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.

Incorporating Sustainability and Maintenance for Performance Assessment of Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms: A Perspective

The existence of external two-fold pressure regarding competitiveness and sustainable development in a capital-intensive industry supports the need for sustainable performance. However, endeavors to create a sustainable framework to measure the performance of the oil and gas (O&G) industry are mostly devoted to the production and supply chain of petrochemical products and rarely focus on a maintenance perspective. Motivated by such scarcity, the goal of this research was to discuss and articulate the performance assessment framework by integrating concepts of maintenance and sustainability in the O&G industry. This study proposed the use of a range of performance measures for assessing sustainability on offshore production and drilling platforms. The conceptual framework consists of four aspects of sustainability categorized into technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Each measure was assigned according to its relevance at the strategic, tactical, and functional levels of maintenance decision making. The conceptual framework resulted in hierarchical clusters of twelve strategic indicators. These indicators consist of conventional measures as well as new ones relating to the safety and reliability on offshore platforms. The potential contribution of the present study is found in its intention to empower a better understanding of sustainable maintenance and encourage those making decisions about practical implementation within the O&G industry. This paper culminates with directions for future studies.

Exploring the nexus between GSCM and organisational culture: insights on the role of supply chain integration

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the interlinks between different forms of organisational culture (OC), supply chain (SC) integration, green supply chain management (GSCM) practices. It adopts a green human resource management (GHRM) perspective on knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) dynamics to shed light on the drivers that facilitate the implementation of green practices along with the SC. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a quantitative approach through a survey administered to 381 formally appointed Italian SC managers, combining two methodological approaches, namely, the collection of self-reported information regarding the perceived OC, SC integration and GSCM practices in respondent’s organisations and an experimental design aimed at collecting the expected links between GHRM and the firm’s performance in different neutral conditions. Findings The results highlight that it is necessary to observe the disaggregated paths that link the different types of OC and dimensions of SC integration to benefit from a path-specific rationale for each GSCM practice. Insights on how different dimensions of SC integration mediate the relations between different OCs and GSCM practices, in the light of the role played by KSAs in the pursuit of the firm’s sustainable performance, reveal the relative importance of establishing strong relationships with customers and among the actors involved in the production process. Practical implications This paper provides directions for collaboration among SC and HR managers in the pursuit of GSCM. Originality/value This paper adopts an original classification of both OC and SC integration, identifying the existence of previously unrevealed nexuses. Additionally, it provides an original contribution to the extant literature by separately analysing each GSCM practice and, thus, offering detailed insights on their drivers.

Acknowledging Sustainable Performance from the Global Crisis of COVID-19 in the Context of Bangladesh

Internationally, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a public health extremity due to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus named COVID-19 in January 2020. It has been over a year since the globe was imprisoned by COVID-19, despite discovering numerous vaccines to combat the virus’s innumerable versions. With this aim, this research has organized around three themes to achieve this goal. Firstly, to explain the scenario of the influence of COVID-19 on the sustainable performance (environmental, social, and economic) of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) industry. There has been a dramatic increase in the application of sustainable performance over recent decades, but less attention paid to developing countries, especially Bangladesh. Secondly, general online survey research has been conducted from July-August 2021 to empirically evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the RMG industries of Bangladesh. Thirdly, the study has provided recommendations to overcome any pandemic to maintain sustainable business performance. According to the survey results, 55.9% of participants assume there will be a loss in revenue and sales volume, while 44.4 percent are concerned about employee health and an increase in waste (using PPE, gloves, masks, and so on) in the industries during COVID-19 pandemic as well as 52.8% of employees anticipate that, Bangladesh’s loss of position against Vietnam is due to an ineffective sustainable business system. However, this pandemic has proved that business organizations should be more conscious in dealing with uncertain environments while sustainable performance can be a strategic solution.

Mediating Role of Green Supply Chain Management Between Lean Manufacturing Practices and Sustainable Performance

Manufacturing companies in today's industrial world are seeking to use the new manufacturing process methods. The primary goal of corporations is to achieve optimum production while deploying minimal capital. The fundamental purpose of this study is to examine the influence of various lean manufacturing practices on the sustainability performance of companies and the mediating role of green supply chain management (GSCM). The data was gathered using questionnaires from 250 Pakistani manufacturing firms and analyzed using AMOS 25. Results demonstrate that process and equipment, product design, supplier relationships, and customer relationships significantly affect sustainable performance. It is also recognized that Green Supply Chain Management mediates the interaction between HR processes, product design, supplier relationship, customer relationship, and environmental performance. The findings of this study will enable managers and decision-makers of manufacturing companies to increase sustainable efficiency and reduce waste through the use of lean manufacturing and GSCM implementation.

Sustainability Performance Management Framework for Circular Economy Implementation in State-Owned Plantation Enterprises

The circular economy concept needs to be part of the performance management system so that it is in line with a company’s vision and mission. Thus, the circular economy will play an important role at the operational level of companies. The circular economy needs to be internalized, starting by formulating the company’s vision and mission, establishing strategic objectives and performance indicators, and creating resource allocation policies. This research aims to design a sustainable performance management system in the context of a circular economy for state-owned plantation enterprises (SOPEs). This study used a qualitative research coding method that was validated in three SOPEs in Indonesia. Validation was performed by comparing the framework based on the conceptual formulation with the data and information obtained during field assessment. Primary data came from interviews with 15 managers, while secondary data came from official company documents. The research results show that the initial framework that was built is in accordance with the results of the exploration of the circular economy strategic objectives in the three SOPEs. The results of the 100 percent validation and perception test of managers on the range of values are important. Therefore, the proposed framework can be used in SOPE.