Improve Sustainability Performance Research Articles

High Reliability in a Safety Net Hospital Leading to Operational Excellence.

The objective of this work was to establish sustainable systems for quality improvement in an Academic Medical Center and Safety Net Hospital. High reliability principles of leadership engagement, a culture of safety, and sustainable performance improvement were used. Target areas for improvement were clinical outcomes for patients, public reputation scores, and lower cost of care. The system was based on annual focused goals with specific targets, improvement teams, transparent scorecards, and data driven work. Program visibility was championed by leaders. Consistent education on quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness for all employees created buy-in. Data review and accountability tracked progress, helped resource allocation, and defined next steps. In the first 5 years, all patient quality and safety metrics improved between 10% and 60%. This improvement resulted in higher CMS Star Ranking and Leapfrog patient safety grade. The next phase included maximizing value by expanding into hospital operations and finance with a focus on improved clinical documentation and reduced length of stay and cost of care. Clinical documentation improvement led to a 15% increase in comorbidity capture. This positively impacted reported outcomes and hospital payment by appropriate risk adjustment. Length of stay was addressed with a new care coordination program and physician-driven utilization review. High reliability principles are applicable in a resource limited healthcare system. Improved clinical and operational results were achieved through goal setting, improvement teams, and data driven projects leading to creation of an office of operational excellence.

Firefighting Water Tanker Commuting Accident: Case report on why it happened and how to manage

Road traffic accidents represent a significant global public health concern, and Malaysia is no exception. Within the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (FRDM), similar issues have had detrimental impacts on health, financial loss, and service disruptions from 2016 to 2021. These challenges were highlighted by a recent accident involving a water tanker during a road test, described in this study according to qualitative data from the FRDM accident investigation report. The investigation revealed that human factor, as the active failure, was the primary cause of the accident. Response errors stem from a cascade of latent conditions initiated by inadequate resource management (i.e. provision of training and budget allocation). To address these challenges, the FRDM should adopt a comprehensive approach to address both latent conditions and active failures. This comprehensive approach ensures that both immediate concerns and root causes are addressed, leading to sustained improvements in safety and operational performance.

Digital Transformation as a Driver of Sustainability Performance—A Study from Freight and Logistics Industry

Over the past two decades, environmental sustainability has become a key corporate and organisational issue. Today, firms are increasingly turning to existing and emerging digital technologies to help ensure that they meet the medium and long-term needs and expectations of customers and other stakeholders with respect to sustainability performance. This raises the important question of which digitisation factors most significantly impact environmental sustainability performance, as well as the mediating factor of sustainability innovation balance (the ability of a firm to balance the exploration of new innovations with the exploitation of existing innovations). A comprehensive survey instrument was developed and refined through expert feedback and a pilot study, leading to data collection from 374 professionals in the Freight and Logistics industry in Saudi Arabia, all of whom held senior positions in areas such as business development, IT, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) departments. This data was then analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of this analysis showed that the key factors impacting sustainability performance were digital competence, strategy alignment, digital adaptability, innovation exploitation and innovation exploration. These findings contribute to the current literature by expanding our understanding of the real-world drivers of sustainability performance. In practical terms, the study will help managers improve sustainability performance by enhancing resource efficiency, streamlining, and supply chain management, as well as improving employee engagement and training, fostering a culture of sustainability within the organisation.

Stage-wise green supply chain management and environmental performance: Impact of blockchain technology

In the era of globalisation, the use of technology and concerns for sustainability is eminent in the supply chain management practices. The current study focuses on sustainable and green supply practices in different stages of supply chain management and how they can be facilitated by blockchain technology (BT). The study has addressed the existing gaps in the area namely, the lack of research assessing stage-wise green supply chain for environmental performance focusing on BT. The current study aims to assess the impact of BT on different stages of the green supply chain and a firm's environmental performance. The study also focuses on analyzing the impact of green supply chain stages on environmental performance. The study uses PLS-based structural equation modelling approach to investigate the hypothesised relationships between BT adoption and stage-wise green supply chain practices. The data was collected from individuals from medium-sized enterprises from the manufacturing industry in India. The findings reveal a positive association between blockchain adoption and green supply chain management practices leading to enhancement in environmental performance. Furthermore, the study indicates a positive relationship between blockchain integration and different stages of the green supply chain, underscoring its multi-faceted impact on environmental performance. The findings imply that the BT adoption can facilitate the realization of sustainable supply chain practices and performance improvement.

