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Article
Publication date: 1 January 2014

Giovana da Silveira Marques Pereira, Charbel Jabbour, Sonia V.W. Borges de Oliveira and Adriano Alves Teixeira

This study examined the relationship between environmental management practices developed at a campus of a Brazilian university (University of Sao Paulo) and the greening of its…

1282

Abstract

Purpose

This study examined the relationship between environmental management practices developed at a campus of a Brazilian university (University of Sao Paulo) and the greening of its organizational culture. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This article presents a theoretical background based on the concepts of environmental management, organizational culture and environmental management in higher education institutions. The main framework of this research is the model proposed by Harris and Crane.

Findings

The studied university has an environmental management program that is sometimes constrained in the following ways: the university bureaucracy and hierarchy; the main performance indicators for lecturers and professors are based on scientific production and publication, giving them little time for complementary activities; and some units develop their own environmental management practices, but they are not disseminated as best practices for use by other units. Some academic units showcase the proactive actions of professors who incorporate environmental management into their daily activities. The general perception is that the phrase “environmental management” is almost synonymous with “solid waste management”.

Originality/value

This research details the first Brazilian application of the Harris and Crane model. It contributes an original analysis of environmental management and “green” organizational culture of a Brazilian university, an organizational type that has seldom been studied to date.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2022

Achutha Jois and Somnath Chakrabarti

The education services sector faces ever-changing global market dynamics with creative disruptions. Building knowledge brands can push the higher education sector beyond its…

Abstract

Purpose

The education services sector faces ever-changing global market dynamics with creative disruptions. Building knowledge brands can push the higher education sector beyond its geographical boundaries into the global arena. This study aims to identify key constructs, their theoretical background and dimensions that aid in building a global knowledge brand. The authors' research focuses on adapting and validating scales for global knowledge and education services brands from well-established academic literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have adopted a mixed methodology approach and a systematic literature review. Authors interviewed 18 subject matter experts as part of content and face validity to arrive at select constructs, dimensions and items. Quantitative methods with random sampling were adopted as the primary methodology. Initially, the survey was administered to 390 students to test preliminary results. The survey was also administered to 5,112 students at a later part of this study. Valid responses stood at 3,244 with a 63% response rate. Further, the authors conducted confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test the reliability and validity of scales. This study analyzed composite reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity to finalize items for scales. The authors also validated the hypotheses based on the discriminant validity assessment scores.

Findings

Authors' key research findings are that academic stimulus, campus infrastructure and student intent play a significant role in campus culture and events design and experience at campus. Authors were able to bring out 16 key constructs and 55 critical dimensions vital to global education services brand building. This study also adapted and validated 99 items that meet construct validity and composite reliability criteria. This study also highlights that constructs such as student intent, academic stimulus, campus infrastructure scalability, selection mechanism, pedagogical content knowledge, brand identity, events experience and campus culture play a vital role in global brand recognition.

Research limitations/implications

The authors' work is fairly generalizable to education services and the higher education sector. However, this study must be extrapolated and empirically validated in other industry sectors. The research implications of this study are that it aided the authors in building theoretical background for student brand loyalty theory, student expectation theory and study loyalty theory. This study adds to the body of knowledge by contributing to theoretical concepts on students, knowledge culture, events, infrastructure and branding. Researchers can adopt the scales proposed in this study to build research models in higher education branding. This study acts as a catalyst for building theories in education services areas. Researchers can delve deep into proposed research aspects of campus infrastructure, knowledge infrastructure, campus knowledge culture, events design and events experience.

Practical implications

This study aids educators and brand managers to develop global education services and optimize their effort and budget. Administrators in the education services sector must focus on practical aspects of student perception, campus infrastructure, culture and events experience. Practically administrators can reorient their efforts based on this study to achieve global brand recognition.

Social implications

This study highlights that students are not customers but are co-creators of value in the education sector. This study provides scales and dimensions needed to build co-creation frameworks and models.

Originality/value

Most research in higher education branding has not covered wider aspects of global brand building. Existing theories proposed in higher education and education services articles cover only narrower aspects of campus infrastructure, culture, events design and branding. This study presents a comprehensive list of critical factors that play a vital role in global knowledge brand building. This study highlights the constructs and scales integral to building a global education services brand.

