IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v15y2006i6p363-376.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental issue management: towards a multi‐level theory of environmental management competence

Author

Listed:
  • Pursey P. M. A. R. Heugens

Abstract

The continuity and profitability of business firms are under constant threat from environmental issues – forthcoming developments in the environmental domain or involving environmental stakeholders that are likely to have an important impact on the ability of the enterprise to meet its objectives. Managers must forge responses to such issues, but must they respond in an ad hoc fashion to every issue or can they develop more coherent environmental management competences? Empirical evidence was collected from a case study of the environmental issue management practices of Unilever, one of the largest food and personal care companies in the world. This company's approach to dealing with the issue of genetically modified ingredients reveals that issue managers face a complex level‐of‐analysis problem when confronting environmental issues: how to translate individual‐level knowledge into organization‐level outcomes? The theory developed here suggests that once firms learn how to span this chasm, they are able not only to address discrete environmental issues, but also to build competitive environmental advantages through the development of integrative organizational competences. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Pursey P. M. A. R. Heugens, 2006. "Environmental issue management: towards a multi‐level theory of environmental management competence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(6), pages 363-376, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:15:y:2006:i:6:p:363-376
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.438
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.438
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.438?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jane E. Dutton, 1993. "Interpretations On Automatic: A Different View Of Strategic Issue Diagnosis," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 339-357, May.
    2. Andrew J. Hoffman & William Ocasio, 2001. "Not All Events Are Attended Equally: Toward a Middle-Range Theory of Industry Attention to External Events," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 414-434, August.
    3. Bruce Kogut & Udo Zander, 1992. "Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and the Replication of Technology," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(3), pages 383-397, August.
    4. Pursey P. M. A. R. Heugens, 2003. "Capability building through adversarial relationships: a replication and extension of Clarke and Roome (1999)," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(5), pages 300-312, September.
    5. Susanne Sweet & Nigel Roome & Patrick Sweet, 2003. "Corporate environmental management and sustainable enterprise: the influence of information processing and decision styles," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(4), pages 265-277, July.
    6. Jay B. Barney, 1986. "Strategic Factor Markets: Expectations, Luck, and Business Strategy," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(10), pages 1231-1241, October.
    7. David J. Teece & Gary Pisano & Amy Shuen, 1997. "Dynamic capabilities and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 509-533, August.
    8. H. Igor Ansoff, 1980. "Strategic issue management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 1(2), pages 131-148, April.
    9. Pratima Bansal, 2003. "From Issues to Actions: The Importance of Individual Concerns and Organizational Values in Responding to Natural Environmental Issues," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(5), pages 510-527, October.
    10. Rebecca Henderson & Iain Cockburn, 1994. "Measuring Competence? Exploring Firm Effects in Pharmaceutical Research," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(S1), pages 63-84, December.
    11. Jane E. Dutton & Robert B. Duncan, 1987. "The creation of momentum for change through the process of strategic issue diagnosis," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(3), pages 279-295, May.
    12. R. T. Lenz & Jack L. Engledow, 1986. "Environmental analysis units and strategic decision‐making: A field study of selected ‘leading‐edge’ corporations," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(1), pages 69-89, January.
    13. Kathleen R. Conner & C. K. Prahalad, 1996. "A Resource-Based Theory of the Firm: Knowledge Versus Opportunism," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(5), pages 477-501, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nickerson, Jack A. & Yen, C. James & Mahoney, Joseph T., 2011. "Exploring the Problem-Finding and Problem-Solving Approach for Designing Organizations," Working Papers 11-0107, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.
    2. Minerva Martínez Avila & Juan José García-Machado & Eréndira Fierro Moreno, 2021. "A Multiple Full Mediating Effect in a PLS Hierarchical Component Model: Application to the Collaborative Public Management," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(16), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Frank T. Rothaermel & Maria Tereza Alexandre, 2009. "Ambidexterity in Technology Sourcing: The Moderating Role of Absorptive Capacity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(4), pages 759-780, August.
    4. Mehmet Ali Köseoglu & John A. Parnell & Melissa Yan Yee Yick, 2021. "Identifying influential studies and maturity level in intellectual structure of fields: evidence from strategic management," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(2), pages 1271-1309, February.
    5. Coulet, Jean-Claude, 2019. "The organization activity: A foresight approach of theoretical knowledge evolution in management science," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 160-168.
    6. Cloodt, Myriam & Hagedoorn, John & Van Kranenburg, Hans, 2006. "Mergers and acquisitions: Their effect on the innovative performance of companies in high-tech industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 642-654, June.
    7. Rosa Caiazza & Aileen Richardson & David Audretsch, 2015. "Knowledge effects on competitiveness: from firms to regional advantage," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(6), pages 899-909, December.
    8. Audretsch, David & Lehmann, Erik E, 2005. "Entrepreneurial Access and Absorption of Knowledge Spillovers: Strategic Board and Managerial Composition for Competitive Advan," CEPR Discussion Papers 5335, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Maryam Ghorbankhani & Federica Rossi, 2023. "Intrinsic and strategic complementarity of research and knowledge transfer activities as determinants of knowledge transfer management: evidence from public research organisations," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1386-1412, August.
    10. Omar Rabeea Mahdi & Islam A. Nassar, 2021. "The Business Model of Sustainable Competitive Advantage through Strategic Leadership Capabilities and Knowledge Management Processes to Overcome COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-27, September.
    11. Kraaijenbrink, Jeroen & Spender, JC & Groen, Aard, 2009. "The resource-based view: A review and assessment of its critiques," MPRA Paper 21442, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Jack A. Nickerson & Todd R. Zenger, 2004. "A Knowledge-Based Theory of the Firm—The Problem-Solving Perspective," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(6), pages 617-632, December.
    13. Duysters, G.M. & Heimeriks, K.H., 2002. "The influence of alliance capabilities on alliance performance: an empirical investigation," Working Papers 02.08, Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies.
    14. Georg Schreyögg & Martina Kliesch, 2006. "Zur Dynamisierung Organisational Kompetenzen — „Dynamic Capabilities“als Lösungsansatz?," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 455-476, June.
    15. Julio Cesar Acosta Prado & Reynaldo Hernández Reyes, 2012. "Externalización de procesos de negocio en tecnologías de la información y la gestión estratégica del conocimiento. Una revisión de la literatura," Dimensión Empresarial, Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, December.
    16. Hazen, Benjamin T. & Bradley, Randy V. & Bell, John E. & In, Joonhwan & Byrd, Terry A., 2017. "Enterprise architecture: A competence-based approach to achieving agility and firm performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 566-577.
    17. Peeters, T.J.G., 2013. "External knowledge search and use in new product development," Other publications TiSEM 300ebb34-b090-4210-b95e-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    18. Filippo Carlo Wezel & Gino Cattani & Johannes M. Pennings, 2006. "Competitive Implications of Interfirm Mobility," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(6), pages 691-709, December.
    19. Kim, Jongwook & Mahoney, Joseph T., 2008. "A Strategic Theory of the Firm as a Nexus of Incomplete Contracts: A Property Rights Approach," Working Papers 08-0108, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.
    20. Pettus, Michael L. & Kor, Yasemin Y. & Mahoney, Joseph T., 2007. "A Theory of Change in Turbulent Environments: The Sequencing of Dynamic Capabilities Following Industry Deregulation," Working Papers 07-0100, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:15:y:2006:i:6:p:363-376. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.