Implementation Of Sustainable Strategies Research Articles

Tourism development after the implementation of sustainable strategies in Neamt County

Several actions were put in practice over the last decade in order to support the global environment, the development targets and various strategic opportunities have been identified for the improvement of the territory. Unfortunately at local level they have remained only political challenges. The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges that restrain the development of the cultural heritage of Neamt County and to draw some conclusions regarding the whole process of sustainable development. As a focus of the study, the present research brings in discussion the community and its involvement in the preservation and integration of the cultural heritage.

Managing Sustainability for Competitive Advantage: Evidence from the Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry "is in the midst of a sustainability awakening" (Prairie, 2012). Many hospitality managers seem to be willing to adopt sustainability practices in order to obtain a competitive advantage. In this paper we use Barney's VRIO framework (value, rareness, imitability, and organization) to examine the role of resources or capabilities in developing and maintaining competitive advantage through the development of sustainability practices in the hospitality industry. The article reports the findings from interviews conducted with 17 hospitality managers from hotels established in Mexico and recognized as champions in sustainability. These results contribute to a better understanding of the factors that determine competitive advantage in the hospitality industry. Furthermore, the results have strong practical implications regarding the implementation of sustainability strategies.

Exploring the Relationships among Sustainable Manufacturing Practices, Business Performance and Competitive Advantage: Perspectives from a Developing Economy

This study aims to empirically test the relationships among the adoption of sustainability practices, business performance and competitive advantage in Caribbean manufacturing firms. Seven dimensions of sustainable manufacturing practices are conceptualized and tested against measures of business performance and competitive advantage. Three hypothesized relationships are tested using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results show a negative relationship between the adoption of sustainability practices and business performance. We also find that there is no significant relationship between the adoption of sustainability practices and competitive advantage. However, we observe a significant positive relationship between competitive advantage and business performance. Based on these findings, manufacturing firms in developing regions, such as the Caribbean, are advised to pursue sustainability strategy implementation with some vigor, but should base their choices on strategies that will enhance sustainability through improved resource productivity, while improving business performance and competitive advantage.

Ethno-Environmental Knowledge as A Tool to Combat Indoor Air Pollution in Low Income Countries: A Case Study from Rural Communities in Pakistan

It has recently been estimated that 4 million deaths each year are associated with air pollution originating from household solid fuel use. Interventions to reduce biomass fuel-related emis- sions can yield a diverse stream of benefits including improved public health, socio-economic development, reduced land degradation and climate change mitigation. This study investigates the use of indigenous knowledge to inform interventions to combat indoor air pollution at a rural site in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The results indicate that the majority of people using biomass fuel had knowledge of its ill health effects. A range of methods were utilised to reduce indoor smoke including included cooking in open spaces, use of chimneys, better ventilation and use of dry fuel. Education and housing type showed a statistically significant relationship with awareness of methods to reduce indoor exposure to biomass smoke. These findings lend support to the notion that communities have indigenous knowledge and their own methods to reduce exposure to indoor smoke from biomass fuels; this knowledge can be used as tool to design and implement sustainable intervention strategies to reduce the risk of exposure to indoor air pollution. It is recommended that a community based intervention focusing on locally manufactured improved stoves and better designed cooking spaces would be a suitable intervention in this region.

Universities as Potential Actors for Sustainable Development

Universities can contribute to the solutions of major challenges of the 21st century such as increasing environmental and socio-economic crises, inequalities of income and wealth and political instabilities by integrating the concept of sustainable development (SD) in research, organization, and by educating future decision makers. For instance, by integrating sustainability into the organization, universities can lead by example. Furthermore, through the curriculum, future decision makers can learn the competences needed to solve ecological, social, and economic problems in societies. However, despite their possible importance, universities in Germany fall behind internationally in implementing sustainable strategies. Therefore this paper presents/introduces an approach to how universities can implement the holistic concept of SD that considers all three dimensions (economic, ecological, and social) relating to their main functions of research and education in addition to their organization. Additionally this paper analyzes the current state of implementing sustainability strategies at universities, and how the success of these implementation efforts can be evaluated and be fostered further. We find that assessment systems enable universities to systematically use their potential for action for SD by initiating, evaluating, and accelerating the sustainability process. This also applies in the case of German universities, where the implementation of SD is still in the early stages.

