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BUSINESS ETHICS QUARTERLY SPECIAL ISSUE "ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND BUSINESS: CRISIS OR OPPORTUNITY?"

Due September 30, 2014

Guest Editors:
Lisa Newton, University of Vermont
Dror Etzion, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University
Andreas Rasche, Copenhagen Business School
Douglas Schuler, Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University

Discussions at the intersection of environmental sustainability and business seem to face a paradox: While corporations and policymakers put much emphasis on sustainability, the problems that are supposed to be addressed through such actions seem to worsen (Whiteman, Walker, and Perego 2013). Research on "planetary boundaries" (i.e., the safe operating space for humanity vis-à-vis the earth's ecological systems) suggests that three of nine boundaries have already been overstepped (e.g., related to loss of biodiversity and climate change; see Rockström et al. 2009), often creating irreversible effects. This tension shows that there are many unanswered questions (and also some unquestioned answers) when looking at the relationship between environmental sustainability and business.

Some have argued that adopting environmental sustainability as a guiding corporate principle will lead to eco-efficient production processes, driving higher profits, and ultimately make a positive impact on the natural environment (Tercek 2013). Others have suggested that firms' increased focus on sustain- ability is driving "greenwashing" behavior (i.e., misleading consumers on environmental performance or environmental benefits; see Delmas and Burbano 2011). The tension between these arguments shows the continued need to research whether the relationship between environmental sustainability and business is sustainable itself. Is capitalism ultimately incompatible with consistent efforts to protect the biosphere and keep our activities within its natural limits? Do the admired examples of "eco-friendly" corporations supply models that free enterprise as a whole can profitably follow? Can (global) environmental gover- nance provide solutions to better align corporate interests, political realities, and impact on the natural environment? In what ways, if any, can we align corporate sustainability and ecological sustainability? How do we talk about sustainability and in what ways do incommensurable theoretical frameworks cause confusion about what counts as "sustainable" (Norton 2005)? These, admittedly broad, questions relate to a variety of research streams cutting across the societal, organizational, and individual levels of analysis.

This special issue provides a forum to address and further integrate research on business and environmen- tal sustainability. One key aim is to strengthen the theoretical foundations of relevant debates. Potential topics for this special issue, include, but are not limited to the following areas:

Capitalism, Economic (De)Growth, and the Natural Environment

Can the notion of "growth," of a business or of the economy, be made a goal of operations in any way that is compatible with preservation of the ecosystem (and ultimately, of the biosphere)?

Does the paradigmatic proposition of "sustainable degrowth" provide an alternative model to enhance ecological conditions? What theoretical perspectives allow us to theorize degrowth, especially when considering existing discussions of the limits of corporate sustainability?

How are current paradigms for measuring and assessing "growth" as well as for advocating "de- growth" framed in terms of economic and environmental impacts? How do these paradigms and metrics shape and create opportunities and challenges for businesses?

"Sustainable Development" is often thought to be a contradiction in terms, especially when considering ecological sustainability. Can we reach a new understanding of this term, especially when considering different philosophical, political, ecological, and sociological perspectives?

How do theoretical models of ecological sustainability relate to the missions and strategies of business organizations for whom continuing growth and enhanced profitability are basic goals or ends?

Organizational Practices Related to Environmental Sustainability

What has been the experience of firms, which have adopted very strict environmental criteria for their operations? In how far and in what ways have such practices institutionalized over time?

Are there businesses for which environmental sustainability is problematized because of the nature of the industry or the type of products or services they provide? What dynamics do such instances unleash?

How do different varieties of capitalism impact the ability of companies to develop environmen- tally sustainable policies and practices? What opportunities and challenges are presented by a globalized economy in which many firm operations are geopolitically dispersed?

Are there alternative approaches and mechanisms through which environmental metrics can be extricated from silos and influence organizational strategy more broadly? What types of measurement, disclosure, auditing and certification hold promise in substantially reducing environmental impact?

Governance, Regulation, and Corporate Political Activity

What role do voluntary standards and product labels play in institutionalizing sustainability- related practices in certain fields? What is the role of distributed agency in such institutionalization processes?

