DuPont’s sustainability-related products include photovoltaic materials supplied to PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar-powered boat. Image courtesy of Dupont. Several recent studies point to the increasing number of companies that are translating their sustainability strategies into financial gains and competitive strength. Leading companies are generating sales growth with new environmentally conscious products and services, identifying eco-efficiencies […]

In a competitive world where building new business models for success through innovation, competitiveness and sustainability is on the agenda, higher education institutions should improve their performance without neglecting quality and sustainability issues. The aim of this study is to develop a framework using critical success factors and integrating quality and sustainability in higher education institutions. Previous studies regard quality and sustainability as separate issues, and those who deal with sustainability tend to be restricted to environmental aspects. Building on an extensive and systematic literature review on sustainability, quality and higher education themes we identify seven critical success factors for quality in higher education. The proposed framework can be a starting point to help top managers and course directors in higher education institutions, to create and manage their courses and respective institutions toward high standards of quality and sustainability.

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to build on the original Dunphy, Griffiths and Benn (2007) model by proposing a new model of organisational sustainability which includes the economic dimension. There is a growing level of interest by senior executives in the role and potential impact that sustainability will have on their organisation’s future strategy and structure. Although management is keenly aware that sustainability is important in their future planning, there is much uncertainty about what level of involvement and commitment they should make towards sustainability endeavours. Design/methodology/approach – This article reviews the existing organisational sustainability change model while building a case to have the important economic strand added to the original change dimensions relating to the human and the environmental strands. Findings – This conceptual paper builds on previous work of sustainability organisational change theorists to produce an enhanced sustainability change model thus proposing a more comprehensive and integrated sustainability stage model that can guide managers in their quest to evolve effective and more sustainable organisations. Originality/value – This is a conceptual paper that builds on previous work of sustainability organisational change theorists to introduce an enhanced sustainability change model that includes the important economic dimension to the widely accepted social and environmental dimensions, thus proposing a comprehensive and integrated sustainability stage model that can guide managers in their quest to evolve effective and more sustainable organisations.