Business Commons^™

Agriculture And Sustainable Farming In Vietnam, Minh Hoan Le

Asian Management Insights

Le Minh Hoan, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, talks about the future of sustainable agriculture in ASEAN.

Law School News: National Housing Advocate Named To Lead Rwu's New Real Estate Initiatives 02/08/2022, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Reflections On Co-Creating, Developing And Evaluating Virtual Reality Fieldtrips (Vrf): The Student’S Perspective, Catherine Gorman, Jennifer Stewart, Louise Bellew

Conference papers

To ensure graduates have the skill to work within the tourism industry, and spurred on by the paradigm shift in teaching due to Covid 19, this research focused on developing innovative solutions using technology. Using virtual assessment techniques, industry co-created evaluation, and integrated assessment, it explored how virtual field-trips can be developed as part of remote teaching methods. To provide context to the topic of sustainable tourism and technology, a student-led virtual seminar with industry was undertaken linking with TU Dublin Green Week 2021. In place of a fieldtrip using Google Earth and Screen-casto-matic, students created videos incorporating the sustainability …

Digital Sustainability And Entrepreneurship: How Digital Innovations Are Helping Tackle Climate Change And Sustainable Development, Gerard George, Ryan K. Merrill, Simon J. D. Schillebeeckx

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We explore how digital technologies are helping address grand challenges to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development. With digital technologies, entrepreneurial organizations have adopted innovative approaches to tackle seemingly intractable societal challenges. We refer to these broadly as digital sustainability activities. By focusing on the digital toolbox employed by pioneering organizations, we propose a research agenda that generates novel questions for entrepreneurship, business models, and ecosystems as well as new ways of thinking about trust and institutional logics. We believe that digital sustainability can spur empirical advances in entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategy with potential for positive impact on society.

The Sustainable Closet, Ryan Mott, Jessica Strauber, Meryl Rosenblatt Mba

Faculty Works: Business (1973-2022)

The technology that created the boom in online shopping has turned the local thrift store into a mainstream phenomenon. Customers of the future will look for ways to recycle, resell or upcycle, and will be drawn to the incredible value of buying secondhand, with millennials and Gen Z adopting second hand faster than other age groups. This will have a significant positive impact on global sustainability, as the fashion industry produces 10% of all carbon emissions, is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply, and pollutes oceans with microplastics. The clothing industry follows oil as the second largest industrial …

What Are The Impacts Of Local Food Systems?, Jamie Chadwick

Hospitality Graduate Student Scholarship

Sourcing products locally is not just a trend, it is also an important step towards sustainable business practices. Sustainable business depends on balancing sales with the ability to maintain growth. Sustainability is a complex concept. In the charter for the UCLA Sustainability Committee, sustainability is defined as: “the physical development and institutional operating practices that meet the needs of present users without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, particularly with regard to use and waste of natural resources. Sustainable practices support ecological, human, and economic health and vitality. Sustainability presumes that resources are finite and …

The Wild Atlantic Way: A Tourism Journey, Kevin A. Griffin, Gerard Dunne

Articles

The Wild Atlantic Way is possibly the most celebrated, high profile tourism initiative to be launched in Ireland in recent years. It consists of a defined touring route along the western seaboard, one of the most scenic, remote, and sensitive stretches of Irish landscape. This paper presents the principal findings from a survey of 341 tourism and hospitality product providers along the Wild Atlantic Way. The main aim of the research was to investigate the perceived impacts (economic, environmental, and socio-cultural) of this new tourism initiative on the local areas through which it passes. The results paint a generally positive …

Performance Attribution Of The First Biblically Responsible-Based Sri Index, Shane Enete

Faculty Articles & Research

In the U.S., two of the most important investment trends over the last 10 years have been the rise of index investing and the rise of Sustainable, Responsible and Impact (SRI) investing. So, it would make sense that new indexes would emerge based on SRI principles. One such index is the new Inspire Small/Mid Cap Impact Equal Weight Index, which is the first biblically-based SRI index. This paper briefly discusses the methodology of this index and shows that its strong back-tested risk-adjusted returns (relative to its non-SRI S&P benchmark), are not due to sector bias (as one would expect), but …

Disclosure And Reporting Against The Sustainable Development Goals: Connecting New Stakeholders To Sustainability Data, Theresa Heithaus, Richard Mills, Stephanie Perkiss

