Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence
The book examines the urban aspect of sustainability issues, arguing that cities are a necessary focus for that global agenda. The authors make the case that the essential caracter of a city's land use results from how it manages its transportation, and that only by reducing our automobile dependence will we be able to successfully accommodate all elements of the sustainability agenda. The table of contents lists the following chapter headings: Chapter 1 - The Concept of Sustainability and Its Relationship to Cities; Chapter 2 - The Problem of Automobile Dependence at the End of the Twentieth Century; Chapter 3 - The Pattern of Automobile Dependence and Global Cities; Chapter 4 - A Vision of Reduced Automobile Dependence; Chapter 5 - Greening the Automobile Dependent City; Chapter 6 - Promoting Sustainable Urban Change; and Chapter 7 - Ethics, Spirituality, and Community in the Sustainable City.
Sustainable manufacturing: trends and research challenges
Sustainability is and will be a crucial issue for the present and future generations. The current assumption that natural resources are infinite and that the regenerative capacity of the environment is able to compensate for all human action is no longer acceptable. Hence, sustainability issues will influence all organisational aspects of the human life, from the economical, political, social and environmental points of view. The reason is simple: until now, all human activities have been based on the paradigm of unlimited resources and unlimited world's capacity for regeneration; from now on, the awareness of the termination of this assumption means that all related behavioural models must be changed. This is a very impressive objective embracing all fields of culture, economy, technology and much more. A continuing effort, together with a reasonable time span, will be required to pursue this goal. Fortunately, nature and the environment are capable of self-regulation and will give man a chance to recover from the damage he is causing to the earth mother, provided that the will to do so is firmly established. Manufacturing, as the main pillar of the civilised lifestyle, will be strongly affected by the sustainability issues and it will play an important role in establishing a sustainable way ahead. Today, nearly all manufacturing models are based on the old paradigm. Technology, on which the manufacturing is largely based, is asked, together with culture and economy, to give the tools and options for building new solutions towards a sustainable manufacturing concept. Generally speaking, new technology, new business models and new lifestyle models will be the cornerstones of the new sustainable world and this will be particularly true for what concerns the manufacturing sector. Impressive constraints and requirements will affect the industrial sector on the way ahead towards sustainability. Research and development will play a crucial role to this concern, having the responsibility to offer appropriate options to the society for answering the above-mentioned needs. The main evidences on researches challenges expected for sustainable manufacturing are outlined by the authors that have been involved in the IMS international project ‘IMS2020: Supporting Global Research for IMS2020 Vision’, promoted by the European Commission to prepare a roadmap for future (2020) manufacturing research.
Making a difference : sustainability reporting, accountability and organisational change.
Purpose - The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of corporate processes for developing a sustainability report, the hurdles faced by organisations and the way in which organisational change towards improved accountability occurs and can lead to changes in sustainability performance. Design/methodology/approach - This research involves engagement through an action research approach involving the observation of corporate meetings, the provision of feedback on those meetings by the researchers and review of internet and hard copy sustainability reporting. Findings - The study identified a number of impediments to the development of a sustainability reporting framework and its integration into planning and decision making, as well as forces for change. These were analysed using the organisational literature, particularly Kurt Lewin's integrated model of planned change. Differences were observed between the state-owned organisation and prior studies of shareholder owned companies in their motivations for achieving sustainability and greater accountability. Practical implications - From the organisation's perspective, the study provided immediate feedback which enhanced reporting practices and the incorporation of sustainability issues into decision making. The study has the potential to improve practice in other organisations through the identification of impediments to and forces for change not considered in prior theorising. Originality/value - The action research approach contributes to knowledge and theorising in a way which could not have been achieved through interviews alone. It assisted change within the organisation in: adopting a sustainability reporting framework; integrating sustainability issues into planning and decision making; and, further embedding sustainability and accountability values. The findings in the state owned organisation contrast recent findings for shareholder-owned companies.
information system management system cloud computing decision making information technology world wide web life cycle hidden markov model markov model wide web world wide empirical study sustainable development literature review factors affecting life cycle assessment developing country web server parallel algorithm factors influencing cycle assessment electronic commerce technology acceptance model environmental management protein structure user authentication empirical investigation technology acceptance amino acid independent set cloud computing service integrated model protein sequence protein data bank corporate governance nucleic acid set problem sustainability assessment technology adoption environmental management system mobile commerce environmental sustainability internet banking life cycle costing fast parallel maximum independent set mobile banking electronic busines independent set problem maximum independent maximal independent set business network perceived risk cloud computing adoption maximal independent internet web computing adoption workload characterization adoption model sustainability indicator fast parallel algorithm target prediction sustainability issue life cycle sustainability performance outcome top management support adoption of mobile innovation adoption corporate sustainability system adoption information technology adoption adoption decision influencing the adoption cycle sustainability tam model weighted independent set technology adoption model adoption rate sustainability reporting set packing amino acid substitution adoption behavior weighted independent commerce adoption consumer adoption adoption of internet generalized hidden markov sustainability practice banking adoption weighted set subset problem acid substitution e-business adoption product adoption perceived behavioral control natural capital mirna target prediction electronic commerce adoption mobile banking adoption adoption research toe framework ecological sustainability agricultural sustainability independent sequence internet web server technology adoption research review [publication type] united state