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Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 33566

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wen-Long Zhuang

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Guest Editor

Department of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management, Hungkuang University, Taichung City, Taiwan
Interests: sustainability; mentorship; personality; organizational behavior; human resource management; hospitality; business administration

Dr. Hsing-Hui Lin

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Guest Editor

Department of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management, Hungkuang University, Taichung City, Taiwan
Interests: sustainability; hospitality management; event tourism brand marketing; destination marketing

Dr. Tsun-Lih Yang

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Guest Editor

Department of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management, Hungkuang University, Taichung City, Taiwan
Interests: sustainability; hospitality management; business administration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Numerous studies have explored the topic of sustainable organizational performance, echoing today’s business models for companies to actively invest in sustainable management. For organizations, the parts that are closely related to the sustainable development of organizational performance are production, marketing, human resources, research and development, and finance. Notably, the development and widespread use of communication software technologies may be beneficial to business operations. For many industries, such as tourism, hospitality, manufacturing, and others, employees in particular use communication software and computer technology to improve their productivity. This Special Issue will integrate existing research on sustainable management, production, marketing, human resources, R&D, and finance to publish high-quality research papers in interdisciplinary fields. Therefore, we invite scholars to write conceptual, empirical studies, or case studies across all facets of production, marketing, human resources, R&D, finance, and the manufacturing industry, tourism industry, hospitality industry, and other industries for sustainability. In particular, selected topics will include but are not limited to the following:

Sustainable organizational performance;
Sustainable tourism;
Sustainable hospitality;
Sustainable production;
Sustainable marketing;
Sustainable human resources;
Sustainable research and development;
Sustainable financing;
Sustainable manufacturing;
Sustainable organizational performance on technology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Wen-Long Zhuang
Dr. Hsing-Hui Lin
Dr. Tsun-Lih Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

production
marketing
human resources
R&D
finance
sustainability
manufacturing
tourism
hospitality
technology

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 252 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Method to Facilitate the Regeneration of Human Resources: A Sustainability Perspective

by Ningning Chen, Xinan Zhao, Baorong Guo and Chenxi Sun

Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1648; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041648 - 17 Feb 2024

Viewed by 493

Abstract

Within the sustainable development framework, organizations are tasked with creating strategies that ensure the enduring provision of value through human capital for the future. Our study emphasizes employee development and training, adopting a people-centric approach aligned with sustainability principles. By leveraging techniques for the identification of Characteristics of Individual Strengths (CIS), Agent Evaluation, and composite decision making, we introduce a novel approach to formulating personalized employee training strategies. This approach is structured around three pivotal steps: identifying CIS, assessing employee roles within the organization based on CIS, and analyzing training strategies. Demonstrated through illustrative examples, our method validates its applicability in real-world settings. This research provides organizations with an innovative pathway for effectively fostering employee skills and securing a steady influx of high-quality, diverse talent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

18 pages, 4893 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evolution, Forecasting, and Driving Mechanisms of the Digital Financial Network: Evidence from China

by Rui Ding, Siwei Shen, Yuqi Zhu, Linyu Du, Shihui Chen, Juan Liang, Kexing Wang, Wenqian Xiao and Yuxuan Hong

Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 16072; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216072 - 17 Nov 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 817

Abstract

Digital finance (DF) is the engine driving financial inclusion worldwide, but the current uneven development of DF across regions would hinder this process. Based on cross-sectional data from 288 prefecture-level cities for the representative years 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020, this paper uses geographic detector methods, social network analysis, and geographical and temporal weighted regression (GTWR) to explore the key drivers of urban DF, revealing and forecasting the DF network structural evolution and its driving mechanism. The results show that (1) economic level, traditional financial level, internet popularity, innovation level, and government intervention are the key drivers of DF development. (2) During the decade, the proportion of high-intensity urban interconnections increased from 3.3% to 12.3%. Most cities are at a low level of intensity, showing a polarization trend. (3) The cities with high betweenness centrality are concentrated in the megacities and the number is stable at 5. The structure of network communities is relatively stable, with the number reduced to 10. Cities with the greatest possibility of connection are located in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), accounting for 60% of the total. (4) The drivers of DF development present significant spatial heterogeneity over time. The traditional financial level shows a positive and continuous promoting effect, while government intervention plays a negative role. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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16 pages, 431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gen Z Customers’ Continuance Intention in Using Food Delivery Application in an Emerging Market: Empirical Evidence from Vietnam

by Tuan Duong Vu, Hoang Viet Nguyen, Phuong Thao Vu, Thi Hoang Ha Tran and Van Hung Vu

