Going green in China: An organization theory perspective on pollution prevention in Chinese electroplating factories.

摘要

This dissertation explores why Chinese electroplating firms adopt pollution prevention alternatives. The study also investigates why some enterprises practice more pollution prevention than others. A case study methodology is used to analyze pollution prevention practices in state, collective, and township-and-village (TVE) enterprises in Qingdao, China.;The research finds that electroplating factories adopt pollution prevention measures predominantly to increase profits, to meet pollutant discharge standards, and to avoid paying effluent fees. Six key factors explain the degree of pollution prevention in Chinese electroplating firms: (1) leadership commitment, whereby factory directors attach importance and commit resources to pollution prevention; (2) a pollution prevention champion, a person who coordinates and promotes workshop-level pollution prevention activities; (3) pollution prevention goals, which motivate managers to identify alternatives; (4) managers' awareness of pollution prevention as a strategy and recognition of linkages between production and pollution; (5) pollution prevention responsibility systems, which enable directors to implement and enforce pollution prevention requirements; and (6) staff basic knowledge of technical processes and abilities to design and implement pollution prevention alternatives.;Factories with strong leadership commitment, a pollution prevention champion, strong pollution prevention goals, and managers with high pollution prevention awareness, have proactive environmental management strategies. These firms take an aggressive approach to reducing pollution and attain the highest degrees of pollution prevention within each of two groups: state-owned/collectives and TVEs.;A pollution prevention responsibility system consists of regulations, training, monitoring, and rewards and penalties. A responsibility system is important for two reasons: it facilitates the transmission of pollution prevention goals in the enterprise and ensures implementation of pollution prevention alternatives, especially improved management practices. When enterprises establish responsibility systems, higher adoption of pollution prevention alternatives occurs.;Finally, the dissertation finds that TVEs' weaker technical knowledge and capabilities explains their lower degrees of pollution prevention relative to state firms and collectives. In TVEs, even when staff are eager to reduce pollution, they often do not have the technical knowledge or capacity to identify and implement certain pollution prevention alternatives.