-US courses. Practical implications – The findings of this study can inform instructors of the most commonly assigned authors and readings and identify readings that align with weak sustainability and strong sustainability. Instructors are now able to select sustainable business readings consistent with peers and which advance a weak or strong sustainability orientation. Originality/value – This is the first research to identify the most commonly assigned authors and readings to aid in course planning. This is also the first research to guide instructors in identifying which readings represent weak versus strong sustainability

Managing for Resilience: Lessons from Ecology

Understanding and developing resilience is becoming increasingly important in business for both leaders and organizations. Resilient organizations can successfully navigate uncertainty and change. Resilience, however, is a poorly understood attribute. We thus turn to ecosystem resilience theory to understand the concept of resilience. We identify four lessons that can be adapted from management for ecological resilience to management for business resilience: 1) resilience can be positive or negative depending on the nature of the function it supports, 2) diversity of individuals, departments, flows of information, perspective, and other attributes contributes to resilience, 3) because we have imperfect knowledge about the timing and nature of a given disturbance and thus imperfect knowledge about the exact components of diversity that will promote resilience in the face of it, there is a benefit to preserving diversity, even if it reduces efficiency under static conditions, and 4) to the extent that disturbances are unavoidable, emphasis should be placed on low-level adaptability to support high-level resilience of function. In managing for resilience, the leader can apply these lessons both by promoting diversity (of functional redundancy and response diversity) throughout all levels of the organization and by focusing on development of flexibility, nimbleness, and adaptability. This work has led us to develop seven theoretical propositions on leadership for resilience that can spur further research to integrate ecology and business leadership perspectives

Managing for Resilience: Lessons from Ecology

Understanding and developing resilience is becoming increasingly important in business for both leaders and organizations. Resilient organizations can successfully navigate uncertainty and change. Resilience, however, is a poorly understood attribute. We thus turn to ecosystem resilience theory to understand the concept of resilience. We identify four lessons that can be adapted from management for ecological resilience to management for business resilience: 1) resilience can be positive or negative depending on the nature of the function it supports, 2) diversity of individuals, departments, flows of information, perspective, and other attributes contributes to resilience, 3) because we have imperfect knowledge about the timing and nature of a given disturbance and thus imperfect knowledge about the exact components of diversity that will promote resilience in the face of it, there is a benefit to preserving diversity, even if it reduces efficiency under static conditions, and 4) to the extent that disturbances are unavoidable, emphasis should be placed on low-level adaptability to support high-level resilience of function. In managing for resilience, the leader can apply these lessons both by promoting diversity (of functional redundancy and response diversity) throughout all levels of the organization and by focusing on development of flexibility, nimbleness, and adaptability. This work has led us to develop seven theoretical propositions on leadership for resilience that can spur further research to integrate ecology and business leadership perspectives

Examining the Effect of Biochar on Invasive Typha x glauca in a Greenhouse Experiment

Invasive species in the Great Lakes pose ecological, economic, and social dilemmas as they alter and diminish the quality of ecosystems. By dominating native plant communities through efficient uptake of excess nutrients, the hybrid cattail, Typha × glauca, reduces the plant diversity of Great Lakes coastal wetlands, homogenizing habitat for many species of fish, animals, and insects. This study investigated how biochar, a charcoal-like substance, affected biomass accumulation in hybrid cattails and native wetland plants. I conducted a greenhouse experiment by growing assemblages of native wetland plants, Typha × glauca, and a combination of both native species and hybrid cattails in separate buckets with a homogenized, sand-compost mixture containing 0%, 2.5%, and 5% biochar by weight for approximately fifty days. I found that biochar reduced the overall biomass of Typha × glauca when comparing the 2.5% and 5% biochar applications to the 0% application. Biochar was also found to change the phosphorus content in Typha × glauca, a nutrient which is often found in excess in wetlands due to agricultural pollution. This preliminary study provides evidence that biochar has the potential to reduce the biomass of Typha × glauca, therefore impeding its dominance in Great Lakes coastal wetlands

