Environmental and social performance

Journal of Business Ethics

Volumn 15, Issue 7, 1996, Pages 773-784

  Di Norcia, Vincent ^a  

^a Universite of Sudbury   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0030185086     PISSN: 01674544     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/BF00381741     Document Type: Article

References (55)

1. See H. Rolston III. Environmental Ethics. Temple. 1988, Ch. 1, on care for nature. The inadequacy of care is generally true for every sphere of value. The allusion to sorge in Heidegger's Being and Time is intended. This essay is an exercise in articulating ethics as part of being in the world, natural as well as social. assume the eco-ontological view that the human species is inseparably a part of Gaia, the terrestrial ecosystem, and the moral implication that we should therefore care for it and stop destroying it (see J. Lovelock, Gaia, A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford, 1979). The concern here is however not to probe the depths of environmental ethical theory so much as to examine its practical performance orientation.
2. See H. Rolston III. Environmental Ethics. Temple. 1988, Ch. 1, on care for nature. The inadequacy of care is generally true for every sphere of value. The allusion to sorge in Heidegger's Being and Time is intended. This essay is an exercise in articulating ethics as part of being in the world, natural as well as social. assume the eco-ontological view that the human species is inseparably a part of Gaia, the terrestrial ecosystem, and the moral implication that we should therefore care for it and stop destroying it (see J. Lovelock, Gaia, A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford, 1979). The concern here is however not to probe the depths of environmental ethical theory so much as to examine its practical performance orientation.
3. See H. Rolston III. Environmental Ethics. Temple. 1988, Ch. 1, on care for nature. The inadequacy of care is generally true for every sphere of value. The allusion to sorge in Heidegger's Being and Time is intended. This essay is an exercise in articulating ethics as part of being in the world, natural as well as social. assume the eco-ontological view that the human species is inseparably a part of Gaia, the terrestrial ecosystem, and the moral implication that we should therefore care for it and stop destroying it (see J. Lovelock, Gaia, A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford, 1979). The concern here is however not to probe the depths of environmental ethical theory so much as to examine its practical performance orientation.
4. This phrase is very common in real world, as I and my two colleagues, Barry Cotton and John Dodge, have discovered in interviewing managers in an Ontario resource company, as part of an environmental management case study for the Environmental Values And Technological Innovation research project.
5. On the ambiguity and complexity of human action, and therefore, of ethical notions of performance see A. Ryan. Philosophy of Action. Oxford, 1968; P. Winch. The Idea of Social Science. Routledge, 1958; P. Berger and T. Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality. Doubleday, 1966; R. Bernstein. Praxis and Action. Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1971. Some forms of discourse about social, economic, etc., action can distance people from the material realities of damage ecosystems and their recovery. Indirect EPMs suffer from such limitations, especially socio-economic performance measures, in contrast to direct EPMs.
6. On the ambiguity and complexity of human action, and therefore, of ethical notions of performance see A. Ryan. Philosophy of Action. Oxford, 1968; P. Winch. The Idea of Social Science. Routledge, 1958; P. Berger and T. Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality. Doubleday, 1966; R. Bernstein. Praxis and Action. Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1971. Some forms of discourse about social, economic, etc., action can distance people from the material realities of damage ecosystems and their recovery. Indirect EPMs suffer from such limitations, especially socio-economic performance measures, in contrast to direct EPMs.
7. On the ambiguity and complexity of human action, and therefore, of ethical notions of performance see A. Ryan. Philosophy of Action. Oxford, 1968; P. Winch. The Idea of Social Science. Routledge, 1958; P. Berger and T. Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality. Doubleday, 1966; R. Bernstein. Praxis and Action. Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1971. Some forms of discourse about social, economic, etc., action can distance people from the material realities of damage ecosystems and their recovery. Indirect EPMs suffer from such limitations, especially socio-economic performance measures, in contrast to direct EPMs.
8. On the ambiguity and complexity of human action, and therefore, of ethical notions of performance see A. Ryan. Philosophy of Action. Oxford, 1968; P. Winch. The Idea of Social Science. Routledge, 1958; P. Berger and T. Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality. Doubleday, 1966; R. Bernstein. Praxis and Action. Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1971. Some forms of discourse about social, economic, etc., action can distance people from the material realities of damage ecosystems and their recovery. Indirect EPMs suffer from such limitations, especially socio-economic performance measures, in contrast to direct EPMs.
9. P. Lush. Canadians favor trees over polls. Toronto Globe and Mail. 26 Jan., 1992. P. Gorrie. Poll finds economy outranks environment. Toronto Star, Feb. 6, 1992.
10. P. Lush. Canadians favor trees over polls. Toronto Globe and Mail. 26 Jan., 1992. P. Gorrie. Poll finds economy outranks environment. Toronto Star, Feb. 6, 1992.
