Digital transformation towards sustainability in higher education: state-of-the-art and future research insights

The technological revolution has contributed to environmental and social issues around the world. However, in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs) – key stakeholders for sustainable development - there is a theoretical gap regarding systematic reviews on the topic. In order to address this need, this study explores how digital transformation (DT) can contribute to sustainability in HEIs by identifying the general state of the art, the theoretical perspectives in the field, and future research insights. A multi-methods approach was adopted, which consisted of a quantitative bibliometric review and a qualitative content analysis. Consistent with this approach, the Scopus database was used for the bibliometric analysis of 672 publications, which was conducted with the support of VOSviewer software. Subsequently, a content analysis of 72 publications was carried out using the software ATLAS.ti and Zotero. The findings suggest three areas of current research: ensuring sustainability competencies through DT, smart and sustainable campus approaches, and theorisation of sustainability in higher education through DT. The theoretical perspectives of the field were divided and discussed into seven main clusters. Lastly, five research lines for further studies on DT towards sustainability were identified. This study has both theoretical and practical implications since it may be the first literature review on this subject, providing theoretical insights to the academic community, guiding sustainability and digital practices in HEIs - through the identification of tools, approaches, and strategies - and then supporting the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Understanding Rare Earth Elements as Critical Raw Materials

The boom in technological advances in recent decades has led to increased demand for rare earth elements (REEs) (also known as rare earth metals) across various industries with wide-ranging industrial applications, including in the clean energy sector, but with some environmental, economic, and social footprint concerns. This paper reviews the complexities of the production, consumption, and reuse or recovery of REEs, presenting current trends in terms of potentials and challenges associated with this. This paper in particular focuses on the supply, demand, and (environmental and economic) sustainability of REEs, as a subset of critical raw materials. It does so via a critical stocktaking of key discussions and debates in the field over the past 15 years up until now, through a thematic analysis of the published and gray (policy) literature with a grounded theory approach. The paper finds that carefully balanced lifecycle sustainability assessments are needed for assessing the respective dimensions of the extraction, processing, and reuse or recovery methods for different types of REE sources and supplies to meet current and future demands. It furthermore diagnoses the need for taking into account some shifts and substitutions among REEs also for reasons of cost and locational supplies for the security of supply. Finally, the paper provides some overall policy recommendations for addressing current problems, with a conceptual framing of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Planetary health and health education in Brazil: towards better trained future health professionals

Brazil is Latin America’s largest country and has a strong economy, but it is also characterised by many inequalities. These are very conspicuous in the health sector, particularly in health education, which is expected to modernise according to the planetary health (PH) perspective. This paper describes the health education scenario in Brazil and undertakes an analysis of the postgraduate health programmes and policies in place, identifying the extent to which these support the cause of PH. To achieve this goal, this paper deploys a bibliometric analysis to gain a better understanding of the research streams related to higher education and PH. In addition, it presents and discusses selected case studies in the field and cross-checks documents from the Brazilian Ministry of Education against five domains of PH in education. The results indicate that despite some progress to date and the fact that some programmes are in place, there is a perceived need for policies and efforts from education organisations towards connecting PH principles in the education of current and future health professionals

Using data science for sustainable development in higher education

Despite the abundance of studies focused on how higher education institutions (HEIs) are implementing sustainable development (SD) in their educational programmes, there is a paucity of interdisciplinary studies exploring the role of technology, such as data science, in an SD context. Further research is thus needed to identify how SD is being deployed in higher education (HE), generating positive externalities for society and the environment. This study aims to address this research gap by exploring various ways in which data science may support university efforts towards SD. The methodology relied on a bibliometric analysis to understand and visualise the connections between data science and SD in HE, as well as reporting on selected case studies showing how data science may be deployed for creating SD impact in HE and in the community. The results from the bibliometric analysis unveil five research strands driving this field, and the case studies exemplify them. This study can be considered innovative since it follows previous research on artificial intelligence and SD. Moreover, the combination of bibliometric analysis and case studies provides an overview of trends, which may be useful to researchers and decision-makers who wish to explore the use of data science for SD in HEIs. Finally, the findings highlight how data science can be used in HEIs, combined with a framework developed to support further research into SD in HE

