plmsc
Department of Management, Society and Communication
- CBS Sustainability Centre
- Centre for Business and Development Studies (CBDS)

I specialize in the broad field of corporate social responsibility and sustainability in the global South (with a regional focus on South Asia). In particular, I am interested in how the organization of transnational industries and local industrial clusters affect the economic, social, and environmental upgrading/downgrading of firms, workers, and environment.
With post-graduate degrees in business and development studies (from CBS, Denmark), environment and development (University of Cambridge, UK) and peace and development studies (Universitat Jaume I, Spain) I use an interdisciplinary approach that takes its point of departure in critical development studies. Thus, I seek to advance theorizing and empirical studies on economic, social, and environmental upgrading/downgrading by combining insights from literatures related to global production networks/global value chains, feminist political economy, political ecology, and the labor process. These theoretical perspectives are linked to my interest in critical realism as a philosophy of science approach.
I believe that the uniqueness of place, history, and in-depth knowledge of particular industries through longitudinal studies are critical to understanding economic, social, and environmental upgrading/downgrading processes in the global South. In the last twenty years, I have therefore undertaken several in-depth studies on the football manufacturing, leather tanning, garment, textile, and bamboo industries in South Asia. This includes ongoing work on the formulation, implementation, and the impacts of the multi-stakeholder initiative, the Better Cotton Initiative, in India and Pakistan with support from Danish Social Science Research Council. At present, I am also involved in an in-depth study of women’s entrepreneurship and the labor process in the bamboo value chains of India in the states of Assam, Odisha, Meghalaya, and Madhya Pradesh with support from the EU Switch Asia program. From 2021-2025 I am the lead investigator in a research project, Global Value Chains and Climate Change in Bangladesh, supported by Danida. I have previously served as Co-Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor of the journal, Competition and Change (Sage Publications).
In addition, I am deeply committed to interaction with practitioners, academics, and students with the aim of increasing awareness of the diversity of perspectives that exist on CSR/sustainability including buyer, supplier, and worker perspectives on these topics. Improving theorizing, policy, and practice in these areas require increased North-South dialogue so that we may obtain a better understanding of each other’s perspectives.
My work has appeared in journals such as Journal of Economic Geography, Environment and Planning A, Business & Society, Journal of Business Ethics, Development and Change, Global Networks, and Ecological Economics. Recently, I published a monograph titled Rethinking CSR in Global Value Chains in the Age of COVID-19 (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022), and I have recently signed a book contract with Cambridge University Press and delivered a manuscript on sustainable value chains (w. Rachel Alexander as the lead author) for publication in late 2022/early 2023.
- CSER in Developing Countries
- Industrial Upgrading & MSMEs
- Ethical and Fair Trade
- Global Value Chains and Clusters
- Industry focus: football, garments, textiles, and leather.
I represent the Copenhagen Business School in two fora:
The Danish Ethical Trading Initiative (DIEH). DIEH is multi-stakeholder initiative involving Danish brands, NGOs, government organizations, and other stakeholders that work towards promoting ethical and sustainable trade.
The Bibliometric Research Indicator (BFI) group on ‘Geography and Development’. The BFI system of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science is an element of the performance-based model for distribution of the block grant to Danish Universities based on research based publication.
Corporate Social Responsibility in Action: A Path to Sustainable Development? (Business and Development Studies Master Core Course)
What is Behind the Label? CSR and Sustainability Standards in Developing Countries.
Supervision of PhD, master-level and bachelor students in the broad fields of CSR and sustainability in developing country contexts.
Developing a working paper/teaching resource on sustainable value chain entrepreneurship with support from the Danish Entrepreneurship Foundation.
Peter Lund-Thomsen; Michael W. Hansen; Adam Lindgreen / Business and Development Studies – Issues and Perspectives, Routledge, London. 2019 (In Press)
Lone Riisgaard; Peter Lund-Thomsen; Neil Coe, Multistakeholder initiatives in global production networks: naturalizing specific understandings of sustainability through the Better Cotton Initiative, Global Networks, 2019, Online first
Peter Lund-Thomsen; Adam Lindgreen / Is there a Sweet Spot in Ethical Trade? : A Critical Appraisal of the Potential for Aligning Buyer, Supplier, and Worker Interests in Global Production Networks.
In: Geoforum, Vol. 90, 3.2018, p. 84-90
Peter Lund-Thomsen; Adam Lindgreen; Joelle Vanhamme / Industrial Clusters and Corporate Social Responsibility in Developing Countries : What We Know, What We Do Not Know, and What We Need to Know .
