Communication of commitment towards sustainable development of certified Portuguese organisations

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 458-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filipe Carvalho ◽  
Pedro Domingues ◽  
Paulo Sampaio
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Theoretical Assumptions ◽  
First Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, it aims at the identification and assessment of the commitments towards sustainable development (SD) communicated to all interested parties (stakeholders) by top management; and second, mapping the profile of the organisations which prominently communicate those commitments. Design/methodology/approach The research methodology was supported on the content analysis of the organisations’ statements (disclosed on the institutional website) that sustain the strategy and policies (organisational culture). A total of 540 certified Portuguese organisations in Quality, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (QEOHS) comprised the sample. Findings According to this research, it is possible to identify three main commitments towards SD addressing customers (consumers), human resources (employees) and continuous improvement. Furthermore, results suggest that commitments towards customers and human resources fit properly into the theoretical assumptions of the stakeholder theory and, in turn, the commitment towards continuous improvement fits accurately into the assumptions of the “normative isomorphism” of the institutional theory. Moreover, the results pointed out the characteristics of Portuguese organisations (QEOHS) that prominently communicate commitments towards SD: large business volume, located in Lisbon or Setubal, fall within the public business sector, are members of the BCSD Portugal and publish annual reports on the institutional website. Research limitations/implications Solely organisations operating in Portugal and simultaneously encompassing three certified management subsystems (against the clauses of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards) were considered throughout this study. So it is not possible to ascertain at which extent the conclusions are valid. However, although the statistical generalisation of the results may be precluded, there is not any peculiar reason preventing the analytical generalisation, namely, in organisations operating in countries with similar macro-characteristics of Portugal. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge this is the first time that such a comprehensive, detailed and thorough analysis of the communicated commitments towards SD is carried out regardless the activity sector. The conclusions from this paper are useful both for practitioners and scholars. On one hand companies have now information on the more often communicated statements, while on the other hand academics and scholars will benefit from this research and hopefully be able to replicate it in other contexts.

The identity crisis of sustainable development

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalin Ratiu ◽  
Beverlee B. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Identity Crisis ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – There are many different conceptualizations to sustainable development and these different approaches may have led to confusion amongst the public. The purpose of this paper is to explore the identities of the term and how the confused identity may be leading to problems for sustainable development efforts. Design/methodology/approach – The design is exploratory, using both secondary and primary data to understand the different sustainable development concepts. Findings – There is no consistent understanding or use of the term “sustainable development” among various groups. Research limitations/implications – Future research should include a larger sample that is more representative of people from different backgrounds and geographical areas. Practical implications – The public is generally willing to support only projects that it understands. Without a clear understanding of sustainable development, the public will be less inclined to support these efforts. Originality/value – This study examines the perceptions and understandings of the term by the general public representing different generations.

Reporting human resources in annual reports

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Kansal ◽  
Mahesh Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Training Programmes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent of corporate disclosure on human resources (HR) in the annual reports of top performing Indian companies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores the extent to which top 82 companies from India present information about HR in their annual reports. This study examines the annual reports of each of the top Indian firms listed on the Bombay stock exchange, using the “content analysis” method. Statistical tests have been performed to analyse the difference between the HR disclosure score across public and private sectors and disclosure variations among various industrial sectors. Findings – In-house training programmes has been noticed to be the favourite item of disclosure followed by safety awards/certifications and statements regarding cordial relations with the employees/unions. A majority of the Indian firms have ignored significant HR issues such as employee welfare fund, maternity/paternity leaves, holiday benefits, employee loans and adopting old age homes, etc. Overall, the study reflects low HR related disclosures. No statistically significant difference has been found between the mean HR disclosure from one industry to another and disclosure practices of the private and the public sector companies. Practical implications – The disclosure pattern of the Indian companies suggests that they only a few companies are concerned about employees’ welfare than the rest. This may motivate a change of the disclosure policy of the rest of the firms who may follow the reporting pattern of the most disclosing ones. Originality/value – This is first study on the disclosure of HR by the Indian corporate sector in the CSR domain with a disclosure analysis for a period of nine years . This research provides new directions for the literature in this area and may promote comparative studies on HR-based studies from different perspectives.

