Disciplined Vision Casting: A Method for Exploring Possible Futures in the Era of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

2021 ◽  
pp. 183933492110371
Author(s):  
Edward Ramirez ◽  
Saeed Tajdini
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Alternative Futures ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives

This conceptual essay introduces Disciplined Vision Casting (DVC) as a new method for exploring alternative futures. Drawing on scenario planning, introspection, and creative writing, DVC casts a set of future scenarios, based on a combination of guiding uncertainties found in the literature. Marketing scholars stand to benefit from leveraging DVC as it provides them with a laboratory for exploring undiscovered contexts and circumstances that may challenge widely held beliefs. DVC allows the researcher to cross the interdisciplinary barriers to study the confluence of a variety of technological and economic forces on society. As such, this novel method of projecting into the future offers the researchers a stimulus for theory development and a low-cost and readily implementable method of foreseeing potential future events, thus assisting them as they reimagine the discipline in the era of UN Sustainable Development Goals and other global sustainability initiatives.

scholarly journals Breastfeeding Support Rooms and Their Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Belomo De Souza ◽  
Sonia Isoyama Venancio ◽  
Regina Paula Guimarães Vieira Cavalcante da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Development Goals

Objectives: Breastfeeding support rooms are low-cost interventions that may prolong breastfeeding and improve work performance. Thus, we sought to understand the experiences and perceptions of working women who use breastfeeding support rooms and the potential contribution to sustainable development goals.Methods: Descriptive and exploratory research was conducted through convenience sampling of women working in companies with breastfeeding support rooms in the state of Paraná, Brazil. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied through interviews and online self-completion.Results: Fifty-three women between 28 and 41 years old participated in the study. In addition, 88.7% had graduated from college, and 96% were married. From the women's experiences and perceptions, we identified that breastfeeding support rooms contribute to prolonged breastfeeding, improve physical and emotional well-being, allow women to exercise their professional activities comfortably, contribute to women's professional appreciation for the excellent relationship between employees and employers.Conclusion: In this novel study, we demonstrate how, from a female point of view, breastfeeding support rooms can contribute to 8 of the 17 sustainable development goals and should therefore be encouraged and promoted.

scholarly journals A Ten Country-Company Study of Sustainability and Product-Market Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Tomas M. Hult ◽  
Jeannette A. Mena ◽  
Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez ◽  
Katarina Lagerström ◽  
Daniel T. Hult
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Market Performance ◽  
Product Market ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Country Study ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives

Countries, companies, and customers are becoming increasingly concerned with sustainability. However, it is unclear how much increased cost, if any, companies are willing to tolerate for sustainability efforts at the rate of potentially lower profits. Plus, what are the customers’ sensitivities to the prices of products/services that are developed within the realm of sustainability initiatives (e.g., how much more can the products/services cost and still be viable)? Additionally, with 193 countries of the United Nations ratifying the Sustainable Development Goals, we know that countries are focused on sustainability, but can companies achieve positive sustainability effects on performance above what countries are doing? Consequently, what are the macro-micro dynamics in play for sustainability efforts? In a 10-country study involving 4,051 companies, we examine these macro-micro (country-company) dynamics, company costs, customer costs, and price sensitivities on the effects of sustainability on companies’ performance. The results indicate that positive effects on companies’ performance can be achieved (1) from the companies’ sustainability efforts in all 10 countries studied, (2) even if the costs and/or prices increased by 27 to 72 percent (depending on the dynamic and scenario), and (3) by companies implementing sustainability efforts that are 5 to 30 percent above the efforts of the country. Increased sustainability effects can also be gained from lowering customer and company costs, but no such effects were found when lowering product prices.

scholarly journals Scenario planning to leap-frog the Sustainable Development Goals: An adaptation pathways approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 83-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.R.A. Butler ◽  
E.L. Bohensky ◽  
W. Suadnya ◽  
Y. Yanuartati ◽  
T. Handayani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals

scholarly journals Inter-Organizational Collaboration on Projects Supporting Sustainable Development Goals: The Company Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 4969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Escher ◽  
Pawel Brzustewicz
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Organizational Relationships ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Organizational Collaboration ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Business To Business

There is a significant research gap in the theory of the nature of relationships between companies and other organizations (including NGOs) when collaborating on projects to support sustainable development goals. In particular, the company perspective has not yet been analyzed in depth. This paper therefore presents these relationships from the company’s point of view, and particularly in terms of how company representatives describe the roles of each partner in the collaboration and the outcomes it generates for the company. The empirical research is theoretically grounded in the Activities–Resources–Actors (ARA) model developed by Håkansson and Snehota. The study adopted a qualitative approach and was conducted using semi-structured individual in-depth interviews in 18 companies; the companies represented different industries and were involved in different types of projects related to sustainable development goals. The paper contributes to developing the theory in various ways. It contributes to the understanding of processes related to company involvement in sustainable development. It also contributes to the theory of the essence and substance of inter-organizational relationships, and specifically the ARA framework. Moreover, it explains the specificity of such inter-organizational collaborations and identifies to what extent these relationships vary from other types of inter-organizational collaboration, especially from business-to-business relationships. The paper also contributes to the discussion on the role of personal bonds within such inter-organizational relationships. The practical implications relate to the ways in which the activities and resources of a company and its partner may be combined in projects addressing social and/or environmental problems. Therefore, the paper offers guidance to companies and their potential partners interested in undertaking joint sustainability initiatives.

