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The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) use indicators in an attempt to foster policy integration and coherence in order to achieve transformative societal change. But the SDGs, like their predecessor Millennium Goals, have not been entirely successful in this effort. Many studies have identified continuing challenges to integrating multiple goals in this way, linked to the complex patterns of interaction between the goals and the nature of the policy systems and subsystems in which they operate. This chapter builds on the policy design literature to argue that the main aim of the SDGs is to reconcile what are otherwise incoherent policy goals and inconsistent policy instruments in a process of policy integration. This process is made more complex in the case of this kind of “super-wicked” problem in which multiple actors face time constraints across multiple policy levels, sectors and venues. It identifies four different techniques for policy integration in such policy nexuses – policy harmonization, mainstreaming, coordination, and institutionalization – and assesses their possibilities for success in the SDG case against what is possible given the nature of the nexus and the capacity of governments to deal with it. The paper contributes to the current literature on policy integration, wicked problems, and the SDGs by further conceptualizing how integrative strategies can be better designed and implemented through capacity-building efforts aimed at developing coordinative relationships within conflict-ridden, multi-actor and multilevel cross-sectoral policy domains.

Why is Finland failing to adequately address the issue of child poverty? Approximately 150,000 children are currently “at risk of poverty.” As data on at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) and financial assistance over a 30-year period illustrates, numbers, in percentage terms, remain fairly constant despite continuing “political” recognition of the problem. Child poverty thus seemingly presents as a classic “wicked problem” particularly in the emerging social space that constitutes UN Sustainable Development Goal implementation. In line with “wickedness theory,” the chapter discusses the various technical and value-based possibilities for persistent policy failure around child poverty which sees increasing polarization between the majority and some increasingly marginalized social groups such as single parent and immigrant families. While definitive explanations for the persistence of child poverty in a Nordic welfare state such as Finland remain elusive, the Finnish experience suggests that interorganizational conflicts, siloed-thinking, and outdated implementation in relation to the benefits system represent key hindrances to better policymaking and thus to more equitable policy outcomes.

This case study is intended to help students to evaluate Kavak’s business model, examine the global expansion strategy of Kavak, analyze the competitive strategy adopted by Kavak, recognize the ways in which Kavak leveraged technology in all its business operations, examine the key challenges faced by Kavak in the fragmented Latin American as well as global used car market and explore strategies that Kavak can adopt in future to maintain its dominance in the global used car market.

This case study is about the meteoric rise of Kavak, a Mexican used car retailer that aimed to disrupt the emerging pre-owned car markets with its unique value propositions and compelling global expansion strategy. Co-founded in 2016 by Carlos García Ottati (Ottati), in Mexico City, Kavak emerged as an end-to-end solution to buy, manage, sell and finance pre-owned cars. Using pricing algorithms driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning-based inspection tools and personalized recommendations, Kavak reshaped the mobility sector in the Latin American and Middle Eastern regions. In a mere six years of operation, the company established its presence in nine countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Turkey, the UAE and Oman. Kavak’s innovative yet simple business model ensured transparency and guarantees in all its transactions where reconditioned vehicles were sold to thousands of customers through its e-commerce platform as well as a network of brick-and-mortar hubs. Its in-house financing arm Kavak Capital was at the core of its business model, as it offered affordable leasing options, making car ownership possible for both first- and second-time car owners within just a few minutes of applying. The platform had an inventory of 40,000 vehicles as of 2023 with more than 50% of Kavak’s sales being financed by Kavak Capital. The case study discusses the challenges faced by Kavak in the fragmented used car market including rising interest rates for vehicle loans, managing capital-intensive operations, rising competition and external economic headwinds such as inflation and slowing economic growth. Going forward, the challenge before Ottati and his team was how to make profits, build customer trust, attract customers and achieve global success.

This case study is suitable for MBA/MS level and is designed to be a part of the business strategy/and international business curriculum.

CSS: 5: International business.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

This paper aims to address an important question of what makes companies succeed or not in their attempt to empower employees. As this study answers this question, the arguments suggest that coordination is essential to creation of employee empowerment climate in organizations.

This is conceptual paper rooted in extensive research on both – empowerment (culture, climate and organizational structure) and coordination (formal and informal).

To help managers to be effective in their roles, this study presents four insights to creating empowerment climate. The arguments conclude that coordination provides a vessel for successful realization of empowerment. Specifically, only informal coordination (vs formal) will fully realize empowerment’s benefits. Given that the topic of empowerment is highly germane to managers in today’s context of the increasing number of employees working remotely, this work presents an important and actionable advance for managers.

This study represents original research that has not been published and is not currently under review at any other journal.

For additive manufacturing (AM) through laser-based powder bed fusion of polymers (PBF-LB/P), accurate characterization of powder flowability is vital for achieving high-quality parts. However, accurately characterizing feedstock flowability presents challenges because of a lack of consensus on which tests to perform and the diverse forces and mechanisms involved. This study aims to undertake a thorough investigation into the flowability of eight feedstock materials for PBF-LB/P at different temperatures using various techniques.

For ambient temperature assessments, established metrics such as avalanche angle and Hausner ratio, along with the approximated flow function coefficient (FFC_app), are used. The study then focuses on the influence of elevated temperatures representative of in-process conditions. FFC_app and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are performed and analyzed, followed by a correlation analysis as a holistic approach to identify key aspects for flowability. Furthermore, two feedstock materials are compared with a previous study to connect the present findings to PBF-LB/P processing.