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This case study focuses on the disclosures of thirty seven companies and a unique research approach to making their corporate sustainability performance more open, comparable and engaging. A group of 40 students at the University of Wollongong worked in a structured way to aggregate comparable data on corporate sustainability on a selection of metrics related to the SDGs. This report offers an in depth look at one example of the kind of projects that WikiRate and the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) have been running since 2016, involving more than 2,000 students. For this case study, WikiRate staff reviewed …

Embedding Ethical And Sustainable Thinking In The Entrepreneurial Mindset, Kathleen Farrell

Conference papers

“Entrepreneurship education is essential not only to shape the mindsets of young people but also to provide the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are central to developing an entrepreneurial culture” (European Commission, 2016, b p. 9). The recent financial crisis has focused our attention more on the importance of ethics in business and management. EntreComp, the European Commission Competence Framework (2016) defines entrepreneurship as a transversal competence. The research question has to do with whether the European Commission is right in proposing ethical and sustainable thinking as an entrepreneurial competence. What support is there in the literature for putting forward …

Planning Sustainable Cities And Regions: Towards More Equitable Development, Shanaka Herath

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Book review for Chapple, K 2015, Planning Sustainable Cities and Regions: Towards More Equitable Development, Routledge, New York.

Syllabus: Foundations For Sustainable Enterprise, Bogdan Prokopovych

Sustainability Education Resources

In this course we examine environmental and social challenges that arise as a result of how businesses and organizations interact with their natural environment. From a managerial standpoint we explore national and international implications of business' and governments' responses to these challenges. Can businesses contribute to the shift towards a more sustainable future? We analytically consider both supporting and opposing answers to this question. We learn about drivers of sustainability initiatives adopted by organizations and become familiar with current debates related to sustainability among business thought leaders. Finally, we look at the challenges of adopting sustainability strategies by organizations, learn …

Environmentally Conscientious Orchards Connection, William Mp Burgess, Michael Iwata, Sarah Schomp, Andrew Wooldridge

Student Showcase

California’s almond industry uses over 1.2 trillion gallons of freshwater annually, more water than is used by almost any other crop. Although California is in a severe drought, its almond industry is expanding because the crop is a valuable commodity, providing California with more than $11 billion to its gross state product each year. While almond production is inherently water intensive, current agricultural processes in the San Joaquin Valley waste almost 50% of the freshwater it uses each year from over-watering, runoff ₆ , evaporation, and contamination ₃₅.

Much of this waste can be eliminated if various California stakeholders …

Avenues To Sustainable Road Transport Energy In New Zealand, Geoffrey D. Kelly

Sydney Business School - Papers

Reduction of the energy use and emissions associated with the provision of transport services is one of the most challenging areas of energy policy. This arises both from the pervasive nature of transport use in modern society, and its dependence on the most limited of fossil fuels. Advances in renewable energy utilisation offer an avenue by which this may be addressed, including the possibility of achieving fully sustainable transport energy supply. The paper considers what potential exists for sustainable road transport energy in New Zealand. That country already has high renewable energy utilisation, but also a high per capita transport …

Mirrors: 'Bleeding' The Creation Of Alternative Organization Through A Liberating Ideology Of Transformative Humanism, Alia Weston, J. Miguel Imas, Paul Donnelly

Conference papers

In this paper, we propose a new way of explaining the everyday practices of communities who socially organize to create sustainable grass-roots engagement. We discuss how this collective engagement is based on principles and values of socio-economic engagement that are fundamentally different to those associated with capitalism. We theorise that these community engagements are sustained by an organizational ideology of 'transformative humanism' that is founded on an ongoing struggle for emancipation. Our perspective is constructed through a combination of Frantz Fanon's ideas on humanism, Manfred Max-Neef's barefoot economics, and Paulo Freire's pedagogies of hope and transformation. We suggest that movements …

A Critical Reflection On The Role Of Stakeholders In Sustainable Tourism Development In Least-Developed Countries, Sotear Ellis, Lynnaire Sheridan

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

While investigating the implementation of community-based tourism in least-developed countries (LDCs), the critical role of stakeholders in sustainable tourism development became apparent. External stakeholders, in particular, develop theory models and define policy for translation into the field yet there is little critical consideration of their role and influence. This article encapsulates insights achieved by the researchers at the interface of theory and practice in a challenging LDC setting.