scholarly journals Early contractor involvement approaches in public project procurement

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulos Abebe Wondimu ◽  
Ali Hosseini ◽  
Jadar Lohne ◽  
Ola Laedre
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Public Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Treat All ◽  
First Time ◽  
Project Procurement ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Early contractor involvement (ECI) faces many barriers when it is implemented in public procurement, given that it is different from traditional business practices. Primarily, public owners face a major challenge, as they should treat all bidders equally. The purpose of this paper is to explore suitable ECI approaches that public owners could use. Design/methodology/approach In addition to a literature and document study, 14 semi-structured in-depth interviews with key personnel from 11 cases selected from Norwegian public bridge projects were carried out. Findings In all, 23 unique approaches of ECI were identified during this research (16 from literature and 7 new from case projects). The findings provide a new direction to ECI through introducing new approaches of ECI from the case projects. Originality/value This paper for the first time presents several alternatives of ECI approaches for public owners with the intention of illustrating ECI is actually possible in the public project procurement. Furthermore, it presents for the first time success factors of ECI with the intention of increasing the understanding of ECI concept from a public procurement perspective.

scholarly journals Public-Private Partnership for achieving sustainable development goals: a case study of Khulna, Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-298
Author(s):  
Md. Nazmul Haque ◽  
Mustafa Saroar ◽  
Md. Abdul Fattah ◽  
Syed Riad Morshed
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Public Private Partnership ◽  
Private Partnership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Road ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
On The Road

PurposePublic-Private Partnership (PPP) is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. PPP has been an important instrument to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the national level. However, the role of PPP at the subnational level is often scarcely studied. Using Khulna city of Bangladesh as a case, this paper aims to assess the role of PPP projects in the attainment of SDGs.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted in the Central Business District (CBD) of Khulna, on a total of 4.6 kilometers stretches of road medians in the CBD where landscaping was done through the PPP approach. Besides the collection of secondary data from official records, primary data were collected through site visits, field surveys and interviews of PPP project partners.FindingsThe result shows that 89 percent of the respondents (road users) were pleased with the landscaping done on the road medians. Similarly, about 86 percent of the respondents felt more comfortable and safer to use the roads. Well-maintained road medians allow road-crossing at a regular interval which reduces the chance of an accident. The private parties have installed promotional billboards on the road medians and saved BDT 10.82 million a year. The public authority saves the maintenance budget amounting to BDT 23 million a year. The project achieves a triple-win situation. Despite some limitations, this PPP project has taken Khulna a step forward to achieve SDGs.Originality/valueThe findings have policy implications as the PPP project has enhanced the resilience of Khulna by addressing the relevant SDGs.

An examination of the quality of social and environmental disclosures by Nigerian oil companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 400-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odhiambo Odera ◽  
Albert Scott ◽  
Jeff Gow
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Environmental Disclosures ◽  
Oil Company ◽  
A Company ◽  
Tests For Normality

Purpose This study seeks to examine the quantity and quality of social and environmental disclosures (SEDs) of Nigerian oil companies. The study aims to analyse SED activities as reported by the oil companies in their annual reports. Design/methodology/approach The study analyses annual reports through content analysis. SED quantity is measured by alternative two units: number of sentences and number of pages. A two-point scale system to assess SED quality is used as follows: 1 = if SED is quantitative and reports specific activities of a company concerning its social and environmental responsibility; 0 = otherwise. Correlation analysis is performed among the different SED categories to identify the relationships among them. Kolmongrov–Smirnov and Shapiro–Wilk tests for normality are utilised. Findings SED activities are reported by most of the companies, and by quantity, employee information is found to be the most common type of disclosure. SED quantity and quality in the environment category is found to be overwhelmingly low despite the large-scale public concern expressed about the levels of the environmental degradation caused by oil company operations. Research limitations/implications The data collected for this study are based on one country, which controls diversity but limits the generalizability of the findings. The study is limited by the sample which includes mainly quoted companies, as they are believed to make improved disclosures because of their investor orientation and statutory obligations. Originality/value The study extends SED research by focusing on social disclosures such as employee-, community- and health- and safety-related disclosures. The study also investigates the motivations of SED providers and establishes a link between stakeholder demands/engagement and the level of disclosure.

