Effecting strategic change:The work of strategic champions in shaping narrative infrastructure

Organisations are under pressure to expand the boundaries of strategic management to better account for socio-ecological dependencies, and to shape the principles that guide decision-making accordingly. Prior research on strategic change focusses on the role of leadership to sensegive, and the response of organisational members. Within a strategy-asnarrative perspective, narrative infrastructure has been identified as a valuable but underexplored theory to explain how narrative guides the decisions and actions of organisational members and how leaders use narrative infrastructure to sensegive strategic change to the organisation. Yet, we know less on how narrative infrastructure is shifted, and the work of others than leaders to do this. I undertake a grounded study of how strategic champions (individuals working to influence strategic issues) support leadership in initiating and adopting a shift in narrative infrastructure. My analysis reveals that strategic champions undertake six different stages of narrative work: prompting, enrolling, underpinning, reinforcing, reconstituting and revisiting. Across these stages, strategic champions draw on discursive competences to sensegive the new master story to both leaders, and the organisation more broadly. I make two contributions to the research conversation on narrative within strategy-aspractice. First, I extend the metaphor of narrative infrastructure as a set of rails that guide decision-making, and present a more fulsome picture of narrative infrastructure as a rail network - made up of several master stories which may have different, and at times competing, organisational or institutional logics underpinning them. Second, I identify the work of strategic champions to support leadership in prompting, initiating and revisiting a shift in the narrative infrastructure of an organisation, and demonstrate how they build master story legitimacy, understanding and ownership. My thesis also lends insights to practice, identifying the tactics employed and competences to be developed by strategic champions undertaking to expand the boundaries of strategic management and shift the principles that guide decision-making in their organisations

An analysis of the prominence of corporate governance in South African media for the period 1990-2012

Sound corporate governance is a key driver for sustainable business performance, particularly for companies in developing countries. Since the media fulfils an important function in developing discourse regarding the role of business in society, we investigate the role that the South African print media has played to place corporate governance on the public agenda, and report on the level to which the term corporate governance and related topics appeared in the South African print media from 1990 to 2012. Based on agenda setting theory, we present a descriptive statistical analysis of the frequency (first level agenda setting) as well as the tonality (second level agenda setting) of corporate governance in selected South African print media over the 22-year period. Our findings suggest that while corporate governance has gained prominence in the media over the period of analysis, media reporting on this and related issues have a predominantly negative balanced tonality. We conclude that the print media is not yet sufficiently setting the agenda and breaching the public’s awareness threshold to substantially foster ethical corporate behaviour. Recommendations for further research are discussed.Ernst & Young and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/default.asp?ContentID=7am2016Business Managemen

Benefits and limitations of local food economies to promote sustainability : a Stellenbosch case study

