scholarly journals Corporate Payments for Ecosystem Services in Theory and Practice: Links to Economics, Business, and Sustainability

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8307
Author(s):  
Benjamin S. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Payments For Ecosystem Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Social License

Few Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are financed voluntarily by corporations. This is perhaps unsurprising, given that limited literature on the theory and practice of PES has a dedicated focus on businesses. This article unifies the PES and business literatures in order to address the awareness and management challenges that corporations face in engaging in PES. First, it shows how corporations fit into the economic theory that underpins PES, demonstrating that corporate-financed PES schemes can exhibit a diversity and hybridity of Coasean and Pigouvian characteristics. Second, it shows how PES fits into corporate sustainability theory, demonstrating how PES can help companies achieve synergies across the economic, environmental, and social tenets of the triple bottom line; for example, by helping gain social license to operate from adjacent communities, or by using PES to meet sustainability reporting requirements related to emissions and water management. Third, it shows the different PES options available to firms based on their industrial sector, operating practices, and business strategies. The options with higher potential are maintenance and enhancement of production inputs across the supply chain, and carbon offsetting and insetting to help meet climate change mitigation regulations and avoid fines. Fourth, it identifies lessons learned when transitioning from theory to practice by synthesising the latest empirical research on corporate-financed PES schemes—considering exactly what these ‘should’ or ‘could’ resemble, for example, in terms of their additionality, conditionality, permanence, co-benefits, budgeting, and bargaining. Examples are drawn from corporate-financed schemes in forests and watersheds across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. The article concludes that these schemes remain small in number and size, but have significant potential to increase—and this can be aided by future research on corporate motives, understandings, and actions on PES.

scholarly journals Hybrid Outcomes of Payments for Ecosystem Services Policies in Vietnam: Between Theory and Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela McElwee ◽  
Bernhard Huber ◽  
Thị Hải Vân Nguyễn
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Payments For Ecosystem Services

scholarly journals Ecosystem services: an ecophysiological examination

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Eamus ◽  
Catriona M. O. Macinnis-Ng ◽  
Grant C. Hose ◽  
Melanie J. B. Zeppel ◽  
Daniel T. Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Juvenile Fish ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Research Issues

This review aims to discuss ecosystem services, provide illustrative case studies at catchment and local scales and present future research needs. This review discusses the following: (1) Ecosystem services (ES) are those goods and services that are provided by or are attributes of ecosystems that benefit humans. Examples of ES include the timber derived from a forest, the prevention of soil and coastal erosion by vegetation and the amelioration of dryland salinity through prevention of rises in the water table by trees. The provision of ES globally is in decline because of a lack of awareness of the total economic value of ES in the public, policy and political fora. (2) Providing a scientific understanding of the relationships among ecosystem structure, function and provision of ES, plus determining actual economic value of ES, are the central challenges to environmental scientists (including triple-bottom-line economists). (3) Some ES are widely dispersed throughout many different ecosystems. Carbon accumulation in trees and the contribution of biodiversity to ES provision are two examples of highly dispersed attributes common to many ecosystems. In contrast, other ES are best considered within the context of a single defined ecosystem (although they may occur in other ecosystems too). Mangroves as ‘nursery’ sites for juvenile fish is one example. (4) Examples of catchment-scale and local-scale provision of ES are discussed, along with future research issues for the nexus between ES and environmental sciences.

scholarly journals Using data to advance service: managerial issues and theoretical implications from action research

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiehyeon Lim ◽  
Min-Jun Kim ◽  
Ki-Hun Kim ◽  
Kwang-Jae Kim ◽  
Paul P. Maglio
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Using Data

Purpose The proliferation of (big) data provides numerous opportunities for service advances in practice, yet research on using data to advance service is at a nascent stage in the literature. Many studies have discussed phenomenological benefits of data to service. However, limited research describes managerial issues behind such benefits, although a holistic understanding of the issues is essential in using data to advance service in practice and provides a basis for future research. The purpose of this paper is to address this research gap. Design/methodology/approach “Using data to advance service” is about change in organizations. Thus, this study uses action research methods of creating real change in organizations together with practitioners, thereby adding to scientific knowledge about practice. The authors participated in five service design projects with industry and government that used different data sets to design new services. Findings Drawing on lessons learned from the five projects, this study empirically identifies 11 managerial issues that should be considered in data-use for advancing service. In addition, by integrating the issues and relevant literature, this study offers theoretical implications for future research. Originality/value “Using data to advance service” is a research topic that emerged originally from practice. Action research or case studies on this topic are valuable in understanding practice and in identifying research priorities by discovering the gap between theory and practice. This study used action research over many years to observe real-world challenges and to make academic research relevant to the challenges. The authors believe that the empirical findings will help improve service practices of data-use and stimulate future research.

