Framework, indicators, and techniques to support decision making related to societal sustainability

Access restricted to the OSU CommunitySustainability recognizes the interdependence of ecological, social, and economic systems - the three pillars of sustainability. While the economic effects, and increasingly the environmental consequences, of engineering design and business decisions are evaluated, little attention has been devoted to understanding the social impacts. A consensus has not been reached regarding which indicators of societal sustainability should be addressed or how to relate the indicators to decisions. The goal of this research is to improve and expand the ability of industrial and political stakeholders to consider the social impacts of their decisions in conjunction with environmental impacts. This work endeavors to demonstrate that social impacts can be: i) reflected in quantitative indices and ii) incorporated into decision-making practices that support sustainability as a whole. Therefore, research was undertaken to: identify social sustainability indicators, link these indicators to organizational decisions, model nationallevel social sustainability impacts, and guide socially responsible supply-chain decision making. Once a framework for social sustainability indicators was established (based on 6 social groups and 5 need levels), the best indicator for each group-need category was identified through a Delphi study. Then, performance data for three of these categories was analyzed for Michigan Technological University: employee safety/security, customer retention, and employee retention. The first category may be viewed as involving a lower-order need, while the latter two reflect higher-order needs. Each of these sets of performance data was analyzed to i) determine whether changes are occurring over time, and ii) to uncover whether changes to the system have, or have not, effected performance. Additionally, research was conducted to better understand the relationship between economic activity and national-level indicators of societal sustainability proposed by the United Nations. The impact of supply-chain decisions on corporation-wide societal sustainability measures was explored. The results of this work suggest that information regarding indicators of social performance is available. However, it is increasingly clear that the actions taken to change a system must be carefully characterized and documented. Furthermore, it appears that these critical tasks are not often completed. If businesses are to effectively address the needs of society, significant changes in decision-making practices will be necessary