11. See Charles Taylor. Sources of the Self. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1991, Chs. 3, 4.
12. These four types of EPM appear frequently in public policy, government regulations, environmental auditing, assessment and management. See the tables in Environment Canada. State of the Environment Canada, Supply and Services Canada, 1991, and the OECD report. State of the Environment. OECD, 1991.
13. These four types of EPM appear frequently in public policy, government regulations, environmental auditing, assessment and management. See the tables in Environment Canada. State of the Environment Canada, Supply and Services Canada, 1991, and the OECD report. State of the Environment. OECD, 1991.
14. See S. Wartick and P. Cochrane. The Evolution of The Corporate Social Performance Model. Academy of Management Review. 1985, 758-769; D. J. Wood. Corporate Social Performance Revisited. Academy of Management Review. 1991. 691-718; Max B. E. Clarkson. Corporate Social Performance in Canada 1976-1986. Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy. JAI, Conn: 1988. Vol. 10, 241-265; Edwin M. Epstein. The Corporate Social Policy Process: Beyond Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility And Responsiveness. California Management Review. XXIX:3; 1987, 99-114. M. B. Meznar, J.J. Chrisman and A. B. Carroll. Social responsibility and Strategic Management: Toward an Enterprise Strategy Classification. Business and Professional Ethics. 10:1; 1991, 47-66; C. Mathews. Strategic Intervention In Organizations. Sage, 1988, Ch. 2.
15. See S. Wartick and P. Cochrane. The Evolution of The Corporate Social Performance Model. Academy of Management Review. 1985, 758-769; D. J. Wood. Corporate Social Performance Revisited. Academy of Management Review. 1991. 691-718; Max B. E. Clarkson. Corporate Social Performance in Canada 1976-1986. Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy. JAI, Conn: 1988. Vol. 10, 241-265; Edwin M. Epstein. The Corporate Social Policy Process: Beyond Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility And Responsiveness. California Management Review. XXIX:3; 1987, 99-114. M. B. Meznar, J.J. Chrisman and A. B. Carroll. Social responsibility and Strategic Management: Toward an Enterprise Strategy Classification. Business and Professional Ethics. 10:1; 1991, 47-66; C. Mathews. Strategic Intervention In Organizations. Sage, 1988, Ch. 2.
16. See S. Wartick and P. Cochrane. The Evolution of The Corporate Social Performance Model. Academy of Management Review. 1985, 758-769; D. J. Wood. Corporate Social Performance Revisited. Academy of Management Review. 1991. 691-718; Max B. E. Clarkson. Corporate Social Performance in Canada 1976-1986. Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy. JAI, Conn: 1988. Vol. 10, 241-265; Edwin M. Epstein. The Corporate Social Policy Process: Beyond Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility And Responsiveness. California Management Review. XXIX:3; 1987, 99-114. M. B. Meznar, J.J. Chrisman and A. B. Carroll. Social responsibility and Strategic Management: Toward an Enterprise Strategy Classification. Business and Professional Ethics. 10:1; 1991, 47-66; C. Mathews. Strategic Intervention In Organizations. Sage, 1988, Ch. 2.
17. See S. Wartick and P. Cochrane. The Evolution of The Corporate Social Performance Model. Academy of Management Review. 1985, 758-769; D. J. Wood. Corporate Social Performance Revisited. Academy of Management Review. 1991. 691-718; Max B. E. Clarkson. Corporate Social Performance in Canada 1976-1986. Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy. JAI, Conn: 1988. Vol. 10, 241-265; Edwin M. Epstein. The Corporate Social Policy Process: Beyond Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility And Responsiveness. California Management Review. XXIX:3; 1987, 99-114. M. B. Meznar, J.J. Chrisman and A. B. Carroll. Social responsibility and Strategic Management: Toward an Enterprise Strategy Classification. Business and Professional Ethics. 10:1; 1991, 47-66; C. Mathews. Strategic Intervention In Organizations. Sage, 1988, Ch. 2.
18. See S. Wartick and P. Cochrane. The Evolution of The Corporate Social Performance Model. Academy of Management Review. 1985, 758-769; D. J. Wood. Corporate Social Performance Revisited. Academy of Management Review. 1991. 691-718; Max B. E. Clarkson. Corporate Social Performance in Canada 1976-1986. Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy. JAI, Conn: 1988. Vol. 10, 241-265; Edwin M. Epstein. The Corporate Social Policy Process: Beyond Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility And Responsiveness. California Management Review. XXIX:3; 1987, 99-114. M. B. Meznar, J.J. Chrisman and A. B. Carroll. Social responsibility and Strategic Management: Toward an Enterprise Strategy Classification. Business and Professional Ethics. 10:1; 1991, 47-66; C. Mathews. Strategic Intervention In Organizations. Sage, 1988, Ch. 2.
