peter jones - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by peter jones

Social Responsibility Journal, 2014

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer an exploratory case study of how the UK’s leading... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer an exploratory case study of how the UK’s leading retailers are addressing sustainable consumption. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a discussion of the growing awareness of the importance of sustainable consumption and of the role that retailers can play in promoting more sustainable patterns of consumption. This is followed by a short literature review of current thinking on sustainable consumption. The paper draws its empirical information from the top ten UK retailers’ corporate websites and from an observational survey conducted in these retailers’ largest stores in the town of Cheltenham in the UK. The paper concludes with some reflections on how the UK’s leading retailers are addressing sustainable consumption and on how the concept fits into their business models. Findings – The findings reveal that the UK’s top ten retailers make very limited public corporate commitments to sustainable consumption and that w...

Property Management, 2014

Purpose – Large-scale shale gas reserves have recently been identified under many parts of the UK... more Purpose – Large-scale shale gas reserves have recently been identified under many parts of the UK and development pressure for detailed exploration and possibly the exploitation of these reserves by hydraulic fracturing, popularly described as fracking is growing rapidly and seems to have UK Government support. With this in mind the purpose of this paper is to offer a general review of the possible development of shale gas reserves by fracking within the UK and to explore a number of the planning and property issues associated with such development. Design/methodology/approach – The briefing note begins with an outline of the characteristics of shale oil and the fracking process and of the initial developments within the UK and discusses some of the planning and property issues associated with such developments. The note is based upon information drawn from the internet sources, principally national and local governments, business organisations and environmental and community pressu...

Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketing Communications Within Stores: A Case Study of U.K. Food Retailers

Journal of Food Products Marketing, 2008

ABSTRACT The U.K. Government has argued that more transparency in the ways that companies address... more ABSTRACT The U.K. Government has argued that more transparency in the ways that companies address and manage environmental, economic, and social issues can help improve relationships with employees, customers, and other stakeholders and U.K.'s large food retailers are increasingly keen to report their commitment to CSR. This paper offers a preliminary examination of the extent to which the U.K.'s major food retailers currently use CSR as a means of communicating with customers within their stores.

Journal of Food Products Marketing, 2012

Sustainable consumption is a core policy objective within the UK Government's Sustainable Develop... more Sustainable consumption is a core policy objective within the UK Government's Sustainable Development Strategy and there is a growing awareness that retailers have a vital role to play in promoting more sustainable patterns of consumption. This paper explores how the UK's top ten food retailers are communicating sustainable consumption agendas to their customers within stores in the towns of Cheltenham and Gloucester. The findings reveal that while these retailers are providing customers with some information on sustainable consumption the dominant thrust of marketing communication within stores is designed to encourage consumption. The paper concludes with some reflections on how sustainable consumption fits into the large food retailers' business models.

Purpose-The aim of this paper is to review and reflect on the sustainability agendas and achievem... more Purpose-The aim of this paper is to review and reflect on the sustainability agendas and achievements reported by Europe's leading food and drinks wholesalers. Design/Methodology/Approach-The paper begins with a short introduction to corporate sustainability, sustainability reporting and food and drinks wholesaling within Europe and the empirical material for the paper is drawn from reports and information posted on the leading food and drinks wholesalers' corporate websites. Findings-There are marked variations in the extent to which Europe's leading food and drinks wholesalers reported and provided information on their sustainability agendas and achievements. These agendas and achievements embraced a wide range of environmental, social and economic issues but the reporting process had a number of weaknesses that undermine its transparency and credibility. The authors also argue that the leading food and drinks wholesalers' definitions of, and commitments to, sustainability are principally driven by business imperatives as by any fundamental concern to maintain the viability and integrity of natural and social capital. More critically the authors argue that this approach is couched within existing business models centred on continuing growth and consumption Limitations-The paper is a preliminary review of the sustainability agendas and achievements publicly reported by Europe's leading food and drinks wholesalers. Originality-The role of Europe's wholesale sector in addressing sustainability has received scant attention in the academic literature and this paper will interest academics and students in business management and marketing and employees and executives working in the distribution sector of the economy. INTRODUCTION Retailers, and more particularly a small number of large superstore and supermarket operators, are the major players in the distribution of food and drinks within Europe (Reynolds and Cuthbertson 2014). As such these large retailers are in a singularly powerful position to actively promote sustainability through their partnerships with their suppliers and through their daily interactions with millions of consumers. Over a decade ago Durieu (2003,) for example, argued that large retailers 'can greatly influence changes in production processes and consumption patterns and are well positioned to exert pressure on producers in favour of more sustainable choices.' In 2009 the European Commission and a number of leading European retailers launched a 'Retail Forum' as part of an initiative to promote more sustainable consumption. During the past decade all the leading food retailers have increasingly publicly recognised the impact.