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Purpose Sustainability has become a global concern to deal with complex and unprecedent survival, social, political and peace issues. Higher education institutions play a key role in this transformation. This paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis by continents of innovation and sustainability barriers in universities. The document also offers opportunities and potential actions for universities to create initiatives to minimize barriers and move towards a sustainable future. Design/methodology/approach To carry out the study, 25 closed questions, composed of a five-point Likert scale, were applied to 283 university representatives (rectors, managers or specialists in the area of innovation and sustainability), to check the degree of application of the questionnaire. Findings From an exploratory statistical analysis, it was found that the main barriers were lacking of planning and focus, lacking of environmental committee, lacking of applicability and continuity of actions and resistance to changes. Among continents, Africa and Oceania presented the best innovation and sustainability indicators in universities. The main approach of this exploratory study on barriers in universities is as an international research, whose findings showed that several barriers currently prevent universities from getting involved in sustainable development efforts. However, as we debate sustainable development, which is gaining momentum, universities are supposed to move forward to overcome barriers for the sake of implementing goals and initiatives. In addition, universities must seize opportunities to contribute through innovation in teaching, research and initiatives to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals. Research limitations/implications This study has two main limitations: first, online research has involved professionals working in the field of sustainable development in higher education. Second, there were no interviews conducted to gather personal information with students and servers. However, the broad scope of the study and its strong international base provide important results that enable the design of an adequate profile of sustainability and innovation challenges that are currently found in universities. Practical implications The study showed that there is lack of knowledge management to connect science, technology, innovation and sustainability, to improve management conditions, innovate, make decisions, support initiatives, create incentives and control mechanisms. Trends suggest that future professional activities involve skills in dealing with complex problems, sometimes in careers and jobs yet to be created. Traditional teaching methods are generally only prepared for routine tasks and for existing jobs, thus requiring the creation of new approaches capable of stimulating creativity and autonomy, which are essential for the present and future demands of innovation and sustainability. Social implications The exploratory study on barriers in universities brings international research as main approach, which made it possible to check that several barriers currently prevent universities from getting involved in sustainable development efforts. However, as we debate sustainable development, which is gaining momentum, it is important that universities should move forward to overcome the barriers to implementation of goals and initiatives. In addition, universities should take advantage of opportunities to contribute through innovation in teaching, research and action to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals. Originality/value Developed countries are leaders in promoting sustainability, while developing or underdeveloped countries are laggards. In this approach, the study sought to verify the differences through a comparative analysis across continents. As for originality and innovation, this paper presents an international study in the view of specialists who respond based on the experience of their university.

Purpose As few studies have explored the causal relationship between both the triple bottom line (TBL) of sustainability and the lean practices in higher education institutions (HEIs), the purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationships between lean practices and sustainable practices in Brazilian HEIs. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with 454 public and private HEIs workers in Brazil. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations modeling were used for data analysis. Findings The results support the hypotheses of the study that HEI lean practices are positively related to environmental, economic and social practices in HEIs. Practical implications HEI managers must evaluate the use of lean practices in the organizational processes, to identify their weaknesses and to improve the aspects that influence a balanced TBL of sustainability practices. Social implications The findings highlight the importance of leadership as a support for the workers, as a continuous improvement practice on a daily basis and a focus on the student as a basic principle of HEI success. Originality/value This article provides new measurement and structural models to analyze Lean thinking practices as the predictors of sustainability practices. The work could assist any HEI in prioritizing its strategies and actions and to contribute to excellence in decision-making. This study could contribute as a source of empirical data for transferability in other contexts for HEIs.

Este artigo pode ser copiado, distribuído, exibido, transmitido ou adaptado desde que citados, de forma clara e explícita, o nome da revista, a edição, o ano e as páginas nas quais o artigo foi publicado originalmente, mas sem sugerir que a RAM endosse a reutilização do artigo. Esse termo de licenciamento deve ser explicitado para os casos de reutilização ou distribuição para terceiros. Não é permitido o uso para fins comerciais. Professor of Business Administration at the Universidade de Cruz Alta (Unicruz).Rodovia Municipal Jacob Della Méa, Km 5.6, Parada Benito, BRENO AUGUSTO DINIZ PEREIRA Doctor in Business Administration from the College of Business Administration at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Professor of Business Administration at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM).Avenida Roraima, 1.000, Prédio 74C, Camobi, Santa Maria -RS -Brasil -CEP 97105-900 ISSN 1678-6971 (on-line) • http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1678-69712016/administracao.v17n4p153-175. Submissão: 30 out. 2015. Aceitação: 3 maio 2016. Sistema de avaliação: às cegas dupla (double blind review ABSTRACTPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to depict a theoretical proposal for analyzing the influence of three facets of an organization's dependence on the survival of interorganizational networks: on the environment, on the other members and on the network. Originality/gap/relevance/implications: This paper assists business leaders in showing the dependence tensions of enterprises on the market and networks. The understanding of relational changes and benefits provided by the network during its evolution also has an impact on enterprises' dependency. This paper is therefore original as it makes the contribution essential to a nascent stream of research. Key methodological aspects:The conceptualization of this study is based on the Resource Dependence Theory to direct network survival. The methodology of the paper is based on a theoretical essay for the formation of an analytical background of the subject. It presents an insight in a manner that sheds light on the subject and sets the stage for future research. Summary of key results: Does not apply. In this article, we did not make an empirical investigation. Key considerations/conclusions: The conceptualization of this study has been based solely on the Resource Dependency Theory to direct network survival. Furthermore, additional research is needed to empirically validate the framework.

A pandemia de COVID-19 atingiu muitos países em 2020, incluindo Brasil, que adotou diversas medidas para combater o vírus, interferindo assim na vida da sociedade, especialmente com a exigência do isolamento social. Para manter as atividades letivas, a Universidade Federal de Santa Maria iniciou o Regime de Exercícios Domiciliares Especiais, para os cursos presenciais. Esse estudo investigou o isolamento social, a adoção o ensino remoto e a mudança na satisfação com a vida desses estudantes. Para isso adotou-se uma survey online, cujas respostas foram analisadas com a estatística descritiva, análise fatorial exploratória e regressão linear múltipla. Os resultados indicam que a maioria dos estudantes está praticando o isolamento e saindo de casa apenas para a compra de produtos essenciais. Nesse processo de “ficar em casa” os estudantes percebem queda na produtividade, alterações de humor e sentimentos de angústia e ansiedade. A satisfação com a vida hoje é menor quando comparada a do período anterior a pandemia. Contudo, a maioria avalia positivamente os esforços para a manutenção das atividades de ensino remoto tanto no que se refere às dinâmicas que estão sendo desenvolvidas quanto à aderência as atividades. Palavras-chave: COVID-19. Ensino remoto. Isolamento social. Satisfação com a Vida.