An exploratory study of motivations driving corporate investment in voluntary climate change mitigation in South Africa

Abstract

This study investigates factors driving investment in voluntary climate change mitigation among a selection of listed corporations in South Africa. Based on a review of the literature, a proposed conceptual framework is developed and empirically tested using case studies. A qualitative analysis of the data reveals three key motivational drivers: legitimacy, the financial business case and moral responsibility. In addition, a number of sub-drivers are identified which provide insights for engagement with companies in developing South Africa's response to climate change.

The interplay between stakeholders, resources and capabilities in climate change strategy: converting barriers into cooperation

“…Actions designed to mitigate climate change have become a strategic issue for organizations around the world (Glienke & Guenther, ). Often, such actions are implemented due to the demands of stakeholders (Rasi, Abdekhodaee, & Nagarajah, ), and engaging stakeholders in the development of responses to climate change is becoming a necessary process (Reyers, Gouws, & Blignaut, ).…”

“…The theoretical contribution of this article is based on testing Savage et al's stakeholders approach (1991) (Glienke & Guenther, 2016). Often, such actions are implemented due to the demands of stakeholders (Rasi, Abdekhodaee, & Nagarajah, 2014), and engaging stakeholders in the development of responses to climate change is becoming a necessary process (Reyers, Gouws, & Blignaut, 2011). Savage et al (1991) define four classifications for understanding the role of stakeholders in influencing strategic actions, according to their potential to threaten or cooperate with these actions.…”

Decarbonisation of operations management – looking back, moving forward: a review and implications for the production research community

“…Figure 4 presents the percentages relative to this analysis category. The authors reported the main barriers to carbon offsets in Canadian forests based on a qualitative study conducted with stakeholders in the sector Meyers et al (2016) The article identified barriers faced by small-and medium-sized companies in the Food and Drink sector located in European countries in improving energy efficiency, and provided recommendations De Wolf, Pomponi, and Moncaster (2017) The authors identified drivers and barriers to low-carbon processes in the building sector in developed countries Long, Blok, and Coninx (2016) The article identified barriers to the adoption of smart technologies for reducing carbon emissions in the agriculture sector in European countries Meath, Linnenluecke, and Griffiths (2016) The authors analysed barriers and motivations for small-and medium-sized companies participating in voluntary programmes for energy efficiency in Australia Henriques and Catarino (2016) The article found and discussed barriers to pursuing energy efficiency in small-and mediumsized enterprises in Portugal in order to reduce carbon emissions, and proposed ways to overcome the identified barriers Polzin (2017) The article analysed challenges to clean technologies used in addressing low-carbon processes Kragt, Dumbrell, and Blackmore (2017) The authors identified the key drivers and barriers to engagement with carbon farming in the Australian agriculture sector Masud et al (2017) The article analysed the perception of climate change risks by farmers in Malaysia and the consequent barriers to adaptation strategies He et al (2017) The article discussed barriers to developing low-carbon logistics strategies in China Herrmann and Guenther (2017) The authors proposed a scale of organisational barriers to understanding enterprises' climate change strategies in Germany Santos (2017) The author discussed macroeconomic barriers to decarbonisation of the transport sector Yi, Feiock, and Berry (2017) The authors developed a framework for understanding the reasons why cities in the USA have voluntarily adopted climate change policies Reyers, Gouws, and Blignaut (2011) This study analysed the motivating factors behind voluntary climate change mitigation. Three factors were cited as important: legitimacy, financial business and moral responsibility Lee et al (2013) It was noted that the success of CO 2 reduction in sectors such as electricity, heat production and transport in the region of Southeast Asia depends on a reduction in the differences and deficiencies in policies and regulations between ASEAN nations Lo (2010) Companies from the Taiwanese electronic sector have adapted to environmental trade barriers from international associations and sustainable procurement policies from customers to vo...…”

“…The identified barriers and/or motivators were either used for conducting empirical studies (Reyers, Gouws, and Blignaut 2011;Boiral, Henri, and Talbot 2012;Lee et al 2013;Zhu and Geng 2013) or they were the findings of the research involved in the selected papers (Sullivan 2009;Aben, Hartley, and Wilkening 2010;Ford et al 2010;Lo 2010;Lah 2015;Lee 2015). Additionally, it should be noted that the identified barriers and motivators may feature dual characteristics.…”

Antecedents to transformational community engagement in South Africa

“…The attitude and approach to engagement taken by the organisation are key to its success. Many of the enablers are within the company's sphere of influence, highlighting the role of managerial perception by Bowen et al (2010) and Reyers, Gouws & Blignaut (2011). For example, ethics could influence the direction of community engagement (Coldwell, 2010) but should be understood in its African context (Murove, 2005).…”