Increasingly, firms like Patagonia, IKEA, General Mills, or Barilla actively seek to understand their interdependence with nature, build innovative capabilities, and generate more radical shifts toward sustainability. This creates exciting opportunities to investigate exactly how these companies obtain knowledge about ecosystem dynamics and processes and how they use it both to cope with climate change or declining ecosystem resilience and contribute to maintain or even strengthen ecosystems. Despite the considerable potential to advance research on organizational strategy and corporate sustainability, the notion of ‘ecological knowledge’ has yet to enter the scholarly work of management and business organization in a substantive manner. At present, we know almost nothing about the processes, mechanisms, and routines that enable an organization to, first, recognize the value of such knowledge and to, then, systematically access, co-create, integrate and utilize such knowledge into its broader knowledge and resource base. My dissertation attempts to fill this gap and opens up new directions for research on the role of ecological knowledge in corporate sustainability management. More specifically, I ask: What are the processes through which organizations can effectively access, co-create, integrate and utilize ecological knowledge with current organizational knowledge and strategies? I link strategic and organization-focused concepts of knowledge and the perspective of absorptive capacity with the notion of ecological knowledge from modern ecology, especially from the social-ecological systems literature, to shed light on the processes through which organizations can effectively access, co-create, integrate and utilize new ecological knowledge into their operational and strategic decision making. I adopt a qualitative, emergent, and inductive strategy drawing on a grounded research approach to gain an in-depth, cross-validated, and processual understanding of the mechanisms through which organizations can promote and enhance ecosystem health including biodiversity. I undertook my study on the organic agriculture sector, a sub-sector of the modern agriculture and agri-food industry. I collected data from nineteen agriculture and agri-food organizations based in British Columbia (BC), the westernmost province of Canada, using multiple data sources including in-depth interviews, observations, company documents, reports, newspaper articles and field reports. Based on my analysis, I develop a grounded theory about the processes through which organizations can successfully deepen their ecological knowledge and then utilize this knowledge to more sustainably manage their relationships with nature and contribute to protecting or even strengthening ecosystem functionality. With my dissertation, I address the call from scholars in Organization and the Natural Environment (ONE) and Corporate Sustainability for more transdisciplinary cross-fertilization as an essential approach to building compelling new theory and models in the field. First, my analysis offers a more fine-grained understanding of the types, components, dimensions, and characteristics of ecological knowledge. Second, my analysis uncovers a micro-level account of the processes by which individuals as critical actors identify, evaluate and make sense of the organization-environment interrelationships across various scales of time and space. I also identify the multiple personal characteristics of individual actors that influence these processes in various stages and circumstances. Third, my study offers insights into the factors that can strengthen an organization’s relational capacity to build mutual trust and collaboration with holders of ecological knowledge. Fourth, it sheds light on how firms engage with and motivate multiple community stakeholders in building a collaborative process of mutual learning, knowledge sharing, and knowledge co-creation to build joint capacity for coping successfully with many complex challenges of sustainability, thus contributing to the wellbeing of the entire social-ecological system. Collectively, these contributions provide a deeper and more holistic understanding of the processes of acquiring and co-creating ecological knowledge that can allow an organization to transition successfully towards greater ecological sustainability. My dissertation also offers numerous practically relevant insights for businesses facing the challenges of economic, social and environmental sustainability, as well as specific guidance on how companies can protect or enhance their supply of natural capital and contribute toward greater stability of the broader human-nature systems in which they are embedded. / Graduate / 2023-11-15

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2017-09-19T18:12:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 1999 - Airton Piana.pdf: 775947 bytes, checksum: 345192b341357cf041498f24f7353db6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-19T18:12:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 1999 - Airton Piana.pdf: 775947 bytes, checksum: 345192b341357cf041498f24f7353db6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1999-09-24 / CNPq / FAPERJ / Ce travail de recherche se propose d'analyser deux th?mes intervenants dans la r?cente constituition de l' Agriculture Organique dans la r?gion des environs de la ville de S?o Paulo. L'un s'agit de la construction de savoirs qui orientent la production d'un nouveau lieu de l'homme dans la nature. Ils sont constitu?s ? partir de connaissances reconnues comme cientifiques. L'autre s'agit de la constuition de circuits d'?changes con?us pour la commercialisation des oleraceas organiques. / This research proposes to analyze two themes related to organic agriculture constitution in the region of greenbelt of the city of S?o Paulo, in recent times. The first one treats of construction of revealed guiding knowledges in production of a new place of man in nature, constituted from recognized scientific knowledge. The second one is related to the constitution of exchange circuits consubstantiated to marketing of organic vegetables. / Este trabalho de pesquisa prop?e-se ? an?lise de dois temas intervenientes na constitui??o da Agricultura Org?nica na regi?o do cintur?o verde da cidade de S?o Paulo, em per?odo recente. O primeiro, trata da constru??o de saberes que se revelaram orientadores na produ??o de um novo lugar do homem na natureza, constitu?dos a partir de conhecimentos reconhecidos como cient?ficos. O segundo, trata da constitui??o dos circuitos de troca consubtanciados para a comercializa??o das oler?ceas org?nicas.

