Sustainable Business Practices in Developing Economies
Description
This book explores the intersection of sustainability and business practices in developing economies, focusing on innovative strategies that contribute to and critically engage with relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It takes a critical stance toward mainstream sustainability narratives and the global SDG framework. Moving beyond conventional CSR rhetoric, tokenistic sustainability practices, and unchecked SDG optimism, it interrogates whether global initiatives truly align with local realities in developing economies.
Through a grounded critique, it explores how the SDG agenda may reinforce top-down, one-size-fits-all models that fail to capture the socio-political and economic diversity of the Global South. Rather than celebrating the SDGs uncritically, this book scrutinizes their operational feasibility, coherence, and inherent structural limitations, offering equity-driven and context-sensitive alternatives that challenge normative frameworks and conventional wisdom.
Drawing from decolonial theory to highlight how knowledge production, sustainability discourse, and implementation models are often shaped by colonial legacies and northern-centric paradigms, this work focuses on grassroots approaches, localized epistemologies, and pluriverse thinking to reimagine sustainability as a more inclusive and transformative endeavor, potentially leading to the articulation of new, decolonially informed sustainability concepts.
By bridging research and practice, this book combines scholarly analysis with grounded case studies, enabling readers to engage with both conceptual debates and real-world applications. Ultimately, it offers a roadmap for transitioning from ambition to action, advocating for sustainability practices that are both transformative and just.
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Persons
Justin Paul is Professor and Director of Research at the University of Puerto Rico, USA. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Consumer Studies . He ranks among the world's top 70 highly cited Professors in Business & Economics.
Dhanya Alex is Professor and Director at Sahrdaya Institute of Management Studies, India.
Binoy Thomas is Associate Professor and Research Coordinator at Sahrdaya Institute of Management Studies, India.
Jino Johny M. is Executive Director and Associate Professor at Sahrdaya Institute of Management Studies, India.
Content
Part I: Decolonial Perspectives on Sustainability.- Chapter 1: Doing Good, Differently: Cause-Related Marketing and the Decolonial Turn in Sustainable Development.- Chapter 2: Theoretical Frameworks for Sustainability in Business.- Chapter 3: Rethinking Growth: Regenerative and Circular Business Models for Inclusive Sustainability in the Global South.- Chapter 4: Decolonising Health Insurance: Pathways to Sustainable and Equitable Health Financing in Developing Economies.- Chapter 5: Integrating Public - Private Action and Local Participation to Achieve Health and Energy SDGs: Rwanda & India Case Studies.- Part II: Finance & Circular Economy in Developing Contexts.- Chapter 6: Financing Sustainable Development: Decolonizing Capital Flows and Fostering Inclusive Growth in Developing Economies.- Chapter 7: Capital and Cause Convergence: A Conceptual Exploration of Impact Investing for SDG Alignment.- Chapter 8: Sustainable Supply Chain Finance: An Approach by Development Banks.- Chapter 9: SDG-Aligned Derivatives for Promoting Ethical Investment.- Chapter 10: Sustainable Business Practices and the Role of Financial Education in Fostering Ethical Investment Trends.- Chapter 11: Women Entrepreneurs as Change Agents: Financial Inclusion for Sustainable Community-Based Enterprises.- Chapter 12: Remodelling Development Pathways: Financial Literacy and Digital Financial Inclusion as Catalysts for Sustainable Development of Internal Migrant Workers.- Chapter 13: Financing Sustainability: The Role of Electric Vehicles Manufacturing in Green Business Growth in India.- Part III: Technology, Innovation & Operations for Sustainable Futures.- Chapter 14: Leapfrogging to Sustainability: Unlocking India's Potential through Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development.- Chapter 15: Technological Leapfrogging and Digital Sustainability: India's Experience as a Contextual Framework for the Global South.- Chapter 16: Rethinking Value: Intellectual Capital as a Catalyst for Sustainable Performance in India's Biotech Sector.- Chapter 17: From Followers to Forerunners: How Imitative Strategies Drive Green Innovation and Sustainable Performance in Manufacturing SMEs.- Chapter 18: Humanizing Lean: Sustaining Transformation through Leadership and Culture in Malaysian Manufacturing.- Chapter 19: An Untapped Strategy: Uncovering Why Chemical Leasing, a Practical and Sustainable approach Remains Unused in India?.- Chapter 20: Rewiring Development: Technological Leapfrogging and Digital Futures in the Global South.- Chapter 21: From Efficiency to Ecology: Rethinking Logistics for a Greener Future.- Chapter 22: Sustainable Supply Chain Strategies in Organic Farming: Lessons from South India.- Part IV: Human Capital & Organisational Pathways to Sustainability.- Chapter 23: Modelling Sustainable HR Practices in the Gig Economy: A Structural Equation Approach.- Chapter 24: Psychological Capital for Sustainable Well-being: Advancing SDG 3 through Positive Organisational Practices in Developing Economies.- Chapter 25: Digital Inequality and the Sustainability Divide: Analysing the Role of Technological Access in Shaping Inclusive Green Business Practices in Developing Economies.- Chapter 26: Re-energizing Healthcare Workforces in India: Contextual Organizational Practices for Sustainable Service Delivery.- Chapter 27: Sustainable Employment in Health and Hospitality Sectors within Medical Tourism: A Pathway to Decolonizing the SDGs in Developing Countries.- Part V: Sustainability in Key Sectors of Global South.- 28: Sustainability in the Jewellery Industry: Relevance, Challenges, and Emerging Opportunities in Developing Economies.- 29: Revitalizing Indian Agriculture by Aligning Viksit Bharat 2047 Goals with SDGs and Data-Driven Value Chain.- 30: Towards Green Healthcare: Exploring the Role of AI in Promoting Sustainable Ayurvedic Businesses in Emerging Economies.- 31: Crafting a Sustainable Tomorrow: A Descriptive Analysis of Kerala's Pottery Sector.- Part VI: Community, Equity & Inclusive Development.- 32: Localised Business Practices for Social innovation: Pathways to Sustainable Development in India.- 33: Mindful Consumption for Resilient Living: Understanding Sustainable Consumption Practices in Tidal Flood-Affected Communities: A Study in Edakochi, Kerala.