19. See S. Wartick and P. Cochrane. The Evolution of The Corporate Social Performance Model. Academy of Management Review. 1985, 758-769; D. J. Wood. Corporate Social Performance Revisited. Academy of Management Review. 1991. 691-718; Max B. E. Clarkson. Corporate Social Performance in Canada 1976-1986. Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy. JAI, Conn: 1988. Vol. 10, 241-265; Edwin M. Epstein. The Corporate Social Policy Process: Beyond Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility And Responsiveness. California Management Review. XXIX:3; 1987, 99-114. M. B. Meznar, J.J. Chrisman and A. B. Carroll. Social responsibility and Strategic Management: Toward an Enterprise Strategy Classification. Business and Professional Ethics. 10:1; 1991, 47-66; C. Mathews. Strategic Intervention In Organizations. Sage, 1988, Ch. 2.
20. An interesting, if controversial, critique of the abstractness of the business ethics is found in Andrew Stark. What's the matter with business ethics? Harvard Business Review. May June 1993; 93:3, 38-48. Also see the debate about post-modern ethics in Business Ethics Quarterly. 3:3; July 1993.
21. An interesting, if controversial, critique of the abstractness of the business ethics is found in Andrew Stark. What's the matter with business ethics? Harvard Business Review. May June 1993; 93:3, 38-48. Also see the debate about post-modern ethics in Business Ethics Quarterly. 3:3; July 1993.
22. For a discussion of performance oriented social responsiveness see R. Gatewood and A. Carroll. Assessment of Ethical Performance of organizational members: a Conceptual Framework. Academy of Management Review. Oct, 1991; 16:4, 667-690.
23. See Charles Kelly. The Destructive Achiever. Power and Ethics in the American Corporation. Addison Wesley, 1988; David Olive. Just Rewards. Key Porter, 1987; Michael Jacobs. Short Term America. Harvard Business School Press, 1991.
24. See Charles Kelly. TJie Destructive Achiever. Power and Ethics in the American Corporation. Addison Wesley, 1988; David Olive. Just Rewards. Key Porter, 1987; Michael Jacobs. Short Term America. Harvard Business School Press, 1991.
25. See Charles Kelly. TJie Destructive Achiever. Power and Ethics in the American Corporation. Addison Wesley, 1988; David Olive. Just Rewards. Key Porter, 1987; Michael Jacobs. Short Term America. Harvard Business School Press, 1991.
26. See T. Schrecker. Risks vs. Rights. In D. Poff and W. Waluchow, eds. Business Ethics in Canada. Prentice Hall, 1991, 333-352. For an ecologically driven rethinking of the fundamentals of economics see Herman Daly. Steady State Economics. Island, 1990.
27. See T. Schrecker. Risks vs. Rights. In D. Poff and W. Waluchow, eds. Business Ethics in Canada. Prentice Hall, 1991, 333-352. For an ecologically driven rethinking of the fundamentals of economics see Herman Daly. Steady State Economics. Island, 1990.
28. Len Brooks. Opportunities Lost: Short term Myopia. Corporate Ethics Monitor. 1991; 3:6, p. 81.
29. V. Di Norcia, B. Cotton and J. Dodge. Canada's Paper Industry and Recycling: Losing Competitive Advantage? Business Strategy And the Environment. Jan-Feb., 1994, 2-7.
30. See for example Table 11.4, in State of the Environment Canada.
31. See V. Di Norcia and Joyce Tigner. Mixed Motives in Business Ethics. Presented at the 1994 meeting of the Society for Business Ethics.
32. In similar fashion Rolston stresses duties and policies, op. cit., Chs. 5 and 8. Also A. MacIntyre, in After Virtue (Univ. of Notre Dame, 1981.) and B. Williams. Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy. (Harvard UP, 1985) raise doubts about the validity of moral theory. The performance orientation presented here may have some significance for theory building, 'from the ground up'.
33. In similar fashion Rolston stresses duties and policies, op. cit., Chs. 5 and 8. Also A. MacIntyre, in After Virtue (Univ. of Notre Dame, 1981.) and B. Williams. Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy. (Harvard UP, 1985) raise doubts about the validity of moral theory. The performance orientation presented here may have some significance for theory building, 'from the ground up'.
34. In similar fashion Rolston stresses duties and policies, op. cit., Chs. 5 and 8. Also A. MacIntyre, in After Virtue (Univ. of Notre Dame, 1981.) and B. Williams. Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy. (Harvard UP, 1985) raise doubts about the validity of moral theory. The performance orientation presented here may have some significance for theory building, 'from the ground up'.
