scholarly journals Can Corporate Sustainability Influence Employee Engagement?

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 284
Author(s):  
Georgia Simon ◽  
Erhua Zhou (Iris)

The global financial meltdown of 2008 has left many developing countries still trying to rebuild their economies and their labour forces. The aftermaths of the recession have inspired more businesses to incorporate sustainability into their business strategies. The sluggish growth, low productivity and other social, environmental and organizational factors have had an effect on the workforce. The unprecedented effects and outcome of disengagement worldwide have called leaders to find various initiatives to improve employee engagement. Rabid competition, coupled with the global figures of employee engagement has continued to attract both scholars and industry. The arguments put forward in this conceptual paper is meant to generate awareness as well as inspire further research into understanding how corporate sustainability might influence engagement of employees.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2(J)) ◽  
pp. 176-187
Author(s):  
S. Mupemhi ◽  
A. Muposhi

 Creating and sustaining competitive advantage through the adoption and implementation of innovative technologies is a strategic imperative for all learning organizations. Despite this, manufacturing companies in developing countries such as Zimbabwe are confronting challenges in implementing e-business practices. Against this background, the objective of this study was to understand organizational factors influencing e-business adoption in Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector. The study was motivated by the need to appreciate factors that facilitate or inhibit the adoption of e-business in the context of developing countries such as Zimbabwe. A questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 118 companies registered by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries in 2015. Regression analysis was used to test the posited hypotheses. Results revealed that manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe differ significantly in their inclination to adopt and implement e-business strategies. Innovation orientation, financial resources, perceived usefulness and size of the firm were found to be positively associated with e-business adoption. The study also found that technological resources did not have a statistically significant relationship with e-business adoption. The study furthers current debate on e-business adoption by identifying the drivers of e-business adoption in the manufacturing sector in the context of a developing country. The importance of this study lies in its contribution to theory and practice. In terms of theory, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on organizational factors influencing e-business adoption and provides avenues for further studies. In practice, the findings of this study add to the insights of managers in the manufacturing sector in developing countries, which influence the adoption of e-business practices.  


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
S. Mupemhi ◽  
A. Muposhi

 Creating and sustaining competitive advantage through the adoption and implementation of innovative technologies is a strategic imperative for all learning organizations. Despite this, manufacturing companies in developing countries such as Zimbabwe are confronting challenges in implementing e-business practices. Against this background, the objective of this study was to understand organizational factors influencing e-business adoption in Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector. The study was motivated by the need to appreciate factors that facilitate or inhibit the adoption of e-business in the context of developing countries such as Zimbabwe. A questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 118 companies registered by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries in 2015. Regression analysis was used to test the posited hypotheses. Results revealed that manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe differ significantly in their inclination to adopt and implement e-business strategies. Innovation orientation, financial resources, perceived usefulness and size of the firm were found to be positively associated with e-business adoption. The study also found that technological resources did not have a statistically significant relationship with e-business adoption. The study furthers current debate on e-business adoption by identifying the drivers of e-business adoption in the manufacturing sector in the context of a developing country. The importance of this study lies in its contribution to theory and practice. In terms of theory, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on organizational factors influencing e-business adoption and provides avenues for further studies. In practice, the findings of this study add to the insights of managers in the manufacturing sector in developing countries, which influence the adoption of e-business practices.  


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Mokter Hossain ◽  
Jarkko Levänen ◽  
Marleen Wierenga

ABSTRACT Firms are often criticized for their reluctance to embrace sustainability in their business strategies. Frugal innovation is a recent concept that represents a new way for firms to serve underserved customers in developing countries while also promoting sustainability. Based on three cases of frugal innovation at the grassroots level in India, this article demonstrates how frugal innovation presents a promising way to tackle some of today's pressing societal problems with new business models. We use a range of parameters for economic, social, and environmental sustainability to strengthen the case for frugal innovation. This article attempts to inspire scholars to consider frugal innovation further in their future research endeavors and encourage firms to integrate it into their existing business models.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gamze Orhan

Purpose Deregulation of domestic markets and the liberalization of international markets have dramatically changed air transportation. One of the important results of this change is the environmental effects of air transportation. This study aims to examine the implications of air transportation on environmental sustainability in the context of airline business strategies in liberalized and globalized air transport industry. Design/methodology/approach The paper discusses the relationship between liberalization, airline strategies and environmental sustainability of air transportation using the related literature. Then, to show some environmental impacts on the axis of the relationship discussed, emission rates for the aircraft landing and take-off phase were calculated on a global basis based on the aircraft traffic. Findings The discussion in the paper shows that the liberalization policies and the strategies of airlines supported by these policies, in essence, contradict the environmental sustainability of air transport. Considering the flight share projections of EUROCONTROL for different aircraft types on a global basis and the World Bank’s global flight traffic forecast for the years 2016 and 2025, it has been demonstrated that the number of aircraft departures will increase by 30%, whilst the number of aircraft emissions will increase by 41.5%. Practical implications Airlines are one of the main actors that will play a role in reducing the environmental impacts of air transportation. Therefore, this study is important in giving an idea to both policymakers and airline managers on how airline companies’ strategies should be shaped to realize both corporate sustainability and environmentally sustainable air transportation. Originality/value There are many studies in the literature regarding the environmental effects of air transport. However, there are not many studies linking environmental impacts with airline strategies that directly affect air transport demand. This study is different in that it gives environmental sustainability by associating it with its root causes.


2021 ◽  
pp. 286-290
Author(s):  
Ashwini Kundar ◽  
Pakkeerappa P.

