• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.1-26
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• 2006

This paper reveals Material Flow Analysis(MFA) has the possibility of reconciling the two contending theoretical viewpoints(weak sustainability v.s. strong sustainability) and thereby makes the concept of sustainability useful at operational level. For this purpose, this paper shows that the theoretical logic of MFA can be applied from national level to product level (EW-MFA, PIOT/NAMEA, LCI), and investigates the meanings and policy implications of MFA at each level.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.55-68
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• 2017

This research is carried out to investigate the relationship between sustainability practices and performance in a financial sense for Malaysian Oil and Gas sector. Objectives include to study the state of sustainability disclosure among Malaysian oil and gas companies, to understand if companies that practiced sustainability had better performances to their financial bottom-line and to conduct a data analysis to understand the relationship between Environmental, social and governance performance [represented by the acronym ACSI] and financial performance. Sustainability performance is measured using ACSI checklist, which is an adaptation of the GRI 3.0 by Global reporting initiative while financial performance was measured on financial and profitability parameters namely EBITDA, EPS and PE ratio. Secondary data sources are used which were then converted into a rating scale to develop quantitative data. SPSS 21 is used for the analysis. The result shows that the majority of oil and gas companies in Malaysia had poor performance in terms of sustainability disclosure. On all three chosen profitability parameters, the companies that practiced sustainability were found to perform better than their counterparts that did not. Strong and significant relationship exists between sustainability practices and better financial performance.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.10
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• pp.177-185
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• 2021

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether service quality, student satisfaction, and university image mediate the relationship between university sustainability practices and student loyalty of the students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. To analyze the data, this study used a structural equation model to explore the relationships existing between constructs. A structured questionnaire comprising of 22 questions was used with 5 constructs. A total of 465 students from Ho Chi Minh City universities filled in the newly developed questionnaires using five points Likert scales. Consistent with the existing result, the study reveals a valuable insight on university sustainability practices toward student loyalty of the university. According to the findings, university sustainability practices have a positive direct impact on service quality, student satisfaction, university image, and student loyalty. And also service quality has a positive strong impact on student loyalty. Furthermore, service quality, student satisfaction, and university image play the mediating role in the relationship between university sustainability practices and student loyalty. Thus, the loyalty of students seems to reflect quite well from university sustainability practices, service quality, and university image. The findings indicate that universities should be more concerned about university sustainability practices, service quality, and university image in attracting student loyalty.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.351-363
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• 2020

The objective of this paper is to explore how board gender diversity affects corporate sustainability performance. Therefore, this paper examines the direct association between board gender diversity with corporate sustainability performance and the mediation effect of enterprise risk management (ERM) on this association. The study employed a cross-sectional survey method. Data were collected from annual reports, websites, and through the questionnaires that were distributed to Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) of all the listed companies of Dhaka Stock Exchange, Bangladesh. The partial least square technique of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach was employed for data analysis. The result did not find support for the direct association between board gender diversity and sustainability performance in Bangladesh context. This implies that contextual factors, such as, male-dominant board, appointment of female directors based on family ties, lack of education and expertise etc. may discount gender diversity direct influence on sustainability performance. However, the study finds strong support for the mediating role of ERM use within the corporate structure. Further analysis of indirect effect suggests that ERM use mediates the relationship of board gender diversity and sustainability performance in full. This implies that in the Bangladesh context effective use of ERM is highly recommended.

• Architectural research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.43-51
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• 2011

Community-based housing is widely recognized as one unique mode of affordable housing provision discussed in the agenda of urban housing policy in the midst of global economy. While economic development of rural communities are severely blocked by many factors, the local housing needs at grass roots level are addressed in the response to the growing number of the elderly and shortage of adequate housing to accommodate the group, and the availability of affordable housing is primarily seen as a viable option to the sustainability of rural community. This research study is to examine the case study of community-based housing development in rural areas, and to explore the drives and hurdles that influence the success of each development. The on-site visits and in-depth interviews with community leaders were employed to meet the research goals. The findings show that the driving factors making the successful housing development include the firm commitment to the importance of affordable and adequate housing, strong leadership of community leaders, public support, well-advised dispersion of public resources and strong bond between the public sector and local people. In spite of all the contributing factors, the unfamiliarity of collective ownership is the leading hurdle to proceed the development in a timely manner.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2013