Accounting and accountability challenges

Purpose– This paper aims to investigate the strategy, accounting and accountability interface in sustainability implementation in a large public tertiary education organisation in New Zealand.Design/methodology/approach– The study uses ethnography as an “engaging research” to help explain the real-life enactment of accounting and accountability in advancing/deterring sustainability initiatives. The study draws upon neo-institutional theoretical perspectives to help interpret the findings.Findings– Accounting and accountability are powerful conduits for strategy implementation. Successful sustainability strategy implementation requires the embedding of financial accountability within the implementation process.Practical implications– A strong ideological commitment from senior management is required to firmly embed sustainability in the tertiary organisation's belief systems, values and norms to get wider organisational acceptance and institutionalisation. Accounting needs to take a position of centrality within organisations to help facilitate sustainability implementation.Social implications– Government policy needs to incorporate specific concepts of sustainability into the tertiary education strategy and funding framework to make public tertiary organisations accountable for sustainability to the wider society.Originality/value– This study provides unique insights into the sustainability implementation process. It complements existing literature on sustainability accounting and accountability.

Sustainable facility management strategies

The facility management (FM) industry is the foremost contributor to a high-performance, productive and sustainable built environment through strategic and innovative management of facility services. When practised effectively and strategically, FM can be a major efficiency driver, supporting business requirements, ensuring regulatory compliance and achieving corporate social responsibility and environmental stewardship goals. Doing so, however, requires well-qualified FM professionals to influence decisions and implement sustainability strategies to yield cost-savings, lower environmental impacts and provide comfortable, safe, healthy and productive workplaces.

The Impact of Business Strategies on Online Sustainability Disclosures

AbstractWith increasing attention being paid to corporate sustainability, pressure from stakeholders, especially customers, is forcing companies to implement sustainability strategies and practices that express their commitment to sustainable development, and engage with stakeholders through voluntary sustainability disclosure. To better understand the sustainability disclosure mechanisms from a business strategy perspective, this study investigates the influence of business strategy, formulated by customer groups, on online sustainability disclosure. It provides empirical observation of Malaysian public‐listed companies based on the combined lens of stakeholder and legitimacy theory. Despite the comparatively low level of corporate sustainability disclosure in Malaysia, this content analysis of online sustainability information disclosure reveals that the companies with more diversified product lines disclose more sustainability information, and that the corporate sustainability effort is significantly related to brand name. Hence, companies should be encouraged to proactively improve their sustainability performance and disclose more sustainability information in order to strengthen their brand names. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Segmenting university graduates on the basis of perceived value, image and identification

In a knowledge-based environment, public institutions and in particular universities must be able to design and implement sustainable strategies in order to become innovative service organizations. The need of a market orientation in this public context entails the identification of market segments and the use of strategies adapted to the selected targets. This study aims to identify and profile graduate segments on the basis of the relationships between three key variables in the educational context: the perceived value of the university, the university image, and the graduate identification with the institution. Given that this potential heterogeneity in the graduate market has not been explored in the literature, we try to improve the knowledge in this area by showing how these relationships may vary among segments. Using a finite mixture modeling approach, we demonstrate that perceived value and university image influence on identification through a global model. We also identify three subgroups that differ in the intensity and sign of the proposed relationships and we describe their profile. Implications and recommendations for future research and practice are discussed.

Mapping Maritime Sustainability Issues with Stakeholder Groups

Improving formulation and implementation of sustainable strategies is increasingly dependent upon more integrated and participatory decision‐making processes. This paper explores the use of qualitative system dynamics tools and a participatory modelling approach to support scoping stages of an integrated sustainability assessment (ISA) process. To facilitate mapping of maritime sustainability issues in Portugal, a series of preparatory interviews allowed eliciting stakeholders’ perceptions and their alignment with current public policies. In the subsequent participatory modelling workshop, stakeholders deliberated on maritime problems and constructed causal loop diagrams, identifying feedback structures and voting on leverage points to intervene in the system. Overall results show that the process generated positive outcomes at individual and group levels, stimulating basic systems thinking knowledge and skills. Although further time for model iteration was suggested, the proposed approach promoted learning and a transition toward a shared and more holistic view of maritime problems and its underlying causal interrelationships. This is a promising result for the use of participatory modelling approaches as platforms supporting emerging ISA frameworks. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ethno-botanical study of the African star apple (Chrysophyllum albidum G. Don) in the Southern Benin (West Africa)

