Re-imagining the sustainability narrative in US cities

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Staci M. Zavattaro
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Narrative Form ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Narratives ◽  
The Status ◽  
Us Cities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how US cities are communicating a sustainability narrative. Based on an analysis, cities are using a sustainability narrative focusing on environmental sustainability and consumption. Critical theory is introduced as a means to imagine alternative narratives. Design/methodology/approach – Exploratory in nature, this study relied on qualitative media analysis to analyze documents and images gathered from 22 US city websites. Critical theory is then introduced to provide a conceptual way forward from the status quo narrative form. Findings – Cities are utilizing environmental narratives largely, rather than including social and economic interests inherent within holistic sustainability practices. Moreover, cities are promoting sustainability as consumption, a practice that is inherently not sustainable. Critical theory explains that marketers are relying on the “status quo” when it comes to crafting a sustainability narrative. Practical implications – Destination marketing managers can think outside of given narratives to create their own sustainability stories that might help the place achieve a competitive advantage. Originality/value – Knowledge into sustainability marketing practices is extended by revealing a consumption narrative and utilizing critical theory to move beyond this status quo.

Environmental sustainability out of the loop in Lebanese universities

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 49-67
Author(s):  
Mireille Chidiac El Hajj ◽  
Richard Abou Moussa ◽  
May Chidiac
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Out Of The Loop ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Right

Purpose Education is foundational for creating caring sustainable leaders and organizations. This paper aims to investigate whether historically eminent Lebanese universities are integrating sustainability courses and practices in their curriculum, and to discern whether these universities’ administrators are currently providing, or plan to provide, positive educational experience through addressing sustainability concepts and tools in their respective universities. Design/methodology/approach The authors based their qualitative study on a multimodal design for explorative and recommendation purposes. The review of literature and online search facilitated setting standards and benchmarking. Face-to-face interviews and observation corroborated the findings and provided insight. The information was systematically ordered to tackle sustainability as a product and as a process on different campuses. All research was subject to ethical clearance from the studied subjects. Findings Compiling the input from all participants revealed that there is an urgent need to reform universities’ products and processes, in addition to a necessary call for support from governmental entities. The seeds of environmental sustainability are present in varying degrees in universities that have been continuously functional in the service of higher education in Lebanon for a period of 50 years or more. Research limitations/implications The lack of contextual, comprehensive models, toward which change can be geared, presents a limitation to this work. Another limitation is that this study was restricted to historically prominent universities with the valid assumption that they play a leadership role in higher education. More universities should be investigated to further validate the findings, to complement this project and to allow for generalizability and comparison with initial findings. Practical implications More focus is needed to prepare present students and the future community to rely on available resources. The paper outlines the need to change the educational approach in Lebanese universities. It addresses a call to the administrators of all universities to provide the right policies, tools, materials and other resources to help sustainability. Social implications Universities are called to play a major role especially in inspiring and teaching sustainability concepts. It is worth noting that education can be seen as a social good. If education is well served, it can create jobs, generate high revenues and raise standards of living. But serving the education “well” may require disruption of the status quo, which, if done creatively, will lead to novel approaches and solutions that outweigh the disruption itself. Originality/value This paper has exposed the status quo of universities vis-à-vis sustainability, but it has also challenged “what is”, and opened up possibilities of what “could be”. Educational projects should be adapted with the participation of the private sector to stimulate innovation, and experience the lived dimension of sustainability. Implementing such a change represents the bridge between current and needed ways of thinking required by the new environment.

Sustainability management control systems in higher education institutions from measurement to management

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Roos ◽  
Edeltraud Guenther
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Environmental Management ◽  
Control Systems ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Management Control Systems ◽  
Sustainability Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status

Purpose As social institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs) play a key role in the distribution of knowledge and skills for sustainable development and societal structures. To fulfill this task, the institutionalization of sustainability within the organization’s structures is essential. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the status quo of environmental management performance (EMP) in HEIs and conclusions for the application of management control systems. Design/methodology/approach Within a systematic literature review, 56 international publications were analyzed along a qualitative thematic content analysis. The coding followed the dimensions of EMP by Trumpp et al. Findings Structuring environmental sustainability efforts along the concept of EMP reveals a major weakness in environmental sustainability management of HEIs. Therefore, the study proposes a model for a processual integration of steering mechanisms for management bodies to systemize appropriate efforts to gain excellence in operations. Originality/value By applying the concept of EMP by Trumpp et al., this systematic review provides an overview of the status quo of environmental management performance at HEIs and proposes a model for the implementation of advanced top-down steering striving a whole institution approach.

