IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v39y2011i9p5409-5419.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of corporate reputation and employees' values in the uptake of energy efficiency in office buildings

Author

Listed:
  • Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe
  • Leishman, Chris

Abstract

Although office market actors in the United Kingdom show a growing interest in energy efficiency, the pace of takeup of energy efficient office features is slow. Previous studies have highlighted the roles of limited direct financial costs and benefits ('efficiency gaps') and market barriers in limiting the rate of technology adoption. This study provides further evidence on the importance of these factors, but the primary contribution is focused on the role of corporate reputation and on the importance of individuals' values in shaping corporate behaviour. The paper presents a theoretical framework to explain environmental decision making in firms and we present qualitative evidence drawing from sixteen semi-structured individual and group interviews with office market stakeholders in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The research finds that companies, despite gradually becoming more energy conscious, still regard energy costs as a negligible part of their business costs. Nevertheless, an increasingly important driver is the reputational gain obtained by corporate businesses implementing sustainable practices. All the interviewees agreed that the pace of change in the office market is slow and that only further policy interventions will accelerate it.

Suggested Citation

  • Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe & Leishman, Chris, 2011. "The role of corporate reputation and employees' values in the uptake of energy efficiency in office buildings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 5409-5419, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:9:p:5409-5419
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421511003958
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brown, Marilyn A., 2001. "Market failures and barriers as a basis for clean energy policies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(14), pages 1197-1207, November.
    2. Graeme Newell, 2008. "The strategic significance of environmental sustainability by Australian‐listed property trusts," Journal of Property Investment & Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(6), pages 522-540, September.
    3. Manuel Branco & Lúcia Rodrigues, 2006. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Resource-Based Perspectives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 69(2), pages 111-132, December.
    4. Enno Masurel, 2007. "Why SMEs invest in environmental measures: sustainability evidence from small and medium‐sized printing firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(3), pages 190-201, March.
    5. B. Howarth, Richard & Haddad, Brent M. & Paton, Bruce, 2000. "The economics of energy efficiency: insights from voluntary participation programs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(6-7), pages 477-486, June.
    6. David P Angel & Michael T Rock, 2005. "Global Standards and the Environmental Performance of Industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(11), pages 1903-1918, November.
    7. Frances E. Bowen, 2000. "Environmental visibility: a trigger of green organizational response?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(2), pages 92-107, March.
    8. DeCanio, Stephen J, 1998. "The efficiency paradox: bureaucratic and organizational barriers to profitable energy-saving investments," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 441-454, April.
    9. Henriques, Irene & Sadorsky, Perry, 1996. "The Determinants of an Environmentally Responsive Firm: An Empirical Approach," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 381-395, May.
    10. 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.
    11. Gary Pivo, 2008. "Exploring responsible property investing: a survey of American executives," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(4), pages 235-248, July.
    12. Pratima Bansal, 2005. "Evolving sustainably: a longitudinal study of corporate sustainable development," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 197-218, March.
    13. Gouldson, Andy, 2008. "Understanding business decision making on the environment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4618-4620, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xiaojing Zhao & Tengyuan Chang & Bon-Gang Hwang & Xiaopeng Deng, 2017. "Critical Factors Influencing Business Model Innovation for Sustainable Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Ozawa-Meida, Leticia & Wilson, Caroline & Fleming, Paul & Stuart, Graeme & Holland, Carl, 2017. "Institutional, social and individual behavioural effects of energy feedback in public buildings across eleven European cities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 222-233.
    3. Klemick, Heather & Kopits, Elizabeth & Wolverton, Ann & Sargent, Keith, 2015. "Heavy-duty trucking and the energy efficiency paradox: Evidence from focus groups and interviews," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 154-166.
    4. Stefan Schaltegger & Roger Burritt, 2018. "Business Cases and Corporate Engagement with Sustainability: Differentiating Ethical Motivations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 241-259, January.
    5. Muhammad Irfan & Mazlan Hassan & Nasruddin Hassan, 2018. "Unravelling the Fuzzy Effect of Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability on the Corporate Reputation of Public-Sector Organizations: A Case Study of Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-16, March.
    6. Heather Klemick & Elizabeth Kopits & Ann Wolverton, 2015. "The Energy Efficiency Paradox: A Case Study of Supermarket Refrigeration System Investment Decisions," NCEE Working Paper Series 201503, National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, revised Jun 2015.
    7. Heather Klemick & Elizabeth Kopits & Keith Sargent & Ann Wolverton, 2014. "Heavy-Duty Trucks and the Energy Efficiency Paradox," NCEE Working Paper Series 201402, National Center for Environmental Economics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, revised Jan 2014.
    8. Jana Hojnik, 2017. "In Pursuit of Eco-innovation," UPP Monograph Series, University of Primorska Press, number 978-961-7023-53-4.
    9. Akvile Cibinskiene & Daiva Dumciuviene & Meda Andrijauskiene, 2020. "Energy Consumption in Public Buildings: The Determinants of Occupants’ Behavior," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-23, July.