Social responsibility and the SDGs: vignettes of Caribbean tour operators

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-292
Author(s):  
Pauline Milwood
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Iso 26000 ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Caribbean Tourism

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand how Caribbean tourism micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) perceive their corporate sustainability and social responsibility (CSSR) practices during design and implementation of new innovations. This knowledge helps our understanding of how the uniquely tourist-dependent region of the Caribbean can, through the social innovation practices of MSMEs, maximize its contribution to attainment of the 2030 sustainable development goals. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a responsibility–sustainability framework premised on seven core subjects of the International Guidance (ISO 26000) for Social Responsibility and goals from the 2030 Agenda to analyze interview data from tour operators in five Caribbean Community (CARICOM) territories: Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica and St. Lucia. Findings The results reveal that when designing new products and services, Caribbean tour operators contribute to sustainable development through social and economic change, responsible business model design, fair labor and operating practices, environmental sustainability and health and safety education. These behaviors do vary and are not consistent across the tour operators. Research limitations/implications Social and business planners and policymakers should create deliberate and purposeful mechanisms designed for Caribbean tourism MSMEs to have a fulsome understanding of how they might maximize contributions to the 2030 Agenda. Originality/value This work represents the first instance of use of the ISO 26000 Guidance in a Caribbean tourism context and provides insight into tour operators’ views toward corporate sustainability and CSSR.

Empirical analysis of HPO framework in public sector organizations of Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalimullah Kalimullah ◽  
Mohd Anuar Arshad ◽  
Qaiser Khan ◽  
Shahid Khan
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Continuous Improvement Process ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

Purpose Building on high-performance organizations (HPO) framework, the purpose of this paper is to hypothesize the direct impact of five factors of HPO framework on public organizations’ performance in Pakistan. This is first research to employ the partial least squares (PLS) method to provide empirical evidence of the predictive power of the framework in public organizations. Design/methodology/approach This is a cross-sectional study conducted in non-contrived settings thereby keeping researcher interference to a minimum. Data collection was carried out by distributing online questionnaires to 513 employees from three different service-based public organizations in Pakistan. PLS is used to examine the statistical and substantive significance of five factors by employing SmartPLS 3.2.6. Findings This study concludes that the HPO framework has predictive relevance for public organizations’ performance surveyed in this study. Furthermore, three out of the five factors of HPO framework, namely, management quality, workforce quality and long-term orientation have positive relationships, while openness and action orientation (OAO), and continuous improvement process and renewal have a negative relationship with the performance of public sector organizations (PSOs) surveyed in Pakistan. Research limitations/implications The study’s small sample size limits this research, and only quantitative methodology is applied. A significant limitation of this research is that this study relied on a subset of respondents of surveyed organizations and may not representative of the population. Therefore, result should be carefully interpreted as some degree of biasness may be present. Furthermore, findings of the study cannot be generalized to all PSOs of Pakistan. Practical implications The implication for public managers is that the HPO framework has predictive relevance and substantive significance. However, the ideal value of HPO framework will occur when leadership considers HPO factors and struggles persistently to improve performance. The useful implication is that public managers should focus on continuous improvement process and renewal and OAO to meet stakeholders’ satisfaction. Originality/value This study answer two questions, first “is there any significant relationship of five factors of HPO framework with public organizations’ Performance in Pakistan?” and second “what is the predictive relevance level of HPO framework in the Public organizations in Pakistan?” The answers to these research questions will fill the gaps in the literature by providing empirical evidence to the existing knowledge on improvement methods, especially the public sector (PS), and contributing insights on the real world working of the five factors of HPO framework in a PS.

