Thermoeconomics Meets Business Science: Systemic Exergy Management (SYMΞX) as a New Theoretical and Flexible Framework for Sustainability

Historically, corporate assessment of performance has placed a significant emphasis on financial measures, while largely ignoring the broader environmental and resource efficiency implications of organizational operations. This paper introduces a novel framework that integrates thermoeconomic principles into performance measurement. Systemic Exergy Management (SYMΞX) The study employs a theoretical construction approach, deriving conceptual claims from an extensive literature review to bridge the gap between thermoeconomics and existing frameworks. These claims are then synthesized into a novel theoretical construct, designated the SYMΞX framework, through the process of abductive reasoning. This flexible paradigm focuses on measuring the effectiveness of resource consumption in organizations using exergy analysis. Moreover, it enables the development of sustainability performance indicators for assessing impacts on the environment, economy, society, and technology. SYMΞX offers a more comprehensive perspective on organizational performance, accounting not only for financial outcomes but also for resource efficiency and environmental impacts. The study posits that SYMΞX has the potential to advance business science in two main ways: by fostering ethical corporate practices and by enhancing performance measurement. In conclusion, the framework promotes systemic sustainability while offering new avenues for empirical validation and industry-specific applications, thereby ensuring adaptability to evolving business environments.