Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: ‘Going green’ draws its origins from the ‘green’ in politics, which was first used as a party
name by the German Greens (Die Grünen) in the late 1970s, which, although not the
first green party, through media hype triggered the conception of a green movement in
the early 1980s. This was voiced through green parties across the globe. Green is now
seen as a buzzword and is often used as shorthand for discussing sustainability. It has
since gained support leading to the gathering of more than 100 heads of state at the
Earth Summit, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 and provided the
necessary platform to launch a global campaign. It initially began in developed nations,
in particular European countries, but has since spread to developing countries, despite
receiving abundant opposition both from developed and developing nations, due to its
impact on the oil and coal sectors. The purpose of this research is to determine the core
motivation behind companies going green. The researcher does this through a
qualitative study of the motivations and contextual factors that induce ecological
responsiveness ranging from day to day business practices to the ecological design of
their offices.
The researcher tests the hypothesis, namely climate change mitigation, which is
developed through the literature study and adopted to evaluate the four case studies
selected. The researcher builds up his argument in chapters 3 to 5, which draw on the
literature studied and first discuss Government’s response to climate change, then the
interventions in place to address climate change and finally look at the four case studies.
Climate change and its relevance to companies is the key motivation behind deciding on
this topic and it is discussed throughout the thesis. Companies interviewed in this thesis
expressed concern about it, although it was not always the primary motivation. Some
had already introduced measures to address it and were continually looking at new ways
of mitigating it. Similarly, the companies interviewed and others analysed were all
concerned about introducing cost saving measures, which had the added advantage of
being of benefit to the environment. Genuine reasons for mitigating climate change and
concern over the future of the planet put forward by certain companies, while protecting
profit margins were given by others. All served to achieve one goal to protect the
environment through the sustainable use of natural resources and ultimately to enhance
companies’ public images as being green companies.
This study is divided into a literature review and case studies, where literature pertaining
to climate change, renewable energy, sustainable building, corporate governance, green
jobs and others was sourced from government gazettes, newspapers, academic studies,
books, documentaries, journals, magazines and internet sources. These serve to
develop and support the case studies, which take the form of interviews done with
owners and workers from the selected companies. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om groen te wees is ‘n uitdrukking wat van die politiek afkomstig is. Die naam is eers
deur die Duitse Groenparty (Die Grünen) in die laat sewentiger jaar gebruik en alhoewel
dit nie eintlik die eerste groenparty was, het dit deur middel van die media gelei tot die
totstandkoming van die groenbeweging in die vroeer tagtige jare. Die naam “groen” is
deur groenpartye wêreldwyd gebruik en ‘groen’ word deesdae as ‘n bynaam gebruik as
‘n mens van verdedigbaarheid praat. In 1992 te Rio de Janeiro, Brazil het die
groenbeweging sterk steun gevind toe meer as 100 staatshoofde by die ‘Earth Summit’
bymekaar vergader het. Oorspronklik het die groenbeweging in die ontwikkelde nasies,
veral Europese nasies, begin maar het daarna tot die ontwikkelende nasies uitgebrei.
Maar daar was heelwat teenstand van beide ontwikkelde en ontwikkelende nasies,
weens die ekonomiese uitwerking op die olie en steenkool industriëe. Die doel van
hierdie navorsing is om te bepaal watter motiverende faktore maatskappye inagneem as
hulle “groen” gaan. Die skrywer versoek om vas te stel deur middel van ‘n kwalitatiewe
studie van die motiverende en samehangende faktore wat ekologiese antwoordendheid
teweegbring. Hierdie faktore beweeg van daaglikse besigheidspraktyke tot die
ekologiese beplanning van die kantore.
Die skrywer gebruik die versagting van klimaatverandering as ‘n toets, wat deur die
literatuurstudie ontwikkel is en wat verwys word as die sleutelmotivering wat tot groening
lei, en wat gebruik word om die vier uitgesoekte studies te beoordeel. Elkeen van die
studies word volgens hierdie kriteria bepaal. Die skrywer pas hierdie kriteria ook op
voorbeelde wat gebruik word om die vier uitgesoekte studies te steun.
Die skrywer bou in hoofstukke 3 tot 4 sy argument op. Daar word die regering se reaksie
tot klimaatverandering en groot besigheid se antwoord op regeringsbeleid uiteengesit.
Ons sien ook die bemiddelinge wat in staat gestel is om klimaatverandering teen te staan; daarna word die agtergrond oor die logiese gronde vir die verkiesing van die vier
gevallestudies bespreek, en laastens word die eintlike gevallestudies behandel.
Klimaatverandering en die relevantheid daarvan is die sleutelmotivering vir die keuse
van hierdie onderwerp en dit word deurgaans in die proefskrif bespreek. Dit is die een
gemeenskaplike faktor waaroor die vier ondervraagde maatskappye getoets is; hulle het
reeds stappe geneem om dit teen te staan en soek aanhoudend om die uitwerking van
klimaatverandering te versag.
‘n Oorsig van die algemene literatuur en sakestudies, die literatuur wat spesifiek op
klimaatverandering van toepassing is, hernieubare energie, verduurbare geboue,
maatskaplike beheer, ‘groen’ werk en klimaatverandering te versag. Inligting afkomstig
van staatskoerante, koerante, akademiese studies, boeke, dokumentere studies,
joernale, tydskrifte en internet bronne. Altesame het hierdie bronne bygedra tot die
ontwikkeling en steun van die gevallestudies, wat hoofsaaklik die vorm van onderhoude
met werkgewers en werknemers van uitgesoekde maatskappye gevat het.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6859 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Von Witt, Simon |
| Contributors | Scholtz, Louise, Brent, Alan, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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