Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry?

Sustainability is about the preservation of economic growth, social justice and environmental resources. Sustainable innovation is innovation, which furthers the continuation of these three pillars. Business traditionally focuses on the financial pillar, making this its top priority. Since this i...

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Main Author: Hannington, Lee Anthony
Format: Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2007
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/21473/
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author Hannington, Lee Anthony
author_facet Hannington, Lee Anthony
author_sort Hannington, Lee Anthony
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Sustainability is about the preservation of economic growth, social justice and environmental resources. Sustainable innovation is innovation, which furthers the continuation of these three pillars. Business traditionally focuses on the financial pillar, making this its top priority. Since this is the case, is there a financial argument (business case) for innovation, which also furthers the development of the other two pillars in the consumer electronics retailing industry? This question begins to be answered through interviewing the managing director, the fleet manager and an area manager of Hughes Electrical, an independent retailer based in East Anglia. A semi-structured interview reveals that there is a business case for sustainable innovation in limited circumstances, where it aims to serve the market for materials such as waste polystrene, cardbard and unwanted electrical appliances. In some circumstances the viability of such investments are contingent on variables such as company size (it may be more viable for larger firms) and government grants being available (their presence makes projects more attractive). There is evidence that sustainable innovation might reduce retailers' costs considerably. However, there may be some costs attached to such savings, which need to be weighed against the benefits. The conclusion is that government through legislation and grants may have to continue to encourage business to become increasingly sustainable, as there appears to be limited financial incentive to do so otherwise.
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spelling nottingham-214732017-12-29T10:07:50Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/21473/ Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry? Hannington, Lee Anthony Sustainability is about the preservation of economic growth, social justice and environmental resources. Sustainable innovation is innovation, which furthers the continuation of these three pillars. Business traditionally focuses on the financial pillar, making this its top priority. Since this is the case, is there a financial argument (business case) for innovation, which also furthers the development of the other two pillars in the consumer electronics retailing industry? This question begins to be answered through interviewing the managing director, the fleet manager and an area manager of Hughes Electrical, an independent retailer based in East Anglia. A semi-structured interview reveals that there is a business case for sustainable innovation in limited circumstances, where it aims to serve the market for materials such as waste polystrene, cardbard and unwanted electrical appliances. In some circumstances the viability of such investments are contingent on variables such as company size (it may be more viable for larger firms) and government grants being available (their presence makes projects more attractive). There is evidence that sustainable innovation might reduce retailers' costs considerably. However, there may be some costs attached to such savings, which need to be weighed against the benefits. The conclusion is that government through legislation and grants may have to continue to encourage business to become increasingly sustainable, as there appears to be limited financial incentive to do so otherwise. 2007 Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/21473/1/07MBAlixlajh.pdf Hannington, Lee Anthony (2007) Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry? [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] (Unpublished)
spellingShingle Hannington, Lee Anthony
Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry?
title Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry?
title_full Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry?
title_fullStr Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry?
title_full_unstemmed Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry?
title_short Is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry?
title_sort is there a business case for sustainable innovation in the consumer electronics retail industry?
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/21473/