IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i11p4435-d364730.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Software Application for Organizational Sustainability Performance Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Valentin Grecu

    (Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550024 Sibiu, Romania)

  • Radu-Ilie-Gabriel Ciobotea

    (Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550024 Sibiu, Romania)

  • Adrian Florea

    (Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550024 Sibiu, Romania)

Abstract

Sustainability performance assessment is a challenge for many companies due to the heterogeneity of indicators and the lack of a standardized reporting framework. This paper describes a software solution that simplifies the sustainability reporting process and is useful for decisions concerning sustainable management. We analyzed various indicators from public sustainability reports of five companies and obtained some relevant results using the tool that we developed based on mathematic algorithms and an aggregation model of different indicators. The software application calculates a Global Sustainability Index based on the proposed model of the sustainable organization described in this paper. An optimal solution is very rare in the transition towards the sustainable organization and compromises are required most frequently between environmental, economic and social aspects on the one hand and the expectations of the stakeholders on the other hand. The proposed tool helps users to cope with these challenges and takes into consideration that information is not always available and precise. Another feature offered by the tool is that besides simplifying sustainability performance assessment, it highlights low performance indicators and offers suggestions for improvement based on a genetic algorithm.

Suggested Citation

  • Valentin Grecu & Radu-Ilie-Gabriel Ciobotea & Adrian Florea, 2020. "Software Application for Organizational Sustainability Performance Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-28, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:11:p:4435-:d:364730
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/11/4435/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/11/4435/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joseph Sarkis & Chulmo Koo & Richard T. Watson, 2013. "Green information systems & technologies – this generation and beyond: Introduction to the special issue," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 15(5), pages 695-704, November.
    2. Baumgärtner, Stefan & Quaas, Martin, 2010. "What is sustainability economics?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 445-450, January.
    3. Jan Bebbington & Jeffrey Unerman, 2018. "Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(1), pages 2-24, January.
    4. Anonymous, 2013. "Introduction to the Issue," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 243-243, December.
    5. Anonymous, 2013. "Introduction to the Issue," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 129-130, November.
    6. Alan Atkisson & R. Lee Hatcher, 2001. "The Compass Index Of Sustainability: Prototype For A Comprehensive Sustainability Information System," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(04), pages 509-532.
    7. Valentin Grecu & Silviu Nate, 2014. "Managing Sustainability with Eco-Business Intelligence Instruments," Management of Sustainable Development, Sciendo, vol. 6(1), pages 1-6, August.
    8. Frank Birkin & Thomas Polesie & Linda Lewis, 2009. "A new business model for sustainable development: an exploratory study using the theory of constraints in Nordic organizations," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(5), pages 277-290, July.
    9. Todorov, Vladislav & Marinova, Dora, 2011. "Modelling sustainability," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 81(7), pages 1397-1408.
    10. Abhishek Chaudhary & David Gustafson & Alexander Mathys, 2018. "Multi-indicator sustainability assessment of global food systems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    11. Valentin Grecu & Silviu Nate, 2014. "Managing Sustainability with Eco-Business Intelligence Instruments," Management of Sustainable Development, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 6(1), pages 1-6, August.
    12. David Griggs & Mark Stafford-Smith & Owen Gaffney & Johan Rockström & Marcus C. Öhman & Priya Shyamsundar & Will Steffen & Gisbert Glaser & Norichika Kanie & Ian Noble, 2013. "Sustainable development goals for people and planet," Nature, Nature, vol. 495(7441), pages 305-307, March.
    13. Elena Cristina Rada & Claudio Zatelli & Lucian Ionel Cioca & Vincenzo Torretta, 2018. "Selective Collection Quality Index for Municipal Solid Waste Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-17, January.
    14. Michael Freudenberg, 2003. "Composite Indicators of Country Performance: A Critical Assessment," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2003/16, OECD Publishing.
    15. Smith, Leigh & Ball, Peter, 2012. "Steps towards sustainable manufacturing through modelling material, energy and waste flows," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(1), pages 227-238.
    16. Vasile Dogaru & Claudiu Brandas & Marian Cristescu, 2019. "An Urban System Optimization Model Based on CO 2 Sequestration Index: A Big Data Analytics Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-14, September.
    17. Piotr Staszkiewicz, 2019. "Search for Measure of the Value of Baltic Sustainability Development: A Meta-Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-12, November.
    18. Ness, Barry & Urbel-Piirsalu, Evelin & Anderberg, Stefan & Olsson, Lennart, 2007. "Categorising tools for sustainability assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 498-508, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Omar Abdulah Shrrat Omar, 2023. "Evaluation of Pipe Materials in Water System Networks Using the Theory of Advanced Multi-Criteria Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-21, March.
    2. Pham Quang Huy & Vu Kien Phuc, 2022. "Insight into the Critical Success Factors of Performance-Based Budgeting Implementation in the Public Sector for Sustainable Development in the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-37, October.
    3. Azemeraw Tadesse Mengistu & Roberto Panizzolo, 2021. "Indicators and Framework for Measuring Industrial Sustainability in Italian Footwear Small and Medium Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, May.
