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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 June 2024 | Viewed by 9718

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Harris Wu

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Guest Editor

Department of Information Technology and Decision Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA
Interests: sustainable development; data analytics; cybersecurity; text mining; social media; enterprise information systems; internet of things

Prof. Dr. Nengmin Wang

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Guest Editor

School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Interests: sustainable operation management; green supply chain management

Dr. Qidong He

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Guest Editor

School of Economics and Management, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Interests: sustainable operation management; closed-loop supply chain management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The advancement of new technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain and the Internet of Things have opened new business opportunities. Meanwhile, complex, dynamic and uncertain environments pose new challenges. The balance between economic growth and environmental, social, and economic sustainability continues to be a major concern for society.

Information systems, intelligent systems and operations management are often the catalysts in addressing the challenges of sustainability. For example, intelligent routing and transportation have a direct impact on reducing carbon emissions. Closed-loop supply chains use reverse logistics to reuse end-of-life products and eliminate waste. Intelligent information systems combine big data and artificial intelligence techniques to rapidly adapt business operations to changing environments. Smart and connected communities continuously increase levels of prosperity, safety, security, accessibility and inclusivity, and overall quality of life.

This Special Issue on Intelligent Information Systems and Operations Management studies the inter-related roles of people, computing, information, and operations on sustainability. The subject areas include, but are not limited to, sustainable computing, smart homes and communities, sustainable supply chain management, green and sustained innovation, data science and artificial intelligence for sustainable development. The purpose of this Special Issue is to highlight the advancements and impact of information systems, intelligent systems, and operations management in face of changing environments.

We welcome submissions from any business and technology disciplines. We encourage researchers and practitioners to submit original research articles, case studies, reviews, critical perspectives, and viewpoint articles on topics including but not limited to:

Sustainable computing;
Use of intelligent information systems in enterprises;
Smart and connected homes and communities;
Intelligent transportation and routing;
Closed-loop supply chain management;
Resilience and security of information systems and supply chains;
Green innovation and green manufacturing;
Corporate social responsibility and sustainability;
Life-cycle analysis of technologies and operations.

Prof. Dr. Harris Wu
Prof. Dr. Nengmin Wang
Dr. Qidong He
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 computing
intelligent information systems
sustainable operations management
sustainable supply chain
closed-loop supply chain
green innovation
green manufacturing
corporate social responsibility
big data
artificial intelligence
life cycle analysis

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5147 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geospatial Tools and Remote Sensing Strategies for Timely Humanitarian Response: A Case Study on Drought Monitoring in Eswatini

by Jean-Claude Baraka Munyaka, Jérôme Chenal, Sizwe Mabaso, Samkele Sikhulile Tfwala and Anil Kumar Mandal

Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 409; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010409 - 2 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1171

Abstract

This article explores the escalating impact of natural disasters, particularly droughts, in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with a specific focus on Eswatini. Over the last century, approximately 63 million people in SADC countries have been affected by droughts, leading to challenges in agriculture, livestock losses, and severe food and water shortages. Despite being the smallest SADC nation, the Kingdom of Eswatini faces disproportionate consequences due to its susceptibility to climate variability, particularly drought. The inadequacy and unreliability of rainfall have resulted in a drastic reduction in food production, with maize, a staple crop, experiencing a 70% decline. This adverse trend, spanning three decades, has heightened the vulnerability of farmers to climatic shocks, hindering sustainable agricultural development and impeding poverty alleviation efforts. To address the growing threat of drought in the kingdom, a comprehensive approach is imperative, involving coordinated plans and the development of swift humanitarian relief strategies. This study utilized remote sensing technologies to monitor drought and assess its repercussions, evaluating the impact on agricultural production. Additionally, geospatial tools, including Open Route Service (ORS) and Near Neighbor Analysis algorithms, were employed to optimize humanitarian supply chain logistics. Results from the analysis, including Vegetation Health Index (VHI) fluctuations and drought severity mapping, reveal that 1990 was the year the kingdom was most severely hit by drought. This study also found that smallholder farmers practicing rainfed agriculture in vulnerable regions, such as the lower Middleveld and western Lowveld, suffered the severe socioeconomic consequences of agricultural drought, including income loss, food insecurity, and migration patterns. Through this integrated approach, decision makers can engage in targeted interventions, focusing on farming areas needing irrigation infrastructures or populated areas requiring a coordinated humanitarian response amidst climate variability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Information Systems and Operations Management)

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19 pages, 767 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Current Situation and Problems of Ecological Civilization Education for Contemporary College Students—An Empirical Analysis Based on Structural Equation Modeling

by Xintong Zhou, Fengrong Zhang, Lijie Shan and Ciyun Lin

Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 16051; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216051 - 17 Nov 2023

Viewed by 776

Abstract

With the globalization of industry, the ecological crisis has become more serious. The sustainable development of the environment is being challenged. College students bear the important responsibility of future social development and environmental construction; therefore, it is imperative to promote the ecological civilization education of college students. This study expects to use structural equation modeling to analyze the current situation of college students’ ecological civilization education and its problems, to study the internal mechanism of college students’ ecological civilization education influencing factors, and to provide a path for cultivating college students’ ecological civilization literacy. In this study, a conceptual model of the current status of college students’ ecological civilization education was constructed by using structural equations after a questionnaire survey of 136 college students randomly sampled from six colleges and universities, so as to empirically analyze the current status of contemporary college students’ ecological civilization education. The results of the study show that social impact and school education are positively related to students’ ecological sense of civilization; social impact is positively related to educational affinity; and educational affinity is positively related to school education. Based on the conclusions of the study, the practical paths of enriching teaching content, strengthening teachers’ ability, formulating policies and regulations, and building an online environment are proposed to enhance the level of college students’ ecological civilization education and cultivate their ecological sense of civilization, thus promoting environmental sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Information Systems and Operations Management)

