Habbershon, Timothy G., and Mary L. Williams. 1999. “A Resource-Based Framework for Assessing the Strategic Advantages of Family Firms.” Family Business Review 12 (1): 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6248.1999.00001.x.

The Resource-Based View (RBV) of competitive advantage provides a theoretical framework from the field of strategic management for assessing the competitive advantages of family firms. The RBV isolates idiosyncratic resources that are complex, intangible, and dynamic within a particular firm. The bundle of resources that are distinctive to a firm as a result of family involvement are identified as the ?familiness? of the firm. This approach provides a research and practice method for assessing the specific behavioral and social phenomena within a firm that provide an advantage. Using a familiness model for assessing competitive advantage overcomes many of the problems associated with the generic claim that family companies have an advantage over nonfamily companies. It also provides a unified systems perspective of family firm performance.

Environmental ethics—the study of ethical questions raised by human relations with the nonhuman environment—emerged as an important subfield of philosophy during the 1970s. It is now a flourishing area of research. This article provides a review of the secular, Western traditions in the field. It examines both anthropocentric and nonanthropocentric claims about what has value, as well as divergent views about whether environmental ethics should be concerned with bringing about best consequences, respecting principles and rights, or embodying environmental virtues. The article also briefly considers two critical traditions—ecofeminism and environmental pragmatism—and explores some of the difficult environmental ethics questions posed by anthropogenic climate change.

 “Bivalent Attributes of the Family Firm.” Tagiuri, Renato, and John Davis. 1996 Family Business Review 9, no. 2 (June 1, 1996): 199–208. 

Although family-owned and managed firms are the predominant form of business organization in the world today, little systematic research exists on these companies. This paper builds upon insights found in the emerging literature on these enterprises and upon our own observations to provide a conceptual framework to better understand these complex organizations. We introduce the concept of the Bivalent Attributes, a unique, inherent feature of an organization that is the source of both advantages and disadvantages? to explain the dynamics of the family firm.

This book is about the extent, origins and causes of the environmental crisis. Dr Northcott argues that Christianity has lost the biblical awareness of the inter-connectedness of all life. He shows how Christian theologians and believers might recover a more ecologically friendly belief system and life style. The author provides an important corrective to secular approaches to environmental ethics, including utilitarian individualism, animal rights theories and deep ecology. He contends that neither the stewardship tradition, nor the panentheist or process ecological theologies have successfully mobilised the Christian tradition. He demonstrates that the Hebrew Bible contains an ecological message which is close to the traditions of many primal and indigenous peoples and which provides an important corrective to instrumental attitudes to nature in much modern philosophy and Christian ethics.

C-EENRG’s core mission is to conduct integrative research on the governance of environmental transitions, understood as social and technological processes driven by environmental constraints that lead to fundamental changes in social organisation. Our work draws upon the knowledge of the drivers and implications of environmental change generated in various centres across the University of Cambridge and focuses on the law and governance dimensions of environmental transitions. Law is viewed as a technology to bring, guide and/or manage environment-driven societal transformation.

The Center for Climatic Research focuses on interdisciplinary research regarding the Earth’s climate system, including the causes and impacts of historical, ongoing, and projected climate variability and change, with geographic focuses that span from local to global scale. The center’s diverse activities and societal contributions include the training of students and postdoctoral researchers as the next generation of climate scientists, development of guidance for state government and regional stakeholders regarding climate change impacts and adaptation, and advancement of scientific understanding of the coupled Earth system.

Discua Cruz, Allan. 2013. “Christian Family Businesses: Opportunities for Future Research.” Journal of Biblical Integration in Business 16 (2). https://cbfa-jbib.org/index.php/jbib/article/view/129.

Family businesses dominate the business landscape around the world. Traditionally, research has concentrated on understanding the complex processes that underpin the creation, development, and survival of family businesses. To date, however, a Christian perspective on family business research has been largely overlooked. The aim of this paper is to explore the connections between a Christian perspective and the most prevalent business form worldwide. This paper contributes by reviewing relevant literature in the family business field and by suggesting future research paths.

“Comment on ‘Family Values or Crony Capitalism?’ (Harold James)” 2008 Randall Morck Capitalism and Society 3 (1).

The 20th century ran countless experiments to see what form of government works least badly. Unless things turn around unexpectedly, James I would have lost money betting on the absolute monarchy. The 21st century now gets to sort out what form of corporate governance works least badly; and I suspect Prof. James is premature in declaring for family firms.

“Corporate Ownership Around the World” Rafael La Porta, Florencio Lopez-De-Silanes, Andrei Shleifer The Journal of Finance 54 (2): 471–517. 1999 (Open Access) 

We use data on ownership structures of large corporations in 27 wealthy economies to identify the ultimate controlling shareholders of these firms. We find that, except in economies with very good shareholder protection, relatively few of these firms are widely held, in contrast to Berle and Means’s image of ownership of the modern corporation. Rather, these firms are typically controlled by families or the State. Equity control by financial institutions is far less common. The controlling shareholders typically have power over firms significantly in excess of their cash flow rights, primarily through the use of pyramids and participation in management.

The Environmental Change Institute was established in 1991 ‘to organize and promote interdisciplinary research on the nature, causes and impact of environmental change and to contribute to the development of management strategies for coping with future environmental change’. 

Over the last 25 years we have developed an international track record for research in climate, ecosystems and energy and a growing expertise in the fields of food and water. We respond to the challenges in these areas through an interdisciplinary and integrated programme of understanding processes of change; exploring sustainable solutions; and influencing change through education and partnership.