    4. Grażyna Bartkowiak & Agnieszka Krugiełka & Paulina Kostrzewa-Demczuk & Ryszard Dachowski & Katarzyna Gałek-Bracha, 2022. "Experiencing Stress among Different Professional Groups in the Context of Their Age," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-15, January.
    5. Azemeraw Tadesse Mengistu & Roberto Panizzolo, 2023. "Analysis of indicators used for measuring industrial sustainability: a systematic review," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 1979-2005, March.
    6. Silviu Nate & Yuriy Bilan & Danylo Cherevatskyi & Ganna Kharlamova & Oleksandr Lyakh & Agnieszka Wosiak, 2021. "The Impact of Energy Consumption on the Three Pillars of Sustainable Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, March.
    7. Vicente López-López & Susana Iglesias-Antelo & Esteban Fernández, 2020. "Is Sustainable Performance Explained by Firm Effect in Small Business?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-13, December.
    8. Bojan Obrenovic & Jianguo Du & Danijela Godinic & Diana Tsoy & Muhammad Aamir Shafique Khan & Ilimdorjon Jakhongirov, 2020. "Sustaining Enterprise Operations and Productivity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: “Enterprise Effectiveness and Sustainability Model”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-27, July.
    9. Silviu Nate & Valentin Grecu & Andriy Stavytskyy & Ganna Kharlamova, 2022. "Fostering Entrepreneurial Ecosystems through the Stimulation and Mentorship of New Entrepreneurs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, June.
    10. Silviu Nate & Yuriy Bilan & Mariia Kurylo & Olena Lyashenko & Piotr Napieralski & Ganna Kharlamova, 2021. "Mineral Policy within the Framework of Limited Critical Resources and a Green Energy Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-32, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Julia Rötzmeier-Keuper, 2020. "Consumer Vulnerability: Overview And Synthesis Of The Current State Of Knowledge And Future Service-Related Research Directions," Working Papers Dissertations 65, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    2. Tan Yigitcanlar & Md. Kamruzzaman, 2015. "Planning, Development and Management of Sustainable Cities: A Commentary from the Guest Editors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-12, November.
    3. Zhaojun Yang & Jun Sun & Yali Zhang & Ying Wang, 2018. "Peas and carrots just because they are green? Operational fit between green supply chain management and green information system," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 627-645, June.
    4. Jabbour, Charbel Jose Chiappetta & Jabbour, Ana Beatriz Lopes de Sousa & Sarkis, Joseph & Filho, Moacir Godinho, 2019. "Unlocking the circular economy through new business models based on large-scale data: An integrative framework and research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 546-552.
    5. de Camargo Fiorini, Paula & Jabbour, Charbel José Chiappetta, 2017. "Information systems and sustainable supply chain management towards a more sustainable society: Where we are and where we are going," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 241-249.
    6. Koo, Chulmo & Chung, Namho & Nam, Kichan, 2015. "Assessing the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators on smart green IT device use: Reference group perspectives," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 64-79.
    7. Andreas A. Papandreou, 2015. "The Great Recession and the transition to a low-carbon economy," Working papers wpaper88, Financialisation, Economy, Society & Sustainable Development (FESSUD) Project.
    8. Zhaojun Yang & Jun Sun & Yali Zhang & Ying Wang, 2017. "Green, Green, It’s Green: A Triad Model of Technology, Culture, and Innovation for Corporate Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-23, August.
    9. Ranjana Raghunathan, 2022. "Everyday Intimacies and Inter-Ethnic Relationships: Tracing Entanglements of Gender and Race in Multicultural Singapore," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(1), pages 77-94, March.
    10. Balint, T. & Lamperti, F. & Mandel, A. & Napoletano, M. & Roventini, A. & Sapio, A., 2017. "Complexity and the Economics of Climate Change: A Survey and a Look Forward," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 252-265.
    11. Lamperti, Francesco & Bosetti, Valentina & Roventini, Andrea & Tavoni, Massimo & Treibich, Tania, 2021. "Three green financial policies to address climate risks," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    12. Songsore, Emmanuel & Buzzelli, Michael, 2014. "Social responses to wind energy development in Ontario: The influence of health risk perceptions and associated concerns," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 285-296.
    13. Tapsuwan, Sorada & Polyakov, Maksym & Bark, Rosalind & Nolan, Martin, 2015. "Valuing the Barmah–Millewa Forest and in stream river flows: A spatial heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent (SHAC) approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 98-105.
    14. Omar Al-Ubaydli & John List & Claire Mackevicius & Min Sok Lee & Dana Suskind, 2019. "How Can Experiments Play a Greater Role in Public Policy? 12 Proposals from an Economic Model of Scaling," Artefactual Field Experiments 00679, The Field Experiments Website.
    15. Nepomuceno, Marcelo Vinhal & Laroche, Michel, 2015. "The impact of materialism and anti-consumption lifestyles on personal debt and account balances," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 654-664.
    16. Bertschek, Irene & Kesler, Reinhold, 2022. "Let the user speak: Is feedback on Facebook a source of firms’ innovation?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    17. Avelino, Flor & Wittmayer, Julia M. & Pel, Bonno & Weaver, Paul & Dumitru, Adina & Haxeltine, Alex & Kemp, René & Jørgensen, Michael S. & Bauler, Tom & Ruijsink, Saskia & O'Riordan, Tim, 2019. "Transformative social innovation and (dis)empowerment," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 195-206.
    18. Gigi Foster, 2020. "The behavioural economics of government responses to COVID-19," Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics (SABE), vol. 4(S3), pages 11-43, December.
    19. Audoly, Richard & Vogt-Schilb, Adrien & Guivarch, Céline & Pfeiffer, Alexander, 2018. "Pathways toward zero-carbon electricity required for climate stabilization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 884-901.
    20. Gerards, Ruud & Welters, Ricardo, 2016. "Impact of financial pressure on unemployed job search, job find success and job quality," ROA Research Memorandum 008, Maastricht University, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:11:p:4435-:d:364730. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.