The Red Queen and the environment: reconciling public regulation and business strategy

Until the late 1980s, environmental regulation in Denmark was often carried out in an intensely politicized and confrontational climate marked by strong tensions between authorities and polluting firms. In recent years, however, the general spirit of regulation seems to have improved significantly....

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Business strategy and the environment 2007-09, Vol.16 (6), p.430-441
Hauptverfasser: Søgaard, Villy, Madsen, Svend Ole
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Until the late 1980s, environmental regulation in Denmark was often carried out in an intensely politicized and confrontational climate marked by strong tensions between authorities and polluting firms. In recent years, however, the general spirit of regulation seems to have improved significantly. During this same period, ‘generic’ measures such as general discharge limits have been supplemented with more specific demands, tailored for individual companies. The present paper presents a case study based on the environmental regulation of TripleNine, a West Jutland fishmeal factory. In response to major changes in its market and regulatory environment, the firm has revised its general strategy and taken a more pro‐active stance on environmental issues, pursuing a policy of active co‐operation with local environmental authorities. Informed by this and other case studies, a theoretical model is developed to account for the incorporation of ecological concerns into firms' general business strategy. Against the background of this model, the paper addresses the long‐term possibilities of reconciling business strategy and public regulation in the future. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
ISSN:0964-4733
1099-0836
DOI:10.1002/bse.486