Repositioning The Business Of Sustainable Manufacturing, Lee Styger

Sydney Business School - Papers

The current contextual reference of sustainable manufacturing has typically been influenced by contemporary and academic literature to a point where a myopic view could be said to exist, that places the concept of sustainability outside that of commercial operating principles. Furthermore, recent decisions concerning supply integration and commissioning are typically being based around issues such as short term risk mitigation, and early steps towards developing protocols focused on corporate social responsibility introduce further pressure into businesses, that could lead to a significant hiatus in operating efficiency. Recent research has indicated that in many cases, supply networks are fragmented and lack …

Sustainable Water Management On Brownfields Sites, Ryan Fenwick, New England Environmental Finance Center

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

This practice guide was developed by the Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN) through the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities program funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Through a cooperative agreement with HUD, EFCN is providing capacity building and technical assistance to recipients of grants from the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, an interagency collaboration that aims to help towns, cities, and regions develop in more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable ways.

The Leadership Of Sustainable Cities: A Multiple-Case Study Of Two Oregon Cities, Kenneth L. Weaver

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Scholarship

In order for cities to become more sustainable it is necessary for the leaders of the efforts to change the organizations and governments so that they understand and embrace what it means to be more sustainable. This study examined the change processes of two Oregon Cities, Corvallis and Eugene, that had made the choice to become more sustainable as a community. The approaches that the participant leaders used demonstrated the use of different ways of thinking about the leadership of change. The ways of thinking of the community leaders were formed by their unique personal backgrounds, knowledge, skills, and abilities. …

Process Vs. Performance Standards For Sustainable Meeting And Event Management, Andrew Stephen Walker

Transnational Business Governance Interactions Working Papers

This paper examines two emerging voluntary industry standards — the process-based ISO 20121 Event sustainability management systems and the performance-based APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standard — and examines whether they can complement, rather than compete with, each other to provide a comprehensive approach to the complex task of managing and measuring sustainability within meetings and events. A framework for analysis was developed through examining the academic literature on competition between process and performance-based sustainability standards within the forestry sector where several internationally-recognized standards have interacted in the marketplace for over a decade. Three criteria — legitimacy, accountability and effectiveness — …

Organization-Based Social Marketing: An Alternative Approach For Organizations Adopting Sustainable Business Practices, Mary Franks Papakosmas, Gary Noble, John Glynn

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This article conceptualizes a new area for social marketing practitioners by focusing on individual behavior change that might occur within organizations. Organization-Based Social Marketing (OBSM) draws from organization change theory and internal marketing theory, while maintaining social marketing’s focus on beneficial behavior modification. The article argues that as such, OBSM represents a viable approach for organizations seeking to address the increasing demand for change strategies that promote proenvironmental behavior among their employees

Development For The Past, Present, And Future: Defining And Measuring Sustainable Development, Max Cantor

Senior Honors Projects

In 1987, the United Nations released the Brundtland Report, which defined sustainable development as “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While this definition provides a relatively stable theoretical base from which development economists and political scientists can begin to tackle issues surrounding sustainable development, the inherently amorphous nature of this definition has also created a fair amount of ambiguity in both the economic literature surrounding sustainable development and the subsequent attempts by economists to measure it.

Historically, those interested in the science of development have typically …

Crop Updates 2011 - Farming Systems, Janette Drew, Rob Grima, Bob French, Raj Malik, Mark Seymour, Christine Zaicou-Kunesch, Glenn Mcdonald, Brendon Nicholas, Dennis Van Gool, James Fisher, Peter Tozer, Doug Abrecht, Michael Robertson, Cameron Weeks, Michael O'Conner, Peter Newman, Mike Clarke, Andrew Blake, Gordon Macaulay, Vijay Jayasena, Syed M. Nasar-Abbas, Larisa Cato, Robert Loughman, Ken Quail

Crop Updates

This session covers twelve papers from different authors:

1. Fallowing 50% of the farm each year – does it pay? Janette Drew and Rob Grima

Department of Agriculture and Food

2. How crop sequences affect the productivity and resilience of cropping systems in two Western Australian environments, Bob French, Raj Malik, Mark Seymour, Department of Agriculture and Food

3. When is continuous wheat or barley sustainable? Christine Zaicou-Kunesch and Rob Grima Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Identifying constraints to bridging the yield gap, Glenn McDonald, Department of Agriculture and Food