The International Performance, Resilience and Efficiency Program Protocol for the Application of HRV Biofeedback in Applied Law Enforcement Settings

Law enforcement officers are routinely exposed to high-threat encounters that elicit physiological stress responses that impact health, performance, and safety. Therefore, self-regulation using evidence-based approaches is a priority in police research and practice. This paper describes a five-module heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) protocol that is part of a larger resilience program (the International Performance Resilience and Efficiency Program – iPREP) established in 2014. Supported by 10 years of user-informed research and development, our methods are tailored to address occupational stressors and the practical realities of training and resource availability in operational settings. Building on existing clinical methods that comprise five to six weekly sessions and up to 40-min of daily practice, our iPREP HRVB protocol is typically delivered in a condensed format across 2–3 days and is seamlessly integrated with reality-based training scenarios commonly employed in policing. By combining best practices in clinical HRVB with police-specific pedagogical frameworks, officers receive accelerated and job-relevant training to adaptively modulate autonomic responses to acute and chronic stress. Efficacy of the iPREP HRVB protocol is supported by several research studies of various methodological designs (i.e., randomized control trial, longitudinal cohort) that demonstrate immediate and sustained improvements in police performance and physiological health outcomes. We conclude with a critical appraisal of the available empirical evidence contrasting common and emerging breathing techniques proposed for use in operational policing contexts. The critical appraisal guide is intended to serve as a resource for law enforcement agencies, governing bodies, and operators when choosing appropriate and effective self-regulation training approaches.

Addressing Challenges: Adopting Blockchain Technology in the Pharmaceutical Industry for Enhanced Sustainability

The growing importance of sustainability in organizational success, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, underscores the need for leveraging technologies such as blockchain methods to enhance sustainability indicators across environmental, social, and economic pillars. This study aims to identify and understand the challenges hindering the adoption of blockchain technology in the pharmaceutical sector for improving sustainability performance, addressing two research topics: the specific challenges faced by blockchain adoption in this context and the interdependencies among these challenges. Employing a two-step approach, the study compiles challenges through a literature review, refines them via expert opinions, and establishes their interrelationships using methodologies like fuzzy interpretive structural modeling (FISM) and cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC). The research contributes to unraveling the complex relationships and dependencies within the system, providing a structured framework for improved decision making and strategic planning. It fills a literature gap as the first attempt to outline driving and dependent factors related to the challenges of adopting blockchain technology for sustainability enhancement in the pharmaceutical sector, offering insights that can significantly impact brand image, company perception, and consumer value.

The Relationship between Supply Chain Resilience and Digital Supply Chain and the Impact on Sustainability: Supply Chain Dynamism as a Moderator

This research aims to explore the complex interplay between supply chain resilience (SCR), digital supply chain (DSC), and sustainability, focusing on the moderating influence of supply chain dynamism. The goal is to understand how these elements interact within the framework of contemporary supply chain management and how they collectively contribute to enhancing sustainability outcomes. The sample size is 300 CEOs and managers. The study approach integrates quantitative research methods. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is utilized to quantitatively analyze the direct and indirect effects of SCR and DSC on sustainability. The numerous surveys we conduct among supply chain ecosystem stakeholders provide a rich picture of practical implications and contextual nuances. In sum, our early findings generally support a positive relationship between SCR and sustainability in and of itself, declaring the need for more resilient supply networks for sustainability. We further find the beneficial impact of digital technologies in promoting sustainability via enhancing environmental control and controlling for efficiency in supply chains. We also offer evidence to show that supply chain dynamism compounds the positive logic between SCR and DSC and sustainability. As a final word, it must be noted that our work speaks to the burgeoning literature on supply chain dynamism as a moderator by examining the direct and contingent effects of SCR and DSC not only on performance but sustainability. By shedding light on the moderating role of dynamism, the study provides fresh insights into the multifaceted nature of supply chain management and sustainability practices. The study’s findings enhance theoretical understanding by elucidating the synergistic effects of SCR, DSC, and sustainability in dynamic supply chain settings. The study augments the existing theoretical frameworks by integrating the concepts of resilience, digitalization, and sustainability into a comprehensive model. Practical and economical, the research offers actionable guidance for organizations aiming to improve sustainability performance through resilient and digitally advanced supply chains. By acknowledging the role of supply chain dynamism, managers can tailor strategies to manage disruptions effectively and leverage digital innovations. Economically, adopting sustainable practices can result in cost savings and competitive advantages. The research emphasizes the importance of aligning supply chain strategies with sustainability goals to drive long-term value and societal impact.

