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This study aims to better inform environmental management at universities by applying and validating the policy integration processes theory through a case study of Manchester Metropolitan University.

Social network analyses were used to identify, differentiate and categorise working networks of individuals and departments and the interconnections between them.

In an organisation, networks can be developed and active at departmental level but not at individual level. High numbers of departments can be doing work related to sustainable development whilst having low and medium levels of interconnections between departments. Influence of stakeholders throughout the network suggests levels of sustainable development policy integration at individual and departmental.

New insights provide evidence for universities’ environmental managers of the need of developing and implementing strategies that involve individuals’ work between departments by providing incentives, supporting capacity building and staff empowerment.

This paper applied and validated the theory of policy integration processes, showing that work at individual level and between departments needs more attention.

Higher education institutions have a significant role in preparing future generations for the world of work and sustainable development. This paper aims to present a curriculum model of an enquiry-based learning pedagogy and a sustainable development conceptual context as a mechanism for teaching skills in a geography module. Potential influences of this model on organisational change towards integrating sustainable development are explored.

Following the design and implementation of the curriculum model, semi-structured interviews of the module teaching team were conducted. Thematic analysis was undertaken against a priori objectives determined from existing theoretical frameworks.

Thematic analysis suggests powerful synergies exist between enquiry-based learning, education for sustainable development and skills teaching. Potential impacts are as follows: conceptual perspectives enhance cognitive potential around systems thinking, learning methods promote behavioural potential around professional capability and agency and cultural encounters raise affective potential around inclusive curricula.

Findings indicate potential for bottom-up curriculum intervention to enhance individual learner capability and outcomes, to promote the role of Geography in responsible futures, to build teaching team capacity for active learning pedagogies, to influence individual and institutional behaviour change towards sustainability practices, diversity and inclusion, and to catalyse organisational change around sector priorities including integrating education for sustainable development, active learning, inclusive education and enhanced graduate outcomes.

This paper identifies multiple benefits from a curriculum model combining skills teaching in a synergistic pedagogical and conceptual framework and its bottom-up potential to catalyse organisational change in higher education.

In light of the growing emphasis on sustainability in higher education, this paper aims to explore the effectiveness of sustainability university rankings, specifically focusing on sustainable development (SD), to understand their impact on advancing universities’ sustainability goals and address gaps in practical implications and limitations.

This study examines sustainability rankings in higher education (HE) through document analysis. Chosen for significance, these rankings were evaluated for regional participation, criteria and the top 20 universities. The method involved scrutinising official ranking websites for diverse perspectives on sustainability. The results are classified into three categories: regional participation, assessment criteria and top universities in the latest iterations.

The findings show that sustainability rankings are widely spread, and their existence has led to an increased motivation for universities to further engage in efforts in the field of SD. This study offers suggestions for optimising the role of promoting SD principles and practices in HE.

This comprehensive assessment sheds light on rankings’ operations and success levels. It makes a significant contribution to the literature, providing an unprecedented overview of analysed rankings and on sustainability assessment and their impact. This analysis will be valuable for universities towards the integration of SD principles and practices into the HE environment.

Recognising that there is increasing urgency to equip graduates to become future leaders in delivering the sustainable development goals (SDGs), this study presents a critical analysis of a whole-institution approach to embedding education for sustainable development (ESD) in curricula. This study aims to explore the wider reach of adopting a similar approach within varied professional practices and institutional settings.

The approach is mixed-methods action research framed within a revised institutional strategy. The authors place this in the wider context of ESD in higher education.

Embedding ESD in curricula and recognition of its relevance across all disciplines were important to stakeholders. These outcomes translated into strategic commitments. Within the first year of the strategy, Carbon Literacy was embedded in almost 20% of courses and in progress in a further 25%; ESD was embedded in 42% of courses and in progress in a further 7%; and over 80% of students agreed with the statement “My course provides me with the opportunities to gain knowledge and skills relating to sustainable development”.

This work demonstrates effective measures that can be amplified across the sector, framed by two overarching principles that are effective regardless of context: demonstration that sustainability adds value to academic activities and consultation and co-creation to build a shared vision and support for change.

This study aims to present theory, practice and original research findings to support the proposition that broad enquiry and problem-based learning (EPBL) approaches provide an appropriate pedagogical lens for sustainability educators to develop the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively within mission-oriented innovation policy (MIP) environments.

The research study comprised four elements, each of which used different research methods. The first element involved a literature review mapping the synergies between MIP and EPBL; the second element piloted the use of EPBL for undergraduate modules related to sustainability challenges; the third element involved external stakeholders in the co-creation of a postgraduate programme that brought together innovation and sustainability, with EPBL fundamental to the design and development; the fourth element curated and comparatively analysed international cases of EPBL in the context of MIP, and sustainability challenges in particular, highlighting the versatility of EPBL and the importance of creativity in EPBL design and implementation.

