19 research outputs found
The ecological modernisation of industry : developing multi-disciplinary research on organisation & environment
University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Business.This thesis develops suitable approaches to conduct environment-related research in
organisations, as well as systematic means for understanding the emergent phenomenon
of ecological modernisation in industrialised societies. The study is organised in two
distinct parts: While Part I deals with environment-related theories and practices in (and
around) modern organisations, Part II situates such theories and practices in an analysis
of the context of the European automobile industry.
The research problem is defined through several stages. The research questions
driving Part I are premised on the exploratory nature of the study, developed in an
unfolding interplay between the review of the literature, the collection of secondary and
(exploratory) primary data, and the analysis and interpretation of the data. As the initial
question is answered by reviewing the literature and interpreting the primary and
secondary data, another question arises from the process, which then requires further
research.
Part II of the study departs from a proposition based on ecological modernisation
theory, that pro-active environmental practices in corporations are part of a broader
emergent sociological phenomenon, typical of modern industrialised societies. It
analyses a specific socio-technical context that, hypothetically, is undergoing such
process - that of the European automobile industry. Hence, the development of Part II
aims at answering the following principal research question: Why is the European
automobile industry undergoing ecological modernisation? Analytically, the concept of
automobile field is proposed to establish a link between the product (automobile) and
the context embedding its systems of production and consumption (field). The
exploratory character of the study implied that the most adequate research procedures
were of a qualitative nature. A combination of grounded theory and reflexive
methodology is used to orientate the overall research process, which introduces a novel
approach for the triangulation of qualitative data.
Together, the chapters forming Part II of the thesis answer the principal research
question. The fundamental technologies of the current technological regime of the
automobile, as well as the economic and environmental implications of this regime are
analysed. Then, an analysis of selected pilot programs to develop and commercialise
electric vehicles, as well as schemes for the management of end-of-life vehicles in the
Western European context is developed. Through the interplay between data collection
and analysis, the thesis designs an analytical framework, built upon contingent factors,
as well as circuits of political ecology, that foster or inhibit ecological modernisation in
the automobile field.
The study showed that the auto industry has developed incremental technological
innovations and practices that resemble the pre-requisites for ecological modernisation.
Radical innovations, however, are more likely to be initiated by outsiders. The concepts
inherited from the past and reproduced in the present practice of car design explains
such a situation as one that imposes a specific set of technologies on car manufacturing
that require high levels of investment in systems of production. Such design paradigm
not only imposes high break-even points for most car models; they also result in
vehicles with extremely low environmental performance and entail serious limitations
for increasing recycling rates of non-metallic parts.
The characteristics of ecological modernisation in the European automobile
industry are used to evaluate whether this phenomenon is conducive to sustainable
industrial development. As an implication of this analysis, the concluding chapter
presents suggestions for the enhancement of ecological modernisation theory. Fallibility
is proposed as both a source of reflection about the appropriation of knowledge and a
principle that can be used for the definition of eco-modernising strategies and actions.
The acceptance of fallibility as an immanent characteristic of human action is critical
for the approximation of the countervailing theories of ecological modernisation and
risk society. Finally, if ecological modernisation is expected to facilitate sustainable
industrial development, radical technological innovations may be necessary. Such
radicalism in technology may need, however, an incremental institutional reform of
modern societies. Together, radical technological innovations and incremental
institutional reform constitute the concept of radical reformism, which is suggested for
enhancement of the ecological modernisation theory, as well as for the development of
its normative programmes
Harnessing Wicked Problems in Multi-stakeholder Partnerships
Despite the burgeoning literature on the governance and impact of cross-sector partnerships in the past two decades, the debate on how and when these collaborative arrangements address globally relevant problems and contribute to systemic
change remains open. Building upon the notion of wicked problems and the literature on governing such wicked problems, this paper defines
harnessing problems in multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) as the approach of taking into account the nature of the problem and of organizing governance processes accordingly. The paper develops an innovative analytical framework that conceptualizes MSPs in terms of three governance processes (deliberation, decision-making and enforce-ment) harnessing three key dimensions of wicked problems (knowledge uncertainty, value conflict and dynamic complexity).
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil provides an illustrative case study on how this analytical framework describes and explains organizational change in partnerships from a problem-based perspective. The framework can be used to better understand and predict the complex relationships between MSP governance processes, systemic change and societal problems, but also as a guiding tool in (re-)organizing governance processes to continuously re-assess the problems over time and address them accordingly
The Political Ecology of Palm Oil Production
The paper analyses the social and environmental issues involved in disputes relating to the sustainability of the palm oil industry. These disputes have been aired in and around the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. We start by developing a review of types of voluntary environmental initiative or green clubs, as they have also been called, in this context. The study is based on extensive fieldwork in the setting of the disputes (the island of Borneo) and analysis of the different levels in the global value chain of the palm oil industry, including local organizations, the industry structure overall, as well as the local governments of Malaysia and Indonesia. The use of the political ecology framework for the analysis of the palm oil industry contributes not only to the development of a more institutional-power perspective, but also provides solid grounds for the understanding of green clubs - an increasingly important type of organization. © 2013 Taylor & Francis
Sustainability Perspective and Awareness Amongst Higher Education in Australia
There are positive and negative aspects to the adoption and implementation of sustainability by individuals and businesses. However, if the implementation of sustainability is properly and correctly planned, users will obtain the desired benefits such as financial rewards, brand and reputation enhancement; shareholder satisfaction and human resource efficiency; natural resources conservation; and environmental protection. However, the adoption and implementation of sustainability can have negative consequences in terms of failure and cost. Therefore, to reduce the possibility of these occurring, awareness and training should be made available to individuals and businesses. As discussed in this chapter, the author conducted an online survey with 208 respondents from Australia to examine students’ perspective and awareness toward sustainability. The online survey generated a further three positive and two negative aspects associated with students’ knowledge and understanding of sustainability. Finally, further research will be conducted in future to examine more diverse groups of stakeholders in order to strengthen the research findings
Lean and TRIZ: from the problems to creative and sustainable solutions
Lean Thinking philosophy pursuit continuous improvement and continuous innovation towards economic and eco-sustainable growth by new solutions. Such solutions involve eco-efficient products (goods and/or services) and cleaner production to produce them. Nevertheless, sometimes, there are technical contradictions that inhibited companies to achieve good solutions. TRIZ is a methodology capable to solve such contradictions and Lean could use it. Lean and TRIZ are on the road to achieve sustainable development goals, directly, the Goal 12, responsible consumption and production. This paper presents some case studies where this alliance is recognized and credited. These case studies were collected and synthetized by: type of work developed, company/sector, main TRIZ and Lean principles and tools used, problem(s) to solve and products/solutions designed. Building on the results, the authors systematized that Lean and TRIZ impact the design of creative solutions. Many of such solutions were developed in students’ master dissertations that reveals the importance of teaching Lean allied with TRIZ.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (UID/CEC/00319/2019