N. Lourdel, N. Gondran, V. Laforest and C. Brodhag
Owing to its complexity, sustainable development cannot be simply integrated as a supplementary course within the engineers' curricula. The first point of this paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Owing to its complexity, sustainable development cannot be simply integrated as a supplementary course within the engineers' curricula. The first point of this paper aims to focalise on how to reflect pedagogically. After dealing with these questions, a tool that can evaluate the student's understanding of sustainable development concepts will be presented.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis of a student's sustainability comprehension, based on cognitive maps, has been developed. The students are asked to write and connect by arrows all the terms that they associate with the concept of sustainable development. The assessment of the aforementioned cognitive maps is based on an approach via semantic category.
Findings
This study shows that the students' perception of sustainable development before the training seems mainly focalised on environmental and economical aspects. After the SD course, an increase in the number of words quoted is noted for each category (social and cultural aspects; the stakeholders, the principles of sustainable development and the allusions to complexity, temporal and spatial dimensions). Their vision seems richer and wider. The training seemed useful to help the students who did not associate sustainable development with diverse dimension to improve this perception.
Research limitations/implications
To reduce the length of the elaboration of the maps, there is no preliminary training for the construction of maps. To simplify this elaboration, only one type of arrows is used to connect words. To minimise the time of analysis of the maps, the relevance of the relations made between the words is not verified. Besides, the classification of words within the semantic categories implies a certain level of subjectivity.
Practical implications
This cognitive map method can be a useful tool to improve learning in quantitative terms but also in qualitative terms. Identifying knowledge gaps and misunderstood ideas allows the improvement in the training.
Originality/value
This study presents a new method that can be used to evaluate the impact of training sessions on students. Another advantage is to analyse how the students' knowledge is interconnected. This seems particularly interesting because the study of this transdisciplinary concept also necessitates an integrated vision.
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Surajit Bag and Jan Harm Christiaan Pretorius
The digital revolution has brought many challenges and opportunities for the manufacturing firms. The impact of Industry 4.0 technology adoption on sustainable manufacturing and…
Abstract
Purpose
The digital revolution has brought many challenges and opportunities for the manufacturing firms. The impact of Industry 4.0 technology adoption on sustainable manufacturing and circular economy has been under-researched. This paper aims to review the latest articles in the area of Industry 4.0, sustainable manufacturing and circular economy and further developed a research framework showing key paths.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative research is performed in two stages. In the first stage, a review of the extant literature is performed to identify the barriers, drivers, challenges and opportunities. In the second stage, a research framework is proposed to integrate Industry 4.0 technology (big data analytics powered artificial intelligence) adoption, sustainable manufacturing and circular economy capabilities.
Findings
This research extends the knowledge base by providing a detailed review of Industry 4.0, sustainable manufacturing, and circular economy and proposes a research framework by integrating these three contemporary concepts in the context of supply chain management. Through an exploration of this integrative research framework, the authors propose a future research agenda and seven research propositions.
Research limitations/implications
It is important to understand the interplay between institutional pressures, tangible resources and human skills for Industry 4.0 technology (big data analytics powered artificial intelligence) adoption. Industry 4.0 technology (big data analytics powered artificial intelligence) adoption can positively influence sustainable manufacturing and circular economy capabilities. Managers must also put more attention to sustainable manufacturing to develop circular economic capabilities.
Social implications
Factory workers and the local communities generally suffer from various adverse effects resulting from the traditional manufacturing process. The quality of the environment is deteriorating to such an extent that people even staying miles away from the factory are also affected due to environmental pollution that is generated from factory operations. Hence, sustainable manufacturing is the only choice left to manufacturers that can help in the transition to a circular economy. The research framework can help firms to enhance circular economy capabilities.
Originality/value
This review paper contains the most updated work on Industry 4.0, sustainable manufacturing and circular economy. It also proposes a research framework to integrate these three concepts.
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Charanjit Singh and Davinder Singh
Industrialisation has contributed to global environmental problems, especially in developed countries, but increasingly so in developing ones as well. The rising public concern…
Abstract
Purpose
Industrialisation has contributed to global environmental problems, especially in developed countries, but increasingly so in developing ones as well. The rising public concern for the natural environment is compelling business entities to revise their business models towards green lean (GL) management. Most manufacturing firms have realised that GL implementation is a critical factor that drives their success. Therefore, keeping in view the above said aspects, the purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the complementary impact of GL practices on environmental performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from a sample of 124 Indian manufacturing industries are analysed using a structural equation modelling technique.
