Sustainability

Research

22 pages, 2821 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Knowledge Economy Indicators and Their Impact on the Sustainable Competitiveness of the EU Countries

by Elena Širá, Roman Vavrek, Ivana Kravčáková Vozárová and Rastislav Kotulič

Sustainability 2020, 12(10), 4172; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104172 - 20 May 2020

Cited by 51 | Viewed by 8496

In today’s turbulent world influenced by globalization, knowledge is becoming a key factor in the market. Every economy, if it wants to be successful and competitive, must pay more attention to knowledge and its creation, transfer, and preservation. In this respect, it is [...] Read more.

In today’s turbulent world influenced by globalization, knowledge is becoming a key factor in the market. Every economy, if it wants to be successful and competitive, must pay more attention to knowledge and its creation, transfer, and preservation. In this respect, it is a key element in ensuring a country’s sustainable position in a competitive environment. Based on this, we set out the main idea of the article as follows: increased emphasis on the factors of a knowledge-based economy affects the growth of the country’s competitiveness, which contributes to its better sustainability. To verify the idea, we used a multi-criteria evaluation of countries by the TOPSIS method and a subsequent regression model. We examined developments in the EU countries over a period of 11 years in selected indicators typical for the knowledge economies, in the area of competitiveness. Finally, we examined the sustainability of EU countries. Based on the findings of these methods, we identified the leading country—Sweden—in the field of knowledge economy, competitiveness, and sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy)

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21 pages, 348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Work–Life Balance, Organizations and Social Sustainability: Analyzing Female Telework in Spain

by Ana Gálvez, Francisco Tirado and M. Jesús Martínez

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3567; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093567 - 27 Apr 2020

Cited by 54 | Viewed by 11331

Abstract

The concept of work–life balance has recently established itself as a key component on route maps drawn up in the pursuit of social sustainability, both on a local scale, represented by individual organizations, and on a more general one, represented by global institutions [...] Read more.

The concept of work–life balance has recently established itself as a key component on route maps drawn up in the pursuit of social sustainability, both on a local scale, represented by individual organizations, and on a more general one, represented by global institutions such as the United Nations. Our article analyzes telework’s use as a political tool within organizations that either boost or hinder the development of social sustainability. Additionally, we propose the notion of “life sustainability” to analyze how female teleworkers describe the link between specific work cultures and the possibility of fulfilling social sustainability goals in local work environments through the achievement of a good work–life balance. Our research was performed following a qualitative approach, drawing from a sample of 24 individual interviews and 10 focus groups with a total of 48 participants, all of which are female teleworkers with family responsibilities. Our main findings allow us to summarize the interviewees’ social perceptions into two categories, which we have dubbed ‘life sustainability ecologies’ and ‘presence-based ecologies’. We conclude by discussing female teleworkers’ claim that work–life balance is directly linked to social sustainability and that the latter goal will remain out of reach as long as the issue of balance goes unresolved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy)

14 pages, 504 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Knowledge Investment Increases Employment and GDP in the Spanish Agricultural Sector More Than Other Investments

by Carolina Cosculluela-Martínez

Sustainability 2020, 12(8), 3127; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083127 - 13 Apr 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2220

Abstract

Investment in every type of asset increases GDP and net employment differently. This paper compares the effect produced by a permanent unitary shock in Sustainable Knowledge for the Primary Sector (SKPS) on the Spanish employment and GDP growth with the effect produced by [...] Read more.

Investment in every type of asset increases GDP and net employment differently. This paper compares the effect produced by a permanent unitary shock in Sustainable Knowledge for the Primary Sector (SKPS) on the Spanish employment and GDP growth with the effect produced by the other fourteen capital stock types. The methodology used is a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), where the complementary capital can affect SKPS instantaneously. The results suggest that SKPS produces the second-highest, short and long-term effects on both labor and production, per Euro invested; moreover, the investment of 4.3 thousand euros is retrieved in the first year and increases net employment in one person after four years. Accordingly, the 5 million Euro Budget to invest in sustainable machinery and processing techniques increases net employment by 827 employees. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy)

19 pages, 2866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Concept of Sustainability on Social Media: A Social Listening Approach

by María Teresa Ballestar, Miguel Cuerdo-Mir and María Teresa Freire-Rubio

Sustainability 2020, 12(5), 2122; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12052122 - 9 Mar 2020

Cited by 46 | Viewed by 15480

Abstract

The concept of sustainability has gone far beyond the issues of the sustainable management of natural and environmental resources. Nowadays, sustainability is part of the social sciences in a different way. The aim of this research was dual. Firstly, we analyzed the different [...] Read more.