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14776; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014776 - 12 Oct 2023

Viewed by 2260

Abstract

New business models integrated with technological advances like online food ordering platforms have been increasingly prevalent and are believed to bring significant value to customers. This study applied the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to examine how several factors influence the continuance usage intention of Gen Z customers when using food delivery applications (FDAs). Results from the CB-SEM analysis reveal that personal innovativeness positively influences the attitude of Gen Z customers. Continuance usage intention is positively influenced by attitude, perceived usefulness of promotion, and subjective norm. On the contrary, perceived health risk is indicated as a significant barrier to the perceived usefulness of promotion and continuance usage intention of Gen Z customers. These findings suggested discussions and have implications for stakeholders such as researchers, technology providers, enterprises, and policymakers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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11 pages, 782 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Workplace Friendship on Hotel Employees’ Intention to Leave: Moderating Role of Psychological Contract Violation

by Shao-Chuan Wu, Yuan-Chiu Chen and Wen-Long Zhuang

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9438; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129438 - 12 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1405

Abstract

Sustainability is a universal value of running a business. This study examines the influence of workplace friendships among hotel staff on their intention to leave, while considering the moderating effect of psychological contract violation. The sample group of the questionnaire is the employees in the five-star hotels in Taiwan. This study employs the purposive sampling method to collect questionnaires. For this research, 450 questionnaires were handed out to hotel staffs, with 150 questionnaires distributed, respectively, in Northern, Central, and Southern Taiwan. A total of 368 valid questionnaires were collected, resulting in an effective response rate of 81.78%. The results indicate that: (1) Friendship opportunities and friendship prevalence can significantly decrease workers’ intention to leave their jobs; (2) Psychological contract violation moderates the negative influence of friendship opportunity/friendship prevalence on one’s intention to leave. Finally, the paper proposes theoretical implications, practical implications and future research directions in accordance with the findings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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26 pages, 2474 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing a Controlling Model for Analyzing the Subjectivity of Enterprise Sustainability and Expert Group Judgments Using Fuzzy Triangular Membership Functions

by Sándor Gáspár, Zoltán Musinszki, István Zsombor Hágen, Ákos Barta, Judit Bárczi and Gergő Thalmeiner

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 7981; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107981 - 13 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1177

Abstract

The evaluation of sustainability is complex, involving several factors and expert opinions. In our research, we analyzed and evaluated the activities of a premium packaging material manufacturer with the participation of three relevant and professional groups. Various expectations have been defined in the form of plan values. From these plan values, we measured and evaluated the sustainability level of the company with the help of plan-fact ratios, fuzzy logic and triangular functions, enabling the subjective evaluation and integration of different opinions into the model. The purpose of our model is to support enterprise decision-making by taking into account sustainability aspects and the different expectations of interested parties. Our model helps identify intervention points and manages subjectivity in the field so that the decisions of enterprise managers better reflect the expectations and perspectives of those involved. The model we built is significantly different from previously used and developed indexes, as it functions as an enterprise-controlling model and index during sustainability evaluation. The developed model can also integrate company-specific and global sustainability indicators. Our research contributes to the development of sustainability evaluation methodology and the scientific examination of enterprise decision-making models. The controlling model we developed offers an integrated approach to managing the subjectivity of sustainability evaluation and the different expectations of stakeholder groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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13 pages, 401 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Total Reward Strategies for Talented Employees’ Sustainable Performance, Satisfaction, and Motivation: Evidence from the Educational Sector

by Musaddag Elrayah and Yahdih Semlali

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1605; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021605 - 13 Jan 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 8093

