Academia as a partner in achieving sustainable development goals

Univerze so pomemben partner pri oblikovanju družbe in okolja sedanjosti ter prihodnosti. Prav zato se jih uvršča med pomembne partnerje tudi, ko gre za doseganje ciljev trajnostnega razvoja. V pisnem delu smo preučili koncept trajnosti in trajnostnega razvoja, potrebe za nastanek in razvoj ciljev trajnostnega razvoja ter njihove omejitve. Osredotočili smo se na 17. cilj trajnostnega razvoja, ki predstavlja partnerstva za doseganje ciljev trajnostnega razvoja in izmed možnih partnerjev izbrali akademske skupnosti, natančneje univerze. Slednje so pomemben partner v večdeležniških partnerstvih, ki glede na Združene Narode predstavljajo ključen korak k doseganju ciljev trajnostnega razvoja. Kot izbran primer partnerstva za doseganje ciljev trajnostnega razvoja smo izbrali univerzitetna odcepljena podjetja, ki predstavljajo primer večdeležniškega partnerstva. Osredotočili smo se na univerzitetna partnerstva in strategije za doseganje ciljev trajnostnega razvoja. V praktičnem delu smo preučili Univerzo v Mariboru kot izbrano akademsko skupnost in njeno strategijo za obdobje 2021–2030 ter podpiranje inovativnega podjetniškega okolja skozi univerzitetna odcepljena podjetja.Universities are an important partner in shaping society and the environment of the present and the future. That is why they are considered important partners for achieving the goals of sustainable development. In this written work, we have examined the concept of sustainability and sustainable development, the need for the creation and development of sustainable development goals, and their limitations. We have focused on the UN\u27s 17th goal of sustainable development, which presents partnerships for achieving sustainable development goals. Among possible partners, we have chosen academic communities, and more specific universities. The latter is such an important partner in multi-stakeholder partnerships, which, according to the UN, present a completed step towards achieving the goals of sustainable development. As a selected example of a partnership for achieving the goals of sustainable development, we have chosen a university spin-off company that represents an example of a multi-stakeholder partnership. We have focused on university partnership and strategies for achieving the goals of sustainable development. In the practical part, we have examined the University of Maribor, Slovenia, as a selected academic community and its strategy for the period 2021–2030, as well as supporting an innovative entrepreneurial environment through university spin-off companies

Organisations\u27 owners as ambassadors of sustainability: searching for synergies between formal higher education woth micro-credentials and the economy to increase sustainability

Trajnostno upravljanje in vodenje organizacij postaja vedno bolj pomembno za dolgoročno uspešnost organizacij, pri tem pa imajo pomembno vlogo lastniki kot upravljalci in oblikovalci politike podjetja. Magistrsko delo obravnava vlogo lastnikov organizacij kot ambasadorjev trajnostnosti in preučuje sinergije med formalnim visokošolskim izobraževanjem, mikrodokazili, razvojem gospodarstva in podjetji za povečanje trajnostnosti. Predstavljeni so ključni koncepti trajnostnosti, integralnega managementa in vpliva lastnikov kot upravljalcev na organizacijo in njene trajnostne usmeritve. Predstavljeni so zakonodajni okviri, standardi, protokoli in druge komponente poročanja organizaciji o trajnostnosti ter povezava tega s pomenom izobraževanja o trajnostnosti za organizacije. V empiričnem delu sta izvedeni dve študiji primera, prva se nanaša na analizo izbranih izobraževanj o trajnostnosti v poslovanju v Sloveniji, druga pa na preučitev izbranih tujih visokošolskih študijskih programov s področja trajnostnosti. Na podlagi ugotovitev je oblikovan predlog modela kurikuluma za trajnostno izobraževanje lastnikov organizacij z uporabo mikrodokazil v visokem šolstvu. Raziskava je pokazala, da je izobraževanje na področju trajnostnosti v poslovanju pomembno, vendar v Sloveniji še ni sistematično urejeno. Zato se mikrodokazila izkazujejo kot potencialno učinkovito orodje za povezovanje akademskega sveta in gospodarstva, kar bi lahko omogočalo boljši prenos znanja ter večjo izobraženost o trajnostnosti v poslovanju.Sustainable governance and management of organizations are becoming increasingly important for the long-term success of businesses, with owners playing a crucial role as governors and as decision-makers of business policy. This master’s thesis examines the role of business owners as sustainability ambassadors and explores the synergies between formal higher education, micro-credentials, the economy development and business sector in enhancing sustainability. Key concepts of sustainability, integral management, and the influence of owners as governors on organization and its sustainability orientations are presented. The thesis also outlines legislative frameworks, standards, protocols, and other reporting components related to organizations\u27 sustainability, emphasizing the importance of sustainability education for businesses. The empirical section includes two case studies. The first case study analyzes selected education programs on sustainability in business in Slovenia, while the second case study examines selected international higher education programs focused on sustainability. Based on the findings, a proposed curriculum model for sustainability education for business owners is developed, proposing incorporating micro-credentials in higher education. The results indicate that sustainability education in business is essential but remains unsystematically structured in Slovenia. Consequently, micro-credentials emerge as a potentially effective tool for bridging academia and the business sector, enabling better knowledge transfer and greater awareness of sustainability in business practices

Strategic Transition to Sustainability: A Cybernetic Model

As the importance of the transition to sustainable development is increasingly recognised by individuals, organisations, and society as a whole, there is a growing need to examine its impact at micro-, meso-, and macro-levels. There is an urgent imperative to ensure the sustainability of growing economic inequalities, a degraded environment, and people living in uneven conditions in different societies. The authors, therefore, highlight the strategic role and essential contribution of organisations, and universities/higher education institutions in particular, in achieving sustainable development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Universities/higher education institutions play a key role in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, and they form the crucial architecture of contemporary practices in national economies and beyond. Policy makers, university/higher education institution governors, managers, and professors shape students and create new social contexts, and these must be oriented towards sustainability. This paper aims to explore the strategic role of organisations, in particular, universities/higher education institutions, as a key link between personal and social responsibility and, thus, as a powerful enabler of sustainable development. The authors examine the strategic transition to sustainability of two higher education institutions, the University of Maribor and the University of Economics—Varna, and conduct a qualitative case study research to develop a cybernetic model of the university’s/higher education institution’s transition to sustainability, which reflects the organisation’s growing commitment to achieving the Sustainability Development Goals. The model includes seven successive stages: pre-awareness, awareness, focusing, implementation, reaching out, transparency and disclosure, and continuous improvement. The study shows that sustainable development, i.e., sustainability governance, management, and operations, are indispensable for implementing the strategic concept of sustainability in an organisation and for achieving the strategic transition to sustainability as explained in the proposed cybernetic model

Health and Safety at Work in Times of Remote Work

In recent years, there have been upheavals and a change in the way work and tasks are performed. Employees and companies have had to become much more innovative and adaptable to be able to survive, despite the changes brought about by the global situation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, matters took a turn for the worse, as most companies carried out teleworking to ensure health and safety at work, while companies continued to provide a safe working environment. The personal responsibility of individuals is not only to ensure their own health but also to meet the requirements of health and safety at work, thus families had to adjust and adapt around work in such a way as to meet these requirements. In this paper, the authors describe three important components that marked work during the COVID-19 period: remote work, health and safety during teleworking, and personal responsibility. Through three main topics, the authors provide answers to questions about work that affects health and safety at work, while also covering the findings of statistics from the field of work performance and the importance of personal responsibility in ensuring health and safety at work during remote work.</jats:p