Covid-19 and organisational development: important signs of a new pillar for sustainability

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Cristina Panziera Marques ◽  
Zélia Serrasqueiro ◽  
Fernanda Nogueira
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Considerable Effect ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Complex Object ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
True Nature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Number Of Publications

Purpose The global pandemic has had a considerable effect on organisations’ performance and development and on the daily lives of the general population. This study aims to analyse the recent literature on the topics of Covid-19 and sustainability and proposes to rethink and redefine sustainability with the intersection of human health as a fourth sustainable pillar. Design/methodology/approach Using the Scopus and ISI Web of Science databases, 119 articles were analysed in detail and classified according to concepts and principles for achieving sustainable development, based on the Brundtland Report, 1987. Findings The results indicate a high number of publications in the social dimension, with a relevant proportion of studies in the health sector. This study allows us to conclude that all sectors of society are being affected by the pandemic. However, the enormous tension and the immediate impact felt by the health sector during the pandemic reflect directly on the population, and there are clear signs that in the medium and long term, instability and uncertainty in the environmental, economic and social dimensions will remain. In national health systems, monitoring, innovating in human resource management and investing in information technology can ensure organizations’ reliability and sustainability. The conclusion involves the suggestion of introducing health as a new pillar for sustainability to consolidate the basis and structure of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Objectives. The use of fundamental concepts is necessary and must be aligned to reassess the results obtained in studies, in comparison with observational data. Practical implications The implications arising from the inclusion of health as a fourth pillar of sustainability are diverse. The need to build a new theoretical and conceptual framework for sustainability derives from the fact that health reflects the concern of many postulants in this field of practices. The determining or conditioning conditions of the observed effects of the pandemic by COVID-19, whether situated simply as factors and/or economic, environmental or social reflexes that precede them, requires a conceptual development that allows its approach, as a complex object, whose determinations are subject to variable degrees of uncertainty and diversity. Originality/value This study aims to redefine the concept of sustainability, considering that health has become a public health emergency of international interest. Health affects the supply chain, cash flow, interferes with the educational format and interrupts the workforce’s routine, among other aspects, showing the true nature of its importance and its impact in all spheres (economic, environmental and social).

Edges of sustainability through numbers, themes and discourse

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Öztürk
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postgraduate Research ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
Theses And Dissertations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify critical gaps in the conceptualization and interpretation of sustainability by investigating the postgraduate research (theses and dissertations) conducted with a reference to sustainability in Turkish higher education institutions and synthesizing the underlying themes and trends pertaining to sustainability issues in the local discourse. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a mixed-method design. The sample (n=343) consists of the theses and dissertations conducted over a ten-year period in Turkish universities. Data analysis procedures include a quantitative investigation through numbers to address the level of value attached to postgraduate research on sustainable development; a content analysis on the focus and scope of each study to determine prevalent sustainability themes and dimensions frequently addressed in the studies; and a collocation analysis conducted on the texts of the studies to depict linguistic and cultural connotations of sustainable development in the local discourse and key terms that frequently collocate with sustainable development in the Turkish context. Findings Neither a sufficient number of direct references to sustainability nor a substantial increase in the number of studies throughout the decade is depicted. Only one-third of Turkish universities steer postgraduate research on sustainability, which is not evenly distributed to various institutions across the country. Three-quarters of the studies are conducted within economy-related and engineering-related programs. The social dimension of sustainability is under-researched. The topics tend to ply between environmental and economic edges. Turkey, as a word, is collocated frequently with the concepts of external debt, current deficit, energy, policy, and EU. Linguistically, the concept of sustainable development is predominantly associated with economic growth in the majority of the studies. Sustainability is contextualized mostly with making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable and promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work. Originality/value The value of the paper lies in the paucity of studies tracking the research initiatives taken on sustainability, assessing research trends in postgraduate programs of higher education institutions, and looking into a global concept from a local perspective in a developing country, Turkey.

