Ethical issues at the workplace have once again become topical and important due to considerable adverse publicity surrounding reports of unethical business practices by corporate managers. Accordingly, this paper re‐visits the question of whether gender, age and work experience do have an effect on ethical judgement, using 655 business students as respondents. This is necessary as business students are likely to become managers during their career and will face complex ethical concerns and dilemmas in their daily, routine affairs. The findings currently demonstrate that females are more ethically aware than their male counterparts – that is, there are differences between males and females regarding ethical judgement. There is also evidence to suggest that age is a factor that does impact on ethical judgement. However, we also found evidence to suggest that in some cases, the age factor does not necessarily have a significant impact on ethical awareness. The results further indicate that there is a difference in ethical judgement related to work experience. However, at the same time, in one question there is no evidence to suggest the claim that work experience does impact significantly on ethical judgement. Overall, it appears that ethical awareness does increase alongside work experience.

Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) is increasingly becoming a topical issue for business research and practice. However, there is a dearth internationally of empirical research that has investigated the factors propelling companies to integrate or inhibiting them from integrating sustainability principles in their supply chain management (SCM). Therefore, this study examines the motivators for and barriers to SSCM adoption in the New Zealand business context and aims to contribute to an improved understanding of the motivators of and barriers to SSCM implementation. To this end, an exploratory case study was conducted and senior managers of four large New Zealand based companies were interviewed. The results reveal that sustainability values of top management, a desire to reduce risk and stakeholder management are salient motivators for SSCM adoption. Conversely, a lack of supplier awareness, negative perceptions and inadequate government support are identified as barriers to SSCM implementation.

Interest shown on the environmental impact of operations of multinational enterprises in developing countries has grown significantly recently, and has fuelled a heated public policy debate. In particular, there has been interest in the environmental degradation of host communities and nations resulting from the operations of multinational oil companies in developing countries. This article examines the issue of environmental costs and responsibilities resulting from oil exploitation and production in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The case study is based, in part, upon series of interviews with key stakeholders in the Nigerian oil industry. The article further examines the implications of the current practice and policies of multinational oil companies with respect to environmental impact of oil exploitation. The study’s findings illustrates that it is becoming increasingly apparent to oil companies that pollution prevention pays while pollution does not and under pressure from stakeholder groups, oil companies now routinely incorporate environmental impact assessments into their corporate strategy. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2006environmental degradation, environmental costs and responsibilities, moral obligation, multinational oil companies, Nigerian oil industry, The Niger Delta,

As organizations recognize the need to engage in CSR and sustainability initiatives, it is integral to success to communicate that they are doing so. However, the research focus is more often on communicating with external stakeholders to draw attention to corporate responsibility initiatives. Internal stakeholders as employees are not researched as often, despite their integral role in communicating the organization's CSR vision and sustainability as they interact with external stakeholders. In order to explore employee perceptions of CSR communication, a two-phase mixed-method study was undertaken, including semistructured interviews with 20 CSR managers in NZ organizations to provide content to inform an online questionnaire survey to seek feedback from employees in these same organizations. This paper contributes to research on internal stakeholders in revealing the influence of the perceived value congruence between managers and employees in influencing internal stakeholder perceptions of CSR and sustainability initiatives. The findings have implications for public policy, enhancing organizational communication, the need for authenticity and managerial recognition of their role in facilitating employee commitment to CSR initiatives.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that drive or prevent companies' implementation of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices. To this end, we interviewed 29 senior managers from 23 New Zealand-based companies.The key reported drivers were customer expectation, top management commitment, moral and ethical values of managers, reputation management, and economic and operational benefits. Conversely, cost concerns, strategic and structural restraints, supplier and customer issues, and a lack of effective regulations were cited as critical obstacles to SSCM implementation. Thus, the evidence from our findings provides support for both instrumental and normative logics for SSCM implementation. The findings further indicate that, in general, instrumental and normative logics are congruent; however, varied tensions arise when managers seek to simultaneously address competing yet desirable SSCM aspects. Accordingly, we argue that it is imperative to understand, work through, and manage such tensions as balancing divergent sustainability aspects holds considerable potential for successful SSCM implementation.

Increasingly, there has been a great deal of attention paid to the notion of corporate sustainability, which has variously been defi ned as meaning the incorporation of social, environmental, economic, and cultural concerns into corporate strategy. Therefore, corporations, particularly those that have global presence, are required to commit to sustainability strategies and practice as a means of expressing their support and commitment to the notion. This study examines managers' actual sustainability perceptions and practices. The paper reports on an empirical study carried out in New Zealand in which 15 large companies were interviewed in 2009 about their sustainability strategy and practice. Results reveal that companies that participated in the study are keen to demonstrate that sustainability is integral to their policy and have various projects and initiatives to support their position and commitment. However, with lack of 'organised' stakeholder pressure on corporations in New Zealand to showcase their sustainability attributes, with very few exceptions, the question of what really motivates sustainability projects/initiatives is compelling. Copyright

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) have long had a reputation of not doing enough for their host communities in developing countries. This study critically examines the role of MNEs in community development initiatives in developing countries, using the Nigeria oil industry and the South African mining industry as case study. Specifically, the study assessed the usefulness of MNE-supported community development projects as a means of demonstrating corporate social responsibility. The findings suggest that expectations for community development projects are greater in developing countries. This study introduced new information on MNEs' local development programs that were drawn from interviews with MNEs' managers, government officials, and local communities.

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