The mediating effect of sustainability strategy between sustainability committees and business performance: can persistent assessment condition this effect?

Purpose This study aims to analyse the role of persistence in the assessments carried out by sustainability agencies in the interaction between sustainability committee characteristics, sustainability strategies and performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors accessed a sample of European sustainable multinational and transnational companies (EMNs) for the period 2008–2017 from RobecoSAM universe. Using a set of simultaneous equation models, the authors test the effect of the sustainability committee on sustainability performance considering the sustainability strategy as a mediating element. Moreover, the authors analysed if the persistent assessment of sustainability agencies conditions the previous interaction. Findings Persistence of the sustainability assessment performed by an external agency is necessary to support the sustainability strategy and the sustainability committee, legitimating an organization in its institutional context. Practical implications This study provides practitioners with relevant insights into the identification of the sustainability strategy followed by an EMN and the effects associated with it can be useful for social and economic agents in decision-making processes. Social implications A persistent assessment could be a signal over time of the evolution of organizations, reinforcing the monitoring mechanisms. It is a stimulus to EMNs as they obtain both an indicator of their levels of performance and public recognition. Originality/value The lack of similarity in the levels of sustainable performance observed among companies can be explained by the persistence, which is an omitted variable in previous studies.

Matching Sustainability Strategy and Results

The aim of the research is to analyze the strategy and the value creation system from a sustainable point of view adopted in an Italian family firm, with a particular focus strategic intensions and strategic projects under implementation. This work has been conducted through the qualitative method of case study, where theory and empirical research are intertwined. In particular, semi-structured interviews and internal document analysis have been conducted. The research shows how the company has implemented the strategy, focusing on sustainability critical success factors and key projects in order to lay the foundation for innovation and growth. The chapter has some theoretical and practical implications as it contributes to integrate the existing literature on family firms, strategic planning, and sustainability, and allows managers better understand how a sustainability strategy can be translated into operational terms.

The role of green process innovation translating green entrepreneurial orientation and proactive sustainability strategy into environmental performance

PurposeThis paper analyzes the mediating role of green process innovation in the relationships of green entrepreneurial orientation and proactive sustainability strategy with environmental performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyze data from 81 Brazilian agriculture technology startups (AgTechs) using partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).FindingsThe results show that the green process innovation assumes an important role in AgTechs, promoting full mediations between green entrepreneurial orientation and proactive sustainability strategy with environmental performance. There are two ways for AgTechs to achieve high environmental performance. In both, green process innovation is a central condition, while green entrepreneurial orientation or proactive sustainability strategy is a complementary condition.Research limitations/implicationsThis study demonstrates how internal elements (green entrepreneurial orientation, proactive sustainability strategy and green process innovation) improve environmental performance. This answers calls to explore which elements translate green entrepreneurial orientation and proactive sustainability strategies into environmental performance, by highlighting the mediating role of green process innovation.Practical implicationsThe findings are useful for founders and managers of AgTechs to find ways to manage sustainable technological advancement and cleaner production in agribusiness.Originality/valueThis study analyses the interface between sustainable entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation in promoting environmental performance of AgTechs from an emerging economy country.

Financial sustainability of a Ukrainian university due to the COVID-19 pandemic: A calculative approach

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university funding in Ukraine suffered significant losses due to unprecedented quarantine measures. The challenge for universities is to diversify funding sources, develop effective approaches to minimize existing and prevent future threats to ensure their financial stabilization (sustainability) in the post-pandemic period. The paper aims to consider financial sustainability of a university (the case of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv) due to COVID-19 using the objective calculative approach on the statistical sample of data for 2011–2020. The tasks for achieving the aim are seen in determining, using regression methods, the number of lost receipts from general and special funds in the short and medium term, which will maintain a constant value of receipts at constant assets. The main idea of the paper is that financial sustainability is considered as a condition, and stabilization is considered as a process towards stability/sustainability. The modeling approach reveals a fragile list of factors for the future preventing measures of the University to sustain. It is estimated that the University’s top management should consider financial strategy in dollar terms only. The challenge is that funding in hryvnia seems to be quite increasing and linear, but indeed, funding of the University is non-linear and has a quite intensive downward trend. Thus, for the financial sustainability strategy, this fact should be crucial.The results indicate the need for a significant increase in university funding to mitigate the impact of macroeconomic instability due to various crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic. AcknowledgmentThe study is carried out under the grant funded from the National Research Fund of Ukraine within the competition Science for Human Security and Society, topic 2020.01/0265.