Abstract

The importance of sustainable human resource practices is increasing yearly. During COVID-19, many benefits and compensation strategies became increasingly important for employees. Working environments are described as one of the main factors that affects people’s lives while they are at work. This empirical study explores the impact of sustainable total reward strategies on sustainable talented employee performance, satisfaction, and motivation in the education field, using a quantitative research method. Data were collected from an annual survey developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The participants of this survey were residents of 47 different countries and economies, and a total of 153,682 teachers participated. The annual survey’s main goal is to generate reliable, valid, and comparable population estimates based on sample data. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation and SPSS version 24. The findings of this research show a positive correlation between total sustainable rewards and sustainable employee performance (B = 0.079, p < 0.01), satisfaction (B = 0.370, p < 0.01), and motivation (B = 0.427, p < 0.01). These results might have social and economic implications, especially in the educational sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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20 pages, 753 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strategic Charitable Giving and R&D Innovation of High-Tech Enterprises: A Dynamic Perspective Based on the Corporate Life Cycle

by Zhengwen Lu, Yujie Zhang and Yuanxu Li

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 16180; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316180 - 4 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1246

Abstract

As important components of differentiation strategy, charitable giving and R&D innovation can have a profound impact on the survival and growth of high-tech enterprises. However, the strategic interaction between them has not been studied in depth using the whole-life-cycle perspective. With Chinese A-share-listed high-tech enterprises in the 2015–2020 period as the research sample, the Tobit model was used to empirically test the interaction between charitable giving and R&D innovation and analyze differences in their utility over different life cycles. The results show that there was a strategic synergy between charitable giving and R&D innovation and charitable giving could significantly improve R&D innovation, but its utility was affected by changes in the life cycle of firms. Among them, the synergy utility was highest for maturing firms, followed by declining firms, but not significant for growing firms. A further study on the synergistic utility of mature firms found that, for non-state firms where executives have an R&D background, charitable giving could promote integration of external advantageous resources and R&D innovation development. Finally, the regression findings remained significant after accounting for possible endogeneity and heteroskedasticity between charitable giving and R&D innovation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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23 pages, 519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Management Attitude Shaping Cultural Sustainability in a Taxi Company—An Israeli Case Study

by Yaffa Moskovich

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13109; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013109 - 13 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1178

Abstract

This research examined human interaction in a taxi driving company, analyzing the cultural influence of the management’s social definition of its employees. In addition, this case study examined the relevance of “activity theory” through the perspective of the “iceberg model”. Based on this model, the researcher explored the overt and practical layers of the organizational culture of the company as well as its hidden layers. The ethnographic research developed along qualitative lines: 28 interviews and 10 direct observations in the organizational setting. The research questions were: ‘How did the owners’ attitude shape the culture of their taxi company and how did their behavior influence cultural sustainability?’ The findings portrayed a culture of conflict, driven by the owners’ motivation to become rich quickly. The overt layers of the organizational culture included domineering managerial behavior, exploiting the drivers’ inferior status, creating a high level of stress, and openly humiliating them. The drivers were deeply dissatisfied, which led to high rates of turnover. Moreover, analyzing the social interactions in the firm uncovered the hidden agenda of the owners (i.e., the covert layers), which was to amass a fortune in a short time at the expense of their workers. The analysis highlighted the damage this capitalist managerial attitude caused to the organizational sustainability of the company. The managerial behavior caused high driver turnover, which led to a constant shortage of drivers and instability in the company. By focusing on one taxi driving company in northern Israel, this research enriches the literature in the fields of social interaction, activity theory, organizational culture, and sustainability. This paper presents insights that stem from “activity theory”, according to which managers can interact with their employees, overcoming mistrust and conflict, in order to enhance organizational sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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11 pages, 643 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Practical Impact of Bias against Minority Group Applicants in Resume Screening on Personnel Selection Outcomes

by Jisoo Ock

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9438; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159438 - 1 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2145

Abstract

Research has consistently shown that resume screening decisions, despite their practical importance and frequent use in practice, are prone to biases that disadvantage applicants in demographic minority groups. Using a two-stage multiple-hurdle selection simulation as an example (initial selection on resume scores, then selection on a composite of cognitive ability and conscientiousness test scores), the current study illustrates the practical impact that bias against ethnic minority group applicants in resume evaluation can have on the outcomes of selection. Results show that if the bias against minority group applicants creates even a modest level of deflation in the observed resume evaluation scores for minority group applicants, the selection rate for minority group applicants is expected to be meaningfully lower compared to the selection rate for majority group applicants, increasing the likelihood of adverse impact. These findings demonstrate in clear practical terms the critical importance of fair resume evaluations for improving the legal defensibility of selection. Going beyond the simple understanding that bias against minority group applicants in resume screening leads to lower diversity, the current study contributes to the previous literature by clearly outlining the expected effect that varying levels of discriminatory resume evaluation have on the practical outcomes of selection. Moreover, we illustrate these results under a realistic set of conditions implied from the personnel selection literature and meta-analyses of variables relevant to personnel selection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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17 pages, 1366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