Gestionar la resiliencia desde la ecología

Understanding and developing resilience is becoming increasingly important in business for both leaders and organizations. Resilient organizations can successfully navigate uncertainty and change. Resilience, however, is a poorly understood attribute. We thus turn to ecosystem resilience theory to understand the concept of resilience. We identify four lessons that can be adapted from management for ecological resilience to management for business resilience: 1) resilience can be positive or negative depending on the nature of the function it supports, 2) diversity of individuals, departments, flows of information, perspective, and other attributes contributes to resilience, 3) because we have imperfect knowledge about the timing and nature of a given disturbance and thus imperfect knowledge about the exact components of diversity that will promote resilience inthe face of it, there is a benefit to preserving diversity, even if it reduces efficiency under static conditions, and 4) to the extent that disturbances are unavoidable, emphasis should be placed on low-level adaptability to support high-level resilience of function. In managing for resilience, the leader can apply these lessons both by promoting diversity (of functional redundancy and response diversity) throughout all levels of the organization and by focusing on development of flexibility, nimbleness, and adaptability. This work has led us to develop seven theoretical propositions on leadership for resilience that can spur further research to integrate ecology and business leadership perspectives.Comprender y desarrollar la resiliencia se ha convertido en un aspecto cada vez más importante en los negocios tanto para los líderes como para las organizaciones. Las organizaciones resilientes pueden sortear con éxito la incertidumbre y el cambio. La resiliencia, sin embargo, es un cualidad poco comprendida. Por eso dirigimos nuestra atención a la teoría de la resiliencia de los ecosistemas para entender el concepto de resiliencia. Identificamos cuatro enseñanzas de la gestión por una resilencia ecológica que pueden adaptarse a la gestión por una resiliencia de los negocios: 1) la resiliencia puede ser positiva o negativa dependiendo de la naturaleza de la actividad que respalda, 2) la diversidad de los individuos, departamentos, flujos de información, perspectiva y otras cualidades contribuyen a la resiliencia, 3) dado que tenemos un conocimiento imperfecto sobre el momento y la naturaleza de una perturbación dada y por tanto el conocimiento imperfecto acerca de los componentes exactos de la diversidad que van a apoyar a la capacidad de resiliencia frente a dicha perturbación, hay un beneficio en preservar la diversidad, incluso si reduce la efectividad bajo condiciones estáticas, y 4) en la medida en que las perturbaciones son inevitables, debe hacerse hincapié en la capacidad de adaptación de bajo nivel para apoyar la resiliencia funcional de alto nivel. Al gestionar la resiliencia, el líder puede aplicar estas lecciones, tanto mediante la promoción de la diversidad (de redundancia funcional y diversidad de respuesta) a lo largo de todos los niveles de la organización, como centrándose en el desarrollo de la flexibilidad, la agilidad y la adaptabilidad. Este trabajo nos ha llevado a desarrollar siete propuestas teóricas sobre el liderazgo de la resiliencia que pueden estimular una mayor investigación para integrar las perspectivas en la ecología y el liderazgo empresarial.

Field-based measurement tools to distinguish clonal Typha taxa and estimate biomass: a resource for conservation and restoration

Two species of clonal Typha [T. latifolia (native) and T. angustifolia (exotic)] hybridize to form the highly invasive, heterotic (high vigor) T. × glauca in North American wetlands leading to increased primary production, litter accumulation, and biodiversity loss. Conservation of T. latifolia has become critical as invasive Typha has overwhelmed wetlands. In the field, Typha taxa identification is difficult due to subtle differences in morphology, and molecular identification is often unfeasible for managers. Furthermore, improved methods to non-destructively estimate Typha biomass is imperative to enhance ecological impact assessments. To address field-based Typha ID limitations, our study developed a predictive model from 14 Typha characters in 7 northern Michigan wetlands to accurately distinguish Typha taxa (n = 33) via linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of molecularly identified specimens. In addition, our study developed a partial least squares regression (PLS) model to predict Typha biomass from field collected measurements (n = 75). Results indicate that two field measurements [Leaf Counts, Longest Leaf] can accurately differentiate the three Typha taxa and advanced-generation hybrids. The LDA model had a 100% correct prediction rate of T. latifolia. The selected PLS biomass prediction model (sqrt[Typha Dry Mass] ~ log[Ramet Area at 30 cm] + Inflorescence Presence + Total Ramet Height + sqrt[Organic Matter Depth]) improved upon existing simple linear regression (SLR) height-to-biomass predictions. The rapid field-based Typha identification and biomass assessment tools presented in this study advance targeted management for regional conservation of T. latifolia and ecological restoration of wetlands impacted by invasive Typha taxa

Navigating the labyrinth: a guide to sequence-based, community ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Data generated from next generation sequencing (NGS) will soon comprise the majority of information about arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities. Although these approaches give deeper insight, analysing NGS data involves decisions that can significantly affect results and conclusions. This is particularly true for AMF community studies, because much remains to be known about their basic biology and genetics. During a workshop in 2013, representatives from seven research groups using NGS for AMF community ecology gathered to discuss common challenges and directions for future research. Our goal was to improve the quality and accessibility of NGS data for the AMF research community. Discussions spanned sampling design, sample preservation, sequencing, bioinformatics and data archiving. With concrete examples we demonstrated how different approaches can significantly alter analysis outcomes. Failure to consider the consequences of these decisions may compound bias introduced at each step along the workflow. The products of these discussions have been summarized in this paper in order to serve as a guide for any researcher undertaking NGS sequencing of AMF communities