A status quo analysis of disaster risk reduction policy and legislation in Cameroon

foresight ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.E.A. Ashu ◽  
Dewald Van Niekerk
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Institutions ◽  
The Status

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the status quo of disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy and legislation in Cameroon. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative method, this paper examines historical data from sectoral administrative reports, plans, declarations, commitments and speeches, texts and peer-reviewed journals on disaster and risk management in Cameroon for the period 1967-2017. Empirical data from ten selected government sectors were used to analyze the status quo, together with quantitative data collected by using four instruments (i.e. HFA Priority 1 & 4, USAID Toolkit, GOAL Resilience Score and the Checklist on Law and DRR). Findings Findings show that Cameroon largely still practices disaster response through the Department of Civil Protection. Transparency and accountability are the sine qua non of the state, but the lack thereof causes improper implementation of DRR within development institutions. DRR is seen as an ad hoc activity, with the result that there is not effective institutional capacity for implementation. The need to develop a new national DRR framework is evident. Originality/value Analyzing the status quo of DRR in Cameroon could assist with the review and reevaluation of a new DRR framework within the Cameroonian territory.

Marketing and delivering information literacy on the web, yesterday and today, from 2009 to 2012

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 10-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Q. Yang
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
The Web ◽  
Made In

Purpose – This study aims to ascertain the trends and changes of how academic libraries market and deliver information literacy (IL) on the web. Design/methodology/approach – The author compares the findings from two separate studies that scanned the Web sites for IL-related activities in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Findings – Academic libraries intensified their efforts to promote and deliver IL on the web between 2009 and 2012. There was a significant increase in IL-related activities on the web in the three-year period. Practical implications – The findings describe the status quo and changes in IL-related activities on the libraries’ Web sites. This information may help librarians to know what they have been doing and if there is space for improvement. Originality/value – This is the only study that spans three years in measuring the progress librarians made in marketing and delivering IL on the Web.

Critical International Relations Theories and the Study of Arab Uprisings: A Critique

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-150
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Abozaid
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The Other ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Western Perspective

This study articulates that most of the critical theorists are still strikingly neglecting the study of the Arab Uprising(s) adequately. After almost a decade of the eruption of the so-called Arab Uprisings, the study claims that the volume of scholarly engaging of dominate Western International Relations (IR) theories with such unprecedented events is still substantially unpretentious. Likewise, and most importantly, the study also indicates that most of these theories, including the critical theory of IR (both Frankfurt and Habermasian versions), have discussed, engaged, analysed, and interpreted the Arab Spring (a term usually perceived to be orientalist, troubling, totally inappropriate and passive phenomenon) indicate a strong and durable egoistic Western perspective that emphasis on the preservation of the status quo and ensure the interests of Western and neoliberal elites, and the robustness of counter-revolutionary regimes. On the other hand, the writings and scholarships that reflexively engaged and represent the authentic Arab views, interests, and prospects were clearly demonstrating a strong and durable scarce, if not entirely missing. Keywords: International Relations, Critical Theory, Postcolonial, Arab Uprising(s), Middle East, Revolutions.

Debates over Irish unification will gain traction

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Northern Irish ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Status ◽  
Scottish Independence ◽  
The Uk

Significance The differing perspectives of unionists and nationalists on the creation of Northern Ireland as a political entity within the United Kingdom, together with Brexit and tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP), have brought the contentious issue of Irish reunification onto the political agenda in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Impacts Scottish independence would likely increase momentum for a referendum on Irish unity. Successful implementation of the NIP, giving firms access to EU and UK markets, may support arguments for maintaining the status quo. If the UK government abandons the NIP, the adverse trade impact on Northern Irish firms could increase support for unification.

