Search results

The issue of energy efficiency is becoming increasingly prevalent globally due to factors such as the expansion of the population, economic growth and excessive consumption that is not sustainable in the long run. Additionally, healthcare facilities and hospitals are facing challenges as their operational costs continue to rise. The research aim is to develop strategic frameworks for managing green hospitals, towards energy efficiency and corporate governance in hospitals and healthcare facilities.

This research employs a qualitative case study approach, with a sample of ten hospitals examined through interviews with senior management, executives and healthcare facilities managers. Relevant data was also collected from literature and analysed through critical appraisal and content analysis. The research methodology is based on the use of grounded theory research methodologies to build theories from case studies.

The research developed three integrated conceptual strategic frameworks for managing hospitals and healthcare facilities towards energy efficiency, green hospital initiatives and corporate governance. The research also outlined the concepts of green hospitals and energy efficiency management systems and best practices based on the conclusions drawn from the investigated case studies.

The study is limited to the initiatives and experiences of the healthcare facilities studied in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The research findings, conclusions, recommendations and proposed frameworks and concepts contribute significantly to the existing body of knowledge. This research also provides recommendations for hospital managers and policymakers on how to effectively implement and manage energy efficiency initiatives in healthcare facilities.

This paper investigates the interactional relationships between sustainable human resource management (SHRM) and organizational performance (OP). Sustainable HRM is an approach that links HRM and sustainability. These studies focused on integrating HR with sustainable developments, such as economic and social aspects, in favour of focusing on the environmental aspect. Organizational change is an ongoing process that has to be managed effectively to keep the change in place for a long time.

A framework was offered to estimate the cause-and-effect relation of the SHRM and OP factors. Data is gathered from professionals from various pharmaceutical industries. This study applied two methods, Fuzzy AHP and DEMATEL Type II. These techniques are used to understand the cause-and-effect factors and their interactions.

It was observed from the findings that the factor of SHRM, such as Social Justice (F2), Green Job Design (F5), Green Training (F6) and Implementation of Green Policy (F8), was the most critical for the pharmaceutical sector that effects Financial performance (F13), Customer Satisfaction (F15) and Market performance (F14). Pharmaceutical firms ought to coordinate public health advocacy efforts, engage in healthcare initiatives and provide financial support for environmentally friendly efforts that improve social and economic conditions.

For this sustainability, managers concentrate on creating an environment that is healthy and acceptable, and they work hard to mitigate the impact of natural factors and repair damage done to the environment; it is essential to move towards sustainable development to resolve environmental problems. Improving HR efficiency is among essential HRM responsibilities, as they expand the knowledge base of the workforce, enhance human capital, and eventually create valuable intangible assets and promote and encourage sustainable pharmaceutical products for some years.

This research paper has presented exclusive worth to the SHRM and organizational performance literature as it employs fuzzy FAHP and DEMATEL type 2. There is less research on SHRM in the pharmaceutical sector with these factors. In addition, FAHP and TYPE 2 DEMATEL are used in very few researches on SHRM approaches.

This paper aims to compare the environmental sustainability practices at the campus operations between two Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs) at different stages of the implementation of an Eco-School Programme. It also seeks to analyse the involvement of the students in the process of implementing these practices in their institutions.

A questionnaire survey was carried out in two HEIs (a green and a non-green institution). Data were collected from a total of 832 students. Techniques of descriptive statistics and inferential statistical techniques such as the Mann-Whitney test, χ² and Spearman correlation test, were applied.

The results obtained show that, from the students’ perspective, and in both institutions, there is still much to be done on the path towards sustainability, particularly in transport and landscaping. Significant differences were found only between some environmental sustainability practices at the campus level. However, students from the green institution are more participative in sustainability activities.

This study provides a picture of two HEIs’ sustainability behaviour from the students’ standpoint, which can be important for decision-makers in HEIs, in as much that students are one of the HEIs’ major stakeholder groups; furthermore, it enables them to better guide their efforts towards sustainability.

This paper focusses on the students’ perspective and their role in the sustainability initiatives undertaken by HEIs. It can be useful for future research that attempts to analyse the importance of HEIs’ stakeholder participation in sustainability.

Energy-saving is a growing challenge worldwide because of population growth, economic activity and high consumption rates that are unsustainable in the long term. Health-care facilities and hospitals face the challenge of increases in operational costs. This paper aims to appraise challenges to adopting energy-saving policies and proposes a roadmap for sustainability and energy efficiency management in hospitals and health-care facilities.

