1st Edition
Navigating the Ecological Transition A Business School Perspective
The transition toward sustainability is now a major issue that has taken centre stage in public debate, policy circles, scientific forums, and business roundtables. Higher Education institutions focusing on educating tomorrow’s managers, leaders and business practices are doubly challenged by this development. On the one hand, they must be accountable to their internal stakeholders who strongly identify with the new “environmental awakening.”. On the other hand, because of their status as research institutions, they must provide answers and propose solutions to face this challenge which is shaping up to be the most crucial issue that humanity has had to face in the modern era.
In this book, faculty and researchers from ESSEC Business School, a recognised leader among European schools of business and management, provide a multi-faceted perspective on the different areas that need to be considered to understand the new market dynamics during this environmental and social transition. The book identifies the obstacles that come in the way of the transformation of dominant business models, and how to overcome them in order to move away from "business as usual.”. The various chapters in this work offer a vast diversity of approaches that address the paradigm shift towards sustainability, providing insights for both business and higher education. The book includes chapters from seven different departments at ESSEC: Management, Accounting and Management Control, Economics, Information Systems, Decision Sciences and Statistics, Marketing, Operations Management, and Public & Private Policy.
Research-based and combining theory with practice, this thought-provoking book will be welcomed by academics, institutions and professionals alike, wishing to gain perspectives on the challenges of the transition toward a sustainable society.
Part I: From sinners to saints? How companies, mindsets, and paradigms can contribute to sustainability transition
1. Shaping Citizens’ Attitudes to Engage in Climate Action in the Global South and Global North
Vincenzo Esposito Vinzi, Estefania Santacreu-Vasut, Radu Vranceanu, and Cristina Davino
2. Responsible Leadership and Sustainable Business Practices
Stefan Gröschl
3. Wishing for a Shift: A Paradigm Perspective on Ecological Transition
Fabrice Cavarretta
Part II: Sustainability: The need for transparency and accountability
4. In Search of a Compass for Navigating the Ecological Transition
Adrian Zicari
5. Animal Welfare: How sustainability accounting can trigger awareness and positive change
Mark Christensen, and Geoffrey Lamberton, from an interview with Tom Gamble
6. From Anti-Greenwashing Toolbox to EU Leadership’s Sword
Geneviève Helleringer
Part III: From Products and Profit to Responsible Innovation
7. Responsible Innovation as a Driving Force for Ecological Transition
Xavier Pavie
8. Replacing Old with New: Perceived product obsolescence – its impact on consumer behaviour and the planet
Emmanuelle Le Nagard
Part IV: Sustainability: The role of education and engagement
9. A Pragmatic Way to Teach Energy Transition Stakes in a Business School
Laurence de Carlo
10. When French Public Hospitals Go Green: Reworking the boundaries of hospital practices
Marie-Léandre Gomez and Marion Ligonie
11. How Environmental Shareholder Activism Spurs Large Corporations to communicate on their Commitment
Viviane de Beaufort
Part V: The Energy Transition: A focus on Asia and Africa
12. Geopolitical Perspectives on China's Sustainability Initiatives
Cédomir Nestorovic
13. Why and How Morocco is Pioneering Africa's Energy Transition,
Hugues Bouthinon-Dumas and Hamid Bouchikhi
Conclusion
Hugues Bouthinon-Dumas, Arijit Chatterjee, and Bernard Leca
Biography
Hugues Bouthinon-Dumas is associate professor of law in the public and private policy department and head of the public affairs track at ESSEC Business School in Paris. He holds a Doctorate in economic law from Paris Dauphine University and his “Habilitation” from Paris Sorbonne University. He teaches business law, legal aspects of the ecological transition, sustainable finance, company law and economic criminal law. He is also a part-time judge at the Nanterre court (Paris Business District). His interest areas cover markets regulation, company law including corporate governance issues, Law & Management and legal theory.
Arijit Chatterjee is Professor of Management and the Academic Director of the Asian Strategy Consulting Project at ESSEC Business School. His research interests are in strategic decision-making, how inequality within and outside of firms is addressed through institutional mechanisms and social movements, and how businesses can pursue economic, social, and environmental goals simultaneously.
Bernard Leca is Professor of Management Control, Chaired Professor on Ecological Transition at ESSEC Business School, and the Academic Director of the EMISE Laboratory. He researches, and works with companies and other organizations on topics related to sustainability. He focuses on sustainable development goals, in particular issues related to climate change and biodiversity collapse with a particular focus on power asymmetry among actors, and how this might influence adaptation and mitigation processes.