商業上的大趨勢（megatrend）一直是學者專家所研究的對象，因為它影響著企業如何競爭與為消費者創造價值。近年來，由於全球化與新興經濟體所帶來的環境衝擊與自然資源的競爭，迫使商業開始出現本質上的改變。本研究以里仁公司為例，深入研究日益蓬勃發展的社會企業如何因運時勢而生，及其如何運用獨特的經營模式來為消費者以及農友創造價值，以達到經濟、社會與環境的三重盈餘。 本研究採用文獻回顧分析結合非結構式的訪談，與里仁公司的總經理、公關部進行數十小時的溝通與意見交流，以分析歸納出里仁公司的經營模式與關鍵成功因素。里仁公司的成立目的是推廣台灣的有機農業與慈心食品 ，讓消費者有健康的飲食，提升台灣農民的競爭力同時保育環境。里仁公司為佛教徒所創立，其研習的經典「菩提道次第廣論」為組織的思想與價值觀，指導著組織上下的行為法則，形塑出強勢的企業文化。因此相較於一般企業，里仁公司的組織成員目標與組織目標整合程度較高，而由此衍生出來的成功關鍵有三，一為宗教背景帶來的組織整合能力，二為慈心事業利用社會資本所創造的綜效帶來供應鏈的緊密關係，三為里仁公司的創新與研發能力。 里仁公司的成功，有賴於高度的組織認同與組織獨特經營模式的相輔相成，對於里仁公司而言，能夠落實佛法才是事業的意義。因此在面臨市場需求大的組織成長壓力，里仁公司仍堅定步伐讓員工慢慢從佛法內化學習起，因其不以利益擴張為考量，即便組織成長趨緩可能會影響獲取規模經濟的優勢。從經營模式來看，社會資本的大量運用與模式中各個環結串連的流暢性是里仁模式成功的關鍵，慈心事業的各組織分別在供應鏈上扮演著資源的媒合者來把上游供應商、消費者與里仁公司緊緊串連，供應商與消費者亦同時成為組織社會資本的一部分，帶入更多的人來認識里仁與新的消費力量。 里仁公司藉由提供有機與慈心食品給消費者，同時幫助台灣的農民在走向外銷之路上更具有競爭力，盈餘則贊助兩個股東基金會的生命成長營隊、校園蔬食及種樹護地球等讓促進社會健康與改善環境的活動。目前台灣有機農業已逐漸發展成熟，里仁公司已開始邁向新的策略—結合環境保育與有機農業，期望能讓台灣重要的環境保育區、集水區上游有乾淨的水質與土壤，並利用環境保育商標來凝聚消費者對這塊土地的重視。 對於此經營模式如何複製與擴充，作者認為整合經營模式中利害關係人需求間的交換機制以及善用經營模式的可複製元素是成功關鍵。在個案公司的例子中是將佛家以人為本的普世價值形成強組織文化，將供應商、消費者的需求與供給能夠透過組織力量的媒合進行更有效率的交換。強組織文化在此種商業模式的應用上不可或缺，其為累積社會資本的一大關鍵。另外則是運用社會資本產生一回饋系統。 / Business megatrend has always been an important research target, as it influences on how enterprises compete and create value for their customers. In recnt years, globalization and emerging economies bring environmental impact and competition for natural resources, forcing fundamental and persistant shift in how companies compete. In this research, Leesen Company is used as a case of a social enterprise to illustrate how it creates and utilizes social capital to grow and sustain its business, which provides a reference for social entrepreneurs and researchers to develop new business model that achieves the so called triple bottom lines. Systematic paper review combined with 26 hours of low-structured interview with CEO and director of public relations in Leezen Company, this study aims to summarize and analyze the business model and key success factors. Leezen Company is built for promoting organic agriculture and non-toxic food, trying to make healthy food available for all consumers in Taiwan. Founded by a Buddhist, Leezen company is guided by the Buddhist Sutra “Lamrim Chenmo”, which deeply influences employees’ thoughts and core value. This, in tern, results in higher integration of goals between organization and employees compared to other organization. Key success factors are as follows: Highly coordinated and integrated coporate culture formed through buddsim generates great synergy in supply chain of Tzu-Xin conglomerates, where Leezen Company belongs to, and gains great trust from consumers. Also, the innovation and R&D in food technology created by its persistence in doing the right thing strengthens its competitive advantage in in organic argiculture and non-toxic food. Through providing organic and non-toxic food, Leezen Company creates a healthier environment for consumers and bolsters competitiveness of Taiwanese farmers to sale argicultural product abroad. Revenue goes to sponsor various activities that benefit our mind, health and environment of two shareholder foundations. As the organic industry become more mature these days, Leezen Company starts to adopt a new strategy of combining environmental protection and organic agriculture, expecting to replace traditional agriculture in conseravation aeras and upstream reservoirs. Also, it develops an environmental protection trademark for food grown in those areas, trying to arouse the awareness of more people. The key to replicate and expand this business model lies in how the organization can integrate and exchange its stakeholders’ needs, also how it can make good use of its replicable factors in the business model. In this case, Buddhism shapes strong organizational culture, which increases the efficiency of mediating the needs between suppliers and customers, accumulating its social capital. Further, social capital creates feedback system which makes the business model self-sufficient.

