The sweet spot in sustainability: a framework for corporate assessment in sugar manufacturing

The assessment of corporate sustainability has become an increasingly important topic, both within academia and in industry. For manufacturing companies to conform to their commitments to sustainable development, a standard and reliable measurement framework is required. There is, however, a lack of sector-specific and empirical research in many areas, including the sugar industry. This paper presents an empirically developed framework for the assessment of corporate sustainability within the Thai sugar industry. Multiple case studies were conducted, and a survey using questionnaires was also employed to enhance the power of generalisation. The developed framework is an accurate and reliable measurement instrument of corporate sustainability, and guidelines to assess qualitative criteria are put forward. The proposed framework can be used for a company’s self-assessment and for guiding practitioners in performance improvement and policy decision-maki

Concepts and definitions of CSR and corporate sustainability: Between agency and communion

This paper provides an overview of the contemporary debate on the concepts and definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Sustainability (CS). The conclusions, based on historical perspectives, philosophical analyses, impact of changing contexts and situations and practical considerations, show that ‘one solution fits all’-definition for CSR should be abandoned, accepting various and more specific definitions matching the development, awareness and ambition levels of organizations

Trade, Productivity and Profits: On Profit levels and Profit margins

Do firms engaging in international trade have higher or lower profit margins? It is well-established that more productive firms engage in trading activities and as a result have higher profit levels. We use two theoretical models (the Melitz model and the Egger-Kreickemeier model) to clarify the relationship between productivity, trade activity, and profit margins and derive three hypotheses: (I) profit margins rise as productivity rises for domestic firms, (II) profit margins rise as productivity rises for trading firms, and (III) profit margins are not higher for trading firms than for domestic firms. We test these hypotheses using detailed micro-data for Finland (2005-2010) and the Netherlands (2002-2010). We find strong support for hypothesis I (in favour of the Melitz model), hypothesis II (in favour of both models), and hypothesis III (in favour of the Egger-Kreickemeier model). A propensity score matching analysis provides further support for hypothesis III

Trade, Productivity, and Profitability: : On Profit Levels and Profit Margins

Do firms engaging in international trade have higher or lower profit margins? It is well established that more productive firms engage in trading activities and as a result have higher profit levels. We use two theoretical models (the Melitz model and the Egger–Kreickemeier model) to clarify the relationship between productivity, trade activity, and profit margins and derive three hypotheses: (I) profit margins rise as productivity rises for domestic firms; (II) profit margins rise as productivity rises for trading firms; and (III) profit margins are not higher for trading firms than for domestic firms. We test these hypotheses using detailed micro‐data for Finland (2005–10) and the Netherlands (2002–10). We find strong support for Hypothesis I (in favour of the Melitz model), Hypothesis II (in favour of both models) and Hypothesis III (in favour of the Egger–Kreickemeier model). A propensity score matching analysis provides further support for Hypothesis III

Trade, productivity and profitability: On profit levels and profit margins

Do firms engaging in international trade have higher or lower profit margins? It is well established that more productive firms engage in trading activities and as a result have higher profit levels. We use two theoretical models (the Melitz model and the Egger–Kreickemeier model) to clarify the relationship between productivity, trade activity, and profit margins and derive three hypotheses: (I) profit margins rise as productivity rises for domestic firms; (II) profit margins rise as productivity rises for trading firms; and (III) profit margins are not higher for trading firms than for domestic firms. We test these hypotheses using detailed micro-data for Finland (2005–10) and the Netherlands (2002–10). We find strong support for Hypothesis I (in favour of the Melitz model), Hypothesis II (in favour of both models) and Hypothesis III (in favour of the Egger–Kreickemeier model). A propensity score matching analysis provides further support for Hypothesis III.peerReviewe

‘Filling the mattress’: Trust development in the governance of infrastructure megaprojects

The development of trust is a major challenge for the governance of public private infrastructure megaprojects. Contractual pre-arrangements should provide a blueprint for collaborative behavior and trust development but the characters of megaprojects challenge such arrangements. This longitudinal study explores practices of trust development in the collaboration of commissioner and contractor consortia in the Dutch road infrastructure megaproject ‘Schiphol, Amsterdam and Almere’ (SAA). The findings show that six different types of workshops have been used to intervene in the collaboration of project partners in order to develop trust. The study contributes to the debate on governance in megaprojects showing how governance arrangement are enacted in the daily practice in megaprojects. To buffer the potential loss of trust through conflicts, project partners negotiated for a balanced reciprocal relationship, which is the simultaneous exchange of equivalent resources without delay.</p

A storm is coming? Collective sensemaking and ambiguity in an inter-organizational team managing railway system disruptions

This paper studies the ways in which members of inter-organizational teams collectively make sense of unexpected events and how they decide upon engaging in action. Frequently, ambiguity dominates such change processes aimed to create common understanding. Using the notion of the duality of intrinsic and constructed ambiguity, a detailed analysis of the collective sensemaking efforts of an inter-organizational team of railway coordinators in the Operational Control Center Rail was conducted. Building on team meetings observations during the days preceding a large and potentially disruptive winter storm in December 2013, the case study describes the process of collectively making sense of the disruptiveness of the storm. The findings show that contextual and temporal factors determine whether collective sensemaking unfolds as either a shared or a negotiated process.Integral Design and Managemen