Tool For Sustainable Development Research Articles

Stakeholder risk research tools in the light of companies’ sustainable development

Despite very extensive research on the issues of the stakeholder approach, so far there is no general understanding of the risks borne by company’s stakeholders and no applied tools developed to address specific problems of recognising and analysing them. The paper aims to study stakeholder risks, evaluate them, model stakeholder risk networks, develop tools for determining the loyalty (satisfaction) of stakeholders, and establish risk priorities for stakeholders. The research methodology rests on the stakeholder approach, corporate governance theory and graph theory. The paper applies comparative and content analysis, methods of modeling, prioritisation and visualisation of graphs. Based on Rebecca Yang’s method modified by the authors, the study models stakeholder risk networks. Due to the modification, the method is able to take into account the factor of balance of stakeholders’ interests. The method is tested on a business project of a particular company. The research results include specifying the mutual influence of risks in the network, determining key categories of risks and the most influential stakeholders, rating risks using analysis metrics and graphs, and developing a scheme for implementing the proposed tools in the management system. The theoretical and practical significance of the study lies in introducing the factor of balance (imbalance) of interests in modelling of stakeholder risk networks, as well as in providing recommendations on the use of these tools for sustainable development.

Chitosan as a Tool for Sustainable Development: A Mini Review.

New developments require innovative ecofriendly materials defined by their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and versatility. For that reason, the scientific society is focused on biopolymers such as chitosan, which is the second most abundant in the world after cellulose. These new materials should show good properties in terms of sustainability, circularity, and energy consumption during industrial applications. The idea is to replace traditional raw materials with new ecofriendly materials which contribute to keeping a high production rate but also reducing its environmental impact and the costs. The chitosan shows interesting and unique properties, thus it can be used for different purposes which contributes to the design and development of sustainable novel materials. This helps in promoting sustainability through the use of chitosan and diverse materials based on it. For example, it is a good sustainable alternative for food packaging or it can be used for sustainable agriculture. The chitosan can also reduce the pollution of other industrial processes such as paper production. This mini review collects some of the most important advances for the sustainable use of chitosan for promoting circular economy. Hence, the present review focuses on different aspects of chitosan from its synthesis to multiple applications.

Ecotourism in Nigeria, challenges and prospects: a review

Ecotourism is a portmanteau word made from ecology and tourism. It fully means ecological tourism commonly referred to as ecotourism, which is a field of study is considered as a sub-component of sustainable tourism. Ecotourism’s potential is an effective tool for sustainable development which is why developing and third world countries are now embracing it and making it a tool in their conservation strategies and economic development. Nigeria is blessed with a lot of wildlife which technically includes; vegetation, insects, spiders, birds, reptiles, fish, amphians and mammals. These found all over the country in national parks and game reserves, The major ones are Chad Basin, Cross River, Gashaka Gumti, Kainji, Kamuku, Okomu, Old Oyo and Yankari. Lack of will and dishonesty are among the major hindrance affecting ecotourism development in Nigeria. In addition to that, local communities also heavily deplete the flora through logging off of trees for fuel and timber which ultimately affect the ecosystem dynamism Nigeria has the potential to be a major player in ecotourism and wildlife conservation due to the abundance natural environment capable of sustaining wildlife. This can be achieved by creating proper awareness especially among the communities close to game reserves and national parks on the importance of every organism in the micro and macro ecosystems.

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process for business, economics, management, and eco-tourism, towards sustainable development

Industry 4.0 protocol for SEA process is helpful for the sustainable business, economics, management and business, economics, management, and eco-tourism development. The SEA treaty protocol pertains to federal and official Government procedures that help make much earlier decisions than the EIA process. Therefore, it is a key tool for sustainable development. The objective of the study is to conceptualize the SEA process for the business, economics, management, and eco-tourism scientific sector based on fifteen sustainable detailed project reports. The design of the study is cross-sectional. Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) process has been conducted for China nuclear power plant/ IGCAR Nuclear Power plant at Kalpakkam, India to consider the safety and health impacts to mitigate psychological health loadings on workers and nearby residents. The significance of the research work is mainly confirmatory SEA process for achieving sustainable business, economics, management, and eco-tourism for Industry 4.0. Keywords: Assessment; business; economics; environment; eco-tourism; sustainability.