Assessing the connections between COVID-19 and waste management in Brazil

In addition to the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, several countries— particularly in developing regions—faced serious additional challenges in the economic, social and environmental areas. In Brazil, one of these challenges refers to the changes in consumption caused by the lockdowns, and the environmental impacts caused by new patterns of waste generation. Against this background, this paper investigates the changes in consumption and waste generation in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides a technical contribution to the topic by comparing the perception of survey respondents on the amount of household waste produced before and during the pandemic, and cross-checking these with information on current aspects of policymaking, the findings suggest that the amount of some specific types of household waste has noticeably increased, challenging even more the local waste management systems. The data instrument was validated by a pre-test, prior to deployment. According to the respondents, packaging (both plastic and paper/cardboard) was the type of waste that reported the highest increase in generation during the lockdowns, which is in line with the results of increased consumption of food delivery within this period. The results also suggest that current waste management policies make Brazil ill-equipped to deal with one of the non-intended effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely impacted Latin America’s largest country.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing ethics and sustainability standards in corporate practices

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how sustainability and ethics are being addressed both by the literature and companies. Furthermore, it seeks to identify the specific strategies that these companies use to foster ethical behaviour and promote sustainability in their business operations. Design/methodology/approach: The study entails a bibliometric analysis and a set of case studies from a sample of companies working in different industry sectors. Based on these tools, it analyses whether – and how – enterprises are placing an emphasis on sustainability and ethics as part of their businesses. In addition, the selected companies' unethical practices or socially irresponsible corporate activities were investigated and presented. Findings: The findings suggest that using an ethics perspective can be a valuable tool in improving the accuracy and correctness of business decision-making. In addition, the paper has identified the fact that sustainability standards can be used to improve customer satisfaction as many important issues are addressed. Finally, the paper highlights the importance of ethical considerations when designing and implementing sustainability standards at enterprises and the need for regulatory guidance in this regard. Originality/value: The paper addresses the need for studies on how sustainability and ethics are being discussed by both the literature and companies. The paper presents some elements that can be used as possible corporate indicators for a wider implementation of sustainability and ethics objectives in enterprises

Governance in the implementation of the UN sustainable development goals in higher education : global trends

Governance is a key component for implementing sustainable development (SD) initiatives in university teaching, research, and projects. This line of thinking also applies to implementing the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs). Despite the role of governance in guiding processes related to the SDGs, few studies have examined these relations in an integrative manner in higher education. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study assesses the connections between governance and implementing the SDGs at higher education institutions (HEIs). Specifically, it relies on two main methods. The first is a bibliometric analysis, where the literature on the topic has been analyzed. The second method uses case studies from a sample of universities. The combined dual approach has identified the extent to which governance issues influence how these organizations perceive and handle the SDGs. The study provides valuable recommendations that may assist HEIs in implementing the SDGs with a due emphasis on governance.peer-reviewe

Design of the municipal viable development system based on the United Nation´s sustainable development goals for the municipalities of the state of São Paulo: an application of the viable system model for municipal administration.

