This article aims to present, adapt, and propose the use of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a tool to support strategic management for sustainable cities. To achieve this goal, publications and 27 sustainable cities projects were also consulted, through project reports and programs from the cities themselves on the topic were consulted. A text mining analysis was applied to the results obtained in this literature review to find the main factors related to sustainable cities. To evaluate the findings of this first stage, consultations with specialists were carried out, specifically to assess the main factors. Based on the previous steps, and based on the original BSC, an adaptation of the tool was proposed, where its structure was changed to meet the needs of the strategic management of sustainable cities. It was concluded that creating a sustainable city requires understanding the difficulties faced by urban center managers with the implementation and management of institutional sustainable development practices. The BSC for sustainable cities can assist as a viable management strategic tool to more efficient use of resources in order to develop sustainable cities.
Global environmental changes coupled with socioeconomic changes are major challenges to food security. Changes in climate affect most food crops, particularly in countries that rely on agriculture for subsistence. The article proposes a model to analyze food stability in the context of climate change. Genetic improvement, agrobiodiversity, sustainable intensification, climate monitoring, and market monitoring were considered key perspectives for the balanced scorecard to achieve stability in food production. The set of perspectives and indicators were validated by 185 experts, which supported the creation of a balanced scorecard map to assist decision‐making. Therefore, the model could serve as an addition to FAO's approach to food security, driving actions related to global food policy. This research can also assist governmental policies to mitigate the effects of climate change on food stability around the world.
Cities have become important drivers in promoting strategies for sustainable development. The primary objective of this article is to analyze the differences between public transportation in Newcastle upon Tyne, the city considered the most sustainable in the United Kingdom, and Florianópolis, a city with great potential for sustainable policies located in southern Brazil. This comparison may provide models, ideas and actions for the development of Florianópolis as a model of sustainability in South America. Therefore, a comparative analysis is provided: to observe changes, build models, and verify similarities and differences, while seeking to discover which behaviors govern political and social phenomena in the area of urban sustainability. This paper provides a comparative description of social and economic indicators: GDP per capita, inflation, employment, as well as the historical population evolution of the two cities. This work contrasts the sustainable transport model used by Newcastle and the reality of the transport needs of Florianópolis. This article is the first in a series to analyze the indicators for sustainable cities, focusing mainly on the reality of the South American city.
Purpose
Sustainability is understood as a complex and integrating area, involving the most diverse areas and fields of knowledge. Because of the innumerable socio-environmental challenges in the current scenario, a sustainable development that finds the necessary changes and advances for communities, industry and the various stakeholders involved is required. In this process of promoting sustainable development, universities stand out for being institutions capable of taking an analytical and questioning look at the directions of the society in which they are inserted and not just helping them to pursue them, serving as a model and living laboratory for the implementation of greener practices in cities. One of the actions that contributes to the consolidation process of a more sustainable university and the development of the green campus is the use of green marketing, understood as a set of all the practices that involve conventional marketing, focused on the search to reduce the negative impact or promote positive effects on the relationship between the institution and the environment. This paper aims, based on the balanced scorecard (BSC), to propose a strategic management tool as support for green marketing strategies, thus promoting, more quickly, the promotion of sustainable development in higher education institutions (HEIs).
Design/methodology/approach
Four universities were chosen, from the literature, in terms of best practices for sustainable development, where the main dimensions used by green marketing were mapped. Based on them, the BSC structure was adapted to enhance its strategies.
Findings
To achieve the objective of this work, this paper proposed an adaptation of the original BSC for better management of green marketing strategies for universities, based on four dimensions: community members, university members, product and strategy.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this paper is to propose a BSC as a strategic management system focused on the green marketing of universities to accelerate the promotion of sustainable development in HEIs.
Purpose
It is still unclear how Asian universities incorporate the theory or practice of sustainable development (SD) in their research and education programmes. To address this gap, the purpose of this paper is to report on a study that has examined how universities in Asian countries handle and address matters related to SD.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a bibliometric analysis and an online survey-method. The online survey data were analysed through descriptive analysis and one-sample student’s t-test.
Findings
The study indicates that there is considerable variation among the Asian countries regarding sustainability practices in higher education institutions (HEIs). The HEIs in far eastern countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are perceived to demonstrate more sustainability practices.
Research limitations/implications
Even though a substantial number of participants participated in the survey, it did not cover all Asian countries. The online survey was carried out over a limited period of time, and not all HEIs in the field may have received information about the study.
Practical implications
Asia is the largest continent facing a number of sustainability challenges. In this context, the contribution of HEIs is very important. The findings of the current study may serve as a baseline for Asian HEIs to take more initiatives towards SD goals, as HEIs are responsible for the education and training of hundreds of thousands of students who will be occupying key positions in industry, government or education in the coming years.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the existing literature in two distinct ways. First, it was possible to develop a comprehensive instrument to measure sustainability practices in HEIs. Second, this study has filled the gap of the scarcity of studies regarding sustainability practices in HEIs in Asia.
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