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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 50608

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Evangelos Grigoroudis

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Guest Editor

School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, University Campus, 731 00 Chania, Greece
Interests: customer and employee satisfaction; service quality; multicriteria decision analysis; sustainability assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis

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Guest Editor

School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Interests: circular economy; technical–economic project evaluation; environmental and energy economics; environmental and energy behavior; environmental performance of firms; quantitative methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ioannis Nikolaou

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Guest Editor

Business and Environmental Technology Economics Lab, Department of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, 671 00 Xanthi, Greece
Interests: corporate environmental management; corporate sustainability; corporate social responsibility; business circular economy models; environmental economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Quality management is an integrated and holistic approach that overlooks all activities of the organization in order to maintain a desired level of excellence for establishing and sustaining competitive advantage. Based on this, management activities cover the functions of quality planning, quality assurance, quality control, and quality improvement. In this context, quality management may be used as a bridge to environmental, social, and economic sustainability in organizations.

The main aim of this Special Issues is to examine the linkages between quality management and sustainability in business organizations. More specifically, we are interested in addressing the following main research questions:

How the main principles of quality management (customer focus, leadership, engagement, process approach, continuous improvement, evidence-based decision making, relationship management) may be incorporated in organizational sustainability?
How can quality management practices affect the sustainability performance of business organizations?
How can quality management and sustainability processes and tools be integrated within business organizations?

The Special Issue also examines the linkages and integration of different quality standards, such as quality management systems (ISO 9001), environmental management systems (BS 7750, ISO 14001, EcoManagement and Audit Scheme-EMAS, ISO 50001), social responsibility standards (ISO 26000), health and safety standards (OHSAS 180001, ISO 45001), etc. Furthermore, we are interested in examining the incorporation and the effects of the sustainability concept in the major quality awards, such as the EFQM Excellence Award, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and the Deming Prize.

Finally, this Special Issue seeks to collect contributions that examine the adoption of quality management tools such as Six Sigma, Lean Management, Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Kaizen, Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, etc. in improving organizational sustainability.

We invite original contributions on theory, methods, and applications, as well as case studies coming from cross-discipline areas of quality management, as well as environmental, social, and economic sustainability that shed light on the abovementioned issues.

Prof. Dr. Evangelos Grigoroudis
Prof. Dr. Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis
Dr. Ioannis Nikolaou
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

quality management
total quality management
ISO 9001
ISO 14001
eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS)
ISO 26000
quality management tools
quality management principles
quality awards
health and safety standards

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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32 pages, 3224 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing CSR Reports of Top UK Construction Companies: The Case of Occupational Health and Safety Disclosures

by Stefanos Fotiadis, Konstantinos I. Evangelinos, Foteini Konstantakopoulou and Ioannis E. Nikolaou

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6952; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086952 - 20 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2710

Abstract

As health and safety in construction is a major concern worldwide, this paper examines the occupational health and safety (OHS) disclosures of leading companies. A composite disclosure index was devised, based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reporting, and focuses on the information found in such reports of corporations pertaining to the United Kingdom (UK) construction industry, in an attempt to identify trends in OHS reporting from a sample of fifteen corporations. The results disclose that construction companies fall short in reporting OHS objectives. The prevention and mitigation measures of OHS impacts and occupational health services are the only indicators in which companies reach medium to good performance. In contrast, issues of young workers exposed to hazards pertaining to suppliers are not reported by the sample. Five sample firms were identified as not revealing any information on OHS, while there was no disclosure by at least nine companies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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17 pages, 642 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management Standard: How to Extract Value from Data in the IT Sector

by Fotis Kitsios, Elpiniki Chatzidimitriou and Maria Kamariotou

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5828; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075828 - 27 Mar 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6837