scholarly journals Mainstreaming Global Sustainable Development Goals through the UN Global Compact: The Case of Visegrad Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Štěpánka Zemanová ◽  
Radka Druláková
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Global Compact ◽  
Un Global Compact ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Self Assessments ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Corporate Social

Since 2016, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), one of the most prominent worldwide corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives, has been linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, despite the enormous scholarly interest in the UNGC since the very beginning, its impact on the integration of the SDGs into the business activities, risk management and reporting of its participants remains understudied. This paper examines support and action for the SDGs among companies from the Visegrad Four (V4) countries. It attempts to find out whether the recent UNGC efforts result in their mobilisation towards the SDGs’ implementation or merely creates a new space for instrumental adoption to improve image and reputation. The paper adopts qualitative content analysis of 42 Communications of Progress (COPs), submitted by 25 companies from the V4 in 2017–2019. The related self-assessments in the UNGC Participation Database were also used. It reveals that the companies obviously fulfil their obligation to report their activities related to SDGs but fail to provide relevant details. Moreover, divergences between the challenges faced by V4 countries and the priorities of the companies related to individual SDGs are also identified. This raises serious concerns about the UNGC’s practical effects.

Who Benefits from Market-Based Carbon Mitigation?

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 406-428
Author(s):  
Jeremiah Bohr ◽  
Brian Dill
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Emissions Trading ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Global South ◽  
Investment Climate ◽  
Carbon Mitigation ◽  
Developing Nation ◽  
Global North ◽  
Development Goals

Abstract As world leaders increasingly recognize the dual imperatives of mitigating carbon emissions and ensuring economic growth, emissions trading schemes have become popular policy options to pursue sustainable development goals. As the foremost program of sustainable development to date, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has held out hope that low-cost abatement in the global North could be achieved by channeling investments to the global South, creating a win-win situation of both mitigation and economic development. Unfortunately, the results of the CDM have shown an asymmetrical distribution of benefits in the global South despite contrary objectives. This paper argues that the investment climate promoted by the CDM excludes many developing nation markets from participation, thereby limiting one of the key benefits promised by CDM proponents. This is partly because the CDM encourages investors to seek projects that are doubly profitable, ones that demonstrate the potential to generate a profit independent of emissions credits, placing many nations at a structural disadvantage, as they are deemed too risky for sustainable development investment.

scholarly journals Microbial Degradation of PET Plastic Sustainably Yielding Commercially Viable Products

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atharv Kapoor ◽  
Cheshte Varshney
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Terephthalic Acid ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Biodegradable Materials ◽  
Acetobacterium Woodii ◽  
Methanospirillum Hungatei ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Complete Process

Plastics are extensively used due to their versatility, durability, and low cost. PET stands for Polyethylene terephthalate. PET plastic is widely used all over the world and has many applications ranging from water bottles to fabrics like polyester and many things in between. But its unrestrained use in every field is resulting in heaps and piles of non-biodegradable materials causing damage to the environment and causing pollution. The idea being proposed is to degrade the PET plastic biologically using different bacteria. The bacteria used in this process are Ideonella sakaiensis, Acetobacterium woodii, Pelotomaculum and Methanospirillum hungatei. PET plastic is degraded, yielding Terephthalic Acid (TPA) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) by the action of the bacterium I. sakaiensis. Degradation of EG by A. woodii results in the formation of acetate and ethanol. TPA is degraded by the action of the coculture of Pelotomaculum and M. hungatei thereby yielding methane and acetate. All these products formed have significant commercial uses in various industries. The complete process that is to be carried out can help in achieving sustainability by fulfilling various Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.

Restructuring Educational Systems and Promoting Social Justice for Young People Involved in Drug Trafficking in Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 227 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Sandro Gomes Pessoa ◽  
Linda Liebenberg ◽  
Dorothy Bottrell ◽  
Silvia Helena Koller
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Young People ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Goals

Abstract. Economic changes in the context of globalization have left adolescents from Latin American contexts with few opportunities to make satisfactory transitions into adulthood. Recent studies indicate that there is a protracted period between the end of schooling and entering into formal working activities. While in this “limbo,” illicit activities, such as drug trafficking may emerge as an alternative for young people to ensure their social participation. This article aims to deepen the understanding of Brazilian youth’s involvement in drug trafficking and its intersection with their schooling, work, and aspirations, connecting with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 16 as proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015 .

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