How Can Fund Leaders Utilize Organizational Networks to Enhance Organizational Sustainable Performance Using the Funds’ Co-Holding Network as a Tool

With the intensification of economic uncertainty and the increasingly fierce competition in the fund industry, how to use the organizational network to improve the sustainable performance of the fund has become a very urgent issue. However, most of the existing research focuses on the impact of the microstructure of a single social or business network before fund leaders make decisions on the performance of fund organizations, which has the defects of incomplete information sets and the inability of leaders to identify all information and then affect organizational learning and performance. This paper constructs two kinds of fund co-holding networks as two kinds of inter-fund organization networks based on the indirect relationship between the co-holding of large and small funds and the co-holding of large funds. The study not only overcomes the above defects, but also finds that: (a) the status and power of different organizations in the two networks are unbalanced in terms of the macro overall network, the meso community and the micro individual structure, and the “super excellent community” and “benchmark fund” group occupy the core position in the network. (b) With the fund co-holding network as a tool, fund leaders can reduce risks and improve the sustainable performance of funds by observing and learning the behaviors of excellent associations and benchmark funds in the network. We provides a reference for further understanding the characteristics of inter-fund organizational networks and the rational use of organizational networks by leaders of financial organizations for organizational learning and sustainable performance improvement.

A corporate social responsibility (CSR)-led competitiveness framework through a bibliometric analysis (2001–2023)

PurposeCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is viewed as a differentiating strategy that wins over stakeholders’ confidence. Due to the potential strategic and positive effects on businesses, the study of CSR and its relationship to competitiveness has gained relevance. While studies have examined the impact of CSR activities on firm competitiveness, the findings so far remain contradictory. Further research on the underlying processes/mechanisms that explain how CSR contributes to competitiveness remains scarce. Accordingly, this study aims to look into the link between CSR and competitiveness with a focus on Asian business and management studies.Design/methodology/approachBy using a bibliometric approach, this paper aims to provide a review of the state-of-the-art research on the linkage between CSR and competitiveness in Asian context. The sample for this research included all 538 studies from the period of 2001–2023 in the Scopus database. A bibliometric study included both co-occurrence and co-citation analysis.FindingsThe study’s findings made significant contributions by identifying seven distinct clusters of co-occurrences. Using co-citation, three journals-based co-citation clusters and another three authors-based co-citation clusters are identified. The findings show how processes/mechanisms such as – accountability, multi-stakeholder dialogue/engagement, resource generation, emphasizing sustainable development goals and emerging markets, redefining strategy, cultivating value/vision and CSR leadership – are increasing in importance.Practical implicationsOverall, the authors argue that CSR-led competitiveness is indeed one of the key drivers for improved sustainability performance of a firm.Originality/valueBased on findings, a conceptual framework has been proposed highlighting different processes and mechanisms that influence the CSR-led competitiveness – outcomes relationship.

Photonic neuromorphic architecture for tens-of-task lifelong learning.

