May 28, 2008 by
Brian Butler | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4],Overview
The general findings at the conclusion of the symposium workshops included the idea that CSR is a necessary pre-cursor to Corporate Citizenship. There was a consensus of opinon that sustainability creates a moral and ethical imperative in relation to the host community. Also discussed was the notion that in addition to the needs of future generations, there must be a concern for other group’s/company’s/individual’s needs in the present. Also, knowing the community and understanding how the community feels about your company is vital component to idea of Corporate Citizenship. Environmental managers must encourage their companies to go beyond compliance to help create a better community response.
It was agreed that in building trust between the company and the community, often times the environmental manager is the face of the company in the community; in this regard, the environmental manager’s role encompasses the fostering of trust by the community in the company. Transparency is important in this regard; reporting performance helps to strengthen trust with the community.
There was a common understanding that as the global reach expands, there is no “one-size-fits-all” for a company’s social behavior; companies and their environmental manager must get to know their communities!
As is the case with most of what we do, it is essential to ensure that internal controls are established to provide continuity in relations with the community for future environmental managers. Also, there needs to be good communications with employees concerning the company’s relationship with the community
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April 21, 2008 by
John Morelli | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
The topics of discussion for this workshop will be:
• The expectations of the profession regarding the responsibilities of the environmental manager to the community that hosts his or her company?
• The appropriate role of the environmental manager in participating in guiding and directing his or her organization with respect to its obligation to the public good of the host community?
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May 20, 2009 by
Brian Butler | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
The role of the environmental manager in the host community initiated a discussion about business. Everyone agreed that MNC’s have an obligation to work to the highest regulatory standard regardless of where they operate. A company’s financial stability is tied into social stability and environmental stability and therefore the business of business in no longer just about business! Corporate citizenship is legally recognized and global corporations have many communities to which they are responsible to. The use of community advisory panels has proven to be a very useful tool for chemical companies. This forum allows open communication with the host community and must be authentic. This can even serve as a buffer at countering inaccurate information or slander since the local community will already be informed and not easily provoked by scare tactics. Still, there are several companies that resist such engagement with their host community. Some of the reasons discussed included legacy problems, a perception that the community will not be able to understand the complexity of the situation and over react and a general feeling that what they don’t know won’t hurt them. This non-disclosure has typically resulted in undermining the community’s trust in the company. Honesty is still the best policy.
Other factors to be considered with the host community include the size of the company relative to the size of the host community, Government officials wearing multiple hats in the community, and local infrastructure. Foreign government corruption can be an obstacle towards achieving corporate sustainability goals and the environmental manager will need to have support from their leadership to be effective. Government political agendas can drive wide swings in programs and initiatives. The EM can be the mediating factor here. But how much more can the EM role take on beyond regulatory compliance, consolidation and volunteer activities?
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May 7, 2009 by
AROMAKE AFIEGBE | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
Walker, Helen, Lucio Di Sisto, and Darian McBain. “Drivers and Barriers to Environmental Supply Chain Management Practices: Lessons from the Public and Private Sectors.” Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management 14 1 (2008): 69-85.
This study explores the factors that drive or hinder organisations to implement green supply chain management initiatives. A literature review identifies the main categories of internal and external drivers of green supply chain management practices, including organisational factors, regulation, customers, competitors and society, but there is little indication of suppliers as drivers for green supply chain management. Internal barriers include cost and lack of legitimacy, whereas external barriers include regulation, poor supplier commitment and industry specific barriers. An explorative study is conducted based on interviews from seven different private and public sector organisations. Encouragingly, across the organisations, more drivers than barriers to environmental supply chain management are identified. Organisations seem to be more influenced by external rather than internal drivers. The barriers to environmental supply chain management experienced by organisations tend to be both internal and external.
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May 7, 2009 by
AROMAKE AFIEGBE | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
Singh, A. P. “Community Participation and Environment: A Symbiotic Interrelation.” ICFAI Journal of Environmental Law 7 1 (2008): 11-26.
The realization on part of the State and Central Government in India that indigenous
knowledge and skill of local community plays a pivotal role in understanding the effective
management of natural resources though late has paved way for seeking participation of
locals in its policy and decision-making process related to the environment. The author in
this article highlights the fact that community participation initiatives on earlier occasions
had failed due to improper communication on part of policy makers, and at times due to
misconceptions on part of local beneficiaries. Hence, the article is an attempt to identify the
lacunae’s on part of States and Centre in involving the local community in its
decision-making process. The author examines the evolution of this symbiotic relationship
between indigenous community and conservation of environment in five different sections
beginning with pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial period and goes on to suggest that
creating awareness through environment education is the need of the hour in enhancing the
community participation.
