Sustainability and Energy Management: Innovative and Responsible Business Practices for Sustainable Energy Strategies of Enterprises in Relation with CSR

286 Pages·2018·11.144 MB·English

by  Gregor Weber (auth.)

Sustainable Management,
Wertschöpfung und Effizienz
Gregor Weber
Sustainability and
Energy Management
Innovative and Responsible Business
Practices for Sustainable Energy
Strategies of Enterprises in Relation
with CSR
Sustainable Management,
Wertschöpfung und Effizienz
Series editors
G. Weber, Breunigweiler, Germany
M. Bodemann, Warburg, Germany
R. Schmidpeter, Ingolstadt, Germany
In dieser Schriftenreihe stehen insbesondere empirische und praxisnahe Studien
zu nachhaltigem Wirtschaften und Effizienz im Mittelpunkt. Energie-, Umwelt-,
Nachhaltigkeits-, CSR-, Innovations-, Risiko- und integrierte Managementsys-
teme sind nur einige Beispiele, die Sie hier wiederfinden. Ein besonderer Fokus
liegt dabei auf dem Nutzen, den solche Systeme für die Anwendung in der Praxis
bieten, um zu helfen die globalen Nachhaltigkeitsziele (SDGs) umzusetzen. Pub-
liziert werden nationale und internationale wissenschaftliche Arbeiten. Die Reihe
Sustainable Management, Wertschöpfung und Effizienz wird von Gregor Weber,
Markus Bodemann und René Schmidpeter herausgegeben.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/15909
Gregor Weber
Sustainability and
Energy Management
Innovative and Responsible Business
Practices for Sustainable Energy
Strategies of Enterprises in Relation
with CSR
Gregor Weber
Breunigweiler, Germany
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Doctoral School in Business Administra-
tion, Bucharest, Romania, 2016
PhD supervisor: Prof. Univ. Dr. Marieta Olaru
Sustainable Management, Wertschöpfung und Effizienz
ISBN 978-3-658-20221-7 ISBN 978-3-658-20222-4 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-20222-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017959554
Springer Gabler
© Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH 2018
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Dedication