The Importance of Corporate Culture for the Sustainability of Companies in the Context of Crisis Phenomena

Purpose: the purpose of the article is to study the role of corporate culture in the sustainability of companies in the conditions of crisis phenomena, as well as to analyze methodological approaches to corporate culture as a tool for the competitive success of the company.Methods: the methodology of the work is based on the use of the concepts of organizational culture and sustainable development, as well as the theory of modernization, integrating economic growth and the culture of companies within a single process of sustainable development. A group of scientific methods has been applied, including: inductive-deductive method, method of comparative analysis and retrospective method, method of expert analysis, rating assessment and others.Results: the analysis of the role of corporate culture in the conditions of crisis phenomena caused by the instability of the external environment is carried out. It is noted that the influence of corporate culture on the stable development of companies can have a dual character: a strong corporate culture has a stimulating effect on the economic growth of the company, and its weakness becomes an obstacle to sustainable development. The analysis of methodological approaches to corporate culture, which is considered as a tool for competitive success and sustainable development of the company, is carried out. Modern aspects of the formation of new behavioral models and tools for their introduction into corporate culture are revealed in order to maximize the compliance of companies with the conditions of extreme instability of the external environment.Conclusions and Relevance: the phenomenon of corporate culture is a rather complex area of research – this follows from the interpretation of this concept, the definition of the methodology of formation and the search for tools for its development. But it becomes obvious that the growth of knowledge about corporate culture, produced in the academic environment and highly demanded by the management of companies, has had a significant impact on managerial thinking and management practice. This is due to the understanding of the high role of corporate culture in the processes of internal integration and adaptation of the company to the external environment, in achieving competitive success and strategic development goals, which creates the basis for sustainable development of the economic system.

Social Innovation Governance in Smart Specialisation Policies and Strategies Heading towards Sustainability: A Pathway to RIS4?

(1) Background: Regional Innovation Strategies on Smart Specialisation (RIS3) receive higher attention due to the start of the new European funding period 2021–2027. Compared to the previous period, RIS3 will focus more attention towards social needs and challenges in their design and implementation to commit themselves towards sustainable regional development and contribute to the European Green Deal and UN Sustainable Development Goals. Nevertheless, RIS3 as innovation policy has not yet incorporated social innovation concepts or socio-ecological demands on its pathway within the constant transition of Europe’s society to become more sustainable. (2) Methods: A systematic literature review has been conducted to identify key insights and gaps in existing literature. (3) Results: The review exposed clustering as a policy tool for sustainable development, a lack of integration of social capital and regional assets to RIS3 design to overcome societal challenges and missing political capabilities to utilize social innovation governances under RIS3 towards sustainability. (4) Conclusions: Future research should pick up these gaps to contribute to a better understanding of social innovators in designing RIS3, meeting social needs and forging the pathway towards sustainability.

Towards sustainable product development – Insights from testing and evaluating a profile model for management of sustainability integration into design requirements

Product development and manufacturing continues to be a profound contributor to the socio-ecological problems and challenges we are facing in our world today. For products to contribute to sustainability requires not only that socio-ecological lifecycle impacts are considered in the initial stages of the product innovation process, but that they are maintained as integral product requirements. Although research offers a plethora of approaches, methods, and tools for sustainable product development, the implementation in industry remains low. The focus of this research is a less explored area of sustainable product development implementation, the management of needs identification and propagation of design requirements. The purpose is to: i) add to state of knowledge about current practices of sustainability integration into requirements, and ii) the academic discussion on implementation of sustainable design and product development. A self-assessment approach for sustainability integration into requirements is tested. The purpose of the approach is to support improvement of the requirements management process design, including activities and competencies, for engineering design. Four Swedish product development and manufacturing companies tested the approach, from which the results are used to evaluate usefulness, usability, and effect potential. The findings are discussed together with key characteristics for requirements and sustainability criteria, providing insights to ensure that socio-ecological considerations are both influencing the initial requirement specification, and maintained as decision parameters throughout the product development process.