The systematic literature review reveals synergies between the key features of EPBL and defining characteristics of MIP, indicating the relevance of applying EPBL to support MIP. Two in situ pilots generated 13 recommendations on the benefits and operational challenges of applying EPBL. These recommendations informed the design and development of a postgraduate programme, involving a transdisciplinary consultation process with key industrial and societal stakeholders. Comparative analysis of four international case studies describing EPBL applied in practice in different international settings show there is no “one size fits all”. Instead, the application of EPBL to different sustainability challenges and for different learner groups demonstrates the versatility of the pedagogical approach and the creativity of the sustainability educators.

A discourse around the appropriate pedagogical methods and teaching/learning practice to equip the current and future workforce with the knowledge and skills to respond to MIP and global sustainability challenges is nascent but emerging. This paper makes a scientific and practical contribution to the discourse. The authors show how EPBL can underpin the design of programmes to provide learners with the knowledge and skills to support organisations working effectively within an MIP context, especially addressing sustainability challenges. The authors provide recommendations for educators seeking to embed EPBL within their curriculum and call for external stakeholders to proactively engage with educators to co-create programmes with context-specific outcomes.

This study aims to investigate the contribution of higher education institutions (HEIs) to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and propose strategies to cultivate a culture centred on the SDGs in HEIs.

The methodology used encompassed an integrative literature review, combining bibliographic analysis on how HEIs incorporate the SDGs into their practices, adopting a qualitative approach for the analysis and categorization of the results.

The multifaceted contributions of HEIs in promoting the SDGs stand out, through their roles in teaching, research, management and integration and communication between university and society.

While influencing policies at various levels, HEIs encounter challenges in the effective integration of SDGs into their strategies. This underscores the need for contextualized governance, understanding students’ perspectives on sustainability and active external collaboration in policy formulation.

There is an urgent need to integrate SDGs into academic programmes, emphasizing the importance of redesigning curricula, actively involving teachers, researchers and students, establishing partnerships and promoting research applied to SDGs.

The social relevance of the study lies in the emphasis on an SDG-centred culture, involving teaching, research, outreach, community engagement and governance practices.

The study’s uniqueness lies in identifying persistent challenges during the transition to an SDG-centred culture, necessitating multisectoral collaboration and educational programmes that integrate sustainability principles into the strategy of HEIs.

This study investigates the relationship between job autonomy and burnout among healthcare professionals, focusing on two key contextual elements that moderate this relationship: role ambiguity and workers’ age.

Employing an integrative approach, this research combines the Job Demands-Resources model with the lifespan developmental framework. A multilevel analysis was conducted on a sample of 1,232 hospital workers, nested within 74 units, to examine the relationships between job autonomy and burnout across teams with varying levels of aggregated role ambiguity, incorporating the factor of workers’ age.

The results indicate significant interaction effects between job autonomy, age and role ambiguity in relation to burnout. Job autonomy is associated with lower levels of burnout in contexts of moderate role ambiguity. In contrast, in highly uncertain contexts, job autonomy proves more beneficial for older workers, while it appears to have negative effects on younger workers.

This study enhances our understanding of the complex dynamics between job autonomy and burnout among healthcare professionals by utilizing a multilevel approach to examine the impact of contextual role ambiguity and workers’ age. The multilevel analysis offers original insights into the role of ambiguity, while the integration of two robust theoretical frameworks (i.e. JD-R model and Lifespan framework) provides a solid foundation for contributing to the discussion.

This study aims to address Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies that can improve the research and implementation of lean supply chain management (LSCM) and the enhanced LSCM subfields in I4.0 technologies.

The authors conducted a systematic literature review to detect, categorize and assess recent data, highlighting patterns and providing suggestions for potential research in this field, to investigate I4.0 literature and its effect on LSCM. The authors examined 79 published types of research from the Scopus database that were published between 2010 and 2021 and classified them into four LSCM fields: logistics, production, supply chain and marketing.

The authors can emphasize the fact that the literature on this topic is in progress, from early German academic research to the current creation of new effects around the world. The majority of the potential effects investigated were discovered to improve specific areas that ultimately enhance the practices of the four LSCM domains as well as performance outcomes. The authors were also able to assess the extent to which present and upcoming I4.0 technologies can improve LSCM research and implementation.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind. Although some research looked into various areas of I4.0 and LSCM topics, there has been no research specifically looking into the impact of I4.0 on LSCM. The originality of this study lies in the treatment of the main fields and sub-fields of LSCM, which can benefit from the technologies of I4.0. Academic scholars interested in the research topics may benefit from the findings of this study. Organizations in various industrial sectors, particularly manufacturing, where lean thinking is used, business professionals specialized in lean operations and supply chain management, along with anyone else who wants to learn more about the interrelationships between I4.0 and LSCM.