Zebras showing their stripes: a critical sense-making study of women CSR leaders

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Cherneski
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Social Constructions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Site ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Discursive Power

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to reveal the gendered nature of social arrangements in order to bring to the surface the hidden discourses that mediate the opportunities of women leaders in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe author uses critical sense-making (CSM) to analyze interviews with CSR leaders toward understanding the interconnected layers of influences they draw from as they make sense of their experiences.FindingsDespite the positioning of women as being untapped resources within CSR, the reality within CSR leadership indicates that resilient, stereotypical social constructions of gender are being (re)created. However, cues can disrupt the ongoing process of sense-making and create shocks that represent opportunities for resistance as discriminatory practices are revealed.Research limitations/implicationsApplying CSM as a methodology and to the field of CSR adds a component to CSR and gender scholarship that is currently missing. CSM as a methodology bridges broader sociocultural discourses and the local site of sense-making, making visible the structures and processes that enable some narratives to become legitimized by the formative context and protect the status quo.Social implicationsIf these leaders are able to use their discursive power to establish an alternate, dominant narrative throughout their organizations – a culture of emotional empathy within CSR – alternate meanings about the nature and purpose of CSR may emerge while highlighting the need for change.Originality/valueApplying CSM as a methodology and to the field of CSR adds a component to CSR and gender scholarship that is currently missing. CSM as a methodology bridges broader sociocultural discourses and the local site of sense-making, making visible the structures and processes that enable some narratives to become legitimized by the formative context and protect the status quo.

Challenges to African incumbents will grow

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Status Quo ◽  
State Repression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status

Significance The continent’s trajectory is not a uniformly bleak one, however, as it also features the only two countries to move towards democracy during the COVID-19 pandemic: Malawi and Zambia. Furthermore, large majorities of people in many countries surveyed by Afrobarometer prefer democracy over other forms of government. Impacts Countries that are more democratic will, on average, experience more inclusive economic recoveries. Economic hardships generated in part by COVID-19 will make it harder for incumbents in Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe to retain power. Authoritarian governments will continue to see high levels of political and civic protest. Authoritarian countries such as Angola and Zimbabwe will resort to more state repression to maintain the status quo.

A new, established approach to managing misbehavior: system justification theory

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Thomas ◽  
Spencer Harris
Keyword(s):  
Status Quo ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Workplace Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
The Status ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Organizational Scholarship ◽  
Deviant Workplace Behavior

PurposeThe status quo for managing deviant workplace behavior is underperforming. The current research offers a new approach for scholars and managers in approaching these misbehaviors. Namely, we outline how system justification theory, which holds that people are motivated to rationalize and justify the systems—including workplaces—to which they belong even when those systems disadvantage them or others, offers value in explaining and addressing the prevalence of such misbehaviors and contemporary failures in managing them.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual research explores the situated role of onlookers to patterns of workplace misbehavior, like harassment. We explore existing scholarship on why and how onlookers respond to such actions, including cultural elements, and draw parallels between those accounts and the foundational concepts of system justification theory to demonstrate an unrealized theoretical overlap valuable for its immediate applications in research.FindingsThe current paper establishes clear links between system justification theory and efforts to manage misbehavior, establishing system justifications as freezing forces in the culture of a workplace that must be unfrozen to successfully implement strategies for managing misbehavior. Further, we describe how organizational onlookers to misbehavior are subject to system justifications, which limit prescribed means of stopping these patterns of wrongdoing.Originality/valueVery limited organizational scholarship has utilized system justification theory, despite calls for such applications. Given the existing shortcomings in scholarship and management approaches to workplace misbehavior, the current research breaks from the status quo and offers an established theory as a new way to approach these misbehaviors.

scholarly journals Switching from cash to mobile payment: what's the hold-up?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiu-Ming Loh ◽  
Voon-Hsien Lee ◽  
Garry Wei-Han Tan ◽  
Keng-Boon Ooi ◽  
Yogesh K. Dwivedi
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Mobile Payment ◽  
Status Quo Bias ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Security ◽  
The Status ◽  
Push Factor

PurposeThis paper explores the reasons behind the slow uptake of mobile payment (m-payment) from a switching intention (SI) perspective. The antecedents of SI from cash to m-payment were explored using an integrated conceptual model of the push-pull-mooring (PPM) framework and the status quo bias (SQB) perspective.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered survey was used to collect data, which are empirically tested using SmartPLS 3.0.FindingsThe push factor was found to have an insignificant effect on SI to m-payment whereas the pull factor was significant. Furthermore, the results revealed that the two mooring variables have contrasting results as trust is not a significant determinant of SI to m-payment while perceived security and privacy (PSP) is. Additionally, all SQB-related relationships were found to be statistically significantOriginality/valueThis study determined the factors that play vital roles in the consumers' decision-making to transition from cash to m-payment. This was done via a uniquely developed conceptual model that incorporated the PPM framework with the SQB perspective.

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