Business models for integration of sustainability in universities: An explorative analysis of Italian state universities

Giovanelli, Lucia; Rotondo, Federico; Ezza, Alberto

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129227

Cited by 27 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Therefore, sustainability is responsible for enhancing its environmental concepts, practices, and systems, fostering the development of the fundamental role of sustainable goals in the performance of an environmentally sustainable future (Avila et al., 2019). Thus, sustainability is well integrated into the mission and strategic objectives with the moral responsibility to spread throughout society the values and knowledge needed to create sustainable development strategies (Giovanelli et al., 2021). In this way, different sustainability policies can contribute significant information on how to strategically manage their waste in various departments and environments towards sustainability goals (Behravesh et al., 2022).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable recovery in small businesses: Analysis of sustainable practices and the goals for sustainable development

Ávila

Kieling

et al. 2023

Environmental Quality Mgmt

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This article aims to present the analysis of sustainability practices and the objectives of sustainable development and recovery in small businesses carried out through survey research. The work was based on the understanding of how the theme applies to the objectives of sustainability in small businesses, using the application of a questionnaire in 24 social enterprises of the agribusiness industry in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), present at the largest Fair of Cooperativism in Latin America. The research was exploratory with an approach classified as descriptive, quantitative, and a data survey of 24 valid samples. As a result of the research, it was found that small businesses are focused on the recovery of sustainability, presenting results with significant advances in practical actions of more sustainable and innovative management and with greater cooperation among enterprises. The research makes explicit the possibility of expanding the sample, analyzing small businesses in other regions of the State of Rio Grande do Sul and of the country, with the survey of future research on the theme and case studies in small businesses, expanding the source of evidence to allow a more practical and critical view. Since this is an unprecedented study, the research sought to present to the scientific community the importance of what is currently being produced on the subject, by presenting the innovative and relevant result of the analysis of sustainable recovery in small businesses and sustainable practices.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable recovery in small businesses: Analysis of sustainable practices and the goals for sustainable development

Ávila

Kieling

et al. 2023

Environmental Quality Mgmt

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“…Future study ought to focus on analyzing the relationship among responsible and sustainable consumption and the economic and sustainability impact of the universities (Meseguer-Sánchez et al, 2020 ).The issue of university sustainability has been discussed in many previous studies, which proves that it is indeed a topic worthy of attention. Giovanelli et al ( 2021 ) used clustering analysis to determine business models for different degrees of SD for all 61 national universities in Italy. They paid attention to sustainability from the perspective of the whole organization, analyzing the university as a system composed of two subsystems, academic and administrative.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An FMEA model for risk assessment of university sustainability: using a combined ITARA with TOPSIS-AL approach based neutrosophic sets

Lin

2023

Ann Oper Res

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It is necessary to emphasize both the process and results of performance management to find the balance between quality and quantity needed to ensure the sustainable development of universities to make the best use of limited educational resources and meet the diverse needs of students. This study applies failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to analyze obstacles to university sustainability by constructing complete risk assessment modes and reference indicators. The neutrosophic set theory was incorporated into the FMEA to account for information uncertainty and asymmetry. A specialist team then evaluated the importance of the risk factors using neutrosophic indifference threshold-based attribute ratio analysis to determine objective weights for the risk factors. Furthermore, the neutrosophic technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution based on aspiration level (N-TOPSIS-AL) is employed to aggregate the total risk scores of the failure modes. Using neutrosophic sets to measure truth, falsity, and indeterminacy in the assessment significantly improve the adaptability of the fuzzy theory to real-world problems. The study results indicate that when assessing university affairs management and analyzing possible risks, priority must be given to the occurrence of risks and that the lack of educational facilities is the riskiest item in the specialist assessment. The proposed assessment model can be applied as a basis for university sustainability assessments to accelerate the development of other forward-looking approaches.

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“…The topic of sustainability in higher education (HE) has attracted a great deal of interest and frequently appears in the daily conversations of HE professionals as well as in the academic literature (Veiga Ávila et al , 2018). In Italy, the involvement of HE institutions in public efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been consolidated since 2015 with the creation of the Rete delle Università per lo Sviluppo sostenibile (RUS, Network of Universities for Sustainable Development), even if Italian universities have been facing challenges in moving toward sustainability, for example due to the “zero cost mantra” savings policy (L.240/10; Donina et al , 2015) or the lack of sustainability strategies in HE (Giovanelli et al , 2021; Fantauzzi et al , 2021; Vagnoni and Cavicchi, 2015). Recently, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR; Governo della Repubblica Italiana, 2021) has provided funding for university sustainable development (SD): a good opportunity to revitalize this issue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most crucial enablers were found to be government policies, media, accreditation, sustainability audit, sustainability leadership and institutional commitment. In Italy, Giovanelli et al (2021) recently developed a business model for integrating sustainability in universities. Hoover and Harder (2015), in their review of qualitative studies in the field, identified nine themes (such as organizational culture, collaboration and dialogue) related to organizational change processes for sustainability: the interrelations between the themes can lead to complexity and barriers to change, highlighting the importance of reflexivity and dialogue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How sustainable is the governance for sustainability in higher education? Insights from an Italian case study

Sacchi

Molino

Dansero

et al. 2023

IJSHE

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Purpose Higher education (HE) institutions can play a fundamental role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, universities often face various obstacles to sustainability management, leading to a lack of strategies for implementing governance for sustainability (GFS). The purpose of this paper is to propose a model, based on work and organizational psychology (WOP), for the analysis, promotion and implementation of GFS in HE. The model includes five dimensions: culture, leadership, teamwork, communication and transition management. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed methods approach, GFS was investigated in four Piedmontese (Northern Italy) universities and in their sustainability network, applying the model proposed in this paper. Findings The five dimensions of the model have proven to be fundamental to the development of GFS in HE. Each dimension was filled with experiences from specific contexts through data collection, highlighting specificities and barriers. Furthermore, the mixed methods approach and the WOP perspective proved to be effective in addressing sustainable transitions in HE. Originality/value A practical proposal for analyzing and improving HE sustainable transitions in a WOP perspective is still missing, as well as a model that identifies organizational dimensions that should be monitored. This study not only provides an example of this transition but also confirms the importance that the literature attributes to the specificities and barriers of dimensions such as culture, leadership, teamwork, communication and transition management in this context.

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Business models for integration of sustainability in universities: An explorative analysis of Italian state universities

Cited by 27 publications

References 55 publications

Sustainable recovery in small businesses: Analysis of sustainable practices and the goals for sustainable development

Sustainable recovery in small businesses: Analysis of sustainable practices and the goals for sustainable development

An FMEA model for risk assessment of university sustainability: using a combined ITARA with TOPSIS-AL approach based neutrosophic sets

How sustainable is the governance for sustainability in higher education? Insights from an Italian case study

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