Multi-stakeholder partnerships: a catalyst to achieve sustainable development goals

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Eweje ◽  
Aymen Sajjad ◽  
Shobod Deba Nath ◽  
Kazunori Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Stakeholder Partnerships ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically examine the concept of multi-stakeholder partnerships in relation to the United Nations' sustainable development goals and propose a renewed multi-stakeholder partnerships framework that enables the implementation of the sustainable development goals.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employs an integrative review methodology to assess, critique and synthesize the extant literature on the multi-stakeholder partnerships and sustainable development goals.FindingsWe propose a conceptual framework of multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the sustainable development goals implementation. Thus, this paper contributes to the conceptual understanding of the multi-stakeholder partnerships mechanism that enhances the sustainable development goals implementation.Research limitations/implicationsWe propose a conceptual framework of multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the sustainable development goals implementation. Thus, this paper contributes to the conceptual understanding of the multi-stakeholder partnerships mechanism that enhances the sustainable development goals implementation.Originality/valueWe contend that this is one of the few early papers that contributes to the conceptual development of a collaborative multi-stakeholder partnerships paradigm by which such partnerships are formed and institutionalized among multiple interacting sectors to achieve the sustainable development goals.

scholarly journals Innovational duality and sustainable development: finding optima amidst socio-ecological policy trade-off in post-COVID-19 era

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Avik Sinha ◽  
Arnab Adhikari ◽  
Ashish Kumar Jha
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ecological Policy ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the socio-ecological policy trade-off caused by technological innovations in the post-COVID-19 era. The study outcomes are utilized to design a comprehensive policy framework for attaining sustainable development goals (SDGs).Design/methodology/approachStudy is done for 100 countries over 1991–2019. Second-generation estimation method is used. Innovation is measured by total factor productivity, environmental quality is measured by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and social dimension is captured by unemployment.FindingsInnovation–CO2 emissions association is found to be inverted U-shaped and innovation–unemployment association is found to be U-shaped.Research limitations/implicationsThe study outcomes show the conflicting impact of technological innovation leading to policy trade-off. This dual impact of innovation is considered during policy recommendation.Practical implicationsThe policy framework recommended in the study shows a way to address the objectives of SDG 8, 9 and 13 during post-COVID-19 period.Social implicationsPolicy recommendations in the study show a way to internalize the negative social externality exerted by innovation.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by considering the policy trade-off caused by innovation and recommending an SDG-oriented policy framework for the post-COVID-19 era.

Sustainability in the mission and vision statements of Colombian Universities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Bedoya-Dorado ◽  
Guillermo Murillo-Vargas ◽  
Carlos Hernan Gonzalez-Campo
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Education ◽  
Vision Statements ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
The Social ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose This paper aims to analyze how Colombian Universities have incorporated the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development goals (SDGs) into their missions and visions. Design/methodology/approach The study used a documentary design to analyze the content of the missions and visions of the 86 Colombian Universities registered with the Ministry of National Education (MEN). Findings The study shows that universities are primarily aligned with Goal 13 as follows: climate action and this alignment is carried out to a great extent by the university’s governance, culture and activities. In contrast, there was a predominance of intentions to address the social dimension of sustainable development (SD). Research limitations/implications The study focused on examining universities’ missions and visions, which leaves out other sources of information that could account for university practices linked to the SDGs and sustainability. Practical implications The study’s results reveal the degree to which the universities are aligned with the SDGs in Colombia, which serves as a basis for the formulation of guidelines by the MEN and other organizations to strengthen the processes that contribute to the 2030 Agenda. Originality/value Research on how universities align with the SDGs is not a new topic, but it is scarce in the Colombian context. This research contributes to this gap by addressing the topic from a holistic and comparative perspective of SD education.

