Academia-corporate on campus sustainability collaboration: An exploration of the construct

Phil Cook, Anshuman Khare

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The Academia-Corporate on Campus Sustainability Collaborative (ACCSC) is a construct conceptualized to address many current and urgent issues at Canadian Universities. Among these issues, Accumulated Deferred Maintenance (ADM) at Canadian Universities is of a multi-billion dollar magnitude. Funding for infrastructure refurbishment or replacement has traditionally been difficult to procure and has taken an appropriate secondary position to funding priorities relating to teaching, learning, and research. The ADM issue is not a new issue; however, it is a growing one. The investigation of this construct is general and the research is exploratory in nature. The approach to the chapter is one of novelty that uses Maturana and Varela’s (Autopoiesis and Cognition: The Realization of the Living. D. Reidel Pub Co., Boston) understanding of the living organization (i.e., Autopoiesis; the theory of self-producing, living systems) as a metaphor for the construct. The construct is disaggregated into its “conceptual elements” and the quality of the relationship between the conceptual elements — the organization of the construct — and the structure — a description of the conceptual elements themselves — is explored. A view on the “structural-environmental coupling” is also explored. A synthesis of the management theory underpinning the construct is also provided. The multiple focus — social, environmental, and economic nature of sustainably-managed businesses demands an innovative use of management theory. The conclusions of the chapter illustrate a great deal of evidence supporting the positive quality of relationship between the conceptual elements of the construct. It is also concluded that evidence of an accommodating and “demanding” environmental coupling between the ACCSC and the current environmental domain exists.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Sustainability Management
Pages487-512
Number of pages26
ISBN (Electronic)9789814354820
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan. 2012

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