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1 – 10 of over 32000A major obstacle regarding the measurement of an organization's sustainability and accountability in the space economy is defining the context and boundaries of commercial…
Abstract
Purpose
A major obstacle regarding the measurement of an organization's sustainability and accountability in the space economy is defining the context and boundaries of commercial activity in outer space. Here, we introduce an ecosystem framework to address this obstacle. We utilize this framework to analyze the space mining sector. Our ecosystem framework sets the space mining sector's boundaries and helps a firm identify key stakeholders, activities, policies, norms and common pool resources in that sector and the interactions between them; a significant step in structuring how to measure space sustainability and accountability.
Design/methodology/approach
Borrowing theories and perspectives from a wide range of academic fields, this paper conducts a comprehensive context analysis of the space mining ecosystem.
Findings
Using our ecosystem framework to define the context and set boundaries for the space mining sector allowed us to identify sustainability-related issues in the sector and offer roadmaps to develop sustainability measures and standards.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first papers to introduce a framework to define boundaries in the global space economy and provides a tool to understand, measure and evaluate the space mining sector's environmental, social and economic issues.
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Hilary Bradbury-Huang, Benyamin Lichtenstein, John S. Carroll and Peter M. Senge
Corporations are now collaborating to meet complex global sustainability challenges, which, until recently, were considered beyond the mandate of business leaders…
Abstract
Corporations are now collaborating to meet complex global sustainability challenges, which, until recently, were considered beyond the mandate of business leaders. Multi-organizational consortia have formed, not as philanthropic efforts, but to find competitive advantage. To examine the dynamics of an early collaboration of this sort, with a view to suggesting how future inter-organizational projects might be fostered, we pursued an in-depth multi-method case study of “The Sustainability Consortium.” The Consortium has convened Fortune 50 senior managers since 1998. Our analysis uncovers the primacy of “Relational Space” – a rich context for aspirational trust and reflective learning across organizational boundaries, which is enabled by, and in turn gives rise to, collaborative projects. Within this space, an ecology of organizational leaders committed to sustainability can accomplish together what would be impossible in their individual organizations. We explain the viability of this collaboration.
Daniel Magnusson, Hendry Raharjo and Petra Bosch-Sijtsema
Sustainability is regarded as a core value that the coworking movement aspires to. However, most sustainability efforts focus on the providers’ perspective while neglecting the…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainability is regarded as a core value that the coworking movement aspires to. However, most sustainability efforts focus on the providers’ perspective while neglecting the coworking members’ role. Therefore, this paper aims to explore sustainable coworking from the members perspective by focusing on sustainable behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a flexible pattern matching approach. Theoretical patterns are identified using literature on coworking space and sustainable behavior while matching them with the empirical data. Data were collected from three different coworking spaces in Sweden through interviews and observations.
Findings
Based on the theoretical patterns, three constructs for sustainable coworking were identified, namely, productive behavior, prosocial behavior and responsible space sharing behavior. Through the empirical data, the constructs were further concretized to understand their different aspects. The findings uncovered a new layer of complexity where members can show the same behavior and be perceived differently.
Originality/value
This study offers a more holistic understanding of sustainable coworking by highlighting the members’ role and identifying different member perceptions on sustainable coworking behaviors.
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Olena Latysheva, Victoriia Rovenska, Iryna Smyrnova, Vitalii Nitsenko, Tomas Balezentis and Dalia Streimikiene
The paper embarks on the development of theory and methodology for managing the sustainable development of machine-building enterprises through the use of quantitative modeling…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper embarks on the development of theory and methodology for managing the sustainable development of machine-building enterprises through the use of quantitative modeling tools. The article proposes an algorithm for estimating the position of an enterprise in its competitive space for sustainable development.
Design/methodology/approach
The three dimensions of sustainability (social, economic, environmental) are represented by the equations based on the multiple criteria of sustainability. The three-dimensional space is constructed and the effects of managerial decisions can be quantified in terms of the latter space.
Findings
The proposed model is applied in the case of Ukrainian machinery construction company. The effects of introduction of the environmentally friendly business strategy are assessed in the three-dimensional sustainability space. The changes in the level of sustainability can be estimated based on the projected changes in the criteria of sustainability.
Originality/value
The proposed methodology combines expert knowledge, empirical data and quantitative methods in order to quantify the level of sustainability of enterprises. The model can be extended to include additional dimensions and applied to different empirical cases.
