Creating a Vision for Environmental Responsibility in Multinational Corporations: Executive Leadership and Organizational Change

Dennis A. Rondinelli

Dennis A. Rondinelli

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

Volume 1 Issue 1: 2004, pp. 5-22; ABSTRACT

A sea change is occurring in the way multinational corporations (MNCs) deal with environmental management issues. Many have progressed from a strategy of avoidance or minimal compliance with regulations to one of pro-active voluntary environmental management that exceeds legal requirements. A complex set of forces brought many executives who saw the need for corporations to adjust to these forces and with a strong vision of international corporations’ social responsibility have driven the changes in their organizations. Their ability to articulate a vision and to convince both their internal stakeholders and the public of their commitment to environmental responsibility has been the key to their success. They have empowered their employees and convinced their shareholders to implement the vision by linking environmental responsibility with basic business issues of cost-savings, efficiency, competitive advantage, quality management, and enhancing public reputation. Linking the vision of environmental responsibility with core business advantages allows executives of MNCs to achieve strategic corporate objectives while contributing to environmental sustainability.

ORDER ARTICLE PERMISSIONS/REPRINTS/OFFPRINTS

To order inspection copies, and/or permissions to include this article in textbooks, edited volumes, course booklets, online/digital course packs, etc., and/or to order multiple individual hard copies for classroom use, please use the secure online payment, or the appropriate form available on the Order Forms page or alternatively, contact the Publishing Editor, Peter Neilson, pneilson@neilsonjournals.com directly.