O desenvolvimento municipal sustentável é um fenômeno complexo. Para que seja possível entender tal fenômeno, é necessário levar em consideração como se comportam as diversas variáveis de dimensões distintas e a interação de uma grande quantidade de atores envolvidos em um processo dinâmico, transformando constantemente o sistema social de uma determinada região. Esta dissertação tem em sua essência, ser um trabalho que está de acordo com o novo paradigma da ciência, descartando explicações simples e prontas sobre o desenvolvimento. Busca agregar toda a complexidade, instabilidade e intersubjetividade que o assunto compreende. Assim, o principal objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver e diagnosticar o sistema de administração das prefeituras municipais para o desenvolvimento sustentável, tendo como base os objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável (ODS), utilizando como métodos o Viable System Model (VSM) em prefeituras municipais e a criação de Indicador Sistêmico-Cibernético de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ISCDS) por meio da análise fatorial (AF) para os municípios do estado de São Paulo. Os objetivos específicos também são desenvolvidos de maneira a contribuir ao objetivo principal. Dentre eles estão: diferenciar os diversos conceitos de desenvolvimento, identificar e delimitar o sistema onde acontece o desenvolvimento local, verificar como os ODS podem ser uma forma de promover o desenvolvimento sistêmico, identificar as principais variáveis secundárias que podem compor o desenvolvimento local e que estejam ligadas a cada um dos objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável da ONU, desenvolver um indicador capaz de medir o desenvolvimento sistêmico utilizando os ODS e, por fim, identificar as diferenças entre os municípios do estado de São Paulo criando agrupamentos de municípios semelhantes. Para tanto, este é um trabalho sistêmico tanto em sua filosofia quanto estrutura, adotando métodos e técnicas tanto quantitativas como qualitativas para se chegar aos resultados das perguntas de pesquisa. Para que fosse possível obter conhecimento suficiente acerca dos temas tratados e propor uma base metodológica sólida de modo a mostrar os resultados esperados, optou-se por realizar um amplo referencial teórico, envolvendo três itens: desenvolvimento, abordagens sistêmico-cibernéticas e objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável. Os resultados mostraram que é possível aplicar o VSM no sistema administrativo das prefeituras municipais, sendo uma poderosa ferramenta para administrar o a prefeitura de maneira eficiente e também útil para identificar diversas falhas sistêmicas, conforme são expostas nas considerações finais deste trabalho. Por meio da análise fatorial, tendo como base os ODS, foi possível desenvolver um modelo para se medir o desenvolvimento sustentável sistêmico municipal: o ISCDS para os 645 municípios do estado de São Paulo. A partir da obtenção do ISCDS, foram encontrados sete clusters com características diferentes, indicando a necessidade de tratativas administrativas diferentes que visem o desenvolvimento sustentável para cada agrupamento encontrado.Sustainable municipal development is a complex phenomenon. To understand this phenomenon, it is necessary to take into account not only the way of huge number variables of different dimensions behave, but also how the large number of actors are involved in a dynamic process, constantly transforming the social system of a given region. This dissertation has in its essence, to be a work that is in accordance with the new paradigm of science, discarding simple and ready explanations about development. It seeks to add all the complexity, instability and intersubjectivity that the subject comprehends. Thus, the main objective of this work is to develop and diagnose the municipal town hall administration system for the sustainable development, based on the sustainable development goals (SDG). The methods used are the Viable System Model (VSM) for the municipal town hall management, and the factor analysis to model the Systemic-Cybernetic Indicator of Sustainable Development (SCISD) for the municipalities of the state of São Paulo. Specific objectives are also developed in order to contribute to the main objective. These include: a) to differentiate the various development concepts, b) to identify the system where local development takes place, b) to check how the SDGs can promote systemic development, c) to identify the main variables that could be used to measure sustainable development, and which of them are connected to each of the UN\'s SDGs and, finally, d) to identify the differences between the municipalities of the state of São Paulo, creating clusters of similar municipalities according to the SCISD developed. To do so, this is a systemic work both in its philosophy and structure. It was adopted methods and techniques both quantitative and qualitative to explore to the results of the research questions. In order to obtain sufficient knowledge about the topics addressed and to propose a solid methodological basis to show the expected results, it was decided to make a broad theoretical reference, involving three items: development, systems thinking and cybernetics approaches and sustainable development goals. The results showed that it is possible to apply the VSM in the administrative system of the city halls, being a powerful tool not only to manage the city in an efficient way, but also useful to identify several systemic failures, as they are exposed in the final considerations of this work. Through the factorial analysis, based on the SDGs, it was also possible to develop a model to measure the level of municipal sustainable development: the SCISD for the 645 municipalities of the state of São Paulo. Also, from the SCISD, seven clusters with different characteristics were found, indicating the need for different administrative approaches according to the different at sustainable development characteristics found in each cluster

Liderança para o desenvolvimento sustentável no contexto das instituições de ensino superior