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Sam Spector and James E. S. Higham
Conceptualizations of sustainability and the Anthropocene are expressed in static terms, with the Earth’s biosphere viewed as imposing immutable limits. Yet, increased access to…
Abstract
Conceptualizations of sustainability and the Anthropocene are expressed in static terms, with the Earth’s biosphere viewed as imposing immutable limits. Yet, increased access to outer space, with tourism as an important facilitator, challenges past limitations. This chapter examines the implications of advances in space tourism for the concepts of sustainability and the Anthropocene. The former is complicated by access to outer space, which may bring about a raft of calamities but also potentially immense resources and even the possibility of ensuring our species’ long-term survival by settling the cosmos. This chapter also analyzes problems incurred by the Anthropocene’s emphasis on terrestrial geology in an era of increasing ability to leave the Earth.
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The rapid change in the context of urban housing and the spatial organization of contemporary houses caused the alteration and elimination of spaces that met the social needs of…
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid change in the context of urban housing and the spatial organization of contemporary houses caused the alteration and elimination of spaces that met the social needs of residents for centuries. With the advent of multistorey flats, houses became denser and interactive areas became more limited and were gradually eliminated. Therefore, these changes caused the loss of interaction among occupants and social stability in today's residential complexes. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to improve interactions between residents and raise the level of social sustainability in residential complexes by reviving the lost interactive spaces and meeting the social needs of inhabitants.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, that is, applied research, the library method and a questionnaire have been used to conduct the study. The questionnaire consists of 13 questions categorized based on five hypotheses.
Findings
Existing public open spaces between the blocks of residential complexes are not efficient enough to raise the interaction between residents because of some problems such as difficult access for middle and upper floors, lack of separate territories and spaces, lack of proper control and supervision and lack of privacy and security.
Practical implications
This paper can be helpful for researchers, designers and mass builders in the field of housing to pay attention to the social needs of occupants, as the basic needs of humans, and improve the quality of interactive spaces by realizing their problems and shortcomings.
Originality/value
This paper tries to improve the quality of interactive spaces based on the social needs of residents to increase the level of interaction between dwellers and creates social sustainability in the residential complexes.
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Job Momoh, Joseph Chelemu Kangwa, Chika Udeaja, Jin Ruoyu and Rafiu Dimeji Seidu
Developing countries are currently on the verge of adopting principles used in achieving a sustainable urban future. As the urban population increases due to factors like…
Abstract
Purpose
Developing countries are currently on the verge of adopting principles used in achieving a sustainable urban future. As the urban population increases due to factors like urban–rural migration, increase in birth rate, migration, industrialisation, commercialisation, amongst others, there is a drastic need to adopt sustainability principles within urban spaces. To understand how sustainability can be achieved, there is a need to recognise how developed countries have designed assessment tools that work within their context which can inform how developing countries can work on their assessment tool. Urban neighbourhood sustainability assessment tools are used to reflect on the overall goal of the project and the most important indicators needed to be implemented within the project. Sustainability indicators are used to measure the levels and progress at which sustainability has been implemented within a project based on the data collected and these results can be used to make informed decisions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of urban sustainability assessment tool.
Design/methodology/approach
This research investigates the techniques utilised in developing an urban sustainability assessment tool Sustainable Composite Cities Environmental Evaluation and Design (SUCCEED-ND) tool within the Nigerian context. The data instrument used includes a questionnaire survey that sampled 50 correspondents, and the results were used to develop an urban assessment tool tailored for the Nigerian countries.
Findings
The findings used social, environmental, economic and planning sustainability dimensions in the design of the assessment tool which composes of 21 core sustainability indicators and 105 indicators to develop SUCCEED-ND tool.
Originality/value
This work developed the first urban sustainability assessment tool for the Nigerian urban environment. The result is meant to evaluate and implement sustainability within existing and proposed neighbourhood development.
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Chloe A. Thompson, Madeleine Pownall, Richard Harris and Pam Blundell-Birtill
An important facet of student’s sense of belonging is students’ relationships with, and time spent in, the university campus. The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion…
Abstract
Purpose
An important facet of student’s sense of belonging is students’ relationships with, and time spent in, the university campus. The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion that access to campus “green space”, including parks, fields and gardens, may bolster students’ sense of belonging, improve well-being feelings and promote place attachment.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors surveyed students in different locations (including three green and one non-green campus spaces) across a large UK campus-based Northern institution. 146 students participated in the study in one of the four campus locations. The authors investigated how being in green spaces on campus may impact students’ sense of belonging, well-being and place attachment. The authors also qualitatively explored students’ perceptions of campus spaces through Ahn’s (2017) 10 Words Question measure.
