Environmental sustainability of facilities management

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-276
Author(s):  
Nimesha Sahani Jayasena ◽  
Harshini Mallawaarachchi ◽  
Lalith De Silva
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Process Analysis ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Apparel Industry ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Purpose Rapid changes in the environment escalate the requirement of environmental sustainability assessment within built environment. The purpose of this paper is to model the environmental sustainability of facilities management (FM) functions in apparel industry in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive literature review was carried out in order to identify the importance of sustainability assessment for FM, sustainable FM functions and their environmental sustainability indicators. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey was carried out to determine a relative weight of the sustainable FM functions and environmental sustainability indicators through the analytical hierarchy process analysis. Findings Energy management was identified as the most significant FM function in terms of environmental sustainability in apparel industry with a relative performance of 49.12 per cent. Subsequently, the functions of water management (29.39 per cent), maintenance management (11.98 per cent) and waste management (9.64 per cent) obtained the second, third and fourth ranks while asset management (7.85 per cent) was the function which had the least performance score. Relative weights for the environmental sustainability indicators were also determined. Research limitations/implications In respect of the apparel industry, the developed model can be utilised for assessing the environmental sustainability of FM in broader term. Originality/value No proper mechanism was found to assess the sustainability of FM in apparel sector since very fewer research studies were focussed on achieving environmental sustainability in different industries. Hence, the assessment of environmental sustainability of FM in apparel industry is an emerging necessity in the present day, which was addressed in this research.

Performance of physical asset management using the analytic hierarchy process

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fawzeia Abdulla Al Marzooqi ◽  
Matloub Hussain ◽  
Syed Zamberi Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Analytic Hierarchy Process ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Equal Importance ◽  
The Analytic Hierarchy Process ◽  
Physical Asset ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hierarchy Process ◽  
Asset Managers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore certain resources, capabilities and competencies needed to improve the performance of physical asset management (PAM). Design/methodology/approach The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to select and prioritize the most appropriate factors for improving performance. A multi-criteria approach is used to analyze and compare the importance of 6 main criteria and 18 subcriteria identified from a survey of relevant literature. Findings The study revealed that not all factors are viewed as having equal importance in improving PAM performance, as three of the main factors attained greater importance among the six factors. Research limitations/implications This study explored the factors required for managing assets only within the third stage of asset lifecycle, that is, the utilization stage. It is recommended that future studies be conducted in such a way as to determine the importance of similar factors in the other stages of the asset lifecycle, or to identify new factors and add new criteria. Practical implications Knowledge of the differential impacts of the factors on the performance of PAM can impact asset managers and decision makers in their allocation of resources and focus their work on the highest-ranked rather than the lowest-ranked factors. Also, AHP used provides an effective mean for asset managers to identify priorities among decision criteria in their organization. Originality/value To date, no study has explored the impact of six combined factors on the performance of PAM. Previous studies have found that these factors each had equal importance. However, their relative ranking in practice and when they appear together have remained unrecognized.

Comprehensive Methods for Dealing with Uncertainty in Assessing Sustainability Part 1

2015 ◽  
pp. 69-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Pilar de la Cruz ◽  
Alberto Castro ◽  
Alfredo del Caño ◽  
Diego Gómez ◽  
Manuel Lara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Value Functions ◽  
Deterministic Models ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Monte Carlo Simulation Technique ◽  
Project Sustainability ◽  
Objective Uncertainty ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Integrated Value Method for Sustainability Evaluation (MIVES) is a deterministic method based on requirement trees, value functions, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process. It allows integrating environmental, social, and economic sustainability indicators in a global index. The value functions make it possible to consider non-linearity in the assessment. MIVES takes into account the relative weight of the various model indicators. Deterministic models can cause significant problems in terms of adequately managing project sustainability. A method not only has to estimate the sustainability index at the end of the project. It also has to evaluate the degree of uncertainty that may make it difficult to achieve the sustainability objective. Uncertainty can affect indicators, weights, and value function shapes. This chapter presents a method for sustainability assessment, taking into account uncertainty. It is based on MIVES and the Monte Carlo simulation technique. An example of potential application is proposed, related to power plants.