Low Carbon Diet: Integrating Gastronomy Service Emissions into the Carbon Management of the University of Graz

To avert the upcoming crisis of climate change, significant changes on different scales and sectors are necessary. The knowledge and research of the higher education sector is an essential part in the fight against climate change already. Many universities admit the urgency of acting within their institution as well and have started to measure their impact on the environment to formulate emission-reduction goals. As part of its sustainability strategy, the University of Graz launched the Institutional Carbon Management (ICM) project to calculate its emissions via a greenhouse gas emissions inventory. In comparison to other inventories, the ICM also includes the gastronomy services on and around the campus of the University of Graz, which is also the focus of this paper. It was found that especially energy- and carbon-intensive food products such as meat and dairy contribute to the emissions of a gastronomy service. In total, the gastronomy service emissions contribute 1.1% to the total emissions inventory of the university. Although the contribution is a rather small portion, the University of Graz sees itself responsible for all its emissions and therefore also aims to gain comprehensive insights into all sub-areas of its institution to formulate validated reduction pathways. The changes to a more sustainable gastronomy and low-emission diets can therefore be seen as part of a wider change towards more environmentally friendly behaviour in general with the overall aim to meet the Paris climate goal.

Chief Financial Officers and Corporate Sustainability: A Literature Review and Research Agenda

Societal and environmental risks dominated the top 10 risks in both likelihood and impact, according to the surveys conducted by the World Economic Forum. Against this background, there have been many cases demonstrating the disastrous financial impact of organisational failure to address societal and environmental risks. As a person whose responsibility is to assess financial risks of the organisation, there is increasing expectation for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead sustainability strategy and initiatives. This research serves to review the literature which highlights the roles and characteristics of CFOs essential for corporate sustainability. Drawing upon this and related literature examining the influence of CFOs on other accounting practices, it proposes a framework illustrating the potential relationships between CFO characteristics and corporate sustainability.

Sustainability performance and social media: an explorative analysis

Purpose This paper aims to present a deep understanding of how social media affects organisations’ sustainability performance, using environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. Particularly, this paper assumes the existence of a causal relationship between organisations’ sustainability performance and the use of their social media profile (i.e. Twitter). Design/methodology/approach The authors used a multivariate regression with an explorative approach. Using Thomson Reuters Eikon, the authors composed a sample of 115 public EU companies with a headquarter in Europe operating in the “energy” and “utilities” sectors. The authors collected ESG-related, financial and Twitter-related data covering the period 2016–2019. Findings The study findings emphasise the existence of a statistically significant and positive relationship between social media profiles (i.e. Twitter) and companies’ sustainability performance. Findings show that ESG-oriented companies use their Twitter profile more as a tool for achieving a higher level of legitimation rather than for managing their sustainability strategy and related performance. Therefore, social media contribute more to the construction of companies’ CSR identity than the management of analytic aspects of sustainability performance. The longevity of companies’ profiles is the variable mostly showing a causal relationship not only with the general measure of companies’ sustainability performance but also with its pillars and sub-pillars. Originality/value This research is original in showing academics, practitioners and policymakers results on the impact of different modalities of interaction (retweets, replies, likes and quotes) between organisations and stakeholders by using social media on sustainability performance.

Barriers and facilitators of technological eco-innovations: a multilevel analysis in a Brazilian cosmetics company

PurposeThis study analyzed the multilevel barriers and facilitators of technological eco-innovations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors carried out an in-depth case study in a Brazilian cosmetics company, recognized for its eco-innovative initiatives, which has the technological eco-innovation of products as a central sustainability strategy.FindingsThe results contribute to the existing literature, showing that multilevel analysis is effective for minimizing barriers and increasing facilitators, especially through the company's adoption of an eco-innovation strategy and planning methodologies. The authors identified four groups of barriers: market, raw material, governmental and company's internal factors; and four groups of facilitators: legislation, market and technological innovation, communication and environmental management.Originality/valueThe original research results contribute both to the literature and to the companies that aim to implement eco-innovative measures. The results showed that the adoption of innovation strategies and planning methodologies by the company can minimize barriers and enhance facilitators. In addition the fact is that barriers and facilitators of implementing eco-innovations are dynamic factors that require continuous monitoring since they can be a barrier in one circumstance and a facilitator in another.

CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR COVID 19 PROTOCOL’S EFFECT FOR INTERNAL SUPPLY CHAIN TO SUSTAIN COMPANY OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Supply chain is an organizational system in which there are roles and perform various activities, including information, funds and other resources that are interrelated in the movement of a product or service from supplier to customer. One typical supply chain management is internal supply chain management, where is one of the integrated activities that plays an important role in the operational performance of the company, but in Covid-19 pandemic era every country including PT. AST Indonesia has implemented the Covid-19 health protocols along with their government role, WHO’s role also International Safety standard such as OHSA. Internal supply chain is composed strategic purchasing, production and distribution exactly will have affected by this health protocols. Some researchers have published many factors that influence the performance of the company like quality, flexibility, innovation but also important to study the relevant thing with Covid-19 health protocols. In this paper, we proposed a conceptual model consist of Covid-19 health protocols, strategic purchasing, production, and distribution to sustain company operational performance. AHP method is use in this research to find the dominant influencing protocol factor that affecting in making of ISCM sustainability strategy.