Eight hospitals were examined as case studies through qualitative interviews with hospital senior management, executives and health-care facilities managers in addition to collecting relevant data from the literature; there is critical appraisal and content analysis of this data.

This study established factors influencing implementation and challenges to energy-saving strategies. This study proposed guidelines for efficient energy management in hospitals and health-care facilities. This study concluded that the best performance is secured by integrating the proposed guidelines with the adoption of ISO 50001 energy management systems to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goal – SDG 7 “affordable and clean energy”.

This study is limited to the initiatives/experiences of the hospitals studied in the Middle East and North Africa region.

This study’s findings, conclusions, recommendations and proposed guidelines enrich the body of knowledge. This will allow industry key stakeholders, hospitals and health-care facilities managers to overcome challenges of implementing energy management. In addition, adopting the proposed guidelines will improve energy efficiency and help hospitals in green initiatives as they seek to demonstrate their support for United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

This paper aims to analyze unexplored connections between economic, environmental and social dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and knowledge management (KM) strategies (exploration, exploitation), also considering environmental dynamism as an influencing variable on these connections. The predicted CSR-KM interplay suggests, from stakeholder and knowledge-based views of the firm, the existence of ideal configurations between CSR and KM strategies that generate differentiated impacts on companies’ innovation capabilities, especially in dynamic environments.

Structural equation modeling by means of the partial least squares technique was used to test the study’s hypotheses after collecting survey data from Spanish companies of the renewable energy sector.

The study findings show that in highly dynamic environments, companies will tend to commit prominently in CSR, although their orientation (economic, environmental, social) and effects on innovation capabilities will depend mainly on the selected KM strategies. Social and environmental CSR are found to be highly related to KM exploration, whereas economic CSR is highly related to KM exploitation. Nevertheless, while a significant indirect effect of economic CSR by means of the KM exploitation strategy on innovation capabilities is found, the proposed indirect effect of both environmental and social CSR through the KM exploration strategy on innovation capabilities is not significant.

The results suggest that company managers should be aware of the advantages of following specific paths of investment in KM and CSR initiatives in highly dynamic environments, as there is a potential payoff in terms of innovation capability improvement. The results also suggest that “good” relationships with stakeholders, built from specific CSR investments, make firms able to get valuable knowledge that it is useful to develop KM strategies for innovation capability development.

Previous studies do not consider the interplay between KM strategies and CSR as a catalyzer for developing a firm’s innovation capabilities. This paper contributes to the KM and innovation literatures by introducing CSR into the conversation about how to improve innovation capabilities in dynamic and sustainable industries by using configurations of KM strategies and specific CSR investments in economic, social and environmental areas.

The sources and platforms utilized for environmental communication have been significantly expanded by the emergence of social media. The validity, form, and content of environmental communication processes are particularly radical departures from conventional media, making personal green blogs important of study as areas of everyday culture politics where people make understanding of environmental challenges. There is currently a lack of research on how social media might encourage green behaviours. This research reveals the impact of social media use and green blogging on green purchasing behaviour, which is supported by the social learning theory. Present study shows that social media use and green blogging have a substantial positive connection, drawing on a sample of 580 respondents from Pakistan examined using structural equation modelling. Both notions have a considerable impact on consumers' intentions to make green purchases, and social media trust plays a moderating role in this relationship. Furthermore, social media trust considerably modifies the connections between green blogging and social media use that is related to green behaviour. The current study is novel and offers important information to understand how social media might promote eco-friendly habits and behaviour.

This study’s goal is to research and describe developing green technology and green business models, as well as their commercial advantages. However, it focuses on how old business breakthroughs and models may be transformed into new green technologies and innovations that can affect the global business environment. This research concentrates on the technology component of green technologies and provides information on a variety of relevant emerging green business models and innovations such as energy efficiency, renewable energy consumption, commodities and systems, environmental protection, nontoxic materials, and waste minimization, among others. Additionally, this research connects Emerging Green Technology (EGT) innovations to the business for sustainability. It also emphasizes the advantages of green technology adoption in business specially in developing economies.

For that purpose, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was performed based on the “inclusion/exclusion criteria” and “PRISMA flow diagram method”. The first screening and quality evaluation rejected 67 publications, 8 in eligibility and 10 in credibility. In the subsequent round, 45 papers out of 210 that met the search parameters were included to access the findings.

This study provides a foundation for future research into sustainable economic potential by examining the development, breakthroughs, obstacles, future trends and new research prospects of EGTs. As such, this research will serve as a helpful resource for economically growing nations looking to foster long-term growth in their businesses through sustainable development strategies.