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 133, No. 1, 2016, p. 9-24
Peter Lund-Thomsen; Adam Lindgreen / Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Value Chains : Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 123, No. 1, 2014, p. 11-22
In: Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2023, p. 360-362
1ed.Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press 2023, 75 p. (Elements in Business Strategy)
In: Ecological Economics, Vol. 193, 3.2022
Cheltenham : Edward Elgar Publishing 2022, 124 p. (Rethinking Business and Management)
In: Development and Change, Vol. 52, No. 3, 5.2021, p. 504-532
In: Global Networks, Vol. 21, No. 4, 10.2021, p. 653-680
In: Baltic Rim Economies, No. 3, 6.2021, p. 14
In: Competition & Change, Vol. 25, No. 1, 1.2021, p. 127-130
Frederiksberg : Centre for Business and Development Studies 2021, 118 p.
Frederiksberg : Copenhagen Business School [wp] 2021, 37 p. (CBDS Working Paper, No. 2021/3)
Frederiksberg : Centre for Business and Development Studies 2020, 23 p. (CBDS Working Paper, No. 2020/4)
Abingdon : Routledge 2020, 484 p. (Routledge Studies in Innovation, Organizations and Technology)
In: Business and Development Studies: Issues and Perspectives. . ed. /Peter Lund-Thomsen; Michael Wendelboe Hansen; Adam Lindgreen. Abingdon : Routledge 2020, p. 3-14 (Routledge Studies in Innovation, Organizations and Technology)
In: Environment and Planning A, Vol. 52, No. 8, 11.2020, p. 1700-1709
In: Business and Development Studies: Issues and Perspectives. . ed. /Peter Lund-Thomsen; Michael Wendelboe Hansen; Adam Lindgreen. Abingdon : Routledge 2020, p. 159-179 (Routledge Studies in Innovation, Organizations and Technology)
Abstract from SASE 32nd Annual Conference 2020 - Virtual, 2020
In: Global Networks, Vol. 20, No. 2, 4.2020, p. 211-236
In: Environment and Planning A, Vol. 52, No. 4, 6.2020, p. 766-789
In: Handbook on Global Value Chains. ed. /Stefano Ponte; Gary Gereffi; Gale Raj-Reichert. Cheltenham : Edward Elgar Publishing 2019, p. 285–295
Frederiksberg : Copenhagen Business School [wp] 2018, 34 p. (CBDS Working Paper, No. 1, 2018)
In: Research Handbook on Small Business Social Responsibility. ed. /Laura J. Spence; Jedrzej G. Frynas; Judy N. Muthuri; Jyoti Navare. Cheltenham : Edward Elgar Publishing 2018, p. 77–100 (Research Handbooks in Business and Management)
In: Geoforum, Vol. 90, 3.2018, p. 84-90
In: Business & Society, Vol. 56, No. 3, 3.2017, p. 454-486
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 146, No. 3, 12.2017, p. 619–637
In: Comparative Perspectives on Global Corporate Social Responsibility. ed. /Dima Jamali. Hersley, PA : IGI global 2017, p. 241-257 (Advances in Business Strategy and Competitive Advantage)
In: Competition & Change, Vol. 21, No. 1, 2017, 7 p., p. 3-9
In: Business & Society, Vol. 56, No. 1, 1.2017, p. 11-22
In: The Business Student's Guide to Sustainable Management: Principles and Practice. . ed. /Petra Molthan-Hill. Abingdon : Routledge 2017, p. 378-408
In: South Asian Journal of Global Business Research, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2016, 2 p., p. 158-164
In: The Journal of Sustainable Mobility, Vol. 3, No. 2, 12.2016, p. 3-13
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 133, No. 1, 2016, p. 9-24
In: Competition and Change, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2016, p. 53-68
In: Development-Oriented Corporate Social Responsibility. Volume 1: Multinational Corporations and the Global Context. . ed. /Dima Jamali; Charlotte Karam; Michael Blowfield. Sheffield : Greenleaf Publishing 2015, p. 189-202
In: Journal of Economic Geography, Vol. 15, No. 2, 3.2015, p. 275-296
Frederiksberg : Copenhagen Business School [wp] 2015, 30 p. (Working Paper, No. 1 / 2015)
In: Chinese Workers in Comparative Perspective. ed. /Anita Chan. Ithaca : Cornell University Press 2015, p. 132-156
In: The Business Student's Guide to Sustainable Management: Principles and Practice . . ed. /Petra Molthan-Hill. Sheffield : Greenleaf Publishing 2015, p. 218-238
In: Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2014, p. 602-619
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 123, No. 1, 2014, p. 11-22
In: Competition and Change, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2014, p. 281-290
In: Contemporary South Asia, Vol. 22, No. 4, 12.2014, p. 377-388
Frederiksberg : Copenhagen Business School [wp] 2013, 29 p. (Working Paper, No. 2)
Frederiksberg : Copenhagen Business School [wp] 2013, 21 p. (Working Paper, No. 3)
Frederiksberg : Copenhagen Business School [wp] 2013, 26 p. (Working Paper, No. 1)
In: Geoforum, Vol. 44, 2013, p. 71-81
In: Sustainable Value Chain Management: A Research Anthology. . ed. /Adam Lindgreen; François Maon; Joëlle Vanhamme; Sankar Sen. Farnham : Gower Publishing 2013, p. 257-270