Central government property asset management: a review of international changes

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-260
Author(s):  
Olga Kaganova ◽  
Judith Meira Amoils
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Drivers Of Change ◽  
Organizational Models ◽  
Content Type

Purpose There is shortage of global research on asset management (AM) by various central governments. This paper aims at reducing this gap. Design/methodology/approach This general review is based on literature, published government documents, agendas of specialized membership organizations (considered through the qualitative thematic analysis) and the authors’ experiences in advising governments on AM in 30 countries. The study focuses on three topics of recurrent interest among governments and AM experts: drivers of change and response trends; organizational models and attributes of good governance at public AM organizations. It also discusses whether the examined practices conform with New Public Management (NPM). Findings The paper identifies five key international drivers of change: austerity measures; an increased focus on performance management; changes in political and ideological agendas; technology and business operations changes; and the environmental sustainability agenda. It analyses response trends to these drivers, both positive and negative. Five dimensions of organizational settings that are important for AM are identified, demonstrating the great diversity of practices. The paper outlines governance elements specific to government AM and illustrates related challenges. It also shows that while current AM typically conforms with NPM, there are notable deviations, such as low corporatization and recentralization of AM. Research limitations/implications This paper is a broad review; in-depth study of specific aspects is left for further research. Originality/value The paper introduces new empirical knowledge about AM approaches at central governments into research discourse, with a broad thematic coverage not achieved before; contributes to the discussion of some hot underexplored topics; hypothesizes why current AM practices deviate from NPM doctrines; and provides unique insights for AM practitioners.

Food tourism: cooking holiday experiences in East Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Chang ◽  
Bendegul Okumus ◽  
Chih-Hung Wang ◽  
Chien-Yin Chiu
Keyword(s):  
Relative Weight ◽  
Local Features ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Culinary Tourism ◽  
Hierarchical Framework ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Experiential Quality ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Purpose This study aims to investigate how the “cooking holiday” concept can be used by tourism authorities and practitioners and, to that end, proposes a hierarchical framework for improving culinary tourism. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted the Delphi method to filter and verify the criteria, thereby constructing a hierarchical framework of cooking holidays in Taiwan. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was also applied to calculate the relative weight of each attribute and criterion, thus identifying their degrees of importance. Findings Four attributes (“local food,” “food trail,” “cooking experience” and “environment and atmosphere”) and 22 criteria were identified to comprise a cooking holiday experience framework. Research findings reveal “cooking experience” as the most crucial of the four attributes identified. Of the more numerous criteria, “ingredients with integrity,” “local features” and “diverse curriculum” were identified as the three most important. Research limitations/implications The hierarchical framework of cooking holiday experiences can be used by tourism authorities and practitioners to enhance experiential quality for tourists and promote culinary tourism in Taiwan. According to the research findings, cooking class participants can concentrate on the “cooking experience” while emphasizing “ingredients with integrity,” “local features” and “diverse curricula” in the context of cooking holidays. Originality/value This study offers valuable insights and suggests directions for future research on culinary tourism. This study also offers a framework for developing cooking holidays.

scholarly journals The development of SUCCEED: urban sustainability assessment tool for developing countries with focus on Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Job Momoh ◽  
Joseph Chelemu Kangwa ◽  
Chika Udeaja ◽  
Jin Ruoyu ◽  
Rafiu Dimeji Seidu
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Urban Sustainability ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Evaluation ◽  
Project Sustainability

PurposeDeveloping countries are currently on the verge of adopting principles used in achieving a sustainable urban future. As the urban population increases due to factors like urban–rural migration, increase in birth rate, migration, industrialisation, commercialisation, amongst others, there is a drastic need to adopt sustainability principles within urban spaces. To understand how sustainability can be achieved, there is a need to recognise how developed countries have designed assessment tools that work within their context which can inform how developing countries can work on their assessment tool. Urban neighbourhood sustainability assessment tools are used to reflect on the overall goal of the project and the most important indicators needed to be implemented within the project. Sustainability indicators are used to measure the levels and progress at which sustainability has been implemented within a project based on the data collected and these results can be used to make informed decisions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of urban sustainability assessment tool.Design/methodology/approachThis research investigates the techniques utilised in developing an urban sustainability assessment tool Sustainable Composite Cities Environmental Evaluation and Design (SUCCEED-ND) tool within the Nigerian context. The data instrument used includes a questionnaire survey that sampled 50 correspondents, and the results were used to develop an urban assessment tool tailored for the Nigerian countries.FindingsThe findings used social, environmental, economic and planning sustainability dimensions in the design of the assessment tool which composes of 21 core sustainability indicators and 105 indicators to develop SUCCEED-ND tool.Originality/valueThis work developed the first urban sustainability assessment tool for the Nigerian urban environment. The result is meant to evaluate and implement sustainability within existing and proposed neighbourhood development.