The first limitation of the study is the generalization of the findings. The sample size of the study is limited. For that purpose, an SLR and “PRISMA flow diagram” methods were performed by “inclusion/exclusion criteria” for literature review. Except these, there are many new techniques of SLR. Further research with more sampling and sophisticated tests could produce better results for this study.

This research provides valuable insights for businesses and politicians seeking to protect the environment, promote economic growth and create a sustainable society. The findings will be particularly useful for emerging nations grappling with issues related to technical innovation, safe environmental practices, reliable renewable energy sources, and ecological and economic growth.

This study’s findings will aid in the design and implementation of new green technology and innovations in current businesses, which will assist in limiting climate change and eventually affect their move to sustainable growth paradigms. For emerging nations, this study will be useful in addressing issues about technical innovation, safe environmental conditions, reliable renewable energy sources as well as ecological and economic growth. According to our research results, the authorities of developing nations would gain from utilizing green business models and technology to spur economic development. Our findings should thus add to the current body of knowledge.

After studying this case, the students should be able to: explain the importance of employee engagement; illustrate the role of the participatory management style in an organizational context; discuss why managers may use engagement practices to operate effectively in businesses to lead change and innovation; identify the critical success factors, barriers and outcomes of employee involvement in driving high performance; and discuss the dilemma faced by the managers in the emerging economies while driving the momentum of excellence in the long run.

This is a real case about a leading health-care service company located in the Middle East. The health-care organization’s name is changed to NOVA for reasons of confidentiality. The NOVA is an independent, public joint stock company created to meet the curative needs of the public health-care system in Middle East. The company introduced the Employee Suggestion Scheme named Minara in 2011 in a Federal Government decree, introducing innovation as a major pillar of management in 2013 with intent to encourage organizations build innovative solutions and pioneer initiatives and apply it effectively in services, processes and programmes. Making the Minara programme work in line with the national health agenda, Ms. Fatima who headed the Excellence and Innovation Department took the initiative of accelerating the innovative Programme (Minara). The case data were collected based on both primary and secondary sources. Although the case is based on the real data, it has been ammonised. The case describes the transformation of the innovation process at NOVA through the employee engagement programme (Minara) in meeting the disruptive challenges. This case addresses the challenges faced by the Excellence and Innovation manager who used effective employee engagement practices through the Employee Suggestion Programme in a creative way to bring about innovation in the health-care sector. The case outlines the dilemma faced by the Excellence and Innovation manager in bringing about innovation through the Employee involvement programme in the emerging economic scenario. The case will focus on the analysis of the different aspects of the issues pertaining to employee engagement, employee motivation and the framing of empowerment strategies to bring about innovation and continuous improvement through an effective employee suggestion programme. The case is intended to give budding managers an insight into innovation and employee engagement practices that impact performance in the organization.

This case will be suitable to be used in Human Resource Management and Management of Change and Innovation course at undergraduate and Master’s level.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 1: Accounting and Finance

This study aims to observe the coloring efficacy of coffee-based natural brown colorant for cotton dyeing under microwave (MW) treatment.

The colorant extracted in particular (neutral and acidic) media was stimulated by MW treatment up to 6 min. Dyeing variables were optimized and 2–10 g/100 mL of sustainable anchors (mordants) have been used to get colorfast shades.

It has been found that un-irradiated acidic extract (RE) containing 5% of table salt at 80 °C for 50 min has given high color yield onto MW-irradiated cotton fabric (RC = 2 min). The utilization of 2% of Fe, 10% of tannic acid and 10% of sodium potassium tartrate before bio-coloration, whereas 4% of Fe, 10% of tannic acid and 6% of sodium potassium tartrate after bio-coloration has given good color characteristics. In comparison the application of 6% of pomegranate and turmeric extracts before bio-coloration and 6% of pomegranate and 10% of turmeric extracts after bio-coloration have given good color characteristics. New bio-mordants can be added to get more new colorfast shades.

There is no research limitation for this work. New bio-mordants can be added to get more new colorfast shades.

This work has practical application for artisans, textile industry and handicrafts. It is concluded that colorant from coffee beans can be possible alternative of synthetic brown dyes and inclusion of MW rays for extraction and plant molecules as shade developers can make process more green.

Socially, it has good impact on eco-system and global community because the effluent load is not carcinogenic in nature.

The work is original and contains value-added product for textiles and other allied fields.