The Important Role of Universities in Enhancing Sustainability: The Case of the University of Milano-Bicocca

Capocchi, Alessandro; Orlandini, P; Vallone, Cinzia; Harasheh, Murad; Amelio, Stefano

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-03562-4_20

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Only one, among these universities focused on social engagement, seems to be engaged in the concept of sustainability and that of social innovation too: its aim is to promote sustainable growth and innovation “attract, train and sustain talents, territories, and capitals.” So, in a context, where sustainability has become one of the key pillars for economic development and growth, representing a challenge but also a need for institutions, universities do not seem to pay great attention to communicating their sustainable approach, if it exists. Findings confirm what has been declared by Capocchi et al (2019): even if Italian universities show manifestations of progress for what concerns their sustainable awareness, they are still in a phase of infancy. In this sense, practical implications of this study regard the intention to stimulate higher education institutions (especially the Italian ones) in such direction, improving their contribution for a social and economic development.…”

Section: Findings and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Sustainable strategic planning in Italian higher education institutions: a content analysis

Fantauzzi

Colasanti

Fiorani

et al. 2021

IJSHE

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Purpose This study aims, first of all, to analyze the extent to which Italian higher education institutions declare their mission statements in their official documents; then, to examine their content; and finally, to investigate whether mission statements include considerations on sustainability dimensions. Design/methodology/approach After a theoretical background on the new strategic approach adopted by higher education institutions and the related disclosure of their mission statements, the study deepens their sustainable perspective presenting the concepts of social engagement and knowledge transfer from a literary point of view. Then, a documentary analysis on the content of Italian universities’ official mission declarations will be conducted, to understand the role they play in society, by individuating their actual interest in sustainable dimensions. Findings Findings suggest that 36% of the 98 Italian universities state their engagement in societal issues, but only 3 of them mention sustainability targets in their mission declarations. Research limitations/implications The study is limited, exclusively based on what higher education institutions share and, in terms of future perspective, the aim can be to investigate further official documents, especially for what concerns sustainability reports. Practical implications Practical implications regard the denounce of weak attention paid by Italian universities to sustainability, with the aim to foster them to increase connections with the external world, aware of the centrality of their role within society. Originality/value In a context that is not yet completely investigated, the originality of the paper regards the intent to study the sustainable propensity that characterizes the Italian higher education system.

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Section: Findings and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Sustainable strategic planning in Italian higher education institutions: a content analysis

Fantauzzi

Colasanti

Fiorani

et al. 2021

IJSHE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Yet, it cannot enable the same learning processes and internal engagement that result from sustainability reporting. The sustainability report is not merely a document; instead, it is the result of a complex process that involves internal structures and procedures and requires the establishment of internal processes and the engagement and commitment of internal and external actors (Adams and Frost 2008;Capocchi et al 2019;Sassen and Azizi 2017). Sustainability reporting may result in a learning cycle as organisations gradually improve their expertise in managing sustainability in the organisation (Adams and Frost 2008;Herremans et al 2016;Moggi 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Reporting at a Crossroads in Italian Universities: Is Web-Based Media Adoption Deinstitutionalising Sustainability Reporting?

Tullio

Torre

2022

Administrative Sciences

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Higher education institutions and universities have recently started to publish their sustainability and corporate responsibility reports. Yet, due to digitalisation and the benefits of digital reporting, websites offer organisations novel opportunities to communicate more updated, timely and interactive information than a periodic sustainability report. However, we know little about sustainability reporting practice within universities and their use of online communication. This study examines the relationship between sustainability reporting practices and web-based communication practices in Italian universities. We employed a qualitative enquire and content analysis of the sustainability web pages of Italian public universities by analysing their content and updates and their relationship with their adoption of sustainability reporting. Our results suggest there are risks to web-based media being used to replace sustainability reporting, resulting in a deinstitutionalising effect for sustainability reporting. This study contributes to the literature on sustainability reporting and disclosure in universities by exploring web-based university communication on sustainability issues and stimulating the debate on replacing sustainability reports with more timely and interactive forms of communication.

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The Important Role of Universities in Enhancing Sustainability: The Case of the University of Milano-Bicocca

Cited by 2 publications

References 27 publications

Sustainable strategic planning in Italian higher education institutions: a content analysis

Sustainable strategic planning in Italian higher education institutions: a content analysis

Sustainability Reporting at a Crossroads in Italian Universities: Is Web-Based Media Adoption Deinstitutionalising Sustainability Reporting?

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