Sustainability impact and effects analysis - A risk management tool for sustainable product development

Integrating a strategic sustainability perspective in product development requires that decision-makers can connect socio-ecological sustainability aspects to tangible business implications in the short- and long term. Only then will there be the driving forces necessary for adopting sustainable product development practices. A risk management approach can be used to enable strategic proactivity by exposing the potential consequences of sustainability-related decisions, for example in relation to reputation, legislative change, the ability to attract top talent, or meeting customer needs. Through an action research approach and by building on previous findings and existing tools and methods, this study presents the Sustainability Impact and Effects Analysis. This novel method and risk management tool combines the familiar format of the well-established Failure Mode and Effects Analysis with a strategic sustainability perspective. Designed to be applicable in early stages of the product innovation process, this tool aims to increase decision-makers’ awareness of sustainability risks and provide them with a practical way for how to identify, assess, and treat such risks. The tool was developed in close collaboration with industry and tested in two different companies. The results indicate the effectiveness of the tool for identifying and analyzing sustainability risks, as well as deriving and monitoring strategies for how to manage them strategically, also leading to an increased awareness of the interconnections between socio-ecological sustainability aspects and business implications. Thereby, it can provide support for companies in how to work with product development in a way that contributes to society's transition towards sustainability, while benefiting the own organization.

Events as a tool for community involvement and sustainable regional development: the mediating role of motivation on community attitudes

This study aims at exploring the impact of events on sustainable regional development. To accomplish the aim of the study, the effects of event awareness, community involvement, and destination attributes on locals’ attitudes were measured, and their motivation to encourage and support holding events was evaluated. Data were collected from 277 residents of Aqaba city through utilizing a fit sampling approach. Results of data analyses show that there are positive effects of event awareness, community involvement, and destination attributes on locals’ attitudes to hosting events and motivations. The results indicate that the events are a major factor in sustainable development through involving the community in decision-making and their actual participation in events. This study contributes to determining the importance of activities and the role of the local community in Sustainable Regional Development (SRD).

Public-Private Partnership as a Tool of Sustainable Development on the Russian Oil-Refining Sector

Public-Private Partnership as a Tool of Sustainable Development on the Russian Oil-Refining Sector

Personal subsidiary plots as a tool for sustainable development and overcoming the crisis in the agriculture

Personal subsidiary plots still occupy a significant place in the production of agricultural products. Having appeared in the 1930s as an auxiliary tool for agrarian policy in the conduct of collectivization, over the next years they have shown their resilience in the face of crisis phenomena in the economy. The purpose of the study is to determine the factors influencing the development of private household plots, taking into account the political and economic characteristics of the country’s agricultural management. Within the framework of this study, the following tasks were solved: - a detailed analysis of the political and economic situation in the country was carried out; - analyzed the data of the household books of the settlement for the period 1935-2019; - statistical processing of the research results was carried out; - the regularities of the development of private household plots in the study period were revealed. As a result of the study, it was revealed that when signs of a crisis in the economy appear, rural residents to a greater extent transfer their business activities to personal subsidiary plots, using them as a tool of survival. When the crisis ends, business activity moves back to large agricultural or industrial production.