Companies are expected to reduce negative externalities and promote positive impacts in order to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, this is not a simple task; it requires corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement through effective coordinated actions to successfully implement the sustainable development goals (SDGs) into the companies\' managerial systems and strategies. Among the several theoretical streams, change management calls attention since it shows how companies can deal with the transition towards becoming more sustainability-oriented, where leadership is not only desired but essential in this process. This complex process is also evidenced in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs), where sustainability leadership (SL) can be related to (1) the role of administrative staff in implementing the SDGs into the universities´ educational systems, (2) the support offered to professors so they can implement sustainability in teaching practices and (3) the role the professor as a sustainability leader, capable of educating the students who are also expected to become sustainability leaders in the future by the time they assume important positions in companies. In this sense, considering the relevance of SL to both companies and HEIs, this thesis aims to explore the theoretical foundations of the concept of SL and its implications in the context of HEIs by presenting three studies. The first study aims to unveil the landscape of SL literature based on well-cited papers published in top journals. A total of 1813 articles were explored through the bibliometric assessment. The second aims to understand the influence of SL and transformational leadership in the HEIs´ social innovation tendency and implementation of sustainability aspects in teaching practices through a world survey with 603 professors from 102 countries. The third study tackles the context of business schools, aiming to understand the extent to which there are differences between professors from PRME signatory and non-signatory business schools in terms of adopting SD aspects in their teaching and the support they receive from their HEIs in this process. The results indicate that SL is a complex and broad concept, which can also be used in the HEIs and companies´ context as responsibility leadership, and corporate SL. The results from the structural equation modelling evidence that SL has a significantly strong relationship with transformational leadership, social innovation tendency and adoption of sustainability aspects in teaching; however, it is not possible to support the existence of a significant relationship between transformational leadership and adoption of sustainability aspects in teaching, and between social innovation tendency and adoption of sustainability aspects in teaching. Finally, the last study evidenced the importance of the context influencing the relationship of the stakeholders in HEIs, where hypotheses testing showed that professors from PRME business schools significantly tend to implement sustainability aspects into teaching and receive more support from their superiors and institutions when compared to those who belong to non-signatory schools. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as opportunities for future studies are also addressed.Espera-se que as empresas reduzam as suas externalidades negativas e promovam impactos positivos para contribuir com a Agenda 2030 de Desenvolvimento Sustentável. No entanto, esta não é uma tarefa simples; requer o engajamento de diversos stakeholders para a implementação de responsabilidade social corporativa (RSC) e dos objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável (ODS) nos sistemas de gestão e estratégias corporativas. Dentre as diversas correntes teóricas, a gestão da mudança chama a atenção uma vez que mostra como as empresas podem lidar com a transição para se tornarem mais orientadas para a sustentabilidade, sendo que a liderança não é apenas desejada, mas essencial nesse processo. Esta transição também pode ser percebida no contexto das instituições de ensino superior (IES), em que a liderança sustentável (LS) pode estar relacionada (1) ao papel do corpo administrativo na implementação dos ODS nos sistemas educacionais das universidades, (2) ao apoio oferecidos aos professores para que possam implementar a sustentabilidade nas práticas de ensino e (3) ao papel do professor como líder sustentável, capaz de formar alunos que também irão se tornar líderes sustentáveis no futuro, quando assumirem cargos importantes nas empresas. Nesse sentido, considerando a relevância da LS tanto para as empresas quanto para as IES, esta tese visa explorar os fundamentos teóricos do conceito de LS e suas implicações no contexto das IES, apresentando três estudos complementares. O primeiro estudo tem como objetivo desvendar o panorama da literatura SL com base em artigos bem citados. Assim, 1813 artigos foram explorados por meio da avaliação bibliométrica. O segundo estudo visa compreender a influência da LS e da liderança transformacional na tendência de inovação social das IES e na implementação de aspectos de sustentabilidade nas práticas de ensino por meio de uma pesquisa conduzida com 603 professores de 102 países. O terceiro estudo aborda o contexto das escolas de negócios, com o objetivo de compreender até que ponto existem diferenças entre professores de escolas de negócios signatárias e não signatárias do PRME quanto à adoção de aspectos DS em seu ensino e o apoio que recebem nesse processo. Os resultados indicam que a SL é um conceito complexo e amplo, que também pode ser utilizado no contexto das IES e empresas como liderança de responsabilidade e liderança de sustentabilidade corporativa. Os resultados da modelagem de equações estruturais evidenciam que a LS tem uma relação significativamente forte com liderança transformacional, tendência à inovação social e adoção de aspectos de sustentabilidade no ensino; no entanto, não é possível sustentar a existência de uma relação significativa entre liderança transformacional e adoção de aspectos de sustentabilidade no ensino, e entre tendência de inovação social e adoção de aspectos de sustentabilidade no ensino. Por fim, o último estudo evidenciou a importância do contexto influenciando o relacionamento dos stakeholders internos das IES, em que os testes de hipóteses mostraram que os professores das escolas de negócios signatárias do PRME tendem significativamente a implementar aspectos de sustentabilidade no ensino e recebem mais apoio de seus superiores e instituições quando comparados aos professores que pertencem às escolas não signatárias. Implicações teóricas e práticas, bem como oportunidades para estudos futuros também são abordadas