Preface:Recognizing management in LCM

The Life Cycle Management conference 2013 took place in Göteborg, Sweden in August that year. During some very sunny days, nearly 450 presentations took place in front of more than 600 conference goers, leading to uncountable numbers of meetings, conversations, and reflections. A group that brought together different facets of management and policy-making research in relation to LCM was created as conference special issue editors. The group identified a need for systematized descriptions and analyses of life cycle-related practices in industry and in society at large. Preferably, the research should be grounded in the social and management sciences. The intention with the special issue was advancing LCM research, with an emphasis on the 'M' for management. The special issue includes 7 papers developed from the conference presentations. The combination of life cycles and management enables many kinds of LCM research. Novel terminology and perspectives to LCM research introduced by the included papers convey some of this diversity. Studies with a product chain perspective to LCM offer a complementing contrast to the study of corporate LCM. Advancement of LCM research can thus be achieved by expanding from the company perspective towards, looking deeper into the interactions of multiple actors. Also, critical perspectives have been shown to be valuable for the legitimacy and credibility of LCA and its practitioners. These studies show how deeper studies in the social sciences offer paths for the further advancement of LCM

Sustainability program brands: Platforms for collaboration and co-creation

While CSR and Sustainability have been widely debated topics over the past decades, there is still evidence of unethical practices by businesses, as witnessed through corporate scandals across a number of industry sectors. This highlights the need for firms to collaborate to actively prevent malpractices and instead find ways to improve standards along the whole value chain. With the increased pressure from various stakeholders, calling for firms to address these issues in a collaborative and holistic manner, the development of models facilitating collaboration is vital. Taking a communication perspective, this paper seeks to improve the knowledge on how organisations can manage diverse stakeholders to improve value chain collaboration towards more sustainable practices. Based on a multiple case study methodology, involving in-depth interviews with senior directors in the food and drink value chain, a framework is developed, depicting the value of a branded sustainability program as a useful platform for stimulating collaboration and co-creation from diverse and/or competing stakeholders. The framework builds on, and contributes to several literature strands including CSR/Sustainability communication, Coopetition and Branding

Balancing Social and Political Strategies in Emerging Markets: Evidence from India

This article explores the substitution and complementary effects between political and social strategies on firm performance in the context of an emerging market (EM). Using in-depth, historical case-study approach, the article investigates how companies integrate political and social resources in this market. Corporate performance includes traditional measures such as accounting performance and nonfinancial measures like the ease of doing business. The study finds that social strategies are stronger enablers of firm long-term performance than political strategies. The latter have a short-term impact on performance, but their success over time is limited. The main drawback of reliance on political resources in EMs is the lack of political stability, fragmented polity, and weak political coalitions. We identify rather limited evidence of firms using these two strategies as complements. Thus, we suggest that firms should employ both these strategies in the EM

Strategic ambiguity in corporate sustainability communications

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonPurpose: The aim of this thesis is to develop a better understanding on how businesses should communicate their sustainability strategy to their stakeholders. Businesses are facing the challenge of designing sustainability communications strategies that appeal to stakeholders of various interest and knowledge on the topic, and stakeholders whose objectives might even be contradictory to that of the company. In order to facilitate the communications process to encourage a better uptake of sustainability initiatives by corporations and the public, it is essential to find solutions to these communications challenges. Methodology: The study focuses on the food and drink value chain in Western Europe and is based on empirical evidence from a multiple case study methodology involving in-depth interviews with 25 senior managers and directors from food and drink manufacturing companies, retailers, and some of their stakeholders. Findings: A framework for corporate sustainability communications is developed, depicting five communications strategies. The framework also offers an insight how stakeholders can be categorised into the most appropriate communications strategy through the application of certain segmentation attributes. It is further illustrated how the application of strategic ambiguity can add value to the communications process in order to stimulate interest, initiatives and innovation from stakeholders. Theoretical and practical implications/originality: Previous research on corporate communications strategies, has seen limited empirical validation, is primarily focussed on consumers, and more importantly is lacking in advice regarding how to craft communications that not only appeal to a multitude of stakeholders, but that also encourage collaboration. The findings therefore add confirmation and extension to the previous research and, importantly, it provides a link between theories of strategic ambiguity and the corporate communications literature. The framework also offers practical value as it provides managers with a clear guidance on how to design effective corporate sustainability communications, ensuring diverse appeal and/or engagement for collaboration. Thus it provides a tool that has the potential of facilitating holistic sustainability progress in a value chain.Brunel Business Schoo

Can corporate heritage reduce stakeholders’ CSR scepticism-an exploratory study?

Purpose of the research: Following Urde, Greyser, and Balmer’s (2007) heritage quotient model, and Rindell, Snatos, and Lima’s (2015) conceptualization of consumers’ corporate image heritage, this working paper aims to investigate whether the heritage of corporate heritage brands and the authenticity, affinity, and trust that characterise these brands can be extended to their CSR program to overcome the challenge of CSR scepticism. In addition to this, the previous literature have had only investigated the phenomenon in the context of old-middle-aged corporate heritage institutions, this research aims to re-investigate the phenomenon in the context of young-aged corporate heritage brand which expected to reveal new findings. Furthermore, the current literature of corporate heritage and CSR have heavily focused on consumers, neglecting other stakeholders groups such as NGOs which are increasingly becoming an important player and partner when it comes to CSR

Looking Ahead

The frequency and intensity of climate shocks are expected to increase under a changing climate with severe implications for sectors and those working across the food, energy, water, environment nexus. Impacts of these shocks will exacerbate the vulnerability of those sectors affecting resource availability, system pressures and decision-making processes. We reflect here on how communication, collaboration and co-production can play a fundamental role in informing nexus related decision-making and increasing resilience to shocks and discuss how mechanisms through which stakeholders working, across the nexus (e.g. on energy, food, water, environment) can more efficiently and more robustly co-create robust responses to nexus shocks. Fundamental to embedding communication, collaboration and co-production within responses to nexus shocks and building resilience is the availability and deployment of sufficient financial resources and capacity building in order to facilitate this process and ensure it is sustained in the long term

The Importance of Communication, Collaboration and Co-production

Building resilient responses to nexus shocks requires effective communication and collaboration across sectors and stakeholders, yet this is not always achieved. The Nexus Shocks project examined how communication and collaboration could be enhanced, adopting a co-production methodology with policy, practitioner and scientific communities. This chapter discusses the barriers and challenges to communication and collaboration on specific nexus shocks, such as heatwaves and flooding, and identifies pathways to strengthen responses. Co-production provides a constructive way to deliver more salient decision-making processes which incorporate the needs of those affected in managing and responding to nexus shocks