Exploring the usage of social media in extant campus sustainability assessment frameworks for sustainable campus development

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuf A. Adenle ◽  
Mohammed Abdul-Rahman ◽  
Oluwole A. Soyinka
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Fair Use ◽  
Social Media Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Campus Sustainability ◽  
Media Data

Purpose As one of the buzzwords in the present age with considerable impacts in tertiary institutions, social media use in online teaching, learning and information dissemination have been extensively discussed in extant literature. This paper aims to explore the existing campus sustainability appraisal (CSA) tools to identify the length at which social media has been used, especially in environmental sustainability indicators’ selection and empirical verification. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is mainly based on a desktop study involving comprehensive review and content analysis of existing CSA tools’ documents. Webpage content analysis of selected sustainability monitoring and tracking system in higher education institutions was also conducted. Findings The tools' content analysis reveals insufficient utilization of social media data and platforms in campus sustainability environmental-dimension indicators selection. To bridge this identified research gap, social media user-generated content for appraising the campus-wide environmental sustainability indicators preference in tertiary institutions was proposed. Practical implications The adoption and modification of this study’s proposed approach by tertiary institutions, especially in sub-Saharan African countries, could help address most campus-wide environmental challenges raised, commented on and discussed on social media. Originality/value This study contributes to knowledge gaps by revealing the extent of social media utilization in extant tools. With the expanding utilization of different social media platforms by various tertiary institutions worldwide, their administrators' responsibility is to put these social media data into fair use.

Identification of sustainability indicators in the civil aviation sector in Dubai: a stakeholders’ perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Al Sarrah ◽  
Mian M. Ajmal ◽  
Charilaos Mertzanis
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transportation Services ◽  
Technological Readiness ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The civil aviation sector in Dubai has been contributing to its economic development by enhancing transportation services, allowing for the establishment of trade links, promoting tourism and providing job opportunities. Despite being a thriving sector of economic activity (Dubai was the third busiest airport in the world in 2018), a common understanding among the stakeholders on the sector’s long-term sustainability strategy is missing. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the identification of important sustainability indicators in the civil aviation sector in Dubai. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the stakeholder theory to identify sustainability indicators. It deploys a qualitative research design that collects data through multiple focus groups, and it accounts for the stakeholders’ views toward key sustainability indicators. This research classified stakeholders completely in a separate matrix preventing their integration and therefore the confounding of their views. The study addresses the complexity of sustainability in the sector and identifies key indicators based on comprehensive and valid data from different stakeholders. The study focuses separately on the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and environmental sustainability and identifies sustainability indicators for each pillar from the views of stakeholders. The study uses thematic analysis to produce results by identifying themes according to the collected data. Findings The study finds that there is a lack of sustainability knowledge and awareness in the civil aviation sector in Dubai despite its buoyant growth and expansion. The results show that stakeholders highlight the importance of social sustainability indicators that value equitable development in the pursuit of business goals. They also value economic sustainability indicators that focus on changing consumption patterns and increasing preservation. They finally focus on environmental sustainability indicators that promote eco-efficiency and renewable energy. However, considerable differences exist among stakeholders regarding the importance and priority of their suggested indicators. Practical implications The implications of the study are theoretical and practical. In the case of the former, it would contribute toward the reduction of uncertainty in the civil aviation sector in Dubai regarding the policy actions required to improve the sector’s sustainability. It is done by identifying the stakeholders’ views on the key sustainability indicators for each pillar of sustainability. In the case of practical implications, the outcomes of the study highlight specific directions that policy actions should take. Although the results are local, they can have tentative global policy implications. Finally, the results of the study are instrumental in addressing the sustainability debate within the civil aviation sector not only in Dubai but also globally. Originality/value The study extends existing research efforts to identify sustainability indicators in the civil aviation sector by considering the three different pillars of sustainability and by accounting for the diverse stakeholders’ views on the identification of key sustainability indicators. The study should be extended to account for the role of technological readiness in the region of other innovative approaches in the current civil aviation sectors.

scholarly journals Sustainability in facilities management: an overview of current research

Facilities ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 535-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Balslev Nielsen ◽  
Anna-Liisa Sarasoja ◽  
Kirsten Ramskov Galamba
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Societal Challenges ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Societal Level

