Motivations That Underpin Environmental Response In Business: The Case of the Screen-Printing Sector

The environment has traditionally been seen by business as an external effect, which has not had a major impact on commercial decisions because it has lain outside the operation of normal market structures. Increasingly the environment is being acknowledged as a critical business concern, as society and government regulation demand improved environmental performance. This change of emphasis has profound implications for those responsible for the strategic development of businesses whether it is via the adaption of businesses to the context in which they operate or the accumulation of resources that promote distinctive competencies. It has been the perceived wisdom that firms will only take action to improve environmental performance in order to comply with the prevailing legislation and that such action was actually detrimental to overall business performance. Therefore, while there is a general consensus that the environment has become an important issue for many businesses, there is a notable lack of information about how far, and for what reasons, firms have responded to stakeholder pressures to adopt a ‘greener approach’. Whether action to improve environmental performance has led to better business performance is also open to debate. A number of writers, have suggested that there are significant financial gains to be made from improvements in environmental performance. Others have doubted this position and have argued for reasonable environmental regulation, which they view to be part of business's figurative tax burden. This thesis uses a 'hybrid' methodology based on a postal questionnaire and case study to investigate the motivations that undeipin the response by screen-printing firms to environmental pressures. The findings suggest that environmental legislation is a significant factor in instigating the initial response by firms that undertake environmental action. Those firms, however, that develop a more sophisticated environmental response are motivated by a wider range of variables that can be linked to the concept of competitive advantage. It can be concluded that environmental legislation focuses the organisational mindset upon the generic issues of environmental impact and associated legislative compliance. However to encourage organisations to move beyond compliance and on to the development of innovative solutions that improve environmental performance may require motivational factors that are associated with overall improvements in business performance.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

De Montfort University

Year dc:date.issued

2000

Author dc:creator

• Patton, D. A.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Patton

Licence

• https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/bitstreams/dc5613e0-e45d-463c-a264-1de5e1f94cde/download