State-Level Urban Agglomeration and Enterprise Innovation: A Quasi-Natural Experiment

by Kai Zhao, Huahua Huang and Wanshu Wu

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9170; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159170 - 26 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1523

Abstract

Based on the data of listed enterprises in China from 2007 to 2019, this study uses the quasi-natural experiment method (staggered DID) to explore the actual impact of the establishment of state-level urban agglomeration on the innovation activities of enterprises and the heterogeneous impact caused by regional differences. It is found that state-level urban agglomerations play the role of “incubator” for enterprise innovation, and the establishment of urban agglomerations can not only effectively encourage enterprises to increase R&D investment, but also greatly increase the quantity of innovation output of enterprises. It is worthwhile to note that the establishment of state-level urban agglomerations has no significant impact on R&D investment and the innovation output of enterprises in the eastern region. As far as the western region is concerned, the incentive effect of the establishment of urban agglomeration on the innovation output of enterprises is significantly positive at 1% significance level, while the incentive effect on the R&D investment of enterprises is positive but not statistically significant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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20 pages, 1675 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Moderating Effect of Paternalistic Leadership on the Relationship between Thriving at Work and Expatriate Performance

by Wen-Long Zhuang, Chun-Han Lee, Hsin-Mei Lin and Yen-Feng Nien

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 8119; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14138119 - 3 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1926

Abstract

This study explores the effect of thriving at work on expatriate performance and determines whether the paternalistic leadership of the local supervisor in a host country moderates this relationship. Convenience sampling was adopted. In total, 300 questionnaires were distributed, and 182 responses (20 invalid and 162 valid) were returned (effective questionnaire recovery rate = 54.00%). A regression model was applied to examine the causal relationship between thriving at work and expatriate performance and the moderating effect of paternalistic leadership. The analysis results indicated that more obvious learning and vitality characteristics were associated with higher task and contextual performances among expatriates. Furthermore, host country supervisors’ moral leadership moderated the relationship between expatriate task performance and both learning and vitality. Moreover, host country supervisors’ authoritarian leadership moderated the relationship between learning and expatriate task performance. Finally, host country supervisors’ authoritarian leadership moderated the relationship between vitality and expatriate contextual performance. Theoretically, this study is expected to fill the research gap in the expatriate literature pertaining to expatriate performance, thriving at work, and paternalistic leadership, because the relevant expatriate literature is quite lacking in this area. In practice, this study can be used as a reference by multinational corporations to create or shape a supportive employment environment, thereby enhancing expatriate performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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Review

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30 pages, 4589 KiB

Open AccessReview

Mapping Financial Literacy: A Systematic Literature Review of Determinants and Recent Trends

by Azra Zaimovic, Anes Torlakovic, Almira Arnaut-Berilo, Tarik Zaimovic, Lejla Dedovic and Minela Nuhic Meskovic

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9358; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129358 - 9 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 9204

Abstract

Financial literacy is a critical life skill that is essential for achieving financial security and individual well-being, economic growth and overall sustainable development. Based on the analysis of research on financial literacy, we aim to provide a balance sheet of current research and a starting point for future research with the focus on identifying significant predictors of financial literacy, as well as variables that are affected by financial literacy. The main methods of our research are a systematic literature review, and bibliometric and bibliographical analysis. We establish a chronological path of the financial literacy topic in the scientific research. Based on the analysis of the most cited articles, we develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for mapping financial literacy. We identified a large number of predictors of financial literacy starting with education, gender, age, knowledge, etc. Financial literacy also affects variables such as retirement planning, financial inclusion, return on wealth, risk diversification, etc. We discuss in detail the main trends and topics in financial literacy research by involving financial literacy of the youth, financial literacy from the gender perspective, financial inclusion, retirement planning, digital finance and digital financial literacy. Our research can help policymakers in their pursuit of improving the levels of individual financial literacy by enabling individuals to make better financial decisions, avoid financial stress and achieve their financial goals. It can also help governments in their efforts in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Organizational Performance: Perspectives of Production, Marketing, Human Resources, R&D and Finance)

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