35. See Rolston, op. cit. Ch. 1, and A. Naess, Ecology, Community and Lifestyle. Cambridge UP, 1989.
36. See Rolston, op. cit. Ch. 1, and A. Naess, Ecology, Community and Lifestyle. Cambridge UP, 1989.
37. See Ch. 2, Fig. 10, Trends in man-made NOx Emissions, OECD, State of the Environment, p. 19. Similar emission trend tables are presented for CO2 and SOx as well, on pp. 17, 21.
38. See V. Di Norcia. Ethics, Technology Development, and Innovation. Business Ethics Quarterly. July 1994; Vol. 4, No. 3: pp. 235-252.
39. P. Muldoon and M. Valiante. Zero Discharge. Canadian Environmental Law Association, 1990.
40. See H. Daly, Ch. 2; Rolston, Ch. 8; and R. Paehlke. Environmentalism and the Future of Progressive Politics. Yale UP, 1989, p. 124ff.
41. See H. Daly, Ch. 2; Rolston, Ch. 8; and R. Paehlke. Environmentalism and the Future of Progressive Politics. Yale UP, 1989, p. 124ff.
42. See H. Daly, Ch. 2; Rolston, Ch. 8; and R. Paehlke. Environmentalism and the Future of Progressive Politics. Yale UP, 1989, p. 124ff.
43. See R. Welford and A. Gouldson. Environmental Management And Business Strategy. Pitman, 1993, Ch. 1; P. Carson and J. Moulden. Green is Gold. HarperCollins, 1991; W. E. Stead and J. G. Stead. Management for a Small Planet. Sage, 1991; and F. Cairncross. Costing the Earth. Harvard Business School, 1992.
44. See R. Welford and A. Gouldson. Environmental Management And Business Strategy. Pitman, 1993, Ch. 1; P. Carson and J. Moulden. Green is Gold. HarperCollins, 1991; W. E. Stead and J. G. Stead. Management for a Small Planet. Sage, 1991; and F. Cairncross. Costing the Earth. Harvard Business School, 1992.
45. See R. Welford and A. Gouldson. Environmental Management And Business Strategy. Pitman, 1993, Ch. 1; P. Carson and J. Moulden. Green is Gold. HarperCollins, 1991; W. E. Stead and J. G. Stead. Management for a Small Planet. Sage, 1991; and F. Cairncross. Costing the Earth. Harvard Business School, 1992.
46. See R. Welford and A. Gouldson. Environmental Management And Business Strategy. Pitman, 1993, Ch. 1; P. Carson and J. Moulden. Green is Gold. HarperCollins, 1991; W. E. Stead and J. G. Stead. Management for a Small Planet. Sage, 1991; and F. Cairncross. Costing the Earth. Harvard Business School, 1992.
47. As sketched out in Daly and Cairncross. Moves towards economic/environmental congruence, as yet barely noticeable, are further evidence of a revolutionary paradigm shift from unlimited growth market economics and industrial system to a limited sustainable development environmental economics.
48. See J. Thompson. A Refutation of Environmental Ethics. Environmental Ethics. Summer 1990, Vol. 12, p. 150.
49. See Paehlke, Ch. 5.
50. D. Schon. The Reflective Practitioner. Harper, 1982, p. 319f.
51. See T. Goudge, The Evolution of Life, Univ. of Toronto, 1961. B. J. F. Lonergan Insight. Longmans, 1958, IV:2, XV:7; and J. Lovelock, op. cit., on the diverse evolutionary, ecological emergentist and developmental system logics in the life sciences.
52. See T. Goudge, The Evolution of Life, Univ. of Toronto, 1961. B. J. F. Lonergan Insight. Longmans, 1958, IV:2, XV:7; and J. Lovelock, op. cit., on the diverse evolutionary, ecological emergentist and developmental system logics in the life sciences.
53. See T. Goudge, The Evolution of Life, Univ. of Toronto, 1961. B. J. F. Lonergan Insight. Longmans, 1958, IV:2, XV:7; and J. Lovelock, op. cit., on the diverse evolutionary, ecological emergentist and developmental system logics in the life sciences.
54. The 'chaos' characteristics of complex systems, notably their tendency to divergence and unpredictability, cannot be handled by linear logic. See James Gleick. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1988. On the striking adaptiveness of complex systems, which may have interesting implications for an evolutionary/environmental ethics see M. Waldrop. Complexity. Simon & Schuster, 1993.
55. The 'chaos' characteristics of complex systems, notably their tendency to divergence and unpredictability, cannot be handled by linear logic. See James Gleick. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1988. On the striking adaptiveness of complex systems, which may have interesting implications for an evolutionary/environmental ethics see M. Waldrop. Complexity. Simon & Schuster, 1993.