BackgroundIn addition to plant species biology and ecology, understanding the folk knowledge systems related to the use of plant species and how this knowledge system influences the conservation of plant species is an important issue in the implementation of sustainable strategies of biodiversity conservation programs. This study aimed at providing information on the use and local knowledge variation on Chrysophyllum albidum G. Don a multipurpose tree species widely used in southern Benin.MethodsData was collected through 210 structured interviews. Informants were randomly selected from ten villages. The fidelity level and use value of different plant parts of C. albidum were estimated. The variation in ethnobotanical knowledge was assessed by comparing the use value between ethnic, gender and age groups. In order to assess the use pattern of the different plant parts in folk medicine, a correspondence analysis was carried out on the frequency citation of plant parts.ResultsFour categories of use (food, medicine, firewood and timber) were recorded for C. albidum. With respect to the different plant parts, the fleshy pulp of the African star apple fruit showed high consensus degree as food among the informants. Fifteen diseases were reported to be treated by the different parts of C. albidum in the region. Correspondence analysis revealed the specificity of each part in disease treatment. There was no significant difference among ethnic groups regarding the ethno-botanical use value of C. albidum. However, significant difference existed between genders and among age groups regarding the knowledge of the medical properties of this species.ConclusionsC. albidum is well integrated in the traditional agroforestry system of the southern Benin. Despite its multipurpose character, this species remains underutilized in the region. Considering the current threat of habitat degradation, action is needed in order to ensure the long term survival of the species and local communities’ livelihoods.

Management accounting change and sustainability: an institutional approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose an institutional entrepreneurship approach to examining management accounting change triggered by social and environmental concerns.Design/methodology/approachThe study begins with a literature review concerning the role that old institutional economics and new institutional sociology have played in the study of management accounting change, underlining strengths and weaknesses. To deal with the main weaknesses, the institutional entrepreneurship approach is presented and utilized as the basis for the development of a conceptual framework, which is contextualized to the examination of management accounting change triggered by sustainability issues.FindingsManagement accounting change literature has not paid enough attention to the social constructivist roots of institutional theory. Through the application of a conceptual framework inspired by institutional change models and institutional entrepreneurship literature, this paper proposes another approach to examine how new management accounting practices are socially constructed during the course of organizational change, particularly in response to sustainability concerns.Research limitations/implicationsThis new framework has not yet demonstrated its explanatory power in a particular field.Originality/valueThe paper examines management accounting change as a social construction process led by institutional entrepreneurs who aim to mobilize resources and negotiate the definition and implementation of sustainability strategies and new management accounting practices, which will take environmental and social issues into consideration, in order to reach an agreement on the pre‐institutionalization, diffusion and institutionalization of sustainable practices.

ISO 26000 and the Standardization of Strategic Management Processes for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility

ABSTRACTThe standard ISO 26000 aims to provide guidance on social responsibility and help all types of organizations contribute to sustainable development. Such guidance is important since there is still no consistent understanding of what corporate sustainability and social responsibility (CSSR) encompass. Many companies lack a strategic approach to CSSR and instead follow unsystematic procedures; thus, formal strategic planning could improve operational efficiency.Against this background, this article critically examines the contribution of ISO 26000 to the strategic management processes of different types of companies. This allows the potential of ISO 26000 for guiding companies on their path to sustainability to be identified. The analysis shows that the standard is most useful for beginners in CSSR. However, ISO 26000 does not cover the entire range of strategic management processes. Instead, the standard is especially helpful for internal and external analyses and in providing starting points for implementing sustainability strategies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Adapting Nigeria Cities to Climate Change using Design Options: A Review

Problem Statement: Nigeria like the rest of the entire continent of Africa is considered highly vulnerable to climate change because of its high exposure and sensitivity, limited adaptive capacity, poverty, illiteracy, food insecurity, and disease all of which interact with Climate change. Approach: The aim of the study is to introduce the need to utilize design options as an approach to climate change adaptation strategy in Nigeria cities. Literatures were identified for review through a comprehensive search by using electronic and non-electronic databases. Related published literature and documents were searched in a systematic way using a range of key words relating to climate change vulnerability and adaptation. Results: The literature review indicates that adaptation to climate change is hazard specific and factors that determine whether or not adaptation occurs will operate at a variety of scales. The review also indicates that the fight against climate change in our cities could be pursued through three scales: Conurbation/catchment Scale, Neighborhood Scale and Building Scales; using architectural design options. These designs will have additional ecological, biodiversity, recreational, health and flood storage benefits to the environment. Conclusion: Reducing climate-induced threats that contribute to environmental degradation, there will be a need to develop an integrated approach at different scales and implement sustainable adaptive strategies using design options.

