Abstract:The paper broadens the scope of environmental management system (EMS) research by describing how EMSs can contribute to inertia in present production systems. In conjunction with other factors this inertia can inhibit dramatic shifts toward more sustainable technologies and systems. Our approach builds upon technological lockin theory, which focuses on market coordination and technological interdependencies as generators of inertia in technological systems. Building on this framework, we call attention to prev… Show more
“…It is believed that environmental concerns facing us today are indicators of both environmental and economic inefficiency. These concerns arise because many cost-effective environmental measures are inadequately exploited by managers (Könnölä & Unruh, 2006;Müller et al, 1997;Porter & Van der Linde, 1995). In response, EMSs of different types have been developed.…”
of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science.
Abstract
Rainforest Alliance Certification of Kenyan Tea Farms: A Contribution to
“…It is believed that environmental concerns facing us today are indicators of both environmental and economic inefficiency. These concerns arise because many cost-effective environmental measures are inadequately exploited by managers (Könnölä & Unruh, 2006;Müller et al, 1997;Porter & Van der Linde, 1995). In response, EMSs of different types have been developed.…”
of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science.
Abstract
Rainforest Alliance Certification of Kenyan Tea Farms: A Contribution to
“…Hence, even though current generations of actors may disagree with the definitions that certain artefacts support, the artefacts themselves are difficult to change, since doing so is often costly. This reasoning is very similar to the better-known reasoning underlying 'sunk costs' or 'technological lock-ins' , which make it costly and difficult to shift from unsustainable to sustainable technical systems (e.g., Dosi, 1982;Saether, 2000;Könnölä and Unruh, 2006).…”
Section: Artefacts: a Missing Link In Institutional Theorymentioning
actor-network theory (ANT), Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), codes of conduct, corporate responsibility, garment industry, institutional theory, partnership, supplier relations,
“…This dominant design is enforced at the industry-wide level, due to the existence of network externalities and coordination effects that often require the creation of codified standards and conventions (Könnölä and Unruh, 2007).…”
Section: The Industrial and Organizational Dimensionsmentioning
Whereas a centralized energy supply system is still dominant today, the energy sector is currently witnessing the development of small-scale and more geographically dispersed generation units, so-called distributed generation technologies. The alignment framework proposes a very useful approach to look at this evolution. Yet, we argue in this paper that this framework does not fully take into account the inertia associated with past technological and institutional choices that may hinder future changes. Relying on the concept of socio-technical lock-in, we illustrate this point with the case of the diffusion of distributed generation technologies. Based on this analysis, we propose an adaptation of the alignment framework to integrate these elements.
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