This research seeks to address the gap in the literature on women, health, and environments by exploring the factors that motivate Jamaican women farmers to practice organic agriculture and how these might relate to their understandings of environment and health. The experiences and decisions of women farmers are also positioned within wider historical contexts of colonialism and agricultural change. Integrating a variety of theoretical frameworks, including public issues anthropology, ethnoecology, rural sociology, and feminist political ecology, my own scholarly analysis is merged with the perspectives of the women farmers interviewed in this qualitative study. This research found that women organic farmers in Jamaica were motivated by various factors related to environment and health and impacted by the island’s legacy of slavery and industrialization. The findings of this thesis can be used to encourage the practice of organic agriculture and to improve human health and environmental wellbeing in Jamaica and beyond. / Richard and Sophia Hungerford Travel Scholarship, Yeandle Family Graduate Scholarship, Richard and Sophia Hungerford Graduate Scholarship, Registrar’s Research Grant for Graduate Students, Registrar’s Research Travel Grant

School canteens can significantly influence children?s eating habits and can demonstrate them perfectly good principles in food selection. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the interest of school management and pupils? parents in the introduction of organic food in school canteen menus. The questionnaire survey was targeted at primary school and their school canteens that lie in the statutory city of České Budějovice and its immediate surroundings.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-09-10T18:01:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 VLADIMIR COSTA DE ALENCAR - TESE PPGRN 2009..pdf: 9290550 bytes, checksum: cdd4f50a45bc398ddd2ac6cdfd4cdb0d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-10T18:01:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VLADIMIR COSTA DE ALENCAR - TESE PPGRN 2009..pdf: 9290550 bytes, checksum: cdd4f50a45bc398ddd2ac6cdfd4cdb0d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-11 / À nível mundial, está ocorrendo gradativamente a mudança da matriz alimentar da humanidade. Em função de um maior nível de informação da sociedade, a partir dos meios de comunicação de massa e pesquisas acadêmicas, está aumentando o consumo de carnes brancas, frutas, verduras e legumes. Além disso, há um componente político-ideológico, onde os consumidores passam a preferir alimentos que não sejam produzidos com a exploração de mão-de-obra infantil, sem agressão do meio ambiente e com tecnologias de produção de baixo custo, sem o uso de agroquímicos (agrotóxicos e adubos químicos). A preservação dos recursos naturais não renováveis passa a ser a pauta do dia, e a sustentabilidade emerge com uma grande importância. Diante desse quadro, a agricultura orgânica tem se fortalecido, vindo da necessidade de alimentos limpos (sem resíduos tóxicos) que a sociedade moderna exige e por conseqüência a preservação da natureza. Este trabalho teve como finalidade uma análise comparativa multiobjetivo de um sistema de produção convencional e um sistema de produção orgânico, tendo como base as áreas irrigadas da cidade de Boqueirão, Estado da Paraíba, onde possui um reservatório que abastece várias cidades deste estado. Foi utilizada uma série de 10 anos hidroclimáticos da região. Para execução deste trabalho foi utilizado (e adicionadas funcionalidades) um sistema de apoio à decisão que utiliza programação linear para otimização multiobjetivo de análises de seleção de culturas para áreas irrigadas. Foram demonstrados, através de cenários, que o manejo orgânico tem um ganho maior em relação ao manejo convencional em relação à receita líquida, mão-de-obra, saúde humana e preservação ambiental. / In worldwide level, a change of humanity’s food matrix is gradually occurring. Because of a higher level of information that society’s receiving, through mass media and academic researches, the consumption of white meat, fruits and vegetables is rising. Also, there is a political-ideological component, in which consumers tend to prefer food that is not produced through infantile labour exploitation, that doesn’t harm the environment while it’s being produced and that, when produced, uses technology of production with low cost, without the usage of agrochemicals (pesticides and chemical fertilizers). The preservation of not renewable natural resources is at the top of the agenda, and sustainability emerges with a great importance. Before this frame, organic agriculture has strengthened, because of modern society’s demand for clean food (without toxic residues), and consequently for nature protection. The present work had the objective of developing a multiobjective comparative analysis of a production system that utilizes conventional management (using agrochemicals – fertilization and pesticides) and of a production system that uses organic management, on Epitácio Pessoa Reservoir (Boqueirão), in the State of Paraíba, through a 10 climatic years scenario. In this work a DSS (Decision Support System) was used with the purpose of applying a multiobjective optimization based on linear programming to crop selection analysis in irrigated areas. It has been shown that agricultural organic management provides better net profit, use of human labor and health and environmental protection than conventional management.