Findings
Evidence suggests that GL practices such as top management commitment, government support, human resource management, health and safety of employees and public pressure and legislature have significantly positive effect on environmental performance of manufacturing industries.
Research limitations/implications
The sample is limited to Indian manufacturing industries situated in northern region, with a low response rate.
Practical implications
Successful implementations of GL practices can lead to improved environmental performance. Manufacturing industries within emerging economies like India can improve on their GL practices by incorporating these findings into their business models, while research could be guided to focus their inquiries on this and related genres of scholarly work.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to empirically assess the complementary impact of GL practices on environmental performance within the Indian context.
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Nathalie Lourdel, Natacha Gondran, Valérie Laforest, Bruno Debray and Christian Brodhag
Owing to its complexity, sustainable development (SD) cannot be simply integrated as a supplementary course within the engineer's curricula. The first aim of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Owing to its complexity, sustainable development (SD) cannot be simply integrated as a supplementary course within the engineer's curricula. The first aim of this paper is to focus on how to reflect pedagogically this complexity. After dealing with these questions, the paper aims to present a tool that can evaluate the student's understanding of SD concepts.
Design/methodology/approach
A method of analysis of a student's sustainability's comprehension, based on cognitive maps, has been developed. The students are asked to write and connect by arrows all the terms that they associate to the concept of SD. The assessment of the aforementioned cognitive maps is based on an approach via semantic category.
Findings
This study shows that the students' perception of SD before the training seems mainly focalised on environmental and economical aspects. After the SD course, an increase of the number of words quoted is noted for each category (social and cultural aspects; stakeholders, principles of SD and allusions to complexity, temporal and spatial dimensions). Their vision seems richer and wider. The training seemed successful to help the students who did not associate SD to diverse dimension to improve this perception.
Practical implications
This cognitive map method can be a useful tool to improve learning in quantitative terms but also in qualitative terms. Identifying knowledge gaps and misunderstood ideas allows the improvement in the training.
Originality/value
This study presents a new method that can be used to evaluate the impact of training sessions on students. Another advantage is to analyse how the student's knowledge are interconnected. This seems particularly interesting because the study of this transdisciplinary concept as well, necessitates an integrated vision.
Details
Keywords
Based on a formalization of the 1981 constitutional negotiation in Canada, this article analyses the impact of procedural constraints on collective decisions. Four procedural…
Abstract
Based on a formalization of the 1981 constitutional negotiation in Canada, this article analyses the impact of procedural constraints on collective decisions. Four procedural constraints are considered: voting procedures, voting rules, decision rules, and the order of presentation of options to the vote. Sincere voting (voting according to a voter's preference scale), complete information, and free communication are assumed in the first part of the analysis. The assumption of sincere voting is relaxed in the second part where strategic voting is considered The analysis shows that (1) a collective decision is determined by some interaction of voters' preferences, procedural constraints, and voting strategies, and (2) procedural constraints can be ordered in terms of their relative impact on the collective decision (in decreasing order: decision rules, voting rules, order of presentation, voting procedures). In the conclusion, a general model of the determination of collective decisions is presented.
Kathryn Hegarty and Barbara de la Harpe
Sustainability education has at its heart an ethic of interdisciplinary research and teaching practice. This is because sustainability problems require integrated solutions…
Abstract
Sustainability education has at its heart an ethic of interdisciplinary research and teaching practice. This is because sustainability problems require integrated solutions, multiple perspectives, bodies of knowledge and skill sets. Given the imperative to address looming environmental challenges and the need for every graduate to be equipped to do so, how do we enable and support interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability education within our disciplines and professional programmes? It is increasingly apparent that organisational learning for change must be taken forward in the context of local disciplinary meanings and priorities; this is how academics know themselves and identify and value their research – and teaching – priorities. However, at the same time this may create tensions when disciplinary boundaries need to be crossed and disciplinary identities are challenged. This chapter will consider (inter)disciplinarity in engagements with organisational learning and change, and suggest a way forward in order to create ‘bottom-up’ and ‘top-down’ transformation in education for sustainability.
Muhammad Shoaib Farooq and Maimoona Salam
The relationship between corporate-level green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) and the implementation of cleaner production practices (CPPs) is to a great extent unexplored in…
Abstract
Purpose
The relationship between corporate-level green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) and the implementation of cleaner production practices (CPPs) is to a great extent unexplored in previous literature. This study aims to connect them with the corporate-level green supply chain learning and organizational competitive aggressiveness, presenting a novel interpretation of social ethics and morality in CPPs.
Design/methodology/approach
To thoroughly explore this novel relationship, this study has used PLS-SEM for examining the moderated-mediation of competitive aggressiveness and green supply chain learning.