Details

VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5891

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 1 August 2019

Bart Valks, Monique Arkesteijn and Alexandra Den Heijer

The purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about the use of smart campus tools to improve the effective and efficient use of campuses. Many universities are facing a…

2640

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about the use of smart campus tools to improve the effective and efficient use of campuses. Many universities are facing a challenge in attuning their accommodation to organisational demand. How can universities invest their resources as effectively as possible and not in space that will be poorly utilized? The hypothesis of this paper is that by using smart campus tools, this problem can be solved.

Design/methodology/approach

To answer the research question, previous survey at 13 Dutch universities was updated and compared with a survey of various universities and other organizations. The survey consisted of interviews with structured and semi-structured questions, which resulted in a unified output for 27 cases.

Findings

Based on the output of the cases, the development of smart campus tools at Dutch universities was compared to that of international universities and other organizations. Furthermore, the data collection led to insights regarding the reasons for initiating smart campus tools, user and management information, costs and benefits and foreseen developments.

Originality/value

Although the use of smart tools in practice has gained significant momentum in the past few years, research on the subject is still very technology-oriented and not well-connected to facility management and real estate management. This paper provides an overview of the ways in which universities and organizations are currently supporting their users, improving the use of their buildings and reducing their energy footprint through the use of smart tools.

Book part
Publication date: 9 August 2012

Ricardo R. Andrade and Christine E. Kollen

As any library strives to improve services and make them increasingly relevant, planning for change has become routine. During 2011, the University of Arizona's Libraries…

Abstract

As any library strives to improve services and make them increasingly relevant, planning for change has become routine. During 2011, the University of Arizona's Libraries undertook extensive assessments in order to develop and improve services in support of research and grant services so that campus-wide achievements in research, scholarship, and creative works could improve. A project explored ways for the library to become more effective at increasing research and grant support to faculty, researchers, and graduate students in a scalable way, and to help the campus increase achievements in research, scholarship, and creative works. The project defined the library's role in research and grant activities and explored ways for the library to be involved at optimal points in these cycles. This chapter discusses the process developed for assessing what new research and grant support services the library might want to develop. This involved interviewing peer university libraries and surveying faculty and graduate students at the University of Arizona about their research and grant needs. The chapter also describes how results were analyzed to identify potential new library services. The project team recommended new services which were presented to the library for inclusion in its Strategic Plan. The methodology presented in this chapter can be used by any type of library for developing new services to include in their strategic plans.

Article
Publication date: 30 August 2019

Albert Mawonde and Muchaiteyi Togo

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how universities can play a pivotal role in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs). It recognises the advantage that…

3590

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how universities can play a pivotal role in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs). It recognises the advantage that universities have in responding to social challenges through their functions and operations, mainly through research and innovation and academic prowess. Not much guidance is available on how they can contribute to SDG implementation. The research is a case study of the University of South Africa, a distance education institution. It showcases how its science campus in Johannesburg has incorporated SDGs in its operations.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through interviews with campus operations managers and sustainability office managers, a survey with environmental science honours students was conducted and observations of the Unisa Florida campus environment were undertaken to establish practices that contribute towards SDG implementation. Document analysis assisted in complementing the data collection process. Data were analysed by aligning practices with SDG indicators.

Findings

The research revealed a number of practices that align with SDGs in teaching, research, community engagement and campus operations management. Unisa is however challenged by financial limitations and as an open distance education and learning (ODeL) institution, it struggles to involve students in these projects. The paper concludes that while the most obvious contribution of universities to SDGs is towards quality education (SDG 4), higher education, including distance education institutions, can play an active role in implementing other SDGs as well.

Research limitations/implications

This research was limited to one institution, Unisa, owing to time limitations. While this might seem like the research was too selective, it was intentional, as the aim was to research a distance education institution. The research targeted staff involved in campus operations at Unisa’s Florida Campus, which is located in Johannesburg. Interviews were limited to students pursuing BSc Honours in Environmental Management. This was a methodological decision to contain the research, but making sure that the targeted respondents were the most informed. Individual case studies are often critiqued for being insufficiently representative to allow generalisations to other contexts (Jupp, 2006). This applies to this research in terms of “populations and universes” (Yin, 2003, p. 10), but generalisations to “theoretical propositions” (ibid) are possible.