scholarly journals Communicating and Understanding Ecosystem Services Assessment With Coastal Stakeholders: Obstacles and Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise E. DeLorme ◽  
Sonia H. Stephens ◽  
Renee C. Collini ◽  
David W. Yoskowitz ◽  
Scott C. Hagen
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
Barrier Islands ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Major Project

This paper reports on insights and lessons learned from stakeholder engagement, particularly focus groups, conducted during a multi-year, NOAA-sponsored transdisciplinary project. A major project goal was to demonstrate and communicate benefits of natural and nature-based features (NNBFs) (e.g., barrier islands, dunes, and marshes) in the northern Gulf of Mexico region through the lens of economic impacts and ecosystem services. Overall, the findings indicate economic impacts and ecosystem services can be challenging topics to communicate because of complexity in conceptualization and valuation. From our experiences, we recommend using “ecosystem services assessment” (ESA), a more encompassing, accurate, and understandable term to stakeholders. ESA recognizes the integrated human (or built) and natural ecosystem and holistic benefits provided by and to both. The paper concludes with a discussion of future research opportunities for improving ESA-oriented science and outreach.

scholarly journals Understanding Sustainability Reporting in Non-Governmental Organisations: A Systematic Review of Reporting Practices, Drivers, Barriers and Paths for Future Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10184
Author(s):  
Ikenna Elias Asogwa ◽  
Maria Estela Varua ◽  
Peter Humphreys ◽  
Rina Datt
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Sustainable Societies ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Reporting Pattern

NGOs are expected by their social mission not only to assess but to report on sustainability issues in response to the growing public awareness of the sustainability agendas. Since NGOs are globally renowned as watchdogs for advancing socio-economic development and sustainable societies, research on their efforts in this regard will help develop recommendations on how they can be better positioned as the watchdog. The purpose of this article is to review and assess the understanding of sustainability (reporting) in NGO literature as well as the barriers and drivers. The study investigates various practices of sustainability and identifies the drivers and barriers in sustainability reporting (SR). The authors reviewed 61 articles published between 2010 and 2020 on sustainability and assessed the strengths and weaknesses in the understanding of sustainability in literature as well as the reporting phenomenon in NGOs. The misconceptions in the definition of SR tend to weaken its relevance and applicability, and the reporting process is often focused on demonstrating the legitimacy of NGOs rather than improving their performance. As such, it provides more evidence in support of the need for a more holistic and all-inclusive definition that will aid regulation and enforcement. We also found that, although it is often assumed all NGOs share similar objectives, it is not always the case as there are as diverse objectives as there are numbers of NGOs and their reporting pattern varies in accordance with this diversity. The review makes a case for a more comprehensive definition of SR suitable for NGOs using four elements as well as providing suggestions for where research in this area might focus to enhance the overall body of knowledge. The study contributes to theory and practice by introducing new elements guiding the definition of SR in NGOs which supports accountability and proper functioning of a circular economy and promotes sustainable development.

scholarly journals The People Still Make the (Remote Work-) Place: Lessons from a Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 014920632110235
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Nyberg ◽  
Jason D. Shaw ◽  
Jing Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Guest Editorial ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Editorial Team ◽  
Work Place ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
The People ◽  
Employee Relationship ◽  
Communication Practices

The Journal of Management editorial team challenged us to consider how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted and altered the employer–employee relationship. In this guest editorial, we take stock of the pandemic-related lessons learned for human resources research and practice. We highlight three insights that many organizations made as the result of pandemic-related changes and describe how these lessons are likely to alter the employee–employer landscape for the foreseeable future. The lessons are (a) understanding that organizational communication practices should be authentic, continuous, and two-way in nature; (b) accepting that the virtual workforce brings unique challenges that do not yet have solutions; and (c) recognizing that success for stakeholders beyond just investors will require continual attention and intention. We also highlight needs and opportunities for future research that will inform theory and practice and lead to the betterment of organizations and society.

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