Abstract

In order to handle their regulatory and legal responsibilities and to retain trustworthy strategic partnerships, enterprises need to be dedicated to guaranteeing the privacy, accessibility, and authenticity of the data at their disposal. Companies can become more resilient in the face of information security threats and cyberattacks by effectively integrating security strategies. The goal of this article is to describe a plan that a corporation has implemented in the information technology industry in order to ensure compliance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001. This research demonstrates an examination of the reasons that force enterprises to make a investment in ISO 27001 in addition to the incentives that might be acquired from having undergone this process. In addition, the research examines the reasons that push firms to make an investment in ISO 27001. More particularly, the research investigates an international IT consulting services institution that is responsible for the implementation of large-scale business assistance insertion and projects. It demonstrates the risk management framework and the administrative structure of the appropriate situations so that its procedures are adequate and also in line with the guidelines founded by ISO 27001. In conclusion, it discusses the problems and difficulties that were experienced. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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16 pages, 565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the Effectiveness of the Introduction of the Quality Management System According to the ISO 9001 Standard in Transport Companies: Slovakia Case Study

by Renáta Cződörová and Jozef Gnap

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2401; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032401 - 29 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2398

Abstract

The ISO 9001 standard is the most widespread standard in the world that sets requirements for a quality management system. Thousands of companies around the world have implemented the quality management system according to ISO 9001, and there are many reasons why they decided to implement this management system in their companies. The main goal of this paper is to determine the impact of the introduction of a quality management system according to the ISO 9001 standard on the performance of a selected sample of transport companies after its successful implementation as a strategic step to achieve better competitiveness. The impact of the introduction of the quality management system on the performance of a selected sample of 17 transport companies was investigated through the use of financial analysis, regression, and correlation analysis tools. The first significant finding was that the selected investigated indicators, such as profitability of assets, profitability of sales, size of the transport company, and age of the transport company in the selected transport companies, showed a significant positive difference in their average values in the period after obtaining ISO 9001 certification when compared to the period without certification. Further investigation of the financial situation in transport companies that already had a quality management system in place according to the ISO 9001 standard revealed that all the values of the selected indicators acquired positive values in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could also be due to the fact that transport companies kept their customers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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13 pages, 667 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing a Sustainable Work Environment for Substitute Teachers: A Multi-Criteria Job Satisfaction Approach

by Niki Glaveli, Panagiotis Manolitzas, Fotios Vouzas and Chris Liassidis

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1154; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021154 - 07 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2021

Abstract

Retention of provisional substitute teachers (PSTs) in the teaching profession is an important and timely topic that relates to the sustainability of the schools’ work environment and teaching profession. The present study re-examines these issues using teacher job satisfaction (TJS) as a surrogate variable. More precisely, MUlti-criteria Satisfaction Analysis (MUSA) -a method that combines Multi-Criteria Decision and Importance-Performance Analysis- is applied to a data set of primary school substitute teachers from Greece to assess the contribution of schools’ performance on 5 important aspects of the school environment i.e., opportunities for self-fulfillment, work intensity/load, salary/income, leadership and collegial relations, to overall PSTs JS. The findings indicate that self-fulfillment and collegial relationships contribute the most to PST overall JS, whilst salary/income the least. The results further suggest that self-fulfillment is not only the facet of the work environment that PSTs value the most but also the strong point of the schools’ work environment. The study provides a new strategic perspective on TJS research, as well as evidence-based strategies for improving the quality of work life and attrition rate levels of substitute teachers. Moreover, the theoretical and practical implications of this study are presented and avenues for future research are highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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27 pages, 6120 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Six Sigma Methodology in an Automotive Manufacturing Company: A Case Study

by Yung-Tsan Jou, Riana Magdalena Silitonga, Ming-Chang Lin, Ronald Sukwadi and Jovian Rivaldo

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14497; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114497 - 04 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4872

Abstract

Continuous improvement is the prime requirement for all industries to sustain and grow in the competitive global market. This paper is a case study of a manufacturing industry in Taiwan, facing the problem of rejection in the brushless motor product. The DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) cycle was used to improve processes to reduce the rejection rate. In the Define phase, anything related to processes, products, suppliers, customers, and customer needs related to good quality products were determined. SIPOC diagrams (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, and Customer) and Critical to Quality (CTQ) were identified. The Measure phase focused on data collection by determining the baseline of the process and determining the root causes of the process. DPMO and the Control Chart were applied in this phase. In the Analyze phase, the causes of production process failures that result in defective products were identified. Tools like Pareto Diagram, Fishbone Diagram, and FMEA were used in this phase. In the Improve phase, the improvement solutions in overcoming priority problems were determined by using the 5W + 1H tool. Several improvement solutions were implemented, such as improvement in inspection methods, re-selection for the supplier, increasing the number of workers, providing training to workers, and others. In the control phase, the Six Sigma values were improved. In January–May 2022, the Six Sigma level increased from 5.11 to 5.44. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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17 pages, 1642 KiB