Influencing Public Perception of Sustainable Roadside Vegetation Management Strategies

Abstract Sustainably managed roadsides limit non-native turf grass and include meadows of native warm season grasses and flowering perennials, native shrubs, and trees. Implementation of sustainable strategies result in cost savings, better water quality and infiltration, increased diversity of insect life and benefits to the socioeconomic health of the state. Lacking an awareness of associated benefits, the public is often hesitant to accept sustainable, but less manicured roadsides, causing many Departments of Transportation to revert to traditional management regimes. This research assessed perception and determined that acceptance could be increased with an awareness of associated benefits. An Internet survey was administered to three groups of participants. A control group rated eleven roadside images from least to most desirable and completed a brief survey. An experimental group read a list of information about traditional and sustainable strategies of roadside vegetation management before rating the images and completing the survey. Another experimental group viewed a 6½ minute video that delivered the same information as the list, but engaged the respondent differently. This group then rated the images and completed the survey, as did the previous two groups. Among those who read the list, a significant change in perception occurred for three of the images when compared to those in the control group. Among those who viewed the video, a significant change in perception occurred for four of the images when compared to those in the control group. When all images were compared to the baseline image (mown turf), Delaware's current default vegetation management strategy, each response distribution was significantly different than that of mown turf. Respondents rated images of flowering meadows, meadow with a mown turf margin, turf with a wooded edge, shrubs and trees more desirable than mown turf and images with grassy meadows less desirable. When strategies were grouped according to similar attributes and compared to mown turf, respondents rated images with flowers (flowering meadows, shrubs and trees), and images with a mown turf margin more desirable than turf and grass meadows less desirable.

A methodology for building culture and gender norms into intervention: An example from Mumbai, India

This paper responds to the call for culturally-relevant intervention research by introducing a methodology for identifying community norms and resources in order to more effectively implement sustainable interventions strategies. Results of an analysis of community norms, specifically attitudes toward gender equity, are presented from an HIV/STI research and intervention project in a low-income community in Mumbai, India (2008–2012). Community gender norms were explored because of their relevance to sexual risk in settings characterized by high levels of gender inequity. This paper recommends approaches that interventionists and social scientists can take to incorporate cultural insights into formative assessments and project implementation These approaches include how to (1) examine modal beliefs and norms and any patterned variation within the community; (2) identify and assess variation in cultural beliefs and norms among community members (including leaders, social workers, members of civil society and the religious sector); and (3) identify differential needs among sectors of the community and key types of individuals best suited to help formulate and disseminate culturally-relevant intervention messages. Using a multi-method approach that includes the progressive translation of qualitative interviews into a quantitative survey of cultural norms, along with an analysis of community consensus, we outline a means for measuring variation in cultural expectations and beliefs about gender relations in an urban community in Mumbai. Results illustrate how intervention strategies and implementation can benefit from an organic (versus a priori and/or stereotypical) approach to cultural characteristics and analysis of community resources and vulnerabilities.