Originality/value

There are few studies in Africa which researched implementation of SDGs in universities, let alone in ODeL institutions. The research revealed the challenge of involving students in sustainability practices in distance education institutions and serves as a testimony that such institutions can still have successful projects on and off campus. It suggests involving students in applied research based on the current sustainability projects on and off campus.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 20 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 January 2021

Saad Dahlawi and Mahmoud F. El Sharkawy

Municipal solid waste (MSW) consists mainly of several recyclable materials such as paper and cardboard. Inside the educational institutes, especially universities, MSW is…

1561

Abstract

Purpose

Municipal solid waste (MSW) consists mainly of several recyclable materials such as paper and cardboard. Inside the educational institutes, especially universities, MSW is generated from several facilities including offices and cafeterias. Without an effective management program, solid waste can have detrimental impacts on the environment. This paper aims to assess the solid waste management practices followed at the main campus of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), Dammam – Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

The MSW samples were collected from different sources inside the IAU campus such as the college buildings (such as the teaching rooms and staff offices), the administrative buildings and services buildings (e.g. the main library, the photocopying center, the restaurant and cafeteria) at least one time per week during a full academic term (January–May) of the academic year 2017–2018. The collected MSW samples were segregated into seven categories, and the net amount of each category and the overall weight of the MSW were determined once every week. The MSW samples were characterized for physical and chemical properties including moisture, carbon and ash contents. Food product waste (FPW) of the main university restaurant was studied separately.

Findings

Data on the composition of MSW samples revealed that 80% of wastes were recyclable, 19% as compostable materials, while only 1% of the materials were a non-recyclable waste. More than 73% of the recyclable materials include paper and plastic warranting dire need of an effective solid waste management program. The highest value of FPW was recorded for the breakfast meal.

Originality/value

Most of the waste generated from the university campus was recyclable type that needs to be handled carefully to avoid its mixing with other types of the waste stream. Waste characterization is an important tool that helps in understanding the amount and pattern of waste generation. It can be used as a decision-making tool for implementing sustainable waste management programs for universities.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 July 2007

Stewart H.C. Wan and Yuk‐Hee Chan

The purpose of this paper is to first evaluate the effect of IT service management (ITSM) tools in a practical environment followed by sharing experience in developing management

2420

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to first evaluate the effect of IT service management (ITSM) tools in a practical environment followed by sharing experience in developing management process modules in a service outsourcing model. In order to improve the fault correlation from business and user perspectives, the aim is to propose a framework to automate network and system alerts with respect to its business service impact and user impact for proactive notification to IT operations management.

Design/methodology/approach

Three years of quantitative analysis using real operational data were used to present the effect on ITSM tools adoption. For the proposed framework, it consists of a hybrid case‐ and rule‐based reasoning module and a new approach for fault mapping with business criticality and user activities.

Findings

Over the past decade there has been significant focus in the context of ITSM in the IT services operations industry. In the market of ITSM software tools, customer and operational processes are not sufficiently developed nor integrated with other management applications following IT services daily processes which make it difficult to correlate faults to business service impacts and user impacts. For any fault of the same severity level, traditional fault discovery and notification tools provide equal weighting from business and user points of view.

Research limitations/implications

Most of the related works were done individually in the entire ITSM processes. Moreover, some works present the enabling technology for outsourced facilities management rather than IT operations management. Lack of research activity was noted in the areas of user and business impact correlation with service management.

Practical implications

This paper outlines the implications of implementing ITSM tools in outsourced IT operation. The business continuity planning also forms one of the critical factors to improve responsiveness in service management.

Originality/value

This paper illustrates the effect of ITSM tools adoption by analyzing real operation data. Central to the service‐oriented philosophy in ITSM, we introduce a framework to correlate with user and business elements. Inclusion of the dimensions of business and user impact in the fault correlation process could further improve service efficiency and user satisfaction.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 5 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2008

Stewart H.C. Wan and Yuk‐Hee Chan

This paper aims at presenting the benefits from implementing IT service management (ITSM) in an organization for managing campus‐wide IT operations. In order to improve the fault…

3051

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims at presenting the benefits from implementing IT service management (ITSM) in an organization for managing campus‐wide IT operations. In order to improve the fault correlation from business perspectives, we proposed a framework to automate network and system alerts with respect to its business service impact for proactive notification to IT operations management.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first evaluate the effect of IT service management (ITSM) tools in practical adoption followed by experience sharing in developing management process modules in service outsourcing model. Three years of quantitative analysis using real operational data were used to present the effect on ITSM tools adoption. A framework was developed from the study of literatures in service management, incident prioritization, and business continuity planning. For the proposed framework, it consists of a hybrid case‐based and rule‐based reasoning module and a new approach which utilizing business continuity planning for service‐resource mapping with business criticality and user activities.

