Rating the Raters: Evaluating how ESG Rating Agencies Integrate Sustainability Principles

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating agencies, acting as relevant financial market actors, should take a stand on working towards achieving a more sustainable development. In this context, the objective of this paper is, on the one hand, to understand how criteria used by ESG rating agencies in their assessment processes have evolved over the last ten years and, on the other hand, to analyze whether ESG rating agencies are contributing to fostering sustainable development by the inclusion of sustainability principles into their assessment processes and practices according to the ESG criteria. This research is based on a comparative descriptive analysis of the public information provided by the most representative ESG rating and information provider agencies in the financial market in two periods: 2008 and 2018. The findings show that ESG rating agencies have integrated new criteria into their assessment models to measure corporate performance more accurately and robustly in order to respond to new global challenges. However, a deep analysis of the criteria also shows that ESG rating agencies do not fully integrate sustainability principles into the corporate sustainability assessment process

Determining Sustainable Development Density using the Urban Carrying Capacity Assessment System

Diverse urban problems in the capital region of Korea occur due to over-development and over-concentration which exceed the region’s carrying capacity. Particularly, environmental problems such as air and water pollution have become more evident and become central issues for urban planners and decision-makers. In achieving sustainable environment through resolving such problems, practical approaches to incorporate the concept of environmental sustainability into managing urban development are needed. This research aims at developing an integrated framework for assessing urban carrying capacity which can determine sustainable development density, and has yielded the following. First, seven determining factors for urban carrying capacity including energy, green areas, roads, subway systems, water supply, sewage treatment, and waste treatment were identified, and the assessment framework was developed by integrating such factors. Second, the UCCAS, a GIS-based carrying capacity assessment system was developed based upon the framework. Finally, through a case study of determining carrying capacity of an urban area, it was revealed that decision support with the UCCAS demonstrated in this research could play a pivotal role in planning and managing urban development more effectively

Construction informatics in Turkey: strategic role of ICT and future research directions

Construction Informatics deals with subjects ranging from strategic management of ICTs to interoperability and information integration in the construction industry. Studies on defining research directions for Construction Informatics have a history over 20 years. The recent studies in the area highlight the priority themes for Construction Informatics research as interoperability, collaboration support, intelligent sites and knowledge sharing. In parallel, today it is widely accepted in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) industry that ICT is becoming a strategic asset for any organisation to deliver business improvement and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. However, traditionally the AEC industry has approached investing in ICT with a lack of strategic focus and low level of priority to the business. This paper presents a recent study from Turkey that is focused on two themes. The first theme investigates the strategic role of ICT implementations from an industrial perspective, and explores if organisations within the AEC industry view ICT as a strategic resource for their business practice. The second theme investigates the ‘perspective of academia’ in terms of future research directions of Construction Informatics. The results of the industrial study indicates that ICT is seen as a value-adding resource, but a shift towards the recognition of the importance of ICT in terms of value adding in winning work and achieving strategic competitive advantage is observed. On the other hand, ICT Training is found to be the theme of highest priority from the academia point of view

Novartis and the United Nations Global Compact Initiative

The spirit of the Global Compact found fertile ground and has become an integral part of Novartis corporate strategy since the enterprise was formed by the merger of the two large Swiss pharmaceutical companies, Sandoz and Ciba, in 1996. Following a four-year concentration on economic consolidation and performance, Daniel Vasella (Chairman and CEO) signed the Global Compact. Together, productivity-based economic performance and a proactive approach to the expectations of society are envisioned as the key to long-term corporate success in the rapidly integrating global economic, political, and social environment of today’s large multinational corporation. This paper outlines the Novartis strategy and its implementation including the coalescing role of the Global Compact in the drive for sustainable corporate development. Following a review of extending corporate strategy to incorporate social concerns into the economic business model, the process of implementing the strategy will be assessed. In part three, specific examples of this strategic positioning will be outlined.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39911/3/wp526.pd

Sustainable Development in the European Union and World Economy-Main Selected Aspects