Thesis ((MPhil (Sustainable Development Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main aims of this thesis were to investigate the benefits and limitations of local food economies in promoting sustainability through a review of the literature and an assessment of the current status of the food production, distribution and consumption in Stellenbosch in order to make recommendations for promoting greater sustainability through Stellenbosch‟s food system. A review of the literature found that the modern food system has promoted the externalisation of social and environmental costs to the detriment of food, livelihood and environmental security for communities across the world. Whilst localisation of the food system does not conclusively result in reduced contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, it tends to promote greater sustainability through the building of community networks and embeddedness that increase the potential for strengthening community resilience, accountability and the internalisation of social and environmental costs. Challenges in the near future of population growth, urbanisation, climate change, intensifying environmental degradation and peak oil are expected to drastically alter the ways in which we are able to produce and distribute food. Local food economies are presented as an alternative food system that builds social, economic and environmental capital at a community level whilst increasing community resilience to future shocks and threats. Research into the current status of production, distribution and consumption for Stellenbosch found that the region currently produces predominantly wine grapes and other deciduous fruit for export, whilst relying on imported food produce from other regions for consumption. High levels of food insecurity are recorded for areas within Stellenbosch and findings are presented on the food requirements for a nutritionally optimal diet for the region. Productive potential of the land and urban zones are translated into potential yield and compared with current and nutritionally optimal food demand. The findings suggest that Stellenbosch has the potential to produce enough food to meet all local requirements (both current and nutritionally optimal) but this would require drastic shifts in land use. A discussion is presented on optimal land use, comparing production of wine grapes for export with food production for local consumption. The conclusions drawn from the thesis suggest that in the context of current food, livelihood and environmental insecurity and future vulnerability as a result of increasing demand, climate change and peak oil, local food economies have a vital role to play in promoting sustainability. Stellenbosch is currently vulnerable with a high dependency on export markets for local produce and imported produce for local consumption. Building a stronger local food economy in Stellenbosch has the potential to create opportunities to address challenges of poverty and inequality, build resilience and promote environmental sustainability. The recommendations of the thesis are to boost local production of key food crops suitable to the region, actively invest in the strengthening of local distribution networks that connect local producers more directly to local consumers and to build a local food movement with consumers through education and awareness. Several opportunities for further scholarship are presented.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoofdoel van hierdie tesis is om voedselekonomieë as 'n instrument van volhoubaarheid aan te moedig. Spesifiek gekose literatuur en 'n ondersoek na die huidige voedselproduksiesituasie, verspreiding en die verbruik van voedsel in Stellenbosch is gebruik om voorstelle te maak vir verhoogde volhoubaarheid in die toekoms deur die gebruik van die voedselsisteem in Stellenbosch. Uit die literatuurstudie is gevind dat moderne voedselsisteme neig na die eksternalisasie van sosiale- en omgewingskostes en dus die sekuriteit van voedsel, lewensonderhoud en 'n gesonde omgewing vir gemeenskappe reg oor die wereld bedreig. Die lokalisering van voedselsisteme beteken nie noodwendig dat die vrystelling van uitlaatgasse wat tot aardverwarming bydra verminder word nie, maar dit dra wel by tot volhoubaarheid deur gemeenskapsnetwerke en gemeenskapsbande te versterk. Sterker gemeenskappe dra verder by tot meer veerkragtige herstel en moedig aanspreeklikheid en die internalisasie van sosiale- en omgewingskostes aan. Uitdagings in die nabye toekoms, soos populasiegroei, verstedeliking, klimaatsverandering, die intensifisering van omgewingsdegradering en die olie-piek, gaan die manier hoe voedsel geproduseer en versprei word drasties verander. Plaaslike voedselekonomieë word dus as 'n alternatiewe voedselsisteem voorgestel, omdat dit sosiale-, ekonomiese- en omgewingskapitaal opbou op gemeenskapsvlak en dit 'n meer veerkragte herstelvermoë gee om effektief te reageer op toekomstige skokke en bedreigings. Navorsing oor die huidige produksie, verspreiding en gebruik van voedsel in Stellenbosch het bevind dat die streek hoofsaaklik wyndruiwe en ander sagte vrugte produseer vir die uitvoermark, terwyl dit op invoere staatmaak vir plaaslike gebruik. Hoë vlakke van voedselonsekerheid in areas in en om Stellenbosch is aangeteken en die bevindinge word aangebied in terme van die optimale voedsame dieet vir die omgewing. Die potensiaal vir die produktiwiteit van landelike en stedelik gebiede in Stellenbosch word vertaal as die potensiële oes en word vergelyk met huidige en die optimale voedsame voedsel aanvraag. Daar is in die navorsing bevind dat Stellenbosch die potensiaal het om genoeg voedsel te produseer om in alle plaaslike vereistes (beide huidiglik en optimaal voedsaam) te voldoen, met 'n drastiese verandering in grondgebruik. Voorstelle word v gemaak oor die optimale gebruik van grond deur die produksie van wyndruiwe vir uitvoer te vergelyk met voedselproduksie vir plaaslike gebruik. Die gevolgtrekkings dui daarop dat die huidige voedsel-, lewensonderhoud- en omgewingsonsekerheid, tesame met 'n toekomstige kwesbaarheid as gevolg van verhoogde aanvraag, klimaatsverandering en die olie-piek, beteken dat plaaslike ekonomieë 'n belangrike rol gaan speel in volhoubaarheid. Stellenbosch is tans kwesbaar omdat dit staatmaak op uitvoer van plaaslike produkte en op ingevoerde produkte vir plaaslike gebruik. Deur 'n sterker plaaslike voedselsisteem te bou, kan Stellenbosch geleenthede skep om armoede en ongelykheid aan te spreek, 'n veerkragtige herstelvermoë te bou en omgewingsvolhoubaarheid aan te moedig. Die voorstelle in hierdie tesis sluit in om plaaslike produksie van sleutel voedselgewasse wat volhoubaar is te verhoog, om aktief te bele in die versterking van plaaslike verspreidingsnetwerke wat plaaslike produseerders en gebruikers direk verbind en om 'n plaaslike voedselbeweging daar te stel deur gepaste opvoeding en bewusmaking. Verskeie geleenthede bestaan vir verdere navorsing

EP An Introduction to the Embedding Framework

<div><p>Proactive companies are working to embed sustainability across their operations and into their decision-making. This guide is a practical starting point to help you understand what embedding looks like, how to assess your company’s progress, and how to prioritize your efforts.</p><div><br></div></div><ul><li></li></ul

EP Supporting Your CEO and Their Decision-Making

<p>CEOs play a crucial role in embedding sustainability into the strategies and day-to-day decisions of their organizations. Based on over 100 interviews with CEOs, board members, and sustainability executives from a range of global companies and a review of prior academic research on CEO decision-making, we developed these resources to share insights on how corporate change agents can help influence CEO thinking on sustainability.</p><p></p>In our <i>Guide</i>, we describe each of the characteristics in detail, incorporating as many direct experiences as possible, to help sustainability change agents think about how to support their CEO. We also developed a <i>Tactical Inventory</i> to help change agents reflect on these tactics and to identify which of them might be most appropriate for their own setting

EP Being an Effective Change Agent

We asked CEOs, board members, and sustainability executives from a range of global companies to describe the characteristics of effective sustainability change agents. After over 100 interviews and a review of prior academic research on CEO decision-making, we developed these resources to share insights on how corporate change agents can help influence CEO thinking on sustainability<br><br>In our <i>Guide</i>, we describe each of the characteristics in detail, incorporating as many direct experiences as possible, to help sustainability change agents think about how to bolster their own readiness and effectiveness. We also developed a <i>Personal Inventory </i>to help change agents reflect on and plan their personal development