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Sustainability and Innovation in Organizational Performance

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 May 2024) | Viewed by 4995

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Economics and Statistics (DISES), University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: productivity and efficiency analysis; financial economics; education economics; economics of innovation; economics of institutions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: international economics; game theory; network theory; cultural economics; industrial organisation theory

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable development is defined as a key concept, with the aim of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. To meet this aim, assumed to drastically shape our societies and to affect human behaviour, companies are increasingly expected to develop innovations that balance economic, environmental and social goals (Silvestre and Îrcă, 2019). Profitability, environmental policy and stakeholder pressure are the top three motivations for companies to adopt sustainable practices (Naidoo and Gasparatos, 2018).

In essence, the main motivation for companies to adopt green or sustainable orientation is to gain a competitive advantage and increase profits (Papadas et al., 2019). However, before pursuing sustainable development, many companies feel that the greener they are, the higher their costs will be, which would ultimately reduce their financial returns. In contrast to this, however, environmentally conscious companies reduce their input consumption and thus their costs (Nidumolu et al., 2009).

Sustainable innovation can be defined as a process in which sustainability and environmental, economic and social considerations are incorporated into business systems, from idea generation through research and development to commercialisation, producing socially desirable outcomes that promote economic growth. According to Miemczyk et al. (2012), sustainability needs to be captured at an even higher level of analysis than the supply chain: the network level. Roome (2001) suggests that networks play an identified role in innovation for environmental management and sustainable development. However, research on sustainability and networks is rare (Miemczyk et al., 2012).

Theoretically, management research examines the impact of social networks from the perspective of a wide range of organisational phenomena (Baker and Faulkner, 2002; Borgatti and Foster, 2003; Brass et al., 2004). In general, management scholars have modelled the relationship between network theory constructs and organisational phenomena. Despite their stage of development, there is still a large gap in the literature on organisational networks.

It turns out that a full understanding of how sustainable development will affect economic growth, organisational performance with special emphasis on productivity and efficiency concepts and innovation, labour market outcomes, and the role played by science and academic institutions (in affecting the adoption of new technologies) is a major challenge for researchers and scholars interested in sustainable development.