Scalable, high-capacity, and low-power computing architecture is the primary assurance for increasingly manifold and large-scale machine learning tasks. Traditional electronic artificial agents by conventional power-hungry processors have faced the issues of energy and scaling walls, hindering them from the sustainable performance improvement and iterative multi-task learning. Referring to another modality of light, photonic computing has been progressively applied in high-efficient neuromorphic systems. Here, we innovate a reconfigurable lifelong-learning optical neural network (L2ONN), for highly-integrated tens-of-task machine intelligence with elaborated algorithm-hardware co-design. Benefiting from the inherent sparsity and parallelism in massive photonic connections, L2ONN learns each single task by adaptively activating sparse photonic neuron connections in the coherent light field, while incrementally acquiring expertise on various tasks by gradually enlarging the activation. The multi-task optical features are parallelly processed by multi-spectrum representations allocated with different wavelengths. Extensive evaluations on free-space and on-chip architectures confirm that for the first time, L2ONN avoided the catastrophic forgetting issue of photonic computing, owning versatile skills on challenging tens-of-tasks (vision classification, voice recognition, medical diagnosis, etc.) with a single model. Particularly, L2ONN achieves more than an order of magnitude higher efficiency than the representative electronic artificial neural networks, and 14× larger capacity than existing optical neural networks while maintaining competitive performance on each individual task. The proposed photonic neuromorphic architecture points out a new form of lifelong learning scheme, permitting terminal/edge AI systems with light-speed efficiency and unprecedented scalability.

How can Creativity be Enhanced through Personality Traits and Emotional Intelligence Towards Muslim Employees?

Organizational progress in the 21st century is based on the efficiency and sophistication of technology known as Artificial Intelligence. However, human capabilities should not be taken lightly, as the creation of technology is the result of the creative thinking and innovation of an organization’s employees. While previous research has primarily shown that creative thinking can lead to performance outcomes, from angles the impact of emotional intelligence and employee personality on this connection remains unclear. As a result this study was conducted to examine the correlation between intelligence, personality traits and creativity among staff members at a non-statutory bodies in Malaysia. A total of 165 Muslim employees took part in the survey. The questionnaire data was analyzed using SmartPLS software to assess the research hypotheses. The analysis revealed findings; Firstly there is a positive and significant association between emotional intelligence and personality traits; secondly there is a positive and significant link between personality traits and employee creativity; thirdly there is a positive and significant relationship among emotional intelligence, trait personality and employee creativity. These results confirm that personality traits act as a mediating factor in the relationship between intelligence and employee creativity. Additionally this study aids experts in recognizing the importance of intelligence and personality traits in enhancing employee creativity. Creative thinking has become a tool in driving success and improving sustainability performance. This research offers insights into how to harness employees abilities to manage emotions and understand themselves for development. Moreover it provides guidance, for formulating strategies to navigate organizations through challenges.

AKHLAK CULTURE ORGANIZATION COMMUNICATION TOLL ROAD CONSTRUCTION COMPANY (STUDY AT PT JASA MARGA (PERSERO) TBK)

The cultural transformation of AKHLAK in the organization places a strong emphasis on the role of human capital as cultural actors to enhance competitiveness in the global market and position state-owned enterprises (BUMN) as talent factories. As a state-owned enterprise, PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk must undergo transformation with AKHLAK Culture as outlined in the Circular Letter of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises Number: SE-7/MBU/07/2020 on Core Values. This includes the establishment of core values as the identity and adhesive for a work culture that supports sustainable performance improvement. This research aims to understand and explain the process of internalization and implementation of organizational culture values at PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk, both at the central office and branches, encompassing construction services, traffic, and transactions as the company's core business with minimum service standards set by the government as the authority. The study adopts an interpretive paradigm with a qualitative approach and ethnographic methods characterized by extensive fieldwork involving data collection through interviews, observations, symbols, artifacts, and various other data sources. The analysis focuses on the central and branch organizations as customer service functions for toll road users. The findings indicate that the implementation of AKHLAK in various units, including the central office, operational work regions, and subsidiaries, has led to unique innovations and creativity, particularly noticeable in operational areas where there is a lack of specific AKHLAK guidance. However, the concentration of commitment reinforcement is limited to th e leadership level, creating a gap in implementation in the field units, the core business areas, where the services provided do not align with the core meanings and behaviors of the AKHLAK Cultural Values

How organizational readiness for green innovation, green innovation performance and knowledge integration affects sustainability performance of exporting firms