The study revealed intrinsic material properties such as mechanical softening near the melting point to become significant. This partially explains why certain powders with poor ambient temperature flowability are consistently demonstrated to produce high-quality parts. FFC_app and thermal characterization through DSC are identified as critical metrics for optimizing feedstock material characteristics across temperature ranges.

Previous studies emphasized specific characterizations of feedstock material at ambient temperature, presented a limited materials selection or focused on metrics such as shape factors. In contrast, this study addresses a partially understood aspect by examining the critical role of temperature in governing feedstock material flowability. It advocates for the inclusion of temperature variables in flowability analyses to closely resemble the PBF-LB/P process, which can be applied to material design, selection and process optimization.

Education is widely recognized as a key domain for the promotion of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), prompting an increased focus on sustainable development in foreign language education. Despite increased attention, guidelines about SDGs are often primarily policy-based without concrete guidance, and the integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) within higher education curricula has been slow. This paper aims to mitigate this gap by providing an outline for the curriculum development for three elective English courses integrating SDG themes.

The paper begins by introducing the SDGs, ESD and its application to language education. From there, this paper outlines three content and language integrated learning courses that integrate global issues into their curriculum. Finally, there is a discussion and consideration of various factors to consider when implementing global issues into an English language classroom.

Following practical examples of how to integrate global issues into an English language classroom, considerations such as socio-cultural context, teaching context and the expertise of the instructor are discussed.

This paper covers a variety of social topics related to sustainable development in addition to the often addressed environmental topics. Many guidelines about integrating SDGs into education are policy-based without concrete guidance, so this paper aims to provide practical examples and considerations.

This study aims to endeavor to shed light on the underlying causal mechanisms behind the failure of startups by examining the failure process in such organizations. To achieve this goal, the study conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on the definition of failure and its various dimensions, resulting in the compilation of a comprehensive list of causes of startup failure. Subsequently, the failure process was analyzed using a behavioral strategy approach that encompasses rationality, plasticity and shaping, as well as the growth approach of startups based on dialectic, teleology and evolution theories.

The proposed research methodology was a case study using process tracing, with the sample being a failed platform in the ride-hailing technology sector. The causal mechanism was further explicated through the combined application of the behavioral strategy approach and interpretive structural modeling analysis.

The findings of the study suggest that the failure of startups is a result of interlinked causes and effects, and growth in these organizations is driven by dialectic, teleology and evolution theories.

The outcomes of the research can assist startups in formulating an effective strategy to deliver the right value proposition to the market, thereby reducing the chances of failure.

This study explores the topic of remote work and the changing motivations to working from home after the COVID-19 pandemic-induced exposure to working from home. It examines the effects of that forced work from home (WFH) experience on subsequent motivations for continuing part or all of that changed mode of working. In this study, the authors examine the perspective of front-line knowledge workers regarding the motivation to WFH based on their lived experiences.

Self-determination theory (SDT) provided the theoretical basis for the study (Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2017). The authors employed semi-structured individual and group interviews (with 28 participants) and explored the following questions: How has the competence aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that occurred during the pandemic? How has the relatedness aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that occurred during the pandemic? How has the autonomy aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that transpired during the pandemic?

The findings show that there was a change from an extrinsic motivation based on external factors to one that is more intrinsic, or internal, in nature for knowledge workers who experienced the switch to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study makes an important contribution by developing a theoretical model based on SDT (Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2017) in the context of WFH. In the first phase (Phase 1), workers experienced many transitional challenges due to the suddenness and intensiveness of the shift. However, over time workers adapted and adjusted (we refer to this as Phase 2 in our model). Ultimately, all three aspects of SDT – competence, relatedness and autonomy – increased motivation to work from home. However, we also found some factors that act as demotivators to knowledge workers for embracing remote work such as those involving career advancement and the expectation of voice. Despite these moderating factors, the overall progression toward the desire to WFH, at least on a hybrid basis, has continued after adjusting to the forced experience of telecommuting during the pandemic.

The contribution of this study is to disaggregate the short-term effects of the sudden transition, to the longer-term effects after adaption and adjustment occurred, and to connect that to a new perspective on work by employees. It does this by extending SDT to the context of motivation regarding work from home. The COVID-19 pandemic provided experience of and opportunities for telework to more employees and changed many of their expectations and motivations. By looking at front-line knowledge workers’ expectations and motivations related to home-based work, we can better understand the increased demand by workers for hybrid work schedules.

The study aims to investigate market reactions associated with the JUST 100 rankings published by JUST Capital, a non-profit organization, as well as differences in financial reporting quality and performance between selected firms and their industry peers.

This study uses a sample of 431 firms selected as the 100 America’s Most Just Companies between 2016 and 2020 by JUST Capital. This study performs both an event study to determine whether the rankings are useful to investors and cross-sectional regression analyses on the characteristics of selected firms compared to their peers.

This study finds that investors react positively to selected firms around the time of the release of the JUST 100 rankings, suggesting that the rankings are decision-useful. This study also finds that selected firms exhibit higher accounting quality and financial performance than their peers.

Rankings may not be free from bias because of JUST Capital’s ownership of an exchange-traded fund.

The findings validate the rankings as well as the methodology used by JUST Capital, as they show market participants value firms that engage in socially responsible actions through their commitment to positively impact five key stakeholder groups: employees, customers, communities, environment and shareholders.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that shows the importance of the JUST 100 rankings for investment decisions. Considering the growing push for companies to disclose environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities, this study provides evidence to support ESG disclosure regulations.