    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. Li, Jia & Just, Richard E., 2018. "Modeling household energy consumption and adoption of energy efficient technology," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 404-415.
    2. Natalia Ortiz‐de‐Mandojana & Javier Aguilera‐Caracuel & Matilde Morales‐Raya, 2016. "Corporate Governance and Environmental Sustainability: The Moderating Role of the National Institutional Context," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(3), pages 150-164, May.
    3. Poisson-de Haro, Serge & Bitektine, Alex, 2015. "Global sustainability pressures and strategic choice: The role of firms’ structures and non-market capabilities in selection and implementation of sustainability initiatives," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 326-341.
    4. Peterman, Andrew & Kourula, Arno & Levitt, Raymond, 2012. "A roadmap for navigating voluntary and mandated programs for building energy efficiency," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 415-426.
    5. David G Hyatt & Nicholas Berente, 2017. "Substantive or Symbolic Environmental Strategies? Effects of External and Internal Normative Stakeholder Pressures," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1212-1234, December.
    6. Catherine Liston-Heyes & Diego Alfonso Vazquez Brust, 2016. "Environmental Protection in Environmentally Reactive Firms: Lessons from Corporate Argentina," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(2), pages 361-379, May.
    7. Symeou, Pavlos C. & Zyglidopoulos, Stelios & Gardberg, Naomi A., 2019. "Corporate environmental performance: Revisiting the role of organizational slack," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 169-182.
    8. Maoliang Bu & Marcus Wagner, 2016. "Racing to the bottom and racing to the top: The crucial role of firm characteristics in foreign direct investment choices," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(9), pages 1032-1057, December.
    9. Vitaliy Roud & Thomas Wolfgang Thurner, 2018. "The Influence of State‐Ownership on Eco‐Innovations in Russian Manufacturing Firms," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(5), pages 1213-1227, October.
    10. Franck Brulhart & Sandrine Gherra & Bertrand V. Quelin, 2019. "Do Stakeholder Orientation and Environmental Proactivity Impact Firm Profitability?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 25-46, August.
    11. Stavins, Robert & Jaffe, Adam & Newell, Richard, 2000. "Technological Change and the Environment," Working Paper Series rwp00-002, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    12. Howard, Mickey & Böhm, Steffen & Eatherley, Dan, 2022. "Systems resilience and SME multilevel challenges: A place-based conceptualization of the circular economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 757-768.
    13. Tobias Hahn & Frank Figge & Jonatan Pinkse & Lutz Preuss, 2010. "Trade‐offs in corporate sustainability: you can't have your cake and eat it," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(4), pages 217-229, May.
    14. Rui Coelho & Shital Jayantilal & Joao J. Ferreira, 2023. "The impact of social responsibility on corporate financial performance: A systematic literature review," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 1535-1560, July.
    15. Anna Dahlqvist & Patrik S derholm, 2019. "Industrial Energy Use, Management Practices and Price Signals: The Case of Swedish Process Industry," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 9(3), pages 30-45.
    16. Nicole Darnall & Irene Henriques & Perry Sadorsky, 2010. "Adopting Proactive Environmental Strategy: The Influence of Stakeholders and Firm Size," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(6), pages 1072-1094, September.
    17. Artur Meynkhard, 2019. "Energy Efficient Development Model for Regions of the Russian Federation: Evidence of Crypto Mining," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 9(4), pages 16-21.
    18. Frederik Dahlmann & Layla Branicki & Stephen Brammer, 2019. "Managing Carbon Aspirations: The Influence of Corporate Climate Change Targets on Environmental Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 1-24, August.
    19. Pizer, William A. & Morgenstern, Richard & Shih, Jhih-Shyang, 2011. "The performance of industrial sector voluntary climate programs: Climate Wise and 1605(b)," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7907-7916.
    20. Jinhua Cui & Hoje Jo & Manuel Velasquez, 2015. "The Influence of Christian Religiosity on Managerial Decisions Concerning the Environment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 203-231, November.

    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:eee:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:9:p:5409-5419. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    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.