Hong Kong unrest runs serious risk of escalation

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Property ◽  
Chinese Military ◽  
Serious Injuries ◽  
First Time ◽  
The City

Significance The strike is a major escalation of the months-long anti-government protest movement, causing serious economic disruption for the first time and setting a precedent. The government’s suspension of a controversial bill allowing extradition to mainland China has failed to satisfy activists and a significant section of the public. Police today continue to clash with protesters in several locations around the city, resulting in arrests, serious injuries and destruction of public property. Impacts Use of mainland Chinese military riot police is now realistic. The longer protests continue, the more opportunities there are for miscalculation or radical tactics on both sides that deepen animosities. Limited mainland intervention as a last resort still seems more likely than a risky attempt to intimidate using overwhelming force.

The role of the police in anti-money laundering

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-157
Author(s):  
Nikola Dujovski ◽  
Snezana Mojsoska
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Republic Of Macedonia ◽  
The Republic

Purpose This paper aims to describe and discuss the role of the police in anti-money laundering, with particular reference to the situation in the Republic of Macedonia. Design/methodology/approach A doctrinal approach is used to describe the role of the police in anti-money laundering policy, as well as to discuss whether the police is the central and main body in the fight against this crime. Deductive and inductive methods are used to analyze the collected data about Macedonian activities, provided by domestic and international organizations and institutions. Government agencies, institutions and bodies with different capacities for identifying and combating money laundering are included. Findings According to global statistics, about $2tn is laundered annually. Money laundering directly affects general economic and social life and the entire development, which shows why the concerns about this phenomenon have been growing worldwide. The most important issue in combating money laundering refers to preventing and detecting the problem. The police have the central role in combating money laundering in the Republic of Macedonia, but they must co-operate with public prosecutors and other agencies to fight this crime with more success. Even though Macedonian legislation is harmonized with European Union (EU) directives, there are a lot of activities in the field of money laundering to be done to fulfill EU standards. Relevant collected data were acquired from MONEYVAL reports, annual reports from the Ministry of Interior, Public Bureau of Statistics and statistics from the public prosecutor’s office, including all published documents. Originality/value The paper answers questions related to the role and effectiveness of the police by examining different authorizations and powers. Different approaches in implementing the law are specified and suggestions to overcome “two voices” are given. A comparative approach is also used to demonstrate the number of criminal charges per year, mainly collected by the public prosecutor’s office. The authors analyze whether additional training is needed for the police. All institutions should collaborate with the police because money laundering offences may be disclosed during investigations of other offences.

Delivering well-being through the coronavirus pandemic: the role of human resources (HR) in managing a healthy workforce

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Lisa Maddox-Daines
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Business Continuity ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThis paper examines how human resources (HR) professionals in the UK have supported employee wellbeing during the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic. It considers the extent to which HR professionals were prepared for the crisis and their readiness in supporting the wellbeing of their people.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 senior HR professionals working across the public and private sectors in the UK. Using an in-depth interview structure, the research explored how respondents both reacted to and managed the crisis in their respective organisations. Template analysis was used to analyse the data allowing a certain degree of fluidity in the establishment of ordered relationships between the themes.FindingsThis study finds that business continuity plans turned out to be useless during the pandemic because they focussed on data, not people. It highlights the tension between home-working and burn-out as online presenteeism increased due to staff changing their behaviour in response to self-surveillance. The paper emphasises the importance of soft skills and authentic leadership and the tensions in respect of equity.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted with HR professionals in the UK, not internationally. Although the sample did include HR professionals from across the public, private and third sectors, the experience may not be representative of all those working in HR.Originality/valueThis research found that those organisations that had engaged in business continuity planning prior to the pandemic focussed on the retrieval and accessibility of data rather than people. This prioritises staff as a resource rather than emphasising people as an organisation's most valuable asset. Furthermore, the study found that staff worked harder and for longer periods of time as a consequence of self-imposed surveillance. Organisational responses were contradictory as despite implementing well-being strategies to promote physical and mental health, there was little evidence of an effective response to this online presenteeism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document