Findings
Findings based on the data collected from 176 German firms have largely confirmed our propositions. Suggesting that there is a strong positive relationship between corporate level GEO and CPPs. Furthermore, our findings have confirmed that green supply chain learning mediates the macro-level relationship between GEO and CPPs. Moreover, it is also confirmed that the mediation of green supply chain learning in the macro-level relationship between GEO and CPPs is negatively moderated by competitive aggressiveness.
Originality/value
This study offers a first-hand view of negatively moderated-mediation of competitive aggressiveness. Therefore, its findings are extremely relevant for policymakers in the domain of morality, social ethics, corporate-level GEO, sustainability, corporate-level green supply chain learning and CPPs.
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Francisco J. Lozano‐García, Guillermo Gándara, Orietta Perrni, Mario Manzano, Dora Elia Hernández and Donald Huisingh
The purpose of this paper is to present information about a team‐teaching course on sustainable development (SD) for educators in an institution of higher education, Monterrey…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present information about a team‐teaching course on sustainable development (SD) for educators in an institution of higher education, Monterrey Campus of ITESM in México.
Design/methodology/approach
Four faculty members were invited to work together with the Sustainable Campus Programme coordinator in the process of developing the “Educate‐the‐Educator's” SD course. The course was structured using lectures, readings, class role play activities, homework, and general discussion. Additionally, a workshop‐format was woven throughout the course; its function was to help the educators incorporate SD issues within their own courses.
Findings
It was found that a multi‐disciplinarily developed and delivered course is an effective vehicle for educating educators on SD. Documentation of some facets of the learning process further helped the “students” and the course leaders to better understand the whole learning process.
Originality/value
The paper's value rests on the interconnected structure, showing resonance with the triple bottom line, as well as many other dimensions linked with sustainable development. This structure increased the course participants' comprehension of sustainability. Furthermore, the use of concept maps and digraph theory to evaluate “faculty participants'” comprehension of the interconnections and dimensions of SD proved to be a successful innovation.
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Mary Kate Naatus, Katia Passerini, Kevin Pon and Mark Somers
– The purpose of this paper is to compare knowledge of business concepts acquired at the end of undergraduate studies of management in France and the USA.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare knowledge of business concepts acquired at the end of undergraduate studies of management in France and the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
Mind maps were used to examine what knowledge students retained toward the end of their undergraduate studies in business and management. Data were collected from two groups of students, one in France and one in the USA and they analyzed on computer software.
Findings
The results indicate that the learning process may be influenced not only by the structure and content of the program but also by the environment in which such content is assimilated. This study provides examples of how culture can influence the way we learn and represent core business knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
The research was based on a number of undergraduate students and cannot therefore be generalized to other subjects or other levels of studies at the present time.
Originality/value
The paper moves away from traditional manners of collecting data through questionnaires and surveys in order to study the impact of management education and what students learn at undergraduate level.
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Lianhua Cheng and Dongqiang Cao
Clarifying the risk evolution mechanism of housing construction for work-safety management is essential. Existing studies have inadequately discussed the risk-accumulation process…
Abstract
Purpose
Clarifying the risk evolution mechanism of housing construction for work-safety management is essential. Existing studies have inadequately discussed the risk-accumulation process in housing construction. Therefore, this study aimed to use the complex network theory and risk allocation mechanisms to explore the evolution of risk factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analysed a database of housing construction accidents in China from 2015 to 2020 to identify risk factors. Moreover, the causal relationship between risk factors was determined through a systematic analysis of the logical sequence of risk factors. A complex network was used to construct a risk network for housing construction accidents (RNHCA).
Findings
The risk matrix method was used to define the factor risk threshold, and a risk value was assigned based on the correlation between risk factors. This contributes to the examination of the evolution mechanism of risk networks in the process of risk factor transmission. The case verification results show that the RNHCA quantitative assessment model can better evaluate the system risk status of housing construction accidents. Furthermore, this model can identify the key risk factors and risk chains with high risk in the evolution of the risk network.
Research limitations/implications
Accident investigation reports need to be classified and processed to analyse the evolution law of risk networks under different scales of construction project, such as high-rise buildings, middle-rise buildings, and low-rise buildings.
Practical implications
This study clarified the risk evolution process of complex systems in housing construction and provided a new method for analysing accidents.
Originality/value
This study clarifies the risk value allocation of risk factors in the transmission process and reveals the process of risk factor evolution in housing construction. This study explains the individual risk factors that form a systemic risk through the transmission chain. Moreover, this paper clarified the transformation relationship between system risk and accidents. The paper also provided a new perspective for risk analysis.