Balancing Efficiency, Sustainability, and Economic Development in Operations Management

Dear Colleagues,

Operations management is critical for balancing efficiency, sustainability, and economic development in the rapidly evolving global business landscape. This Special Issue, titled "Balancing Efficiency, Sustainability and Economic Development in Operations Management", explores organizations' multifaceted challenges and opportunities in achieving this balance. Efficiency has traditionally focused on cost reduction and productivity, but modern business requires the integration of sustainable practices that minimize environmental impact and support long-term viability (Sarkis & Zhu, 2018). Sustainability has shifted from a secondary concern to a primary driver of strategic planning in operations management. Today, companies increasingly recognize the importance of sustainable practices for regulatory compliance, corporate social responsibility, and their potential to drive innovation, reduce waste, and create new market opportunities (Kleindorfer, Singhal, & Van Wassenhove, 2005). Economic development remains a cornerstone of operations management, requiring the strategic alignment of resources and capabilities. However, growth must be balanced with sustainability and efficiency to avoid environmental degradation and social inequality (Seuring & Müller, 2008). We hope that these contributions inspire researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to foster a more balanced, sustainable, and economically robust future. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Strategies for integrating sustainability into supply chain operations;
• Life cycle analysis and its role in sustainable operations;
• Role of digital transformation (IoT, AI, blockchain) in enhancing sustainability;
• Economic modeling of sustainable operations;
• Policy frameworks supporting sustainable economic development;
• Ethical implications of sustainability in operations management;
• Benchmarking sustainable practices across industries;
• Innovations in sustainable product development;
• Role of organizational culture in promoting sustainable practices;
• Challenges and opportunities in emerging markets;
• Global supply chain sustainability and international collaboration.

References

Sarkis, J., & Zhu, Q. (2018). Environmental sustainability and production: taking the road less traveled. International Journal of Production Research, 56(1-2), 743-759.

Kleindorfer, P. R., Singhal, K., & Van Wassenhove, L. N. (2005). Sustainable operations management. Production and Operations Management, 14(4), 482-492.

Seuring, S., & Müller, M. (2008). From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16(15), 1699-1710.

Dr. Jose M. Cruz
Dr. Dong Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

• sustainable operations
• digital transformation
• life cycle analysis
• ethical operations
• policy framework
• sustainable innovation
• operations efficiency
• market competitiveness
• sustainable product development