Employee engagement is an important factor to be considered while developing any kind of business strategies and it plays an important role in improving overall performance of an organisation. As the importance of employee engagement in service sector has increased to a great extent now, it becomes necessary to know how it works for the benefit of organisation and how it contributes for the success of the organisation. The main objective of the study is to know the commitment and engagement of teachers at higher education level. It is very much important to know the level of commitment and engagement of teachers or faculty members that leads to development of the students and also the institution. The study is empirical in nature and the data is collected from primary sources. The findings suggest that there is a higher-level engagement and commitment among the faculty members for the organisations they work for. Higher level of engagement leads to the development of the institution.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
María Verónica Alderete

<p>The role Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play in achieving a better organizational performance still needs further analysis among small and medium sized enterprises (SME) from developing countries. This study aims to extend the empirical literature on the relationship between ICT, electronic commerce and SME performance in developing countries. To achieve this goal, we employ a sample of 87 manufacturing firms from the city of Bahía Blanca, Argentina in the year 2015. By estimating a structural equation model, we obtain that electronic commerce adoption has a positive and significant influence on SME sales which is reinforced by the level of ICT use. Other organizational factors such as firm size and public programs explain performance, but are not significant predictors of the electronic commerce adoption. <strong></strong></p>


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Eugenia Ruiz Molina ◽  
Sergio Belda-Miquel ◽  
Anni Hytti ◽  
Irene Gil-Saura

Purpose Sustainable food practices have been recognised as a key issue in efforts to improve and report sustainable tourism practices, given the importance of the social, environmental and economic impacts of the food industry throughout its entire chain of production – from farm to fork. From this standpoint, the aim of the present paper is to propose a comprehensive framework for reporting or making decisions concerning sustainable food management in hotels, taking into account the various facets of the food supply chain.Design/methodology/approach Several dimensions are proposed for dealing with sustainable food management, involving all aspects of food supply chains that may be relevant for hotel decision-making. Furthermore, some key criteria for creating and using indicators of different types (qualitative and quantitative) to address these various dimensions of sustainable food management are suggested. Subsequently, the proposed framework is validated with the sustainability criteria and indicators provided by the top eight hotel groups, according to the 2019 SAM Annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment.Findings Hotels neglect a number of aspects of sustainable food management identified in the framework. The quality and the quantity of the information provided by hotels are limited.Practical implications There is a need to improve sustainability in food management in the hotels under analysis in several areas. A comprehensive framework such as that proposed in this paper may be of great value in seeking to remedy this situation. It may also assist users of hotel services and communities in making more informed decisions.Originality/value The proposed framework may be beneficial in advancing academic debate towards a more embracing and relevant understanding of sustainable food management in hotels and on the indicators required in this regard.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Georgia Rosemarie Simon ◽  
Erhua (Iris) Zhou ◽  
Gideon Sagoe

The unquestionable benefits of employee engagement and the ill-effects of disengagement (EE) have necessitated further investigation within the field of human resource management and the wider organizational studies domain. This study sought to measure the perception of employees at a Commercial Bank in Jamaica, on how various practices in the organization, such as human resource management practices (HRMPs), the ethical climate (OEC), and corporate sustainability (CS) affected their engagement. Based on the responses of 130 employees who responded to a self-administered questionnaire hosted online, it was shown quantitatively that employee tenure in an organization affects their engagement, as employees with less than one year, and more than ten years of service with the organization were more engaged. Also, the results indicated that both HRMPs and initiatives and strategies on CS had influence on employees’ behaviour and subsequently their engagement and the predictor effects were enhanced by the mediation effect of OEC. These findings are relevant to practice as well as provide elucidation on the specific mechanisms that influence the relationship between HRMPs and EE, as well as contributing to sparse literature on EE in a Caribbean context.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Camilher Camargo ◽  
Nicholas J Hogarth ◽  
Pablo Pacheco ◽  
Isilda Nhantumbo ◽  
Markku Kanninen

SummaryDespite the plethora of discourse about how sustainable development should be pursued, the production of agricultural commodities is held responsible for driving c. 80% of global deforestation. Partially as a response, the private sector has made commitments to eliminate deforestation, but it is not yet clear what factors these commitments should take into account to effectively halt deforestation while also contributing to broader sustainable development. In the context of private sector commitments to zero-deforestation, this study characterizes the perceptions of different types of stakeholders along the cocoa and chocolate supply chain in order to determine the main challenges and solutions to encourage sustainable production. The main purpose is to understand the key factors that could facilitate a transition to a more sustainable supply while harmonizing the multiple actors’ interests. A qualitative thematic analysis of perceptions was conducted based on responses from 59 interviews with different stakeholders along the cocoa and chocolate supply chain in six key producing and consuming countries. Thematic analysis of the responses revealed six main themes: (1) make better use of policies, regulations and markets to help promote sustainability; (2) improve information and data (e.g., impacts of climate change on cocoa) to inform sound interventions; (3) focus on the landscape rather than the farm-level alone and improve integration of supply chain actors; (4) promote better coordination between stakeholders and initiatives (e.g., development assistance projects and corporate sustainability efforts); (5) focus on interdependent relationships between social, environmental and economic dimensions to achieve sustainable development; and (6) engage with the private sector. The study shows the importance of identifying different stakeholder priorities in order to design solutions that accommodate multiple interests. It also emphasizes the need to improve coordination and communication between stakeholders and instruments in order to address the three different dimensions of sustainability in a synergistic manner, considering the interactions from production of raw material to end consumer.


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