The concept of sustainability has gone far beyond the issues of the sustainable management of natural and environmental resources. Nowadays, sustainability is part of the social sciences in a different way. The aim of this research was dual. Firstly, we analyzed the different contexts and areas of knowledge where this concept is used in society by using social listening on Twitter, one of the most popular social networks today. The sentiments of these conversations were rated to assess whether the feelings and perceptions of these conversations on the social network were positive or negative regarding the use of the concept. Also, we tested if these perceptions about the topic were attuned to other more formal fields, such as scientific research, or strategies followed nationally or internationally by agencies and organizations related to sustainability. The method used on this first part of the research consisted of an analysis of 15,000 tweets collected from Twitter using natural language processing (NLP) for clustering the main areas of knowledge of topics where the concept of sustainability was used, and the sentiment of these conversations on the social network. Secondly, we mapped the social network of users who generated or spread content regarding sustainability on Twitter within the period of observation. Social network analysis (SNA) focuses on the taxonomy of the network and its dynamics and identifies the most relevant players in terms of generation of conversation and also their referrers who spread their messages worldwide. For this purpose, we used Gephi, an open source software used for network analysis and visualization, that allows for the exploration and visualization of large networks of any kind, in depth. The findings of this research are new, not only because of the mix of technology and methods used for extracting data from Twitter and analyzing them from different perspectives, but also because they show that social listening is a powerful method for analyzing relevant social phenomena. Listening on social networks can be used more effectively than other more traditional processes to gather data that are more costly and time consuming and lack the momentum and spontaneity of digital conversations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy)

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25 pages, 958 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Mobile Phones at Work in Personal and Professional Information Processes

by Ștefan Andrei Neștian, Silviu Mihail Tiță and Elena-Sabina Turnea

Sustainability 2020, 12(3), 965; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030965 - 29 Jan 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6599

Abstract

Employees use mobile phones for several information processes at work, either in relation to their work or their personal life. This study uses descriptive statistics and regression analysis in order to identify which information processes are accessed by employees to reach their personal [...] Read more.

Employees use mobile phones for several information processes at work, either in relation to their work or their personal life. This study uses descriptive statistics and regression analysis in order to identify which information processes are accessed by employees to reach their personal and professional goals when using mobile phones at work, using a sample of 368 professionals from different fields in Romania. The results of the study show that messaging applications (e-mail, sms, Messenger, Whatsapp, etc.) and searches for information on the Internet are the biggest time consumers for personal purposes, while telephone conversations (voice only) and searches for useful information on the Internet are the biggest consumers of working time for professional purposes. Based on the opinions of employees, we found that the most important effect of mobile phone use at work for personal purposes lies in the fact that it helps employees be more productive through a better work–life balance. The mobile phone was originally designed as a personal device, but today, since employers are allowing or requiring its use, during work, it is also used for professional purposes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy)

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21 pages, 4191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability through the Digitalization of Industrial Machines: Complementary Factors of Fuel Consumption and Productivity for Forklifts with Sensors

by Natallia Pashkevich, Darek Haftor, Mikael Karlsson and Soumitra Chowdhury

Sustainability 2019, 11(23), 6708; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236708 - 27 Nov 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3611

Abstract

Increasing the fuel efficiency of industrial machines through digitalization can enable the transport and logistics sector to overcome challenges such as low productivity growth and increasing CO₂ emissions. Modern digitalized machines with embedded sensors that collect and transmit operational data have opened [...] Read more.