ДЕРЖАВНІ ЗАХОДИ ФІНАНСОВОЇ ПІДТРИМКИ ВІТЧИЗНЯНИХ АГРОВИРОБНИКІВ В СУЧАСНИХ УМОВАХ

The article considers state measures to support Ukrainian agricultural producers in modern conditions. In conditions of war, a deficit of production and exports is inevitable. A significant increase in world grain prices has begun, the price of wheat is rising. There is a threat of cessation of exports from Ukraine in the medium term. The global humanitarian crisis is gradually unfolding. The possibility of ensuring the supply of agricultural products to importing countries is critically assessed. One of the tools that can help solve this problem can be a contract system as an element of sustainable development of food supply chains. It is necessary to establish the advantages of the contract system and develop mechanisms for its implementation as a tool for sustainable development in the agro-industrial complex of the country. Ukraine's agriculture needs new drivers of growth. Small farms have difficulty borrowing, and the volatility of the agricultural market calls into question profits. There are a number of problems with the sale of agricultural products. In order to prevent the food crisis and help farmers, the Government of Ukraine has approved changes to the provision of financial state support. Creating principles for the development and progress of the agricultural sector are the main tasks that must be addressed at the state level today. Among all others, the principle of building stability in supply chain management is important. Particular attention should be paid to the establishment of supply chains in agriculture, taking into account their socio-economic significance, the study of the possibility of using the contract system in agriculture to solve modern problems. In order to prevent the deepening of the food crisis, it is necessary to open Ukrainian ports and waterways to ensure free logistics for agricultural supplies. Agriculture is an important component of sustainable development. Sustainable development is directly related to food security. Food security is an element of sustainable development. A country is considered to be in food security when it produces at least 80% of its staple food. Thus, food security is impossible without sustainable development.

Avitourism as an aspect of sustainable mountain development: a case study from Southern China

Birdwatching has become increasingly popular over the past two decades. Because of its potential to meet both economic and conservation needs, birdwatching tourism (or avitourism) has been considered a tool for sustainable regional development. To date, very few studies have examined the impacts of avitourism in mountainous protected areas in China. We therefore conducted a case study of the Nonggang avitourism project in Southern China to explore the impacts of the activity on livelihoods and conservation. By investigating 197 local households using a structured questionnaire, we found that avitourism has improved and diversified mountain people’s livelihoods, by providing employment opportunities, and increased household incomes. Moreover, it has supported biodiversity conservation by raising mountain people’s awareness of sustainability and their willingness to conserve biodiversity. Community participation, government support and collaboration between stakeholders are important for the success of this project. We conclude that, when implemented adequately, avitourism can support sustainable mountain development.

The Impact of Cost Sharing on Green Technology Investment in Competing Supply Chains

The investment in green technology in the process of product design and production is viewed as a powerful tool for sustainable development and carbon emission reduction. However, the substantial cost and pressure of competition weaken incentives for manufacturers to engage in green technology. In this paper, we consider two competitive manufacturer-retailer supply chains, where each manufacturer sells partially substitutable products through the exclusive retailer, study green technology investment selection by manufacturers, and examine the efficacy of retailer cost sharing scheme. Our analysis shows that a dominant equilibrium strategy for both manufacturers is to invest in green technologies, whether cost sharing is in place or not. Retailer sharing the cost of manufacturer green technology investment can avoid firms’ preference confliction over the green technology investment and improve social welfare simultaneously when both the cost-sharing rate and the degree of product/channel competition are relatively low. We also find that green technology investment by manufacturers does not necessarily curb total carbon emission, and the cost sharing can either strengthen or weaken the carbon emission reduction of green technology investment.

Are clustering and R&D institutions in post-socialist states functional tools for sustainable development?

ABSTRACT This paper explores the process of achieving sustainable development at a regional level in post-socialist states in the context of the clusters concept. In spite of the research on how it is achieved in particular countries, it remains under-researched or the results are in conflict. We consider if qualitative parameters of regions, the complex process of dependence between R&D financing in regions, whether the policies implemented in the development processes of post-socialist countries are important for the greater development of clustering and the higher concentration of clusters. The empirical analysis is based on Spearman’s ρ rank correlation and the stepwise regression analysis. We find that dependencies between the functioning of clusters and selected factors of the sustainable and qualitative development of regions were confirmed. The research shows that the expected effects are not clear, albeit that such policies resulted in a change in the direction of the activities, and that better performance can be expected by taking directional measures. Overall, our findings confirm the expected dependencies of involving public financing on R&D and clusters in regions. We find that the policies implemented in the post-socialist states do not necessarily involve large-scale permanent environmental improvement.

