Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Competitive Climate Strategy in Multinational Corporations

Traditionally, corporations have taken mostly reactive positions on climate change by applying mitigation and adaptation strategies in response to current or future risks. Few corporations have taken a pro-active, opportunity-seeking, strategic approach to improve competitiveness over and above the mitigation and adaptation requirements set by policymakers, industry norms, or shifting consumer preferences.

The discussion should no longer focus on whether or not human activity has an impact on a changing climate, or how much impact it has, but rather on how to maximize competitiveness while mitigating the change.

The purpose of the current special issue is to stimulate an interdisciplinary, integrated discussion across a wide range of issues related to climate change and multinational corporations.

We strongly encourage submissions from physical science and social science collaborations. We solicit both conceptual and empirical contributions related to practice that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Adaptation and mitigation actions are complementary and mutually achievable.
  • How can or do MNCs capitalize on this synergy?
  • When is it advantageous to focus exclusively on mitigation and/or adaptation?
  • What adaptation and mitigation dimensions should be incorporated into the strategic management process?
• A key challenge faced by MNCs is to ensure concrete solutions for adaptation to the dual impact of climate change and climate policy.
  • How do MNCs assure visibility and influence with regulatory decision makers in formulation of policy?
  • What should every MNC know about mitigation and adaptation from the business viewpoint?
  • How should return on investment (ROI) in adaptation and mitigation be measured? – What are the appropriate metrics?
  • How do MNCs influence relevant stakeholders and bring them into the climate strategy process?
• What are current best practices in pro-active climate strategy that go beyond adaptation and mitigation? Is there room for arbitrage?
  • What are the effects of the increasing pressures put on MNCs operating in emerging markets, including China?
• At the country level, China is developing a significant position in solar and other energy and climate mitigation technologies. Will they also lead in pro-active climate strategy that goes beyond mitigation?
• What can MNCs learn from the historically leading markets, Germany for example, with respect to climate adaptation and mitigation?
  • How can developed country MNCs build on new climate mitigating technologies in competing developing economies?
• Can climate strategy practices of developed country MNCs be appropriated by developing country MNCs? Should they be? 

Studies from different scientific streams have generally failed to step into each other’s areas of research, hence missing opportunities for cross-fertilization. Although scholars raised this issue earlier (e.g, Hoffman, 2000; Kolk & Pinkse, 2007), there has not been a systematic attempt in the literature to address this important issue.

Therefore, a major goal of this special issue is to encourage articles that apply new and innovative ways to inform practice. 

This special issue supports approaches that might face challenges in more traditional outlets. We seek breakthrough ideas. Shorter pieces are also welcome. Case studies should go beyond descriptive approaches by including a substantial discussion section that emphasizes generalizability and potential transferability to the target audiences’ domains.

Submissions for this issue should be submitted electronically to TIBR at http://mc.manuscriptcenteral.com/tibr .

Important Dates - Submission deadline: November 1, 2011, Publication release: 2012

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. All papers are refereed through a double-blind peer review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Author Guidelines page. Improperly formatted papers will be unsubmitted for correction by the contact author.

Note: Please indicate in your submission that the submission is for this special issue. Do NOT include your identifying contact information in your manuscript when uploading it into the submission system. Authors of accepted papers will have to sign and submit a copyright transfer form.

For questions regarding this special issue, authors are invited to contact Dr. Andreas Schotter, andreas.schotter@thunderbird.edu or Prof. Michael Evan Goodsite, mgo@dmu.dk. 

Questions about the submission process should be addressed to TIBR Managing Editor Suzy Howell, suzy.howell@thunderbird.edu .