Critical perspectives on business and the natural environment

This article discusses some critical perspectives on business and the natural environment (B&NE). It introduces critical management studies (CMS) and the intellectual and philosophical traditions that inform this field. Issues of power and domination are addressed in CMS. It then reviews a critical research agenda for the study of B&NE. Particular constructions of the ‘environment’ and ‘nature’ emerge when environmental issues are framed from the conventional economic paradigm. There is a danger that CMS can become an insular sub-discipline in organization and management studies. Pollution prevention and product stewardship may be the ‘win-win” environmental strategic capabilities that firms can develop, but it is doubtful if these strategies can address the broader goals of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. It finally covers five themes for future B&NE research that depart from the mainstream: paradigmatic research, empirical research, critical political economic approach, global environmental governance, and critical engagement.