Increasing the fuel efficiency of industrial machines through digitalization can enable the transport and logistics sector to overcome challenges such as low productivity growth and increasing CO₂ emissions. Modern digitalized machines with embedded sensors that collect and transmit operational data have opened up new avenues for the identification of more efficient machine use. While existing studies of industrial machines have mostly focused on one or a few conditioning factors at a time, this study took a complementary approach, using a large set of known factors that simultaneously conditioned both the fuel consumption and productivity of medium-range forklifts (n = 285) that operated in a natural industrial setting for one full year. The results confirm the importance of a set of factors, including aspects related to the vehicles’ travels, drivers, operations, workload spectra, and contextual factors, such as industry and country. As a novel contribution, this study shows that the key conditioning factors interact with each other in a non-linear and non-additive manner. This means that addressing one factor at a time might not provide optimal fuel consumption, and instead all factors need to be addressed simultaneously as a system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy)

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20 pages, 453 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Knowledge Management and the Sustainable Development of Social Work

by Simon Colnar, Vlado Dimovski and David Bogataj

Sustainability 2019, 11(22), 6374; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11226374 - 13 Nov 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4375

Abstract

The growing shortage of skilled social workers, accompanied by an ageing population and the increasing number of fragile, elderly individuals that require social services, poses a serious challenge for our society. The magnitude of this problem is seen in the various predictions hypothesizing [...] Read more.

The growing shortage of skilled social workers, accompanied by an ageing population and the increasing number of fragile, elderly individuals that require social services, poses a serious challenge for our society. The magnitude of this problem is seen in the various predictions hypothesizing that, globally, there is likely to be a shortfall of millions of social workers for the successful provision of social services. To make matters worse, there are not enough social work students to fill that void, whereas the existing employee turnover is another serious concern for the social work field. Policy makers in many countries do not yet understand the pattern of growing needs and have no tool to forecast the future increase in educational requirements for creating a pool of adequately skilled social workers. In addition to this, understanding the patterns of workforce entrance and exit for social workers and the dynamics of transition becomes important for national policy and decision makers. In our paper, we build on current research about knowledge management in social work settings to demonstrate that knowledge management can have a positive impact in helping to fulfil the important role of social work in any ageing society. With our research, we contribute to the underdeveloped literature about knowledge management in the public sector and especially in social work settings and to the knowledge-based view of the organization. We present a multiple decrement model of social workers’ entrance and transition from social work student and social worker trainee to fully productive social worker, to their exit, whether by changed profession, retirement or death. We argue that the availability of social workers in a national economy depends on the development and operationalization of appropriate policies, where knowledge management can be influential. Our model allows measuring the quality of the national policy system related to the social work profession, something which has not been achieved yet, and shows how knowledge management solutions can positively influence the whole field of social work. We apply an objective measuring tool, grounded in an already developed actuarial–mathematical method. Our case relies on the collection and analysis of relevant data found in publicly available statistical reports for Slovenia. Existing data enables us to provide assumptions on how to better forecast the transition of social workers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy)

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23 pages, 370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Intangible Assets and Sub-Components of Intangible Assets on Sustainable Growth and Firm Value: Evidence from Turkish Listed Firms

by Murat Ocak and Derya Fındık

Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5359; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195359 - 27 Sep 2019

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 7811

Abstract

This study explores the effect of intangible assets and sub-components of intangible assets on sustainable growth and firm value in Turkey. The cumulative (i.e., aggregative) value of intangible assets of firms and sub-components of intangible assets were used as test variables in the [...] Read more.

This study explores the effect of intangible assets and sub-components of intangible assets on sustainable growth and firm value in Turkey. The cumulative (i.e., aggregative) value of intangible assets of firms and sub-components of intangible assets were used as test variables in the current study. Further, intangible assets of the firms were divided into three sub-components using the classification of Corrado, Hulten and Sichel, namely computerized information and database, innovative property, and economic competence. Firms listed on Borsa İstanbul were analyzed to test the hypotheses. Two different measures of sustainable growth of firms and unique measure of firm value were used as dependent variables. The final sample includes 1353 observations for nine years between 2005–2013 in Turkey. Ordinary least square (OLS) and Heckman two-stage estimation procedures were employed to test the hypotheses. Estimation results of OLS and Heckman two-stage procedures show that the cumulative value of intangible assets affect the sustainable growth rates of firms and firm value positively. When the cumulative value of intangible assets was classified into three sub-components, both computerized information and database and economic competence impact the sustainable growth rates of firms and firm value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in the Global-Knowledge Economy)

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