To my loved family
To my dear wife Rita and my precious children Jasmin and Miriam
who always were so supportive and patient with me while working
on this research and “dreaming up crazy ideas”.
And to my parents, Mathilde and Alois, without whom this project
ever would have been worked on.
VII
Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ XI
List of Figures ............................................................................................................... XVII
List of Tables ................................................................................................................ XXIII
Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1
1. Current tendencies regarding sustainable energy strategies and knowledge
intensive business services ......................................................................................... 7
1.1. Conceptual framework of today’s innovative business practices ................... 7
1. 1. 1. Defining elements of the concept of innovative business
practices ............................................................................................... 7
1. 1. 2. Considerations of sustainable energy in today’s business
concepts ............................................................................................. 19
1. 1. 3. Characteristics of business performance indicators in the
energy economics .............................................................................. 37
1.2. Actual approaches and perspectives in the development of sustainable
energy strategies ............................................................................................. 51
1. 2. 1. Definition of energy economics......................................................... 51
1. 2. 2. Factors of energy economics influencing responsible business
practices ............................................................................................. 51
1. 2. 3. Explanation of selected tendencies in sustainable energy
systems ............................................................................................... 58
1.3. Today’s classification of knowledge intensive business services (KIBS)
in the energy business .................................................................................... 71
2. Present approaches and tendencies in sustainable energy strategies in
relation to CSR........................................................................................................... 83
2.1. Specific aspects regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) in
energy economics ........................................................................................... 83
2.2. Using specific elements and instruments of CSR to support sustainable
energy activities .............................................................................................. 84
2.3. Critical evaluation of approaches in sustainable social responsibility
and energy ....................................................................................................... 88
3. Today’s approaches of innovation in the context of sustainable energy
strategies ................................................................................................................. 101
3.1. Definition of innovation and its relation to energy strategies ..................... 101
3. 1. 1. The innovation process in the energy business for KIBS ................ 102
3. 1. 2. Steps and phases of the innovation process ................................... 106
3. 1. 3. The innovation analysis and correlations ........................................ 108
VIII
3. 1. 4. Different kinds of innovation strategies in the context of
energy economics ............................................................................ 111
3.2. The open innovation approach supporting the energy networks ............... 114
3.3. Trends of corporate social innovation and their correlation with CSR
and KIBS in the field of energy ...................................................................... 118
4. Actual evolution of the energy economics in Germany ......................................... 123
4.1. Factors influencing the energy economics surroundings ............................ 123
4. 1. 1. The Europe-2020-Strategy and its relation to sustainable
energy strategies ............................................................................. 123
4. 1. 2. Industry norms in the context of energy efficiency ........................ 125
4.2. The chronicle of the German energy transition ........................................... 126
4.3. The impacts of the changes in energy strategies to the German
business sectors ............................................................................................ 130
4.4. Gaps to be filled through additional research for sustainable energy
strategies ....................................................................................................... 138
5. Study on the opinions of enterprises regarding the evolution of the energy
sector ....................................................................................................................... 141
5.1. General context of the research ................................................................... 141
5.2. Objectives and research methodology ......................................................... 142
5.3. Research results of opinions of selected German enterprises regarding
the evolution of the energy sector ............................................................... 146
5. 3. 1. General data..................................................................................... 147
5. 3. 2. Impacts of energy price factors and challenges in the field of
energy to the enterprises ................................................................ 148
5. 3. 3. Effects to the enterprises’ energy efficiency activities and
business development ..................................................................... 153
5. 3. 4. Enterprises’ general judgement of changing energy economics.... 160
5.4. Research results of opinions of selected Romanian enterprises
regarding the evolution of the energy sector .............................................. 163
5. 4. 1. General data..................................................................................... 164
5. 4. 2. Impacts of energy price factors and challenges in the field of
energy to the enterprises ................................................................ 165
5. 4. 3. Effects to the enterprises’ energy efficiency activities and
business development ..................................................................... 170
5. 4. 4. Enterprises’ general judgement of changing energy economics.... 177
5.5. Correlations of selected measures to changes in energy strategies .......... 178
6. Studies regarding innovative and responsible business practices for
sustainable energy strategies in Germany ............................................................. 181
IX
6.1. Study on leadership for sustainability and innovative sustainable
initiatives ....................................................................................................... 181
6. 1. 1. General context of the research ...................................................... 181
6. 1. 2. Objectives and research methodology ........................................... 185
6. 1. 3. Research results on leadership for sustainability and
innovative sustainable initiatives .................................................... 189
6.2. Study on the role of Knowledge Intensive Business Services in the
context of changing energy economics in Germany .................................... 192
6. 2. 1. General context of the research ...................................................... 192
6. 2. 2. Objectives and research methodology ........................................... 193
6. 2. 3. Research results on the role of KIBS in the context of changing
energy economics in Germany ........................................................ 195
7. Proposals for innovative and responsible business practices for sustainable
energy and social responsibility ............................................................................. 201
7.1. Development of an improved framework for innovative and
responsible business processes for sustainable energy .............................. 201
7. 1. 1. General context of the proposal ..................................................... 201
7. 1. 2. Objectives and methodology ........................................................... 204
7. 1. 3. Analysis and initial results of first evaluations of the framework .. 212
7.2. Development of an integrated model for sustainable energy and social
responsibility ................................................................................................. 216
7. 2. 1. General context of the model ......................................................... 216
7. 2. 2. Objectives and methodology ........................................................... 218
7. 2. 3. Analysis and results of first evaluations of the proposal ................ 225
7.3. Effects of the proposed models for sustainable energy economics in
Germany in relation to CSR ........................................................................... 227
Conclusion..................................................................................................................... 229
Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 237
XI
List of Abbreviations
AA 1000 Standard Account Ability, a standard for ethical performance con-
structed by the organization ISEA
ACT-ORANGE sustainability initiative founded and operated by the author
AHK German chamber of foreign trade (Außenhandelskammer)
AIPM Australian institute of project management
AöR Public law institution (Anstalt öffentlichen Rechts)
ASE Academia de Studii Economice din Buchuresti (Bucharest University
of Economic Studies)
B2B business to business
B2C business to customer
BAFA German Federal office for economic affairs and export control (Bun-
desamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle)
BCOT Benefits-Cost-Opportunities-Threats analysis
bdew Federal Association of the German energy and water industry (Bun-
desverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft)
BDI Federation of the German Industry (Bundesverband der Deutschen
Industrie e.V.)
Bet Institute for energy economics and technical consulting (Büro für En-
ergiewirtschaft und technische Planung)
BMF German Federal Ministry of Finance (Bundesministerium der Finan-
zen)
BMU German Federal Ministry of Environment (Bundesministerium für
Umwelt)
BMW Bayrische Motorenwerke (German car manufacturer)
BMWi German Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy (Bundesministeri-
um für Wirtschaft und Energie)
Bn billion
CCI Chamber of Commerce and Industry
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CHP Combined heat and power
CO Carbon dioxide
2
corp. corporate
CR Corporate Responsibility
CRI Corporate Responsibility Index
CRR Corporate Responsibility Rating
CS Corporate Sustainability
CSI Corporate Social Innovation