Keratinases as Versatile Enzymatic Tools for Sustainable Development.

To reduce anthropological pressure on the environment, the implementation of novel technologies in present and future economies is needed for sustainable development. The food industry, with dairy and meat production in particular, has a significant environmental impact. Global poultry production is one of the fastest-growing meat producing sectors and is connected with the generation of burdensome streams of manure, offal and feather waste. In 2020, the EU alone produced around 3.2 million tonnes of poultry feather waste composed primarily of keratin, a protein biopolymer resistant to conventional proteolytic enzymes. If not managed properly, keratin waste can significantly affect ecosystems, contributing to environmental pollution, and pose a serious hazard to human and livestock health. In this article, the application of keratinolytic enzymes and microorganisms for promising novel keratin waste management methods with generation of new value-added products, such as bioactive peptides, vitamins, prion decontamination agents and biomaterials were reviewed.

Системний аналіз процесів формування “зеленої економіки” в сучасних умовах

Проведено аналіз сучасних тенденцій цивілізаційного розвитку, що свідчить про нестійкість сучасних моделей економічного розвитку як на регіональному, так і на глобальному рівнях. Спільним недоліком цих моделей є абсолютизація економічного зростання в умовах нехтування соціальних і екологічних проблем. Обґрунтовано положення, що без урахування соціальних і екологічних чинників неможливо забезпечити сталий розвиток економіки на тривалу перспективу. Виокремлено низку глобальних проблем соціально-економічного розвитку на сучасному етапі: зміна клімату, екстенсивне використання природних ресурсів унаслідок прискореного зростання населення світу, яке супроводжується негативним впливом на довкілля.

Реалізація цілей сталого розвитку в процесі ревіталізації здеградованих міських територій

Проведено аналіз еволюції становлення концепції сталого розвитку в світі та її значення для розроблення політики ревіталізації міста. Встановлено, що, з погляду на сталий розвиток, ревіталізація стосується трансформації здеградованих міських територій одночасно у економічній (покращення ділової активності, створення нових робочих місць), соціальній (поліпшення рівня життя мешканців) та інфраструктурно-просторовій (збереження культурної спадщини, покращення природного середовища тощо) сферах. Обґрунтовано локальне спрямування глобальних 17 Цілей сталого розвитку, а також визначено основні завдання ревіталізації міста за кожною ціллю. Узагальнено 6 груп інструментів ревіталізації міста (інструменти планування, ринкові інструменти, фінансові інструменти, податкові інструменти, інструменти підтримки та інші правові інструменти), які необхідно застосовувати міськими органами публічного управління для забезпечення сталого розвитку території.

Legal Reforms as a Tool for Sustainable Development in Former Mining Communities: A Case Study of Kabwe Lead-Zinc Mine, Zambia

No Abstract

Selection of Sustainable Materials for Energy Savings of Infrastructure-Transportation Project in Ahmedabad, India Using BIM and FCM

This study aims to develop a methodology for the selection of sustainable building materials for the reduction of embodied and operational energy for a complex infrastructure transportation project, i.e., elevated metro rail station of Ahmedabad, India by application of building information modelling (BIM) and factor comparison method (FCM). Evaluation of the alternative building materials and designs to obtain the best energy efficiency has been carried out using Revit Architecture 2018 and Green Building Studio. The achieved average embodied energy savings is about 73%, which is by the suggested alternative materials instead of existing ones. By application of FCM, which is a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique, it has been observed that the polished Kota-stone flooring, stone-floor tile cladding, toughened fibre-glass ceiling and insulated fibre-glass door appear to be the most feasible sustainable material for flooring, wall cladding, ceiling, openings and fenestrations for the design of the metro rail station box in Ahmedabad, India. This study contributes significant knowledge in the field by highlighting the application of BIM as a tool for sustainable development and recommends a few alternate building materials and sustainable designs which would result in the reduction of energy usage for the metro-rail-station and other building structures leading to a sustainable future.