Active, Local, Connected: Strategic and Methodological Insights in Three Cases

The activity of design is rooted in the very first part of the history of the industrial revolution. In the past century, designers invented new products, sometimes introducing substantial social or technical innovation; in other cases, they contributed to improving the aesthetic or technical quality of existing products or materials. Their role has been essential in the definition of an industrial model based on large production volumes for broad markets, but they have also contributed to the maturation of such a model toward sophisticated production platforms and product architectures, which allow industrial production to customize solutions for smaller target groups. Design’s contribution has been to help define the social and economic role of industrial production in modern society—to the point that it has sometimes been seen as one of the key factors influencing the identity of the culture and the image of a country. When industrial production models—and the development model they supported—have been identified as one of the most critical nodes in the question of sustainability, designers have been seen as part of the problem and perceived the urgence to change their perspective, methods, and role. Because of the public perception of design action, which associates design with material and large-scale production, and because of the urgency of the question of sustainability, the choice for designers is either to embrace and cultivate new perspectives for their work or to be marginalized as secondary actors in the development of more sustainable strategies. The former implies that designers reframe their skills and competencies in view of a sustainable perspective. The second case, while not requiring significant changes in the design profession, implies that designers will not be able to seize the opportunities offered by the broad socioeconomic change suggested by the question of sustainability. The debate over sustainability within the discipline of design in the past decades can be framed within two general parameters. The first addresses the question of “what to do.” This question refers to the definition of strategies for improving the environmental efficiency of our production and consumption system. The second addresses the question of “how to do it.” This question refers to the definition of a methodological approach that supports an effective implementation of sustainable strategies. The present historical

Public Perception and Sustainable Management Strategies for Roadside Vegetation

Sustainable management strategies for roadside vegetation limit the amount of nonnative turf grass and include masses of native shrubs and trees and meadows of native, warm season grasses, flowering perennials, or both. Sustainably managed roadsides can contribute to a matrix of economically conservative, environmentally responsible, and aesthetically pleasing landscapes. Implementation of sustainable strategies may result in cost savings, better water quality and hydraulic conductivity, improved safety measures, increased biodiversity, benefits to the socioeconomic health of the state, and adherence to state and federal policy. Sustainable strategies provide optimal cost savings and enhancement of environmental stewardship only when implemented consistently. Aesthetically, sustainable landscapes often represent a departure from the traditional expectation of how a roadside landscape should appear. Lacking an awareness of the inherent values present in sustainably managed roadsides, the public is often hesitant to accept this atypical and often less-manicured aesthetic; the public reaction causes many departments of transportation (DOTs) to revert to traditional management regimes. Many state DOTs maintain active ties to the public and political communities of their state and acquiesce to the wishes of these communities when appropriate. Because they are often called on to defend their design, management, and operating procedures, DOTs have a new role in raising awareness, assessing perception, and informing the public about the benefits associated with management strategies for sustainable roadside vegetation. This paper examines the evolution of the roadside landscape and various approaches to vegetation management from the birth of the road network to today's strategies, which include benchmarks for sustainability.

Woolworths South Africa: making sustainability sustainable

Subject area Sustainable development; business, government, and society. Study level/applicability The case is designed to be taught to students at MBA and MA level. Case overview In February 2009, Justin Smith, manager of the good business journey at Woolworths, a leading South African department store, was a worried man. Woolworths had launched its five-year sustainability strategy just under two years before. After undertaking an impact assessment, Smith was concerned that the original targets – which covered transformation, social development, the environment and climate change – had been set without a clear understanding of exactly what it would take to achieve them. Woolworths had recently identified ten key risk areas that impacted on the achievement of its original goals. If the sustainability goals were not reached, Woolworths could lose credibility among its shareholders, staff, and consumers. What did Woolworths need to do to ensure that it achieved its sustainability goals? And had the company been too ambitious in the targets it had set initially, he wondered? Expected learning outcomes To examine the differences, if any, between sustainable development in South Africa and other developing nations and sustainable development in developed nations; to impart an understanding of sustainability in its broadest sense; to investigate the challenges in implementing sustainability strategies in business; to look at ways of measuring the success of sustainability strategies; and to explore whether and how sustainability strategies should differ across industry sectors and across companies. Supplementary materials Teaching notes.

Sustainability as competitive advantage in higher education in the UK

This paper draws on a series of five ESRC-funded seminars held between 2006 and 2008 on 'Sustainability as competitive advantage in higher education in the UK'. We sketch the background to sustainability in HE, distinguishing between teaching about and for sustainability and arguing that the move to latter has prompted questions about the sustainability performance of universities themselves. We outline the rationale for the seminar series – an analysis of the degree to which the reluctance of senior managers to embrace sustainability can be overcome by the promise of competitive advantage – and then discuss the lessons we learned from the seminars regarding the successful implementation of sustainability strategies in HEIs. We then analyse what 'establishing competitive advantage' in the HE sector might entail, generically and offer some suggestions as to what a specific instantiation of this might look like, guided by the idea of creating 'sustainable communities'.