Title: Failure to launch: the Kyoto protocol and sustainable strategic management

Authors: Rebecca M. Griffin, George M. Puia

Addresses: College of Business and Management, Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, University City, MI 48710 USA. ' College of Business and Management, Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, University City, MI 48710 USA

Abstract: Despite an unquestioned worldwide green movement, business progress toward environmental sustainability has been relatively slow. The relative speed of greening may result from a lack of a dominant design or set of agreed upon standards. Some scholars argue that in uncertain technology markets, industry needs government initiatives such as the Kyoto protocol to accelerate its development. Governments failed to ratify quickly the treaty, weakening its effectiveness. This research presents that environmental treaty ratification takes place in a complex environment of cultural, political, and economic forces. This makes environmental sustainability more complex and suggests that markets rather than governments will be the driving force in sustainability standards.

Keywords: sustainable strategic management; SSM; sustainability; national culture; environmental policy; Kyoto protocol; sustainable development; market forces.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSM.2009.030511

International Journal of Sustainable Strategic Management, 2009 Vol.1 No.4, pp.360 - 375

Published online: 20 Dec 2009 *

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