What policy regimes and incentive structures would facilitate enhanced environmental perfor- mance by business organizations? What institutional factors would facilitate or limit the likelihood of such measures being implemented?

What is the relationship of corporate political activity to environmental sustainability? What mental models, ideological mindsets, and strategies inform or should inform corporate political activity with regard to environmental issues?

What opportunities and problems are created through the privatization of environmental gover- nance (e.g., in terms of impact on relevant problems)? How do different governance arrangements problematize environmental risk?

To address these questions, we seek a broad range of submissions, including both normative, philosophical research and theoretical or empirical (quantitative or qualitative) social-scientific research. We encourage contributions that make use of, and contribute to, disciplines like organization studies, philosophy, politi- cal science, sociology, economics, management, legal theory, and cultural studies. Papers are expected to make a clear theoretical contribution to the respective stream of research that is being addressed. We are open to receiving manuscripts discussing environmental sustainability in different organizational contexts (e.g., in terms of firm size, geographic location, industry, and also addressed issues). We are not interested in manuscripts that have a technical/engineering focus. We explicitly encourage submissions that develop a critical perspective on the relationship between business and environmental sustainability.

Authors must submit manuscripts by September 30, 2014, using BEQ's online submission website (http:// editorialexpress.com/beq). Manuscripts must conform to BEQ's normal submission requirements, which are explained in detail on the "Information for Contributors" page at http://www.businessethicsquarterly. org). Manuscripts should not exceed 12,000 words (including references and appendences) and will be blind-reviewed following the journal's standard process. Be sure to include a reference to "Special Issue: Environmental Sustainability and Business" in the "Comments" box of the submissions website. For further information, contact Guest Editor Andreas Rasche (ara.ikl@cbs.dk).

Special Issue Manuscript Development Workshop: To help authors prepare their manuscripts for submis- sion, a special issue paper development workshop will be held during the Society for Business Ethics (SBE) annual meeting in Philadelphia in 2014. Authors are invited to present and discuss their papers during the workshop. Presentation at the workshop does not guarantee acceptance of the paper for publication in Busi- ness Ethics Quarterly, and submission of a paper to the workshop is not a precondition for submission to the special issue. To be considered for the workshop, please send your working paper to Andreas Rasche (ara .ikl@cbs.dk) by June 15, 2014.

Key Dates:

Paper Development Workshop Deadline: June 15, 2014
Business Ethics Quarterly Submission Deadline: September 30, 2014 Publication: 2015

About BEQ
BEQ publishes new scholarly studies on topics relevant to CSR and the ethics of business.

• Theoretical work including analytical, conceptual, and normative articles;
• Qualitative (e.g., interview, participant-observer, ethnographic, case-based) work that makes an original theoretical contribution;

• Quantitative (e.g., experimental, field, measure development) work that makes an original theoretical contribution; or

• Historical work that makes an original theoretical contribution.

BEQ 2-year Impact Factor: 2.196 (2012) BEQ 5-year Impact Factor: 2.555 (2012)

REFERENCES

Delmas, M. A., and V. C. Burbano. 2011. "The Drivers of Greenwashing," California Management Review 54(1): 64–87.

Norton, Bryan G. 2005. Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Rockström, J., W. Steffen, K. Noone, Å. Persson, F. S. Chapin, E. F. Lambin, T. M. Lenton, M. Scheffer, C. Folke, H. J. Schellnhuber, B. Nykvist, C. A. de Wit, T. Hughes, S. van der Leeuw, H. Rodhe, S. Sörlin, P. K. Snyder, R. Costanza, U. Svedin, M. Falkenmark, L. Karlberg, R. W. Corell, V. J. Fabry, J. Hansen, B. Walker, D. Liverman, K. Richardson, P. Crutzen, and J. A. Foley. 2009. "A Safe Operating Space for Humanity," Nature 461(7263): 472–75.

Tercek, M. R. 2013. Nature's Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature. New York: Basic Books.

Whiteman, G., B. Walker, and P. Perego. 2013. "Planetary Boundaries: Ecological Foundations for Corporate Sustainability," Journal of Management Studies 50(2): 307–36.