Why invest in green technologies? Sustainability engagement among small businesses

This study examines the links between sustainability engagement and green technology investments. Using data on 139 Finnish small businesses, the results show a positive relationship between the two. The sustainability engagement of small businesses affects their interest in investing in green technology. However, engagement in environmental sustainability does not seem to be the main motivator behind green technology investments. The results of the mediation analysis show that when investing in green technologies, companies do not consider environmental sustainability as a main value but as a way of achieving social and economic value.     

The morality of spending in Finnish youth consumer culture

This article discusses the morality of spending (i.e. the unnecessary spending) as well as the freedom of spending in Finnish consumer narratives written by 16‐ to 19‐ year‐old pupils. First, the study explores different meanings of the unnecessary spending discourse. Second, the study argues that young consumers are using a wastrel metaphor (i.e. a squanderer, a prodigal son/daughter) as a symbol of liberation from the shame of spending. A narrative research approach is applied for the collection and analysis of data and illustrating the results. The qualitative data were collected in five upper secondary schools between November 2001 and May 2002. The morality of spending comprises various significances, although the discourse is often pleasure‐oriented for youth. Some youngsters define the unnecessary spending as a criticism of the consumer society. Furthermore, the discourse strengthens self‐control as well as helps to arrange both positive and negative consumer experiences. Thus, the morality of spending is a part of the process of growing up as a consumer and constructing a consumer identity.     

Our Collaborative Future: Activities and Roles of Stakeholders in Sustainability‐Oriented Innovation

While stakeholders have long been at the forefront of sustainable development debates, the emphases have tended to be on different stakeholder pressures, or managing stakeholder expectations about controversial issues. In this paper we bring a fresh direction to these debates and ask in what ways different stakeholders can contribute to sustainable innovation in firms. Based on 80 semi‐structured interviews, we conduct a fine‐grained qualitative analysis of stakeholder activities in sustainability‐oriented innovation (SOI) processes in 13 different companies across Europe. Our analysis identifies eight roles that stakeholders play in SOI processes: stimulator, initiator, broker/mediator, concept refiner, legitimator, educator, context enabler and impact extender. More traditional roles such as legitimator and educator are less common in our cases. However, emerging roles such as stimulator, concept refiner, context enabler and impact extender are clearly identifiable and could be particularly valuable for SOI. We enhance a collaborative perspective of stakeholder theory, finding that stakeholders can play highly collaborative and proactive roles, and argue that secondary stakeholders may actually be more relevant for SOI than primary stakeholders. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

‘Home comes first’: housing and homemaking in Finnish civic educational films during 1945–1969

This article focuses on how the ideals of housing and homemaking were presented in post‐war civic educational films in Finland. The films chosen for the article pertain to housing on a wide scope. The analysis shows that the ideals of good homes appeared to be remarkably consistent in the Finnish educational short films. The most important objective was to guide citizens towards careful household management and saving. Through rationalizing home economics, consumers were able to buy their own home. The ideal housewife had a positive attitude towards technology and rational household management. While the short films instructed people towards temperate and sensible consumption, they also created space for ordinary people to envision new opportunities for consumption.     

Innovation for Inclusive Business: Intrapreneurial Bricolage in Multinational Corporations

It is often argued that multinational corporations (MNCs) are in a unique position to innovate business models that can help to alleviate poverty. This empirical study into intra‐organizational aspects of pro‐poor business innovation in two MNCs suggests, however, that certain elements of their management frameworks – such as short‐term profit interests, business unit based incentive structures, and uncertainty avoidance – may turn into obstacles that prevent MNCs from reaching their full potential in this respect. We introduce the concept of intrapreneurial bricolage to show how middle manager innovators may promote pro‐poor business models despite these obstacles. We define intrapreneurial bricolage as entrepreneurial activity within a large organization characterized by creative bundling of scarce resources, and illustrate empirically how it helps innovators to overcome organizational constraints and to mobilize internal and external resources. Our findings imply that intrapreneurial bricolage may be of fundamental importance in MNC innovation for inclusive business. In addition to the field of inclusive business, this study has implications for the study of bricolage in large organizations and social intrapreneurship, as well for managerial practice around innovation for inclusive business.     

Analyzing and organizing nanotechnology development: Application of the institutional analysis development framework to nanotechnology consortia

Governments and companies around the globe have embraced nanotechnology as a strategically critical pan industrial technology. Many view it as one of the essential foundation technology bases of the next Schumpeterian wave. A number of commercial and government sponsored groups have developed a variety of consortia centered on the commercial promise of nanotechnology. Yet the optimal management of these consortia has proven elusive to the point that some suggest that they cannot be managed at all. If these consortia are important, and their effective management crucial, then there is cause for concern. We utilize the case study method to create a nanotechnology consortia management diagnostic model based on institutional analysis development (IAD). Nanotechnology consortia are formed for a variety of purposes and their stakeholders include governments, industries, large firms, SME, entrepreneurial enterprises, and supporting firms.     

Production functions and productivity of family firms: Evidence from the S&P 500

This paper examines whether the higher profitability and valuation of family firms is related to differences in production technologies and production efficiency. Using data on S&P 500 manufacturing firms, we find that family firms are more productive than comparable non-family firms. Furthermore, our results show that the production technologies of family and non-family firms do not differ per se, thereby suggesting that the differences in the level of production output are caused by higher production efficiency of family firms. These findings indicate that the superior performance of family firms is related to their more efficient use of labor and capital resources.     

中国工农业发展关联性分析与政策选择

文章运用单位根检验、Granger因果关系检验、建立VAR模型和进行脉冲响应函数分析等方法,实证研究了1978～2005年间中国及其四大政策区域工业和农业发展的关联性,结果显示,中国工业发展不是基于农业发展演化的内生发展,也没能有效带动农业的发展,这极大地制约着"三农问题"的解决和国民经济的可持续发展.在实证分析的基础上,文章给出了一些相关的政策建议.     

Business models for material efficiency services: Conceptualization and application

Despite the abundant research on material flows and the growing recognition of the need to dematerialize the economy, business enterprises are still not making the best possible use of the many opportunities for material efficiency improvements. This article proposes one possible solution: material efficiency services provided by outside suppliers. It also introduces a conceptual framework for the analysis of different business models for eco-efficient services and applies the framework to material efficiency services. Four business models are outlined and their feasibility is studied from an empirical vantage point. In contrast to much of the previous research, special emphasis is laid on the financial aspects. It appears that the most promising business models are ‘material efficiency as additional service’ and ‘material flow management service’. Depending on the business model, prominent material efficiency service providers differ from large companies that offer multiple products and/or services to smaller, specialized providers. Potential clients (users) typically lack the resources (expertise, management's time or initial funds) to conduct material efficiency improvements themselves. Customers are more likely to use material efficiency services that relate to support materials or side-streams rather than those that are at the core of production. Potential client organizations with a strategy of outsourcing support activities and with experience of outsourcing are more keen to use material efficiency services.