PurposeConsumers and businesses are becoming increasingly conscious of sustainable business practices and are often willing to pay a premium for responsibly sourced and manufactured products. Many countries and organizations have implemented regulations and standards for sustainability and companies face penalties or are barred from exporting for not meeting the requirements. Rooted in the resource-based view theory, this study aims to test a moderated mediation model to improve the sustainability performance of exporting firms.Design/methodology/approachTextile firms generating more than 25% of export revenues were targeted for this research. The data collected from 245 middle management-level employees were tested for reliability and validity. The structural equation modelling in AMOS 26 was used to test hypotheses.FindingsOrganizational readiness for green innovation (ORGI) has a direct positive effect on sustainability performance. The mediation analysis implies that ORGI translates into sustainability performance through improvement in green innovation performance. The moderating effect of knowledge integration highlights the importance of being prepared internally and actively seeking and incorporating external knowledge to improve green innovation performance.Originality/valueThe findings offer a solid foundation for informed decision-making, policy development and strategies to improve sustainability performance while aligning with the global nature of the textile industry and its inherent challenges. The proposed model and practical implications guide policymakers and managers of exporting firms to foster a culture of green innovation to leverage the effect of their readiness for green innovation on sustainability performance.

Determinants of the transition towards circular economy in SMEs: a sustainable supply chain management perspective.

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) increasingly know the benefits of improving resource efficiency and closing loops. These benefits include lowering material costs, establishing competitive advantages, and gaining access to new markets. As a consequence of implementing new regulations, manufacturing companies, particularly those in the automobile industry, are compelled to modify and change their business practices related to the circular economy (CE). More stringent the implementation of environmentally responsible policies and strengthening environmental regulations. CE is the most important factor in improving environmental conditions since it reduces waste and boosts output. This facet calls for the attention of fresh academics and policymakers with years of relevant expertise. Recent studies have investigated how green logistics management might improve a company's overall performance in terms of environmental responsibility. However, we believe that the connection between environmentally responsible companies is not a direct one but rather one that is mediated by the practices of circular economies. We investigate the direct and indirect effects of the environmentally responsible impact of proper logistics management on organizations' overall environmental performance via the application of circular economy practices. Our theoretical underpinnings are the resource-based viewpoint and the resource dependence theory. This research also investigates whether or not the traceability of the supply chain has a mitigating influence on the connections. We evaluated the hypotheses using the PLS-SEM method, drawing on the empirical data provided by 245 Chinese factories considered modest or medium size. The results demonstrate that the management of green logistics has a constructive effect on circular economy practices and businesses' sustainability performance. In addition, although it greatly impacts circular economy practice among SMEs, supply chain traceability does not attenuate the connection between eco-friendly supply chain management and environmental impact. Green logistics management in SMEs is linked to improved sustainability performance via the circular economy practice. To further verify the efficacy of the mediation, we also ran the sober test. Our results strengthen knowledge of circular economy, environmentally friendly logistics management practices, and sustainability performance while advancing natural resource-based planning and the resource dependence theory, which are the two approaches. Given the scarcity of information research analyzing the interplay between these factors, our results are very significant.

Sustainability Reporting and International Rankings in Higher Education: A Case of the University of Split, Croatia

We offer practical, case-based experiences on sustainability reporting in higher education institutions (HEIs), with a focus on the integration of sustainability activities into strategic planning and quality management. A proposed approach is based on the experience of the University of Split, Croatia, and the lessons learned from the SEA-EU University Alliance. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our model emphasizes the active engagement of stakeholders and the continuous collection and review of sustainability data. In addition, we propose to automate the collection and dissemination of sustainability research findings through the implementation of a Current Research Information System (CRIS). Our case study provides a roadmap for improving sustainability performance and reporting. The experience of the University of Split (Croatia) could be helpful and generalizable to a number of universities with an intermediate level of maturity in sustainability management and reporting, trying to improve their university rankings.