Open AccessArticle

ESG Controversies: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis for the Sociopolitical Determinants in EU Firms

by Ioannis Passas, Konstantina Ragazou, Eleni Zafeiriou, Alexandros Garefalakis and Constantin Zopounidis

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12879; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912879 - 09 Oct 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5860

Abstract

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria are novel and exciting tools of corporate disclosure for decision making. Using quantitative and qualitative analyses, the present study examined the key characteristics and trends of ESG controversies in the European market. At the same time, it identified the controversies’ determinants. A bibliometric analysis was the qualitative method employed on the data derived from Scopus using Biblioshiny software, an R package. The quantitative analysis involved an international sample of 2278 companies headquartered in Europe from 2017–2019 being studied using a Generalized Linear Model. The findings of this research highlighted the role of the “S” and the “G” dimensions of the ESG controversies as the most crucial in affecting controversies. Women are under-represented in the business hierarchy, but their natural characteristics such as friendliness and peaceability lead to a low level of illegal business practices. However, independent of gender, executives have personal gains that they want to satisfy. Thus, executives may become involved in unethical practices and harm their colleagues and the business’s reputation. On the other hand, democracy emerged as one of the most disputed factors. Democracy gives people the voice to express themselves and publicly support their ideas without restrictions. Although, the regression results showed that democracy is not always operated as the “pipe of peace” and can affect, to some extent, controversies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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20 pages, 2934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Incorporating the Sustainability Concept in the Major Business Excellence Models

by Yannis Politis and Evangelos Grigoroudis

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 8175; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14138175 - 04 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2581

Abstract

The concept of sustainability has gained importance over the last years and organizations worldwide are trying to adapt their strategies and their economic, environmental, and social goals in order to achieve what is called corporate sustainability. Despite its importance to organizations, there is no universally accepted approach for implementing and measuring corporate sustainability. Business Excellence Models (BEMs) are widely used all over the world as a means of achieving and sustaining outstanding levels of organizational performance by improving the quality and management of their operations, and have been regarded to promote sustainable development. However, they have often been criticized for focusing more on business and financial results, questioning the extent to which they can adequately promote corporate sustainability. The aim of this paper is to explore the adequacy of the latest versions of three major BEMs to address corporate sustainability, by analyzing their criteria, their core values, and the overall approach of these models. Although the latest versions of these BEMs have been evolved to take into account the growing importance of corporate sustainability, the extent to which this is achieved varies among them, and cannot yet be considered as standardized models for its implementation and measurement. BEMs should provide an extensive list of sustainability indicators, such as the ones described in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, if they are to be regarded as frameworks that adequately address corporate sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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18 pages, 2081 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Assortment of Airports’ Sustainability Strategy: A Comprehensiveness Analysis Framework

by Dimitrios Dimitriou and Aristi Karagkouni

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4217; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074217 - 01 Apr 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5432

Abstract

Global sustainability challenges are transforming 21st century business. Economic, social, and environmental sustainability impacts regulatory agencies and enterprises, particularly in the air transport industry, which facilitates access to productive services and market linkage. Stakeholders, shareholders, consumers, employees, and society are increasingly pressuring businesses to examine their socioeconomic consequences and manage them sustainably and resiliently. In this competitive and economically sensitive climate, good management is a primary responsibility for airport operators and authorities, as well as national and local economies. An assessment tool for airport strategic plans is developed in this research. Corporate activities can encourage responsible infrastructure development and company sustainability. The assessment methodology is based on a comparative analysis between airports and regulatory authorities’ threshold. The role of sustainability in the air transport business ecosystem is depicted using a systemic approach, demonstrating that its relationship to business performance is a significant barrier to business resilience and competition for planners, managers, and decision makers. The numerical application considers a group of European, U.S, and Asian airports serving international flights. Conventional wisdom is to provide the evaluation analysis framework for planning and managing capital-intensive transport hubs such as airports. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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27 pages, 1219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Total Quality Management Practices and Corporate Green Performance: Does Organizational Culture Matter?

by Muhammad Khuram Khalil and Umaporn Muneenam

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 11021; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131911021 - 05 Oct 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 7585