Main aspects are discussed in the paper from the EU and global perspective, with special reference to: the global partnership for sustainable development; fighting poverty and promoting social development; sustainable management of natural and environmental resources; trading in greenhouse gas emission allowances; main global and European challenges; goals and challenges facing the European Union member states as stemming from major strategic European Union renewed documents promoting sustainable development; especially promoting consumption and production that is sustainable and environmentally-friendly and green labeling system; a detailed look at "new" environmental policies; with special reference to sustainable transportation; a strategy for the sustainable use of natural resources; preventive strategy (preventing the creation of wastes) and waste recycling; sustainable and competitive tourism.Analizie poddane zostaly również wyzwania stojące przed państwami Unii Europejskiej, wynikające z nowych strategicznych dokumentów Unii Europejskiej, mających na celu promowanie zrównoważonego rozwoju, w tym w dziedzinie zrównoważonej produkcji konsumpcji, przyjaznego dla środowiska naturalnego "zielonego " systemu etykietowania, nowych celów i wyzwań w odniesieniu do polityki ochrony środowiska, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem zrównoważonego transportu, strategii zrównoważonego wykorzystania zasobów naturalnych, zapobiegania powstawaniu szkodliwych odpadów i promocji recyklingu oraz rozwoju zrównoważonej i konkurencyjnej turystyki

Construction informatics in Turkey: strategic role of ICT and future research directions

Construction Informatics deals with subjects ranging from strategic management of ICTs to interoperability and information integration in the construction industry. Studies on defining research directions for Construction Informatics have a history over 20 years. The recent studies in the area highlight the priority themes for Construction Informatics research as interoperability, collaboration support, intelligent sites and knowledge sharing. In parallel, today it is widely accepted in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) industry that ICT is becoming a strategic asset for any organisation to deliver business improvement and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. However, traditionally the AEC industry has approached investing in ICT with a lack of strategic focus and low level of priority to the business. This paper presents a recent study from Turkey that is focused on two themes. The first theme investigates the strategic role of ICT implementations from an industrial perspective, and explores if organisations within the AEC industry view ICT as a strategic resource for their business practice. The second theme investigates the ‘perspective of academia’ in terms of future research directions of Construction Informatics. The results of the industrial study indicates that ICT is seen as a value-adding resource, but a shift towards the recognition of the importance of ICT in terms of value adding in winning work and achieving strategic competitive advantage is observed. On the other hand, ICT Training is found to be the theme of highest priority from the academia point of view

Greening the design brief

Front End Innovation is a hot research topic, but there is still little research done on its relationship to design for sustainability. This paper explores the challenges of integrating environmental sustainability in this early stages of an innovation process and the design brief. The study is based on a content analysis of 35 design briefs from Belgian SMEs and multinationals, and a practitioners session with representatives from 14 Belgian companies. This results indicate a limited uptake of sustainability in Belgian design briefs. Furthermore, it argues that the use of certain strategies, such as front-loading, pushing sustainability upstream in the briefing process and sustainability opportunity identification in the front end, could help in greening the design brief

DIMENSIONS AND CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We focused the research spot on the dimensions and challenges of social responsibility,focusing more on issues of how companies, in terms of competition, consumers, employees,community and environment affect the economy.We analyzed and shown how businesses, governments, consumers and other interested parties arealways exciting and required to contribute to efforts to reduce poverty, to create competitiveproducts and services, new jobs, while protecting natural resources through development ofsustainable production and consumption.Finally, we showed that social responsibility programs target real social needs and effect,generating social benefits that can be converted into market opportunities and long-term profits.But, all this requires changes in attitudes and reorientation, both for production and consumption,by products and services less destructive to the environment, to improve efficiency of resource use,eco-efficiency and overall economic efficiency, and, at the same time, competitiveness, supported bya process of innovation more actively.business, corporate social responsibility (CSR), environment, globalization, management,sustainable development.

Sustainability in the boardroom: An empirical examination of Dow Jones sustainability world index leaders

In recent years, there has been a virtual explosion of interest in corporate governance. Corporate scandals and the need to protect minority shareholders' interests, for example, are some of the reasons behind the development of corporate governance codes in numerous countries and corporations. At the same time, the concepts of "sustainable development", "corporate responsibility", and "corporate citizenship" have taken root in the business world. Although an extensive body of research treats the fields of corporate governance and sustainable development separately, less attention has been paid to the interaction between both fields. This paper attempts to bridge this gap by examining how corporate governance systems are evolving in order to integrate sustainable development thinking into them. We do so by analyzing the governance systems of the 18 corporations that are leading the market sectors considered by the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSWI). We present the results of our in depth analysis of the 18 cases and propose the Sustainable Corporate Governance Model that emerges from that analysis.Corporate governance; sustainable corporate governance; sustainable enterprise; sustainable development; business in society;