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The Sustainability Of "Sustainability" — A Study Into The Conceptual Foundations Of The Notion Of "Sustainability"

Author

Listed:
  • NIELS FABER

    (Faculty of Management and Organisation, University of Groningen, P. O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands)

  • RENÉ JORNA

    (Faculty of Management and Organisation, University of Groningen, P. O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands)

  • JO VAN ENGELEN

    (Faculty of Management and Organisation, University of Groningen, P. O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The new challenge for organisations is to deal with the complex issue of sustainability. However, the confusion surrounding "sustainability" hinders its implementation. This article formulates a framework consisting of three aspects to analyse the conceptual developments that underlie "sustainability": the artefact ("what"), goal orientation ("relative versus absolute") and (behavioural) interaction ("static versus dynamic"). The study of conceptual foundations underpins the framework. Contributions in both the theoretical (definitions) and the practical (indicators) spheres are analysed. The discussion about sustainability takes place in firms. Therefore, organisational developments are used as a reference timeline. Based on observations and analyses, this article suggests a new course for the sustainability discussion and its implications for the organisational context: a knowledge approach focussing on transparency and dialogue. This also implies that the emphasis in the sustainability discussion is changing from a merely environmental to an organisational and societal perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Niels Faber & René Jorna & Jo Van Engelen, 2005. "The Sustainability Of "Sustainability" — A Study Into The Conceptual Foundations Of The Notion Of "Sustainability"," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 7(01), pages 1-33.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:jeapmx:v:07:y:2005:i:01:n:s1464333205001955
    DOI: 10.1142/S1464333205001955
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ivana First & Deepali Sinha Khetriwal, 2010. "Exploring the relationship between environmental orientation and brand value: is there fire or only smoke?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(2), pages 90-103, February.
    2. Safaa Shaaban, 2021. "The Impact of Responsible Leadership (RL) on Responsible Employee (RE): The Mediating Role of Sustainable Leadership (SL)," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 15(9), pages 1-75, July.
    3. Martina K. Linnenluecke & Sally V. Russell & Andrew Griffiths, 2009. "Subcultures and sustainability practices: the impact on understanding corporate sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 432-452, November.
    4. Steve Evans & Doroteya Vladimirova & Maria Holgado & Kirsten Van Fossen & Miying Yang & Elisabete A. Silva & Claire Y. Barlow, 2017. "Business Model Innovation for Sustainability: Towards a Unified Perspective for Creation of Sustainable Business Models," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 597-608, July.
    5. Roope Husgafvel, 2021. "Exploring Social Sustainability Handprint—Part 2: Sustainable Development and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-35, October.
    6. Ivana First, 2007. "Interrelationship between a brand’s environmental embeddedness, brand awareness and company performance," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 19(1), pages 73-84.
    7. Samira Sahebalzamani & Giovanna Bertella, 2018. "Business Models and Sustainability in Nature Tourism: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-15, September.
    8. Kelsy Hejjas & Graham Miller & Caroline Scarles, 2019. "“It’s Like Hating Puppies!” Employee Disengagement and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(2), pages 319-337, June.
    9. Henning Breuer & Florian Lüdeke-Freund, 2017. "Values-Based Network And Business Model Innovation," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(03), pages 1-35, April.
    10. Daniel Coq-Huelva & Angie Higuchi & Rafaela Alfalla-Luque & Ricardo Burgos-Morán & Ruth Arias-Gutiérrez, 2017. "Co-Evolution and Bio-Social Construction: The Kichwa Agroforestry Systems ( Chakras ) in the Ecuadorian Amazonia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-19, October.
    11. Ki-Hoon Lee & David M. Herold, 2016. "Cultural relevance in corporate sustainability management: a comparison between Korea and Japan," Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-21, December.
    12. Rodriguez, Rocio & Svensson, Göran & Wood, Greg, 2020. "Assessing corporate planning of future sustainability initiatives in private healthcare organizations," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    13. Vikram P. Murthy, 2013. "Business’s challenge: relating corporate sustainability, strategy and leadership," Chapters, in: Moazzem Hossain & Tapan Sarker & Malcolm McIntosh (ed.), The Asian Century, Sustainable Growth and Climate Change, chapter 11, pages 253-274, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Hirmer, Stephanie & Cruickshank, Heather, 2014. "Making the deployment of pico-PV more sustainable along the value chain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 401-411.
    15. Linnenluecke, Martina K. & Griffiths, Andrew, 2010. "Corporate sustainability and organizational culture," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 357-366, October.
    16. Anne P. M. Velenturf, 2021. "A Framework and Baseline for the Integration of a Sustainable Circular Economy in Offshore Wind," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-41, September.

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