Purpose Climate adaptation, energy efficiency, sustainable development and green growth are societal challenges for which the Facilities Management (FM) profession can develop solutions and make positive contributions on the organisational level and with societal-level effects. To base the emerging sub-discipline of sustainable facilities management (SFM) on research, an overview of current studies is needed. The purpose of this literature review is to provide exactly this overview. Design/methodology/approach This article identifies and examines current research studies on SFM through a comprehensive and systematic literature review. The literature review included screening of 85 identified scientific journals and almost 20,000 articles from the period of 2007-2012. Of the articles reviewed, 151 were identified as key articles and categorised according to topic. Findings The literature review indicated that the current research varies in focus, methodology and application of theory, and it was concluded that the current research primary addresses environmental sustainability, whereas the current research which takes an integrated strategic approach to SFM is limited. The article includes lists of reviewed journals and articles to support the further development of SFM in research and practice. Research limitations/implications The literature review includes literature from 2007 to 2012, to manage the analytical process within the project period. However, with the current categorisation and the access to the reviewed journals and articles, it is possible to continue with the latest literature. Practical implications The article provides an overview of theoretical and practical knowledge which can guide: how to document and measure the performance of building operations in terms of environmental, social and economical impacts? How to improve the sustainability performance of buildings? What are the potentials for and barriers to integrating sustainability into FM on strategic, tactical and operational levels? Originality/value The paper presents the most comprehensive literature study on SFM so far, and represents an important knowledge basis which is likely to become a key reference point for pioneers and scholars in the emerging sub-discipline of SFM.

An MCDM framework for assessment of social sustainability indicators of the freight transport industry under uncertainty. A multi-company perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 1023-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aalok Kumar ◽  
Ramesh A
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Freight Transport ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transport Industry ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Forced Labour ◽  
The Individual

PurposeThe balancing of sustainability dimensions is the prime agenda of supply chain organisations. The supply chain sustainability greatly influenced by its freight transport activities. Most of the previous work discussed the economic and environmental sustainability of freight transport industry; although the social sustainability (SS) dimension paid less attention to researchers and practitioners of emerging economies. The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of SS indicators in the freight transport industry. The SS assessment framework is validated with the Indian freight transport industry.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed framework considers four SS dimension and 25 indicators. The SS indicators’ importance varies with the individual company's prospect. Therefore the proposed framework is used in multi-company perspective as well as in industry perspective to present more realistic results. The importance weight of SS dimension and indicators are computed with a novel multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method, i.e. fuzzy best–worst method (FBWM).FindingsThe prioritisation of SS indicators in each company perspective is compared with an industry perspective. The contribution to community health and education program is most valuable indicator followed by the prevention of child and forced labour. The model robustness is tested through sensitivity analysis and reported that less variation in indicators’ ranking.Originality/valueTo authors best of knowledge, this is the first study to highlight the importance of SS indicators in the freight transport industry. This study contributes to the sustainability assessment literature by providing a nuanced perception of the SS indicators and put forward managerial implications for improving the SS of the freight transport industry. The proposed framework could be treated as a benchmark for other developing nation's freight transport industry.

Sustainability indicators for manufacturing sectors

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamraiz Ahmad ◽  
Kuan Yew Wong ◽  
Srithar Rajoo
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Sectors ◽  
Indicator Sets

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to review the indicators for the three aspects (environment, economy and society) of sustainability (the triple-bottom line (TBL) perspective) for manufacturing sectors. In addition, this paper aimed to: document the sustainability indicators for manufacturing sectors; perform an analysis of these indicators to show their evolutional progress and maturity in terms of their consistent, repeated and standardized usage; and highlight the further work needed to make them mature and more standardized. Design/methodology/approach The following keywords were used to explore and find the relevant articles: sustainable manufacturing evaluation, sustainability indicators, life cycle assessment, tools for sustainability assessment, and economic and social evaluation in industries. To find articles within this sample, the major focus remained on the terms “indicators,” “metrics,” and “performance measures.” This paper systematically reviewed the studies and analyzed the different sustainability indicators from the TBL viewpoint. Following this, the documented indicators were critically discussed along with their evolutional progress and maturity level. Findings The results showed that solid waste was the least used and immature aspect in the environmental category, whereas the more frequently used and developed indicators were related to material used, energy used and air emissions. Economic assessment was most of the time limited to cost-based indicators. From a social viewpoint, most of the reviewed studies were based on workers and local community and society related indicators rather than consumers-based indicators. From a sectoral viewpoint, comparatively, studies for metal manufacturing industries were more focused on all three dimensions of sustainability. On an overall basis, of the 144 discussed indicators, almost 34 percent (49) were used just once. Comparatively, the usage of indicators was more mature in manufacturing activities of developed countries than developing ones. Moreover, the usage of indicators was more common at the product level than at the other levels. Originality/value Unlike previous sustainability indicator sets which were generally long lists of proposed indicators rather than applicable and measurable ones, this paper reported the indicator sets based on studies for manufacturing sectors. Moreover, in contrast to previous reviews on indicators which were mostly based on the environmental dimension, this paper included all three dimensions of sustainability in one comprehensive review while focusing on recent studies published from 2007 to 2017. This paper has explored the recent evolutional progress and maturity of sustainability indicators, and provided insights into their development in manufacturing sectors.

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