All of these aspects need to be deeply investigated and seem to be particularly relevant nowadays, as the advent of climate change has significantly accelerated sustainable development and the adoption of new and cleaner technologies. In this Special Issue, original, theoretical and empirical articles are welcomed.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Sustainable development and economic growth;
  • Enterprise performance and sustainable development;
  • Sustainability and networks;
  • Companies' innovation and sustainable development;
  • Labour market (job creation, job destruction, job reallocation) and sustainable development;
  • The role of national and regional policies on sustainable development;
  • Sustainable development and institutional determinants.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Cristian Barra
Dr. Anna Papaccio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable development
  • economic growth
  • enterprise performance and innovation
  • network analysis
  • labour market
  • institutional determinants
  • national and regional policies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 289 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Employment Creation through the Polish Investment Zone in Lagging Regions
by Jarosław M. Nazarczuk and Marlena Cicha-Nazarczuk
Sustainability 2024, 16(12), 5144; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16125144 - 17 Jun 2024
Viewed by 980
Abstract
The article aims to identify the firm-level effects of public support within the Polish Investment Zone (PIZ) on firms’ employment located in lagging regions of Poland, signalling insights into sustainable employment creation. Utilising a difference-in-differences framework and accounting for controls, including the firms’ [...] Read more.
The article aims to identify the firm-level effects of public support within the Polish Investment Zone (PIZ) on firms’ employment located in lagging regions of Poland, signalling insights into sustainable employment creation. Utilising a difference-in-differences framework and accounting for controls, including the firms’ size, age, leverage, other public aid programmes, subsidies, and firm-level fixed effects, our objective is to ascertain the average treatment effects (ATEs) of the programme, particularly concerning the creation of additional workplaces. To ensure the reliability of our findings, we conducted robustness checks utilising alternative econometric approaches and scrutinise changes in the duration of both the pre- and post-treatment periods. No significant ATEs were observed in the year of the treatment or in one to three years following treatment. This outcome remains robust to variations in the econometric approach, the set of variables considered, and alterations in the length of both pre- and post-treatment periods. This article contributes to an ongoing discussion marked by a lack of consensus regarding the effectiveness of special economic zones in fostering sustainable employment and reducing unemployment rates by presenting the effects of the PIZ and directing policy attention towards more qualitative aspects of created workplaces, fostering sustainable employment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation in Organizational Performance)
12 pages, 662 KiB  
Article
Sustainability in Public Relations Campaigns: Diagnosis of the Phenomenon Using the Example of PR Industry Research in Poland
by Dariusz Tworzydło, Sławomir Gawroński, Agata Opolska-Bielańska and Przemysław Szuba
Sustainability 2024, 16(10), 4252; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16104252 - 18 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 989
Abstract
This article is based on a study of the public relations environment in Poland and contains many references to the problems that Polish PR professionals have to deal with while performing their daily professional duties. The purpose of the article is to identify [...] Read more.
This article is based on a study of the public relations environment in Poland and contains many references to the problems that Polish PR professionals have to deal with while performing their daily professional duties. The purpose of the article is to identify the factors that determine the frequency with which sustainable development elements are used in PR campaigns. The unit of analysis consists of the responses of 315 PR professionals who represent various organizations and provide services both to their clients and themselves, contributing to the PR structures of private and public companies. The main research technique was an online CAWI survey conducted in 2022. The main hypothesis of the article assumes that the professional experience of Polish PR professionals determines the frequency of using sustainable development elements in PR campaigns. In light of the above considerations, this article can make a valuable contribution to the discussion on the evolution of the PR specialist’s role in the context of sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation in Organizational Performance)
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19 pages, 2300 KiB  
Article
Organiblò: Engaging People in “Circular” Organizations and Enabling Social Sustainability
by Edoardo Beretta, Christian Burkhalter, Pietro Camenisch, Cristina Carcano-Monti, Mauro Citraro, Michela Manini-Mondia and Fabrizio Traversa
Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3468; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083468 - 21 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1428
Abstract
The present analysis related to social sustainability aims at evaluating and understanding how a “circular” or “round” organization such as the so-called Organiblò (i.e., a fusion of the terms “organigram” and the Italian word for “porthole”) functions. More precisely, the present article wants [...] Read more.
The present analysis related to social sustainability aims at evaluating and understanding how a “circular” or “round” organization such as the so-called Organiblò (i.e., a fusion of the terms “organigram” and the Italian word for “porthole”) functions. More precisely, the present article wants to raise awareness among companies that a profound cultural change seems necessary to push the search for sustainable objectives further. In this specific regard, independent interviews with the CEOs of 11 medium-sized enterprises and 46 young middle managers were conducted. Based on their responses, our analysis highlights the advantages of a “circular” organization, which range from better corporate sustainability to greater freedom of staff and cross-functional activities as well as the valorization of individuals and enhanced flexibility and collaborative spirit. However, time is needed to effect such a profound cultural change. The main difficulties consist in the approach to decision-making processes, because top management is often not yet prone to strongly encourage transparency, a culture of feedback and inclusiveness in the workforce. Consequently, a new, additional manager (i.e., a “wheeler manager”) might disseminate a new managing culture and involve employees in contributing to the company’s sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation in Organizational Performance)
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Review

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18 pages, 1394 KiB  
Review
Creating Sustainable Innovation Performance: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis
by Teguh Widhi Harsono, Kadarisman Hidayat, Mohammad Iqbal and Yusri Abdillah
Sustainability 2024, 16(12), 4990; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16124990 - 11 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1028
Abstract
In response to the growing interest in innovation performance within dynamic business landscapes, this study aims to fill the gap in comprehensive review studies by examining the factors influencing sustainable innovation performance. Employing a Systematic Review approach, this study elucidates the contributions of [...] Read more.
In response to the growing interest in innovation performance within dynamic business landscapes, this study aims to fill the gap in comprehensive review studies by examining the factors influencing sustainable innovation performance. Employing a Systematic Review approach, this study elucidates the contributions of prior research and identifies key factors impacting sustainable innovation performance. Various software tools such as Publish/Perish, VOSviewer, and bibliometrics are utilized for the Systematic Review analysis. The research conducted searches in the Scopus scientific database, spanning articles from 1998 to 2023. The findings highlight four predominant themes: knowledge management, research and development, product innovation, and product development. This synthesis of literature provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics shaping sustainable innovation performance within evolving business contexts, facilitating further exploration and understanding in this research domain. This paper’s significance lies in its contribution to enhancing comprehension of the factors driving sustainable innovation performance, thereby aiding practitioners and scholars in navigating and leveraging innovation within contemporary business environments. It offers a foundation for the development of sustainable policies and practices in harnessing innovation to enhance business performance, addressing the ever-changing dynamics of the business environment effectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation in Organizational Performance)
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