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Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Business & Society
Climate Change: Challenging Business,
Transforming Politics
Chukwumerije Okereke
Bettina Wittneben
University of Oxford, UK
Frances Bowen
University of Calgary and University of Oxford, UK
Global climate change has become one of the most pressing issues for
industry, government, and civil society in the 21st century. However,
articulating the enabling institutional and
political processes and the specific
conditions required to achieve a response have not proved very easy. Similarly,
literature has not been very precise in its attempts to capture the dynamic
interactions between governments and businesses and the organizational
processes by which states and corporations develop strategies to achieve the
massive cuts to greenhouse gas emissions called for by scientists.
Increasing awareness of the greenhouse gas emissions implicated in economic
activities and the impact of climate change on society have led to growing
calls that business has both moral and commercial obligations to take the
lead in the effort to combat climate change. The conventional rationale is that
harnessing the financial, technological, and
organizational resources of business
is vital for society to develop effective responses to climate change.
In some quarters, there are demands that governments must do more to
regulate industries and corporations to promote deep reductions in emissions
and foster rapid changes in business practices and culture. However, amid
this growing call for a change in philosophy, business is being looked on to
finance economic growth and meet the rising demand for consumer goods
and services worldwide. The pressure to achieve deep emission reductions
and economic growth simultaneously poses challenge to business and
government, particularly in the context of the current economic crisis and
the ever increasing domestic and global economic competition.
At the same time, the last three decades or so have witnessed profound
transformations in the global political economy
landscape with deep interconnections
between the political and the economic domains. This has
resulted in the blurring of the traditional divide between the private and the
public as exemplified by the proliferation of unique public and private
partnerships (PPP). Thus, it is now somewhat difficult to determine what
and how much can be demanded from business actors, who would be best
placed to demand such changes and where exactly the levers for societywide
transformations reside.
Three key research questions are the following: (a) What are the process,
institutional, and organizational challenges posed by climate change to
business, government, and civil society, and to what extent are these
challenges transforming relationships within and between these entities;
(b) How do firms seek to navigate, influence, dominate, or transform political
processes addressing climate change, and what effects does this activity
have on the approaches by which states and corporations develop strategies
for climate change; and (c) What insights might be drawn for effective
climate mitigation and adaption actions from understanding the interactions
between corporate actors, policy makers, and civil society?
Our objective in this special issue is to bring together insights from
strategic management, international business,
organization theory, international
relationships, and political economy to better understand how climate
change is challenging and transforming traditional business models
and political approaches. As firms do not act in
isolation but rather in concert
with or as part of public policy and civil society, insight is needed on
business carbon strategy as part of the broad field of climate-change policy.
We would encourage exploration of agency and levers for achieving the
much-needed transition to low-carbon business models and society necessary
to avert dangerous climate change. Focus might include the roles of
individual corporate leaders, organizational culture, competitively valuable
capabilities, alternate organizational forms, and sociopolitical regimes in
shaping corporate strategies to address climate change.
Some of the research areas that might be addressed in the special issue
include, but are not limited to, the following:
The political drivers and implications of increased firm engagement in
carbon-management strategies, carbon disclosure, carbon labeling, emerging
carbon markets, and low-carbon technology diffusion.
Climate change as a site for contestations of power by governments, state
departments, business actors, and civil society
groups and possible implications
for business and society.
The relationship between the political and the economic domains, and how
this either facilitates or hinders state and firm actions on climate change.
Assessment of the long-term challenges posed to firms by climate change,
and how this might influence the efficiency, and political or symbolic
dimensions of carbon-management strategies.
Comparative studies of firms or industries
highlighting the role of organizational
culture, capabilities, individual leadership, and sociocultural
and political contexts in shaping corporate climate strategies.
The precise roles of individual managers and firms in propelling structural
change, global values, and approaches to climate-change policies as
well as related motivations and institutional barriers.
What social expectations of climate-change adaptation and mitigation
actions by firms are realistic given the current
and likely future institutional
context?
What is the potential for fundamental structural change toward low
carbon growth in society today; where do the levers for change lie; what
factors might trigger changes, and in what directions are such changes
most likely to occur?
The emergence, types, and roles of unique partnerships that address climate
change and implications for the intersection of business organizations and
political institutions.
The role of civil society and the media in
reporting, assessing, and promoting
climate-change mitigation by governments and corporations.
Submission Instructions
Submissions to the special issue should be sent electronically to the
guest editors at
submission.bands@smithschool.ox.ac.uk.
The format of the papers must follow Business & Society guidelines.
Business & Society uses the American Psychological Association citation and
reference system (please see any recent copy of the journal for a sample).
Papers should include a 100-150 word abstract followed by 3 to 5 keywords.
The paper itself should contain no indications of authorship.
A title page containing full author contact information should be sent as
a separate document to the coeditors.
Dates and Timetable
The tentative timetable for the special issue is as follows:
March 1, 2010 Paper submitted electronically to coeditors
July 1, 2010 Authors invited to resubmit revised papers
September 30, 2010 Revised papers due (incorporating editors and external
reviewers comments)
November 30, 2010 Authors notified if paper selected for special issue
January 30, 2011 Delivery of full set of papers and guest editors introductory
paper
Duane Windsor, Ph.D., BAS Editor
The Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Management
The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business
Rice University
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Voice 713-348-5372
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Email <
odw@rice.edu>
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