Abstract

Bearing in mind the environmental corrosion primarily triggered by the service sector, as well as the lack of studies detecting the factors that enable an organization to deal with this concern, the aim of this study is to analyze the impact of total quality management (TQM) practices on corporate green performance (CGP) and to investigate the causal relationship between total quality management practices and corporate green performance. This research also explores the mediating role of organizational culture (OC) within the relationship between TQM practices and CGP. In particular, this study is based on the MBNQA model, institutional theory, and green theory. The researchers collected data from 369 participants across 123 large and medium-sized private firms in the health sector in Pakistan. The structural analyses revealed the significant and positive impact of TQM practices on CGP. This demonstrates that TQM practices substantially augment organizational competencies to achieve green performance objectives. TQM practices have also had a positive and significant impression on organizational culture; furthermore, a parallel impact is seen between OC and CGP. Finally, OC is shown to have positively and significantly mediated the relationship between TQM and CGP. This study’s contextual analysis suggests that TQM is an equally important factor in accomplishing CGP objectives for both large and medium-sized firms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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17 pages, 4725 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Change and Coordinated Development Analysis of “Population-Society-Economy-Resource-Ecology-Environment” in the Jing-Jin-Ji Urban Agglomeration from 2000 to 2015

by Jianwan Ji, Shixin Wang, Yi Zhou, Wenliang Liu and Litao Wang

Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 4075; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13074075 - 06 Apr 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2347

Abstract

Measuring the regionally coordinated development degree quantitively at an urban agglomeration scale is vital for regional sustainable development. To date, existing studies mainly utilized statistical data to analyze coordinated development degrees between different subsystems, which failed to measure the development gap of subsystems between cities. This study integrated remote sensing and statistical data to evaluate the development degree from six subsystems. The coordinated index (CI) and coordinated development index (CDI) were then promoted to assess the coordinated degree and coordinated development degree. The main findings were: (1) The coordinated development degree of Jing-Jin-Ji (JJJ) had increased from 0.4616 in 2000 to 0.6099 in 2015, with the corresponding grade improvement from “moderate” to “good”; (2) JJJ and six subsystems’ development degree showed an increasing trend. JJJ’s whole development degree had improved from 0.34 to 0.52, and the grade had changed from “fair” to “moderate”; (3) The coordinated degree of JJJ displayed a “V” shape. However, the coordinated degree was lower in 2015 than in 2000. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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Review

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20 pages, 367 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Critical Review on the Microbial Ecology of Landfill Leachate Treatment Systems

by Nikolaos Remmas, Nicola Manfe, Ioanna Zerva, Paraschos Melidis, Roberto Raga and Spyridon Ntougias

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 949; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15020949 - 04 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1913

Abstract

Sanitary landfilling is still considered worldwide as one of the most common methods applied for the management of the municipal solid waste. As a consequence, vast amounts of landfill leachate are generated annually, which are characterized by variability in physicochemical composition, owing to the stabilization process that occurs over the years. However, sustainable management of landfill leachate is a challenging issue, due to diverse chemical composition and high concentration in heavy metals and xenobiotics. Despite the fact that several studies have been reported on the biotreatment of landfill leachate, only in recent years has the microbial composition in such systems have been examined. In the present review, the key role of the microbial ecology involved in depurification and detoxification of landfill leachate in activated sludge and anaerobic systems is interpreted and ecological considerations influencing landfill leachate treatment are stated. Apart from the assessment of landfill toxicity on certain model organisms, this work provides an extensive overview on microbial communities performing key biological processes during landfill leachate treatment, including nitrification-denitrification, anammox and anaerobic digestion. Moreover, microbial aspects affecting nutrient removal efficiency in such biosystems are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

16 pages, 2854 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

The Identification of Common Models Applied for the Integration of Management Systems: A Review

by Lucian Ispas and Costel Mironeasa

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3559; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063559 - 17 Mar 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3522

Abstract

The paper presents a synthesis of strategies, benefits, and barriers in the integration management systems (IMS) implementation at the organizational level. The research is based on an assessment of 103 papers, 7 books, 12 standards, and 7 sites. The analysis of works aims to highlight the common integration models of several IMS, aspects related to IMS implementation, benefits of IMS implementations, and the nature of integration strategies. The research results present valuable information which can be used by top managers of organizations, certification bodies, and consulting organizations to encourage the implementation of integrated management systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Management and Sustainability)

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