Download shaping the green response perspectives and issues for indian

Greener Management International invites contributions for a special issue of the
journal on the subject:
Corporations
and
Sustainability:
The
South Asian
Perspective
Abstract submissions: 31 August, 2007
Full paper submissions: 30 November, 2007
Revised paper submissions: 31 January, 2008
Background to the theme
The last two decades have seen rapid and often dramatic changes in the institutional,
economic and ecological contexts faced by firms operating in South Asian economies.
The most significant driver of this change has been the economic liberalization attempts
of national governments resulting in easier and faster flows of information, labour and
capital between these economies and the rest of the world. Consequently, global
environmental and social concerns are increasingly driving governmental and corporate
decision making processes for firms operating in South Asia.
The example of India is a case in point. Both as a result of the Indian government’s
attempts to integrate with global markets and its large market potential, India has
emerged as an important destination for firms seeking to establish their presence in
South Asia. While India’s liberalization attempts are of recent vintage, rapid
industrialization has been a high priority of successive governments since early 1950’s.
The somewhat frenetic pace of industrialization without supporting infrastructure has
caused severe environmental degradation in many areas thereby making effective
environmental management an issue of urgent national priority. Further, despite having a
comprehensive legislative framework, the quantum of national level losses associated
with poor environmental performance is staggering. In the Indian case, the environmental
cost of degradation has been estimated to be around 10 percent of the country’s GDP.
In many South Asian economies recent policy reforms have focused on export-led growth,
particularly in industries such as manufactured goods and outsourced services in which
these countries are perceived to have a comparative advantage. These industries include
food processing, transportation, power generation, fuels, textiles, leather, drugs and
pharmaceuticals, information technology and other service sectors. However, the
success of this approach will depend on local firms’ ability to meet importer specified
standards, which may include environmental and social criteria. Consequently, global
concerns, such as climate change, destruction of global commons, poverty alleviation
and labour rights have become important factors in the decision making of firms active in
South Asian markets a.
Accompanying these firm level changes is an intense debate on the issue of economic
growth and industrial greening at the national level. While industrial sustainability is well
understood in the in developed country contexts, greening or sustainability may differ in
terms of approaches as well as outcomes in emerging economies. Available evidence
indicates that economic growth driven by economic liberalization and rapid industrialization
may lead to adverse environmental impacts unless managed properly. The problem is
more critical for the South Asian subcontinent where a number of countries, including
India’s immediate neighbours such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, have also embarked on
their own reform programmes.
In responding to these emerging challenges firms have begun to reevaluate and
redesign their strategies, structures and processes as well as incorporate sustainability
principles into their strategies. Despite these attempts, several barriers still hamper the
sustainability initiatives of firms operating in emerging economies. These include
prevailing market conditions, the absence of institutional incentives, the lack of
appropriate infrastructural support, and poor access to cleaner technologies and
financial resources for small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Coverage
This special edition of Greener Management International aims to examine issues
related to building an environmentally-sustainable industrial system from an emerging
economy perspective, with specific emphasis on the subcontinent. In particular,
contributions are being sought to address the following topics (submissions are also
welcome on additional areas not indicated below):

Incorporation of sustainability concerns on the strategic decision-making
processes of firms

Impact of sustainability issues on firm/industry level competitive advantage

Regulatory impact on sustainability practices and corporate governance

Facilitators and barriers to the eco-transformation of firms and industries

Integrated responses to climate change

Energy management initiatives including renewable energy

Green manufacturing initiatives

Ecopreneurship (Environmental Entrepreneurship)

Sustainable design initiatives

Sustainable marketing initiatives

Supply chain management, especially studies of individual value chains

Industrial ecology initiatives

Waste management

Sustainable/Socially Responsible Investment approaches

Sustainability reporting initiatives

Risk management and corporate communications

Stakeholder management, especially community engagement initiatives

Experiences in adoption of certifiable international standards

Adoption of voluntary standards, self regulation and collaborative approaches

New and emerging business models such as Base of the pyramid (BOP)

Sector specific initiatives, especially those in the Information technology,
Manufacturing and Service Sectors

Other corporate social responsibility or sustainability approaches adopted
We invite contributions from practitioners, researchers and scholars to submit theoretical
(but applicable and relevant) papers as well as appropriate case studies. We particularly
welcome submissions that use a comparative analytic framework and utilize empirical
evidence to address theoretical questions. Theoretical papers should be between 4,000
and 8,000 words and case studies between 2,500 and 4,000 words in length. The paper
submissions should follow editorial guidelines, which can be obtained from Greenleaf
Publishing (see below). All papers will be peer-reviewed.
Schedule
The submission deadline for initial expressions of interest in the form of abstracts of
approximately 300 words is 31 August 2007. Abstracts should ideally be sent as e-mail
attachments to the Guest Editor for the review process (see “Contact Details” at the end
of this Call).
A selection process will then be put into motion. Contributors whose abstracts are felt
appropriate for the Themed Issue will then be asked to submit full papers by the end of
November, 2007. Contributors will be informed of the acceptance of their contributions or
be invited to submit final revised papers by the end of January, 2008. It is intended that
the special issue of Greener Management International will be published in Summer
2008.
* Abstract submissions: 31 August, 2007
* Full paper submissions: 30 November, 2007
*Revised paper submissions: 31 January, 2008
Contact details
For
further
information,
to
discuss
ideas
for
contributions
and
abstracts/manuscripts, please contact the Guest Editor:
Professor P.D Jose
Corporate Strategy and Policy Area
Indian Institute of Management
Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore 560076
India
Phone: 91-80-26582450 ext 3092, 26993092 (Direct), Fax: 91-80-26584050
Email: [email protected]
to
submit
Contribution guidelines for Greener Management International can be obtained from:
Jayney Bown
Greenleaf Publishing
Aizlewood Business Centre
Aizlewood’s Mill
Sheffield S3 8GG
UK
Tel: +44 (0)114 282 3475
Fax: +44 (0)114 282 3476
e-mail: [email protected]
They are also available online at:
http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/default.asp?contentid=38