YAMAMOTO, Arthur. Por que continuamos juntos? Reciprocidade, mudança cultural e relações de poder entre o urbano e o rural. Fortaleza-CE, 2006. 145f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Sociologia) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Ciências Sociais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia, Fortaleza-CE, 2006. / Submitted by nazareno mesquita (nazagon36@yahoo.com.br) on 2011-11-16T18:31:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Art_2006_A.Yamamoto.pdf: 1340259 bytes, checksum: 84d5a2c6a144a99f55dfd3dfdbe63cd1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Josineide Góis(josineide@ufc.br) on 2011-11-28T14:15:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Art_2006_A.Yamamoto.pdf: 1340259 bytes, checksum: 84d5a2c6a144a99f55dfd3dfdbe63cd1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-11-28T14:15:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Art_2006_A.Yamamoto.pdf: 1340259 bytes, checksum: 84d5a2c6a144a99f55dfd3dfdbe63cd1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / The present work is about the social relationship established among urban consumers of Fortaleza and rural farmers of Guaraciaba do Norte, in the State of Ceará, Brazil, associated in ADAO – Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Agropecuária Orgânica. That is an experience inspired in the principles of CSA – Community Supported Agriculture, in which consumers assume compromise to get, every week, the vegetables (leaves, fruits and ruts) produced by the farmers who, in turn, have to crop in organic ways, the variety, quantity and quality of food demanded by the consumers. Up from that experience, the confront – real and idealized – when rural (farmers) faces the city (consumers) is studied, in different levels, of values and perspectives, as well as the rule performed by the Agronomic Eng., who places himself as a mediator in the middle of those two worlds, and the conflicts then emerged, in the context of the shock between conventional agriculture (based on the intensive use of chemical artificial products and, more recently, of genetic modified organisms) and the organic agriculture (or, in the case of ADAO, biodynamic agriculture), that reveals alternatives, not only terms in the technologic aspects, but as expression of the ethos of contemporary society, that claims for new ways of relationship between man and nature in the processes of richness generation and its fair and equal appropriation. Then, ADAO is studied as a solidare economic relationship experience, considering that it proposes to eliminate profit interests and antagonist advantages between consumers and farmers, at the same time that defends the organic ways of cropping, chemicals free, and respecting farmers in their dignity. / O presente trabalho aborda as relações sociais estabelecidas entre consumidores urbanos da cidade de Fortaleza e produtores rurais familiares de Guaraciaba do Norte, no Estado do Ceará, associados em torno da ADAO – Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Agropecuária Orgânica. Trata-se de uma experiência inspirada nos princípios da Agricultura Motivada pela Comunidade, em que consumidores se comprometem a adquirir semanalmente as hortaliças (folhas, frutos e raízes) produzidas pelos agricultores que, por sua vez, se comprometem a produzir de forma orgânica, em variedade, quantidade e qualidade, a demanda dos consumidores. A partir dessa experiência, são analisados os confrontos entre o campo (produtores) e a cidade (consumidores) – reais e idealizados – em diferentes níveis, de valores e perspectivas, assim como o papel do agrônomo, que se coloca como um mediador entre esses dois mundos, e os conflitos que daí emergem, contextualizados no embate entre a agricultura convencional (baseada no uso intensivo de produtos químicos artificiais e, mais recentemente, nos organismos geneticamente modificados) e a agricultura orgânica (ou, no caso da ADAO, agricultura biodinâmica), que evidencia alternativas não apenas tecnológica mas também como expressão do ethos da sociedade contemporânea que reivindica novas formas de relacionamento do homem com a natureza, nos processos de geração de riquezas e de sua apropriação mais igualitária e justa. Assim, a ADAO é analisada como um empreendimento de economia solidária e de mercado justo, considerando que ela se propõe a afastar os interesses de lucro e busca de vantagens antagônicas entre consumidores e produtores, ao mesmo tempo em que apregoa a produção orgânica de alimentos, livres de agrotóxicos, e condições dignas aos produtores como prerrogativas.