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16 pages, 1474 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Regime Complexes for Global Climate Governance

by Lihua Zhang and Erhai Bai

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 9077; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15119077 - 4 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2522

Abstract

Climate change is a major challenge for human society in the 21st century and an important issue in the context of sustainable development governance. As the density of institutions in global climate governance increases, so does the potential for overlap and interaction between the various elements of institutions. The current global climate governance issue is no longer solely a state-centric governance model but presents a complex manifestation of a complex of mechanisms. Taking a global climate governance perspective, this paper finds that the institutional complex of global climate governance is shaped by internal factors, such as self-attribution, rights, and interest linkages. External factors include the rapid development of globalization and the non-governmental state of the international community. The internal logic of the institutional complex is based on the institutional fragmentation of multiple interested parties involved in the governance process and the interaction patterns of internal actors. The institutional complex of global climate governance has the following implications for policy-making: the strength of the institutional complex refers to the framework of decision-making; the flexibility of the arguments provides stakeholders with demands related to their interests and inspires different countries to join in the governance of global climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Information Systems and Operations Management)

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17 pages, 2897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Ecological Governance on Industrial Structure Upgrading under the Dual Carbon Target

by Siqing You, Han Zhao, Hongli Zhou, Chaoyu Zhang and Zican Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8676; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118676 - 26 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1076

Abstract

Under China’s goal of “carbon neutrality”, appropriate ecological governance is crucial for upgrading the industrial structure, and too strict or loose governance will have a negative effect. In order to find the optimal range for ecological governance efforts, the concept of the industrial low-carbon index was defined based on the comparison of industrial carbon emissions and output value. The industrial structure was measured from two dimensions: overall upgrading and internal optimization of the industry. We innovatively use multiple indicators to represent the core explanatory variables and use the coefficient of variation method to calculate them. A threshold regression model for ecological governance and industrial structure based on the above indicator system was built, using indicator data from 288 cities in China over the past 15 years for empirical analysis. The study found that (1) ecological governance has a threshold effect on the overall upgrading and internal optimization of the industrial structure, and overall efforts need to be increased for ecological governance; (2) the governance intensity for different cities needs to be determined according to their economic levels and local conditions; and (3) the industrial structure gap among cities will gradually narrow, and the overall development tends to be balanced. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Information Systems and Operations Management)

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15 pages, 2567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Policy Research on Education Development and Global Citizenship in a Sustainable Environment

by Hanlin Fang, Fengrong Zhang, Qianwen Xiao and Ciyun Lin

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4736; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064736 - 7 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1393

Abstract

At present, multinational and regional educational agencies and researchers have used academic development and global citizenship training to increase globalization. However, owing to the existence of emerging policies, these innovations have raised issues in the educational sector. Therefore, in this paper, EP-SE has been proposed for enhancing the sustainable environment in education and global citizenship. EP-SE seeks to elucidate the educational developments and reveal the part played by non-discursive components in ensuring global citizenship cooperation. The emerging policies for sustainable development emphasize the importance of moral ideals, personal accountability, and engaged global citizenship. Capitalist debate impartially privileges a real economy based on the individual and enhanced income. EP-SE has been developed within the current commodity conditions, critical democracy, and threats to educational development and can serve as a model for sustainable global citizenship development. The experimental results suggest that the proposed model achieves the highest performance compared with the other existing methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Information Systems and Operations Management)

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26 pages, 953 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Benefit of Crop Straw Return Volume under Sustainable Development Management Concept in Heilongjiang, China

by Jia Mao, Ziang Zhao, Xiangyu Li, Honggang Zhao and Ciyun Lin

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4129; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054129 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1738

Abstract

Straw burning can cause serious environmental pollution, whereas returning straw to the fields, as a green production method, can improve the rural environment and strengthen the sustainable development of agriculture. According to statistics, China produced 797 million tons of straw in 2020, but the current straw return technology still needs to be improved; the ability of farmers to choose the correct amount of straw to be returned to the field and their awareness of environmental protection still need to be strengthened. Straw is still openly burned in some areas, causing environmental pollution and the waste of resources, which are contrary to the concept of sustainable development in China. In this study, we estimated the amount of straw resources in Heilongjiang Province, a major grain-producing province in China, by quantifying the production of major crops between 2011 and 2020. We then identified and analyzed the current problems in terms of policy support and other aspects. We used an integrated AHP-fuzzy evaluation method to evaluate the comprehensive benefits of different straw return amounts, and we determined the amount of straw that should be returned to the soil to produce the best comprehensive benefits. We provide suggestions for the current main problems regarding the amount of crop straw to return to the soil in Heilongjiang Province, arguing that choosing a reasonable straw return amount will help farmers increase profit, reduce environmental pollution, and contribute to the sustainable development of the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Information Systems and Operations Management)

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