Developing a framework for assessing sustainable banking performance of the Indian banking sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 689-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kishore Kumar ◽  
Ajai Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Banking Institutions

Purpose Sustainable development has now been recognised as the pivot around which development activities should revolve. Banking is an important component in the same and adoption of sustainable banking practices by various banking institutions is a strong driver to achieve sustainable development. The purpose of this paper is to study the level of adoption of sustainable banking tools and the extent to which banking institutions practice the same in India. In addition, the banking institutions have been ranked and categorised on basis of their sustainable banking performance. Design/methodology/approach The proposed framework focuses on the environmental and social conduct of the banks, who address the issues of sustainability in Indian banking sector. As there is a difference in the economic standards of developed and developing countries, the review of literature helps to figure out the gap in specific frameworks for assessing sustainable banking practices in developing countries. Previous researchers have made an attempt to develop a general framework for assessing the sustainable banking efforts of the banking sector. These studies fall short of indicators on the social dimension of sustainability specifically in the context of less developed countries like India, the social dimensions are is equally a major thrust area along with environmental indicators. Content analysis technique has been used to evaluate sustainable banking performance of the banks and Mann–Whitney U test used to determine the differences in sustainable banking performance of the banks in India. Findings In Indian banking sector, the adoption of the international sustainability code of conduct is still in its nascent stage. The research indicates that sustainability issues which are of the highest priority for the banks are directly related to their business operations such as financial inclusion, financial literacy and energy efficiency, and banks are more focussed on addressing social dimension of sustainability in banking rather than important dimensions of sustainable banking, namely, environmental management, development of green products and services and sustainability reporting. Practical implications The application of the proposed framework reflects the status quo of sustainable banking in India. This study is useful for the banks and all the stakeholders in understanding more about the shortcomings in integrating sustainability issues in banking. Further, the present study also redresses the extant research dearth in the field of sustainable banking in the Indian context. Originality/value This is one of the first studies evaluating the sustainable banking performance of the Indian banking sector.

Bhaktapur Tourism

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-55
Author(s):  
Bharat Prasad Badal
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Economic Dimension ◽  
Sustainable Tourism Development ◽  
One Year

Development in this age of sustainable development is sustainable development itself and tourism development is sustainable development of tourism. The present paper investigates the development of tourism from the socio economic indicators of sustainable tourism of Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is an open museum and central hub of Tourism. To explore the Economic dimension of Bhaktapur Sustainable Tourism Development through Employment that focuses Number, type and duration of jobs, Gender equity, Business viability, Expenditure, Arrivals, Profitability, and Satisfaction. And to analyze the Social dimension of Bhaktapur Sustainable Tourism Development through Quality of Life that focuses Resident Empowerment, Congestion and crowding, Community attitudes to tourism, Access to amenities, and Changes in crime rate, the study has been conducted. The primary information is based on multiple sources of societal learning like field visits in course of doing researches, observation of various sites, General Household Questionnaire Survey, focus on group discussions, interactive seminars and a number of interactions and interviews with the experts of tourism sector in Bhaktapur. General Household Questionnaire Survey of purposively selected cluster of Dattatraya Square area was conducted on 157 households. Among five clusters Dattatrya Square was purposely selected for the study. Actual spending and length of stay of foreign tourists have been increasing in Nepal. Altogether from socio economic perspective 13 programsare recommended from the study to the local government of Bhaktapur Dattatrya. It needs around265 lakhs and timeline is not more than one year. Five times of these 13 projects and 265 lakhs can double the visitors in coming years.

Financial capabilities development: essential discourse in social work

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1234-1246
Author(s):  
Lambert K. Engelbrecht ◽  
Abigail Ornellas
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vulnerable Households ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose Within a neoliberal environment, financial vulnerability of households has become an increasing challenge and there is a requirement of financial literacy education, a necessary activity to facilitate sustainable development and well-being. However, this is seldom a mainstream discourse in social work deliberations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach First, introducing the neoliberal impact on financial well-being and capability for vulnerable households, the authors’ postulation is substantiated on a seven-point argument. The contexts of financially vulnerable households are sketched. Second, a conceptualisation of financial literacy is offered, and third, perspectives on and approaches to financial literacy as a fundamental capability are presented. This is followed by a theoretical foundation of community education as a practice model in social work to develop financial capabilities. In the fifth place, prevailing practices of Financial Capabilities Development (FCD) programmes are offered. Subsequently, the implications of a neoliberal environment for social work practice are examined. Findings The revised global definition of social work encourages the profession to understand and address the structural causes of social problems through collective interventions. As a response, it is argued that community education towards FCD of vulnerable households within a neoliberal environment should be an essential discourse in social development. Originality/value The authors reflect on the significance of FCD, highlighting its contribution towards human security and sustainable development. Although this paper draws on Southern African contexts, the discourse finds resonance in other contexts across the world.