In: Business Regulation and Non-State Actors: Whose Standards? Whose Development?. . ed. /Darryl Reed; Peter Utting; Ananya Mukherjee-Reed. Abingdon : Routledge 2012, p. 189-200
In: Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, Vol. 12, No. 4, 2012, p. 568-578
In: Development and Change, Vol. 43, No. 6, 2012, p. 1211-1237
In: Competition and Change, Vol. 16, No. 4, 2012, p. 261-280
In: Journal of Change Management, Vol. 11, No. 1, 3.2011, p. 73-90
Frederiksberg : Center for Corporate Social Responsibility, CBS 2011, 28 p. (CSR and Business in Society: CBS Working Paper Series, No. 01-2011)
Frederiksberg : Center for Corporate Social Responsibility, CBS 2011, 50 p. (CSR and Business in Society: CBS Working Paper Series, No. 02-2011)
In: Global Networks: A Journal of Transnational Affairs, Vol. 11, No. 3, 2011, p. 334-354
In: Journal of Corporate Citizenship, No. 42, 2011, p. 55-72
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 93, No. Supplement 2, 2010, p. 201-222
In: Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2010, p. 1-13
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 93, No. 2, 2010, 4 p., p. 139-142
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 90, No. 1, 2009, p. 57-78
Wien : United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2009, 97 p. (Technical Paper Series: Industrial Policy and Private Sector Development Branch, No. 17)
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 90, No. 1, Supplement, 2009, p. 1-2
In: Development and Change, Vol. 39, No. 6, 2008, p. 1005-1018
2007, 31 p.
In: Social learning: Towards a sustainable world. Principles, perspectives, and praxis. Wageningen : Wageningen Academic Publishers 2007, p. 297-311
Frederiksberg : Centre for Corporate Responsibility, Copenhagen Business School 2007, 4 p.
In: Corporate Citizenship in Developing Countries: New partnership perspectives. . ed. /Mahad Huniche; Esben Rahbek Pedersen. Frederiksberg : Copenhagen Business School Press 2006, p. 113-137
In: International Affairs (London, 1944), Vol. 82, No. 5, 2006, p. 977-987
København : Samfundslitteratur 2005, 242 p. (Ph.D.serie, No. 2005-17)
In: International Affairs (London, 1944), Vol. 81, No. 3, 2005, p. 619-633
In: Sustainable development and the university. ed. /Robert Fincham; Susse Georg; Eskild Holm Nielsen. 2005, p. 75-91
In: Development : Journal of the Society for International Development, Vol. 47, No. 3, 2004, p. 106-113
New Delhi : Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC) 2021, 13 p. (Enterprising Bamboo Case Study Series, No. 1)
Skraldet flytter ud af landet: Vores gamle tøj ender i fattige lande
Miljøkatastrofe lurer fra enorm mængde europæisk tøjaffald
BGMEA delegation meets Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in Denmark
Grøn omstilling: Klimaforandring og tekstilbranchen
Efter mistanke om tvangsarbejde: Ekspert skyder regioners mundbindskontrol ned
Regionerne strammer nu kontrol med indkøb af mundbind og håndsprit
Mundbind produceret af tvangsarbejdere
Danske hospitaler har købt tusindvis af mundbind fra en kinesisk fabrik mistænkt for tvangsarbejde
Tusindvis af mundbind til danske patienter er købt fra fabrik mistænkt for tvangsarbejde Spasiba! Danmark slår Rusland og er klar til EM-semifinalen
Vulnerable workers in global supply chains
Massebesvimelser i Cambodja fortsætter: 150 besvimet på Nike-fabrik
CBS creates ethical guidelines for future partnerships
Det lysner for østens mode produktion
Dialog er vigtig i kampen mod børnearbejde
Etisk handel: Soja belaster også miljøet
Forsker tvivler på bæredygtig soja uden kontrol
Tøjfirmaer slutter op om aftale om Bangladesh
Bedre arbejdsvilkår i Bangladesh
CBS'ere får 20 millioner kroner til forskerkarrieren
CSR handler om at undgå de rådne historier
Store forandringer på det kinesiske arbejdsmarked
Virksomhedsetik kan gøre mere skade end gavn
Vi risikerer at gøre meget mere skade end gavn
- The rise of the BRIC countries and the Future of Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility
- Multi-stakeholder initiatives in the cotton value chains of South Asia (and Africa)
- Public-Private Partnerships for Developement
- Rethinking global value chains and sustainability
- Climate change and global value chains in Bangladesh
Name of contractual partner |
Duration of activity |
Type of activity |
Asiahouse |
April-May 2018 |
Consultancy Report – Final Evaluation of the Project |
Foundation for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises New Delhi |
2019 – 2022 |
Research – Study of Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Bamboo Value Chains of India (States of Assam, Meghalya, Madya Pradesh and Odisha) |