Strategic Initiatives
Social Impact Components of Renewable Energy Investment
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Melody Meng
This paper explores the relationship between Social Impact Investment (SII) and Renewable Energy Investment (REI) to understand the social impact components of REI within a stakeholder analytical framework. This study represents an initial attempt to make sense of the novel field of SII-REI based on a synthesis of utilitarian concept, behavioural science, and institutional theory. Within this conceptual framework, REI is arguably inherently ‘social’ by nature, because pursuing positive environmental impact is innate to a REI project. Moreover, positive environmental change can lead to positive social value creation even when renewable energy is produced or exploited by purely commercially oriented ventures. This paper incorporates and institutionalises SII-REI in an integrated narrative by providing a new definition and analytical framework.
Global Warming: Better Selling the Cause Through Better Promotional Techniques
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marc E. Duncan
Most scientists agree that global warming or climate change is a reality. The most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) along with the U.S. National Climate Assessment, a joint report prepared by thirteen different U.S. agencies, both profess that unless drastic action is taken by governments, businesses, and individuals to reduce the concentration of CO2, the earth is in peril and the fate of humanity in question. Still, at least in the U.S., a sizable portion of citizens, 40%, remain skeptical of global warming and as many as 54% believe it will have no effect on them. How can believers convert the non-believers and more effectively communicate the extent of expected impacts on the masses? Relying on past research around fear and framing, in conjunction with some simple principles of marketing, this study suggests framing related desired environmentally responsible behaviors and policy with complementary, more immediately realized benefits for individuals rather than continuing to emphasize, as catalysts for determined behavior and actions, failed motivators around fear and moral appeals directed at benefiting future generations.
Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholder Analysis of Environmental Initiatives at the Ports of Tacoma, Washington and Rotterdam, Netherlands
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Evelyn S Shankus
Employee stakeholders represent an opportunity for engagement around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Using the Ports of Tacoma and Rotterdam as case examples, this study seeks to understand how to better leverage the employee's understanding of the CSR initiatives specific to environmental sustainability and alternative fuel consumption by sea-going transport vessels. The goal is to provide the Ports with insight into the effectiveness of their CSR messaging strategies to create employee buy-in. Background: The Port of Tacoma (PoT) provides bunkering (fueling) services to its maritime customers for their transport needs. The PoT seeks to partner with Puget Sound Energy to provide a cleaner fuel alternative - Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) via a storage and fueling facility. The public at large is uninformed as to the value of this CSR initiative and are largely being informed of the LNG convergence process through environmental activists who are opposed to fossil fuels in any form. The study considers how employee engagement with at the PoT could create a more informed discourse around this (and other) CSR initiatives. The Port of Rotterdam was chosen as a aspirant due to their advances in utilizing cleaner fuel alternatives and leveraging innovation and technology. The study will be conducted to determine how and to what extent employee engagement through messaging strategies was strategically utilized to assist the Port of Rotterdam in advancing their CSR environmental initiatives.
Efficiency of Natural Resource Use in Agroforestry Management in Northeastern Brazil
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mike Araujo, Bruna Iwata, Danielly Ferreira, Adriano d'carlos batista Oliveira, Francisco José da silva júnior, Lailton Freire, Luiz Leite
Agricultural land use is still the main exploratory activity of the natural resources of northeastern Brazil, thus constituting a region in which the historical economy is still present. Thus, the negative effects advance in the farm for agricultural production, which are intense and severe, both for the physical attributes, as the biotic and anthropic attributes of the exploited areas. Searching for land use strategies that can minimize these impacts was one of the main focuses of environmental management. Agricultural management has historically been identified as a technical management alternative that meets the requirements of conservative environmental management. Aiming at the evaluation of sustainable management efficiency, this study considers Agroforestry Systems (SAFs) in Caatinga regions, in the Brazilian Northeast. The study conducted in Caatinga piauiense and cearense. Using a multicriteria analysis, as the main methodological method, the study verified a higher degree of employability, greater stability regarding the productive capacity, mitigating the effects of the scaled seasonality; there was a greater capacity to maintain biodiversity, various strata, cultivated species and forest and shrub control species; in the studied systems, there was a reduction of erosive processes, greater accumulation of soil cover biomass; in addition, SAFs have greater resources for sequestering and storing water and soil carbon, which are identified as environmentally efficient systems.