scholarly journals Toward Sociocultural Indicators of Sustainable Healthy Diets

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7226
Author(s):  
Jill Nicholls ◽  
Adam Drewnowski
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Sustainable Diets ◽  
The Social ◽  
Healthy Diets ◽  
Development Goals

Balancing the social, economic and environmental priorities for public health is at the core of the United Nations (UN) approaches to sustainable development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The four dimensions of sustainable diets are often presented as health, society, economics, and the environment. Although sustainable diet research has focused on health and the environment, the social and economic dimensions of sustainable diets and food systems should not be forgotten. Some research priorities and sociocultural indicators for sustainable healthy diets and food systems are outlined in this report. The present goal is to improve integration of the social dimension into research on food and nutrition security.

scholarly journals Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. A Bibliometric Analysis of Their Interrelations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Víctor Meseguer-Sánchez ◽  
Francisco Jesús Gálvez-Sánchez ◽  
Gabriel López-Martínez ◽  
Valentín Molina-Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Distribution Of Wealth ◽  
Productive Author ◽  
Corporate Social

Traditional economic system has brought important negative implications regarding environmental development, as well as an unequal distribution of wealth, which has led to ecological disasters and population imbalances. Considering the existence of unequal opportunities and access to resources in a global economy, it would be relevant to study the interrelations between the concepts of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Global and multifactorial issues require the review of fieldworks and their connections. From this perspective, the present research aims to analyze the relationships between the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in order to understand the advances of current scientific production and future lines of research. In this way, there is a considerable increase of interest in this line of research, highlighting García-Sánchez as the most productive author, Business, Management and Accounting as the most studied topic, and Sustainability Switzerland as the most productive journal. The country with the most publications and citations is the United States, and the most productive institution is Universidad de Salamanca. Future lines of research should focus on the social dimension and its possibilities in the field of Circular Economy. Finally, a line of research is proposed that also includes the proposals from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

scholarly journals Bibliometric Analysis of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 Studies from India and Connection to Sustainable Development Goals

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7555
Author(s):  
Raghu Raman ◽  
Ricardo Vinuesa ◽  
Prema Nedungadi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
Semantic Associations ◽  
Number Of Publications

India is ranked fifth in the world in terms of COVID-19 publications accounting for 6.7% of the total. About 60% of the COVID-19 publications in the year 2020 are from United States, China, UK, Italy, and India. We present a bibliometric analysis of the publication trends and citation structure along with the identification of major research clusters. By performing network analysis of authors, citations, institutions, keywords, and countries, we explore semantic associations by applying visualization techniques. Our study shows lead taken by the United States, China, UK, Italy, India in COVID-19 research may be attributed to the high prevalence of COVID-19 cases in those countries witnessing the first outbreak and also due to having access to COVID-19 data, access to labs for experimental trials, immediate funding, and overall support from the govt. agencies. A large number of publications and citations from India are due to co-authored publications with countries like the United States, UK, China, and Saudi Arabia. Findings show health sciences have the highest number of publications and citations, while physical sciences and social sciences and humanities counts were low. A large proportion of publications fall into the open-access category. With India as the focus, by comparing three major pandemics—SARS, MERS, COVID-19—from a bibliometrics perspective, we observe much broader involvement of authors from multiple countries for COVID-19 studies when compared to SARS and MERS. Finally, by applying bibliometric indicators, we see an increasing number of sustainable development-related studies from the COVID-19 domain, particularly concerning the topic of good health and well-being. This study allows for a deeper understanding of how the scholarly community from a populous country like India pursued research in the midst of a major pandemic which resulted in the closure of scientific institutions for an extended time.

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