Cognitive Frames for Sustainability: A Bilateral Concept? : An Application to the German Agriculture Sector

Throughout the past decades, global institutions and private actors have stepped into action in order to determine how a more sustainable development can be achieved in the future. The role of private organizations in this process, is still subject to ongoing debate in both research and practice. How individual managers perceive and integrate sustainability into their business, can be assessed with cognition theory. It is assumed that cognitive frames play a role, when dealing with this complex topic. One approach to evaluate such frames is to develop several characteristics that define the way these frames are shaped. Those indicate whether someone perceives sustainability as a mere business case or rather as a more complex, paradox issue that needs to integrate several, often conflicting demands. The aim of this thesis is to develop a better understanding for how specific cognitive frames are present in the perception of social, environmental and economic sustainability demands and their relation to the respective organization by individual managers. Through a quantitative study a theoretical framework, which is differentiating managers along thetypology of the ‘Business Case Frame’ and opposed to that the ‘Paradoxical Frame’, is tested and analyzed. The study is conducted in the agricultural sector in Germany. Finally, it is suggested to extend the existing framework by two additional cognitive frames to contribute to the ongoing debate around business sustainability. Consequently, a differentiated understanding of the role of cognitive frames for sustainability in practice is encouraged