Findings
Analyses demonstrate that students surveyed in green spaces reported significantly more positive sense of belonging, compared to students surveyed in non-green campus spaces. Campus location did not impact well-being, however. Students associated green spaces on campus with “calm”, “positive emotion” and “nature” words and non-green spaces with “busy”, “social” and “students”.
Practical implications
Taken together, the results of this paper suggest that access to green spaces can be important for campus sense of belonging. Thus, efforts should be made to ensure the sustainability of these important spaces across university campuses.
Originality/value
This study crucially examines how occupying green spaces on university campuses may impact students’ feelings of belongingness. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that uses field-based methods to understand students’ feelings whilst occupying green spaces.
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The purpose of this paper is to outline a path for entrepreneurial universities to embrace their purpose as custodians of society and to hardwire it institutionally.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline a path for entrepreneurial universities to embrace their purpose as custodians of society and to hardwire it institutionally.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is conceptual in its approach, drawing on practical and theoretical insights in the fields of responsible leadership, business sustainability and transformational change. The resulting Circle Model offers a developmental perspective connecting individual and organizational development in service of society.
Findings
A key finding lies in expanding the current understanding of an entrepreneurial university beyond its organizational effectiveness to become a true custodian of society in the way it educate, researches and lives this intended purpose. The model offers a next conceptual step for the 50+20 vision (Muff et al., 2013) which had outlined a radical new role for business schools.
Research limitations/implications
More research is required to understand how not only the educational and research strategies but also the organizational structure can be transformed to serve a given purpose.
Practical implications
Concrete insights and examples of the developmental perspective of the model illustrate the opportunities for educating responsible leaders, for consulting business organizations to serve the common good, and for walking the talk by hardwiring a purpose-driven organization.
Originality/value
The originality of the paper lies in the introduction of the idea of a common space of sustainability and responsibility as a foundation to reorient education and research of an entrepreneurial business school and hardwire its organizational structure truly around purpose.
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Max Baker, Rob Gray and Stefan Schaltegger
This article explores and contrasts the views of two influential research projects within the social and environmental accounting space. Both projects advocate for sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores and contrasts the views of two influential research projects within the social and environmental accounting space. Both projects advocate for sustainability. The first here referred to as the Critical Social and Environmental Accounting Project (CSEAP), was developed and championed by Rob Gray and calls for immediate radical structural change. The second one is called the Pragmatic Sustainability Management Accounting Project (PSMAP), championed by Stefan Schaltegger, and advocates for an entrepreneurial process of creating radical solutions in joint stakeholder collaboration over time.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is the culmination of a decade-long debate between Gray and Schaltegger as advocates of CSEAP and PSMAP, respectively. Specifically, the paper explores the differences and agreements between CSEAP and PSMAP on whether and how companies should pursue sustainability and the role of accounting in these efforts. The paper focusses on critical issues that exemplify the tension in their views: general goals, the role of structure and agency and how to creating change and transformation.
Findings
The article contrasts CSEAP's uncompromising antagonising approach to accountability and fundamental systemic change with PSMAP's pragmatic approach to sustainability accounting with its management and entrepreneurship-orientated approach to change and unwavering support for transformative managers on the front lines. Despite their apparent differences, the paper also outlines areas of agreement between these two positions and how accounting and sustainability can move forward.
Research limitations/implications
The debate tries to reconcile language and conceptional differences in the social and environmental accounting (SEA) and sustainability management accounting (SMA) communities to reduce confusion in the research space over what sustainability is for organisations and what role accounting plays in this. The authors hope that the tension between the different positions outlined in this paper generates new insights and positions on the topic.
Practical implications
While the two views explored in this paper are primarily incompatible, each generates implications for practice, research and education. Debates like this are crucial to moving from discursive disagreement to creating a tolerant and robust foundation for moving forward and achieving much-needed sustainable transitions in the economy and society.
Originality/value
The authors offer shared understandings, points of continuing disagreement and alternative views on the nature of sustainability. The debate forges a bridge of understanding where both sides can learn from each other.
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