Reviewing and Refocusing
The Strategic Role of Natural Gas in the Brazilian Energy Transition
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Drielli Peyerl, Dominique Mouette, Evandro Mateus Moretto, Pedro Gerber Machado, Thiago Brito
The goal of this work is to analyze the economic and environmental aspects of natural gas as an energy transition source in Brazil during the last fifteen years. Brazil has gone through changes related to energy issues that range from the creation of public policies, processes of territorial recognition and natural resources, government and private initiatives, energy policies, into the social, environmental, and economic impact that these transitions create. Since 1980, the share of natural gas as a primary energy source in Brazil has increased considerably. In the last twenty years, growth of the natural gas industry in Brazil has been observed. Currently, the production and use of natural gas is one of the essential parts of the Brazilian energy matrix development, since natural gas has been seen in recent years as one of the transition inputs for the so-called renewable energies. This change is also the result of investments in public policies and the performance of state and federal agencies in the development of the Brazilian gas industry.
Application of Triple Top Line Model: Case Study of a Chemical Manufacturer in Taiwan
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sai kit christphor Tsui, Frank Birkin, Hwa Rong Shen
Economic prosperity has caused pollution, using too many natural resources, and potentially harming the developments of our future generations. Sustainable development is a paradigm shift. The triple bottom line (TBL) model has been widely used for nearly two decades to manage sustainability issues, however it is not sufficient. There is a new paradigm shift from TBL to the triple top line (TTL) model. In this case study, we look at how TTL model is used by a chemical firm in Taiwan at strategic level to manage its sustainable development issues. This study collects data using semi-structured interviews with the firm’s senior management and from public information of the firm. TTL model has offered insights for new product development, improved communications within the company, improved employer-employee relations as well as the relationships with the community. The findings of this paper are the partial results of an on-going study of the sustainability development in automotive supply chain.
The Emotional Side of Accounting: How Value Creation Accounting Influences Economic Decision Making
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Philipp Hummel
Stakeholder theory states that current accounting approaches for including social values are insufficient. Scholars problematize that these approaches usually serve as an add-on to conventional accounting and therefore running the risk of not being linked to the company's core business activities. As one way to overcome this deficiency, companies developed a new approach called value creation accounting (VCA) to find ways to sensitize decision-makers for the recognition of additional stakeholders in decision-making. Previous studies already examined the effects of VCA on decision-making. This study expands this research and answers the question, how does VCA influence economic decision-making? A qualitative case study was conducted at the largest German retailer of organic food ‘Alnatura’. Fourteen semi-structured face-to-face interviews were administered with managers from Alnatura. The findings show how VCA creates social reality. VCA causes emotions perceived as positive, while conventional accounting causes negative emotions. In this way, VCA can influence perception of the social-economic reality and decision-making, beyond economic factors. The study’s findings indicated a relation between the company culture and VCA. VCA represents cultural values of the company and can support these values in the field of accounting and decision-making. This especially leads to the consideration of a wider range of stakeholders in decision-making than only financiers. However, the study found that these effects depend on the level of institutionalization of VCA within the company unit. Findings suggest that the specific language design of accounting should be used carefully and with awareness of its possible effects on company culture and behavior.