The objective of this paper is to provide a review on the latest development on the main initiative and approaches for the sustainability criteria for biofuels. A large number of national and international initiative lately experienced rapid development in the review of the biofuels targets announced in the European Union (EU), United States (US) and other countries worldwide. The global biofuel targets are likely to have a strong impact on land use and agricultural markets. Although biofuels production provides new options for using agricultural crops, there are environmental, social and economic concerns associated with biofuel production. The diversity of feedstock, large number of biofuels pathway an their complexity lead to a high uncertainty over the greenhouse gas (GHG) performances of biofuels, in terms of GHG emission reductions compared to the fossil fuels, expecially if land use change is involved. This paper describes an overview of current status of ongoing certification initiative in Europe and worldwide for biofuels sustainability. It also provides mandatory requirements as part of an sustainability scheme in EU, United Kingdom, US and international approaches and should be reviewed to introduce based on global trends in Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.59-87
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• 2004

In its Declaration of Principles, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development recommends that, "to achieve sustainable development and a higher quality of life for all people, states should reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption...." This notion of sustainability lies at the core of many "commons" problems, where the central issue is to enable "individuals to sustain long-term, productive use of natural resource systems". In other worlds, a common definition of "sustainability" captures the idea of aligning human consumption with the capacity of ecological systems to supply, over a long period of time, such natural resources as air, soil, or water on which production depends. The concept of sustainability raises all sorts of political, social, and economic questions about the distribution of environmental protection. For sustainable community development to be addressed, these questions must be raised. In order to convince different citizenry of the necessity of sustainability, these questions must also be answered. This is where questions of equity, justice, and fairness arise. Sustainability and equity require that we deal with nature as an undivided whole, with no part being unsustainable. Sustainability and social policy also requires that we deal with the human population as an undivided whole. We simply cannot move people around the planet to either perpetuate past practices of earth exploitation or to implement sustainable planning. Everyone must work with the people inhabiting sensitive ecological areas, especially areas of regeneration. In the sustainable global community, we are as strong as our weakest link, or our most toxic community. This is the undeniable driving force for the infusion of equity into the sustainable development debate.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 2012

According to the climate change and the improvement of income level, floating building on water has been emerging as a strong alternative. This study was intended to suggest some reference materials of sustainability for new floating building projects. The concept of sustainability and floating building was investigated, and 3 realized projects and 3 planned projects were reviewed in terms of sustainability. Sustainable features of the sample projects can be summarized as recycled and relocatable usage, adoption of various renewable energy techniques, installation of self-supporting plant, application of modular system and others like new material & open layout. Sustainable features need to be developed more and more in detail and applied to many types of floating buildings.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.514-526
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• 2014

The predominant concern of the study consist of: (1) whether Chinese young people think Korean Wave would lasts; (2) the direct effect of viewing degree of Korean contents on the sustainability of Korean Wave; (3) the mediation effect of liking for Korean Wave and receptiveness to foreign cultural inflow on that sustainability; (4) the moderating effect of sense of rivalry between Korean and China. The research is based on a survey conducted with 371 chinese people between high teen and early 30's, located in Guilin of Guangxi and Zhengzhou of Henan in China. The notable findings are as follow: While the group with strong rivalry does not have a direct effect of viewing degree on the sustainability for Korean Wave, the group with weak rivalrous sense and higher viewing degree of Korean contents predict shorter sustainability of Korean Wave, therefore, the moderating effect of sense of rivalry between Korea and China is significant .Next, liking for Korean Wave shows a full mediating effect among Chinese with weak rivalry and a partial mediating effect among them with strong rivalry. The mediating effect of receptiveness to foreign cultural inflow is non-significant.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.315-320
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• 2013

According to climate change, deficiency of usable land, large water portion of the Earth surface, and improvement of income level, floating architecture is emerging as a strong & attractive alternative. The aim of this study is to suggest some related applying ways for new building projects around waterside. New paradigm of architecture can be described as a new model and/or system of architecture with new concept and Zeitgeist like sustainability and green building. Floating building is already a new paradigm of architecture comparing with the preconception of building only on the land and current building regulations. New paradigm features from the sample projects can be summarized as new concepts of building, application of various renewable energy resources(water, solar, wind), modular construction, use of local raw material, dual purpose usage, long term and relocatable usage, and special building materials for green building.