Findings

For the past decade in the IT industry, a paradigm shift in managing IT could be observed. People are concerned more in managing IT services instead of traditional device‐oriented IT system or network components. With the term “business‐driven IT services,” it has raised new challenges in the area of IT service management, especially with respect to the management of service level agreement with service provider and the management of system and network faults.

Research limitations/implications

Further work should be carried out on the aspect of using real data for the framework as motivated by the limitations of the present study. Practical real data could help the reader to experience its quantitative benefits.

Practical implications

This paper highlights the value of effective IT service management, placing particular emphasis on service outsourcing consideration and the mechanism in service‐event correlation.

Originality/value

This paper illustrates the effect of ITSM tools adoption by analyzing real operation data. The proposed framework explicitly utilizes business continuity planning (BCP) processes to identify the relationships between business services and IT resources that helps to improve the IT service management.

Details

Campus-Wide Information Systems, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-0741

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2006

Darren R. Bardati

This paper seeks to suggest that the campus environmental audit can become an important tool that synergizes active learning and operations planning and management approaches to…

2175

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to suggest that the campus environmental audit can become an important tool that synergizes active learning and operations planning and management approaches to promote sustainability on university campuses.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents the author's experiences at Bishop's University with the evolution of the campus environmental audit program between 1993 and 2003. In those ten years, the campus environmental audit program began as an undergraduate thesis project, and then became transformed into a pedagogical tool for giving students active learning experience. The environmental audit program eventually became institutionalized when it received official recognition as a university‐sanctioned operations planning and management tool.

Findings

These experiences are used to draw out the lessons learned about the integrative role of the campus environmental audit and the need for further research. Lessons include: the need to overcome important barriers of cost, fear of adverse publicity, and fear of potential legal problems associated with campus environmental auditing; the important role that inter‐personal relationships within the university plays in the successful implementation of any environmental auditing program; and the major influence on students of teachers who incorporate campus environmental auditing projects into their curriculum.

Practical implications

These experiences at Bishop's University can serve as a model for other institutions. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research directions that are necessary to further explore the integrative role of the environmental audit on university campuses.

Originality/value

As a ten‐year retrospective assessment of the evolution of campus environmental auditing at one university, the paper presents a novel approach to understanding the role of the environmental audit for promoting sustainability. The paper will have value for teachers and university administrators who wish to integrate sustainability initiatives with both higher education and campus operations planning and management goals in mind.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 25 April 2022

Siti Nur Syamimi Mohd Na’im, Mohd Fadhil Md Din, Santhana Krishnan, Shazwin Mat Taib and Fadzlin Md Sairan

Sustainable recycling activities in higher education institutions (HEIs) are crucial as it serves as a common benchmark to a community that is socially and environmentally

Abstract

Sustainable recycling activities in higher education institutions (HEIs) are crucial as it serves as a common benchmark to a community that is socially and environmentally responsible. This chapter presents a suitable case study of HEIs in Malaysia reporting on recycling rate, monitoring the recycling patterns, and matching the significant recycling policy in the HEIs. Therefore, four HEIs including Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) were selected as the suitable case studies to examine the practices of recycling activities. These four HEIs are Malaysian research universities that are ranked in the top 300 in the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. Several findings and previous works were reviewed; further steps to set a recycling target were identified and served as a guidance of the standard recycling rate. Results showed the selected HEIs reflected the low percentage of recycling rate in the range of 0.03–29.26%, depending on its practices and policy. Three phases of planning have been structured to target the recycling rate at HEIs in Malaysia with the First Plan (2025), Second Plan (2035) and Third Plan (2040) towards the recycling rates of 20%, 30% and 40%, respectively. The recommendations for the HEIs formulate recycling policies and recycling rates, and for waste management, academia and research centres to play a more active role in increasing the efficiency of recycling activities for a positive impact on the recycling rate in HEIs.

Details

Sustainability Management Strategies and Impact in Developing Countries
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-450-2

Keywords

11 – 20 of over 28000