The epistemological basis for quality management

Sustainability reporting as a 21st century problem statement: using a quality lens to understand and analyse the challenges

Purpose

This paper explores quality science and quality management as a potential pathway to resolve the challenges of corporate sustainability reporting (CSR) by establishing the need for a common understanding of sustainability and sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary research on key documents released by regulatory institutions working at the intersection of sustainability, corporate reporting, measurement and academic papers on quality science and management.

Findings

Existing measurement frameworks of CSR are limited. They are neither aligned nor appropriate for accurately measuring a company's ecological footprint for mitigating climate change. Quality for sustainability (Q4S) could be a conceptual framework to bring about an appropriate level of measurability to better align sustainability reporting to stakeholder needs.

Research limitations/implications

There is a lack of primary data. The research is based on secondary literature review. The implications of Q4S as a framework could inform research studies connected to sustainable tourism, energy transition and sustainable buildings.

Practical implications

The paper connects to CSR stakeholders, sustainability managers, company leaderships and boards.

Social implications

The implications of sustainability on people, purpose and prosperity are a part of World Economic Forum's stakeholder capitalism.

Originality/value

This paper fills a research gap on diagnosing and understanding the key reporting challenges emerging from the lack sustainability definitions.

Sustainable Management Activities: A Study on the Relations between Technology Commercialization Capabilities, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, and Business Performance

This study investigates the effects of sustainable management activities (knowledge management activities, quality management activities, and competitive intelligence activities) on technology commercialization capabilities, sustainable competitive advantage, and business performance. In addition, it examines the effects of technology commercialization capabilities on sustainable competitive advantage and business performance as well as the effects of sustainable competitive advantage on business performance. We surveyed 409 global firms for 30 days from 1 October 2018 to 30 October 2018 and performed a structural equation model analysis on the data collected. We limited the scope of the survey to employees working at the level of team leader or above in the R&D department. The results showed that quality management activities and competitive intelligence activities have a statistically significant positive effect on technology commercialization capabilities and quality management activities, competitive intelligence activities, and technology commercialization capabilities have a statistically significant positive effect on sustainable competitive advantage. Additionally, sustainable competitive advantage has a statistically significant positive effect on business performance.