5. Land constraints limiting wheat yields in …

On The Relationship Between Population Change And Sustainable Development, Simone Marsiglio

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper investigates the relationship between population growth and economic growth, through the study of fertility choices and their effects on natural resources. It aims at analyzing the interactions between endogenous fertility choices and the environment and their link to the sustainable matter. We analyze a growth model driven by natural resources and without production, where agents have jointly to determine consumption and fertility, taking into account the effects of their decisions on the dynamics of natural resources. We adopt the most optimistic view on natural capital (it generates endogenous growth) and the weakest notion of sustainable paths (all variables …

Garden Tourism In Ireland: An Exploration Of Product Group Co-Operation, Links And Relationships, Catherine Gorman

Doctoral

A garden is a space developed for the purpose of consumption and pleasure. Gardens open to the the public form part of the tourism resource of a destination. Those involved in provision within the gardentourism sector are continuously seeking ways of ensuring that both their businesses are successful and give value to the visitor i.e. sustainable. Developing and using co-operative approaches, linkages and relationships within the tourism supply sector is one way towards a more sustainable path of provision. This book explores the garden tourism sector in Ireland identifying such approaches, and concludes that a multiplicity of identities exist. Constructs …

Short Haul City Travel Is Truly Environmentally Sustainable, Sara Dolnicar, Christian Laesser, Katrina Matus

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

With rising interest in and concern about climate change and environmental sustainability, and the significance of the tourism industry worldwide, the impact of tourism-related activities and behaviors on the environment has become a key area of research. In particular, transport related to tourism has come under scrutiny for its contribution to the ecological footprint of tourism of a destination, mostly accounted for by the dominance of air travel. This study contributes to research in this area by identifying the types of travel situations in which tourists make environmentally friendly choices about travel modes and, consequently, which types of tourism destinations …

Sporting Change: Greening The Ballpark, Steve Greenberg, Anthony Taormina, Robert Sroufe

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2010

Sustainable construction achieves the dual aim of reducing building carbon emissions while reducing lifecycle maintenance and long-term operating costs of the facility. This exploratory research aims to address the gap between the growing development of commercial LEED real estate buildings and sports and entertainment venues, while developing a framework for LEED Certification in New Ballparks. Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, located in State College, Pennsylvania, opened in 2006 as the first LEED certified stadium in the world. Sustainable design features include automatic plumbing fixtures, a gray water system, automatic lighting, public transportation hubs, and use of recycled and local construction …

Exploring The Issues In Sustainable Development Journal Reporting, Rosemary Van Der Meer, Luba Torlina, Jamie Mustard

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

There is concern about the environmental claims organisations make in corporate social reports and advertising. Similar concerns may also occur with reporting of environmental initiatives in journals. This paper explores what information is being conveyed in academic and industry journals. In particular, we examine the types of projects that are discussed and the level of detail provided in the reporting of sustainable development initiatives to identify what is being communicated and whether there is substance to the reporting. The results show that there are issues with the lack of detail reported and its anecdotal nature.

Knowledge Sharing By Organisations In Sustainable Development Projects, Rosemary Van Der Meer, Luba Torlina, Jamie Mustard

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

There are an increasing number of organisations seeing the benefits of implementing sustainable development practices within their processes and product design. However, there are a number of barriers that are preventing organisations from taking up this challenge. Some of these barriers could be reduced through the application of better external knowledge sharing. This paper explores the potential for sharing knowledge about sustainable development practices in academic and industry journals. Using content analysis, the types of projects that are discussed and the level of detail provided in the reporting of sustainable development initiatives by organisations are examined to identify what is …

Environmentally Friendly Behavior - Can Heterogeneity Among Individuals And Contexts/Environments Be Harvested For Improved Sustainable Management?, Sara Dolnicar, Bettina Grun

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The study of behavior with environmental consequences (recycling, water conservation, etc.) has received significant attention from social scientists over the past few decades. However, few studies have closely examined the systematic heterogeneity of behavior with environmental consequences. This study tests two specific hypotheses about such heterogeneity: that individuals differ systematically in their patterns of behavior with environmental consequences and that behavioral patterns systematically differ between context/environments. Both hypotheses are investigated empirically in the home and vacation environment. Results support the assumption that systematic differences in behavioral patterns exist across individuals. With respect to context/environment dependence, some groups of individuals do …