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May 7, 2009 by
AROMAKE AFIEGBE | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
Benn, Suzanne, Dexter Dunphy, and Andrew Martin. “Governance of Environmental Risk: New Approaches to Managing Stakeholder Involvement.” Journal of Environmental Management 90 4 (2009): 1567-75.
Disputes concerning industrial legacies such as the disposal of toxic wastes illustrate changing pressures on corporations and governments. Business and governments are now confronted with managing the expectations of a society increasingly aware of the social and environmental impacts and risks associated with economic development and demanding more equitable distribution and democratic management of such risks. The closed managerialist decision-making of the powerful bureaucracies and corporations of the industrial era is informed by traditional management theory which cannot provide a framework for the adequate governance of these risks. Recent socio-political theories have conceptualised some key themes that must be addressed in a more fitting approach to governance. We identify more recent management and governance theory which addresses these themes and develop a process-based approach to governance of environmental disputes that allows for the evolving nature of stakeholder relations in a highly complex multiple stakeholder arena.
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May 1, 2009 by
Brian Butler | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
Sinding, K. (2000). Environmental management beyond the boundaries of the firm: Definitions and constraints. Business Strategy and the Environment. Retrieved from www.interscience.wiley.com on Monday, April 13, 2009.
The article highlights on the issues companies are faced with today, typically companies are faced with 2 influential paths: the first is environmental and the regulations that typically follow suit with it, the second one is overlapping market influences. The path the organization chooses can vary greatly, and typically the time and the cost to implement these paths can range from inexpensive, to the large dollar price tag, where the price increase as each passing modification of the original plan. The article touches on the following areas: inter-organizational environmental management, Barriers to development of inter-organizational environmental management. and discussions and implications of further research.
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May 1, 2009 by
Brian Butler | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
Delmas, M. & Toffel, M. W. (2004). Stakeholders and environmental management practices: An institutional framework. Business Strategy and the Environment. Retrieved from www.interscience.wiley.com on Monday, April 13, 2009.
This articles focuses on the pressures placed on companies by both internal and external forces, the articles goes on to suggest that it is because of these forces that we take the step of going beyond compliance. In their viewpoint, agencies such as: the public, government, and parent companies have pushed extreme measure upon local operating sites, that the site is forced into un-necessary practices. The authors feel “ that institution and organization characteristics influences organizations to adopt environmental management practices”. The also state that “firm and plant characteristics are viewed as moderating factors because they are expected to magnify or diminish the influence of institutional pressures”.
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May 1, 2009 by
Brian Butler | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
Clemens, B., Banford, C. E., & Douglas, T. J. (2008). Choosing strategic responses to address emerging environmental regulations: Size, perceived influence and uncertainty. Business Strategy and the Environment. Retrieved from www.interscience.wiley.com on Monday, April 13, 2009.
This article focuses on how companies are responding to the ever changing world of environmental regulations. In order for companies to be successful, they must focus on the environmental regulations, the manager must drive the organization to achieve compliance or failure will occur. The article touches on the use of radioactive scrape materials, these materials have been utilized in construction of residences, in China 150 homes have been determined to be “hot” due to the level of radioactivity in the metals used to construct their homes. In the United States, more than 30 instances have cost millions of dollars to companies so that they could remediate radioactive scrape metal incidents. The articles also states that larger companies focus on a passive approach to dealing with issues, and smaller companies take a more active approach to addressing concerns.
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April 2, 2009 by
Brian Butler | Filed under: In the host community [1, 4]
This workshop will be moderated by M. Ann Howard. The topics of discussion for this workshop will be:
• The expectations of the profession regarding the responsibilities of the environmental manager to the community that hosts his or her company?
• The appropriate role of the environmental manager in participating in guiding and directing his or her organization with respect to its obligation to the public good of the host community?
M. Ann Howard is professor in Public Policy and Science, Technology
and Society at Rochester Institute of Technology. She is the
Coordinator for RIT’s Science, Technology and Society program and a
member of the teaching faculty in RIT’s Environmental Science
program. She is the Coordinator for RIT’s Honors Colloquium on
Citizenship, and Democracy.
Professor Howard’s areas of interest include environmental law and
policy, sustainable communities and community development, and civic
engagement in community and environmental decision-making. In
addition to her work at RIT, she also serves as a community
involvement/civic engagement consultant for a number of public and
private sector organizations.
Professor Howard received a BS from Cornell University and a JD from
Rutgers University School of Law and is a member of the New York Bar.
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