The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management Accounting on the Sustainability Performance of the Patra Bali Resort and Villas

This research aims to examine and analyze the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management Accounting on Sustainability Performance. Conducted by The Patra Bali Resort & Villas, the study includes 79 respondents selected through saturation sampling. All data obtained from the questionnaire distribution are deemed suitable and further analyzed using multiple linear regression, hypothesis testing (t-test and F-test). The results indicate that (1) Corporate Social Responsibility significantly and positively influences Sustainability Performance at The Patra Bali Resort & Villas. This suggests that an increase in Corporate Social Responsibility leads to an improvement in Sustainability Performance at The Patra Bali Resort & Villas. (2) Environmental Management Accounting significantly and positively affects Sustainability Performance at The Patra Bali Resort & Villas. This implies that better or increased Environmental Management Accounting results in an improved Sustainability Performance at The Patra Bali Resort & Villas.

Sustainability performance reporting in Ghana: the views of SMEs

ABSTRACT The study examines the perspectives of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) on sustainability performance reporting in Ghana and also determines the impact of the barriers and motivations on SMEs’ decisions to engage in sustainability performance reporting. The study is based on cross-sectional data from 183 SMEs using a structured questionnaire as the research instrument. The study reveals that the extent of sustainability performance reporting of SMEs in Ghana is 38.3%. The results also show that financial constraints, lack of knowledge and awareness, lack of expertise, absence of legal/regulatory requirements and lack of motivation are some of the main barriers perceived as impeding SMEs from engaging in sustainability performance reporting. The study validates the propositions of the resource-based view theory. The findings of the study have important implications for considerations by the key stakeholders in trying to encourage SMEs to adopt or improve sustainability performance reporting behaviour in Ghana.

Impact of Strategical Sustainability on Real Estate Industry’s Sustainability Performance

Abstract The primary aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between strategic sustainability and firm success within the real estate sector. Specifically, it aims to assess how strategic sustainability factors, notably business strategy and management, influence sustainability performance. By exploring this uncharted territory, the study seeks to provide insights into the role of strategic sustainability in enhancing an intangible value in terms of sustainability performance. Through quantitative data gathered from the Latvian real estate industry, the research study demonstrates that greater emphasis on business strategy efforts and activities is positively associated with improved sustainability performance. Moreover, it establishes a correlation between enhanced management practices and higher sustainability performance. Ultimately, this research contributes to our understanding of how strategic sustainability can drive the long-term sustainability and success of real estate businesses, benefitting regions, nations, and the global community.

Driving Sustainable Innovation: Exploring Lean, Green, Circular, and Smart Design

Driven by a technological transition, paradigms such as Lean, Green, and Circular Economy are increasingly being addressed by manufacturers to provide increasingly complex solutions. Whether considering products or services, design plays a decisive role in this context. Concurrent engineering and approaches to Design for X (DFX) have become commonly related to products and services, revealing the prominent potential to enhance product quality, improve sustainability performance, increase consumer satisfaction, and support the design of products, processes, and systems. However, many researchers have developed several DFX techniques with modified applications for different domains. This diversity makes it hard for practitioners and researchers when considering advanced technologies, to suit the current DFX with an integrated lean, green, and circular design perspective. In this regard, this paper aims to present a literature analysis concerning a potential model for the integration of four paradigms of management: lean, green, circular economy, and Industry 4.0 while considering DFX approaches. As a result, a framework that illustrates the connection between the fourth paradigm considered and the DFX approaches is presented. Our analysis would be useful to academics and practitioners since it indicates the field's key limitations and research lines.

Providing the EFQM Model for Improving Preschool Education in Shiraz

This research aimed to introduce a suitable EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) organizational excellence model for preschool education in the city of Shiraz. The research method was a mixed-method approach (qualitative-quantitative), and the statistical population included scientific, qualitative, and quantitative documents. The qualitative section comprised university experts (n = 21), while the quantitative section included a sample of 97 university experts. Non-random snowball sampling was used for the qualitative section, and cross-sectional random sampling was employed for the quantitative section. Data collection tools included coding, semi-structured interviews, and a researcher-made questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory, while a t-test was used for quantitative data analysis. The findings identified the dimensions and key components of an appropriate organizational excellence model for preschool education, which included objectives, vision and strategy, organizational culture and leadership, stakeholder engagement, sustainable value creation, performance improvement and transformation, stakeholder perspectives, and strategic and operational outcomes.