Scientific Monograph on Perspectives of Sustainability Management in Europe and Asia

Contents

1. List of Figures

2. List of Tables

3. Foreword by the Editors

4. Part I Sustainability Management and Challenges in Europe and Asia

   1. Management of Corporate Sustainability Performance: Analysing the Perspectives of German and Kazakh Experts Stefan Noack

   2. A Social Systems Theory Approach to Managing Sustainability Complexity in Multi-Tier Supply Chains Alexander Neske

   3. The Role of Logistics in Strengthening Regional Cooperation Among Central Asian Countries Aida Yerimpasheva Aida Myrzakhmetova (Corresponding author) Hans-Christian Brauweiler

   4. Digitalization of Logistics Processes in Supply Chains: Challenges and Prospects Hans-Christian Brauweiler Aida Yerimpasheva (Corresponding author)

   5. The Influence of Digital Platforms on the Optimization of Logistics Operations Aida Yerimpasheva (Corresponding author) Hans-Christian Brauweiler

   6. The Fast-Food Market in Kazakhstan: Between Globalization and Sustainable Consumption Trends Zarema Balgabayeva Aida Yerimpasheva (Corresponding author) Lyazipa Medukhanova Hans-Christian Brauweiler

   7. Innovative Approaches to Business Management in the Transformation of Traditional Sectors: The Case of the Fishing Industry in China Ding Lei Hans-Christian Brauweiler Aida Yerimpasheva (Corresponding author)

5. Part II Socio-Economic Transformations and the Future of Work in a Global Economy

   1. Impact Analysis of Manager’s Strategic Thinking and Planning on Socio-Economic Development in Kazakhstan Amir Aukenov

   2. Trade and Economic Cooperation of Kazakhstan With the EAEU Countries: Modern Features and Prospects Aida Myrzakhmetova

   3. Deepening Turkic Integration: Trade-Economic Potential and Strategic Directions of Development Assel Khamzayeva

   4. The Mechanism of Competitive Strategy Formation in Commercial Banks Iuliia Trofimova

   5. Employee Job Satisfaction Ia Jimshitashvili (Corresponding author) Lali Chagelishvili-Agladze Nana Rinkiashvili

   6. Unveiling Bias: How Candidates’ Social and Demographic Profiles Predict Hiring in the Private Sector Anastassiya Lipovka

   7. Managing an Aging Workforce: Assessing the Impact of Psychosocial Well-Being on Employment Assel Izekenova

   8. Digitalization of Kazakhstan’s Labor Market Through the Lens of Gender Equality: The Role of Enbek.kz Yeldar Mubarakov

   9. Georgian Freelancers: Challenges and Prospects in the Digital Transformation Era Ana Chagelishvili

6. Part III Miscellaneous Perspectives: Innovation and Digital Transformation

   1. Competitiveness Analysis of Digital Trade Between China and Central Asia Lyu Zhilei

   2. Strategic Brand Management in the Context of Digital Transformation: Lessons From China and Central Asia Raushan Tarakbayeva Aida Yerimpasheva (Corresponding author) Hans-Christian Brauweiler Li Jipeng

   3. The Role and Impact of Digital Nomads on Cross-Border E-Commerce Trade Management Between China and Kazakhstan Mao Zhong

   4. Strategic Management of Kazakhstan’s Hybrid Higher Education Model: Catalyst for Global Competitiveness or Barrier to Development? Akerke Zheldybayeva

   5. The Impact of E-Learning on Students’ Performance Gani Zhumatkan (Corresponding author) Hans-Christian Brauweiler Çiğdem Özarı

   6. Artistic Research and Knowledge Creation: Between Intuition and Methodology Assem Zakirova

   7. Beyond Organizational Silos: Communicative Disconnects in the Creative Economy Assem Zakirova Aida Yerimpasheva (Corresponding author) Hans-Christian Brauweiler

   8. Knowledge Workers’ Acceptance and Trust in Artificial Intelligence Technologies: An Empirical Analysis and Prospects for Managers Wu Qunwei

   9. Intersectional Approaches to AI Usability in Nursing: Digital Competencies and Inclusive Educational Practices in the German and International Contexts Considering SDGs 4, 5, and 10 Tim Tischendorf (Corresponding author) Laura Hinsche Martina Hasseler Tom Schaal

   10. The Global Adoption of Stablecoins: Drivers, Challenges, and Economic Implications Giorgi Gvazava

7. Notes on Contributors

Figures

1. Figure 1. Robert Simons’ 4 levers of control framework.

2. Figure 2. Implementation of a sustainability performance management system based on the interview data.

3. Figure 3. Scatter plot of the GCI and LPI relationship of countries of the world.

4. Figure 4. Challenges and barriers to adopting digital technologies in logistics.

5. Figure 5. Plant-based meat market by region, US$billion (Food and Beverage Market Research Report 2023).

6. Figure 6. Preferences of fast-food consumers in the Almaty market in terms of confidence in the composition of products.

7. Figure 7. SNW analysis framework visualization for commercial banks.

8. Figure 8. SWOT analysis matrix with four strategic quadrants.

9. Figure 9. Comprehensive mechanism of competitive strategy formation in commercial banks.

10. Figure 10. Immigrants and emigrants by age, 2024.

11. Figure 11. Staff survey results.

12. Figure 12. Job satisfaction factors in higher education institutions.

13. Figure 13. Pearson correlation heatmap of job satisfaction factors.

14. Figure 14. Spearman correlation heatmap of job satisfaction factors.

15. Figure 15. Proportion of respondents reporting explicit bias.

16. Figure 16. Proportion of respondents reporting implicit bias.

17. Figure 17. Integration of global theoretical frameworks in keeping older adults engaged, productive, and satisfied at work.

18. Figure 18. Margin computations of predicted probabilities.

19. Figure 19. Dynamics of vacancies & resumes (2020–2025).

20. Figure 20. Women’s participation in skills Enbek.kz (2020–2025).

21. Figure 21. SWOT analysis of the impact of digital technologies on gender equality in the labor market.

22. Figure 22. Policy-platform alignment for inclusive digital labor markets.

23. Figure 23. Structure of respondents by profession.

24. Figure 24. Boxplot for H2.1: Overall perceived challenges by education.

25. Figure 25. Boxplot for H2.3: Overall perceived challenges by experience.

26. Figure 26. China’s digital trade 2015–2024.

27. Figure 27. Kazakhstan’s digital trade 2015–2024.

28. Figure 28. Uzbekistan’s digital trade 2015–2024.

29. Figure 29. Turkmenistan’s digital trade 2015–2024.

30. Figure 30. Kyrgyz republic’s digital trade 2015–2024.

31. Figure 31. Tajikistan’s digital trade 2015–2024.

32. Figure 32. Embedding methods and mechanisms of digital nomads.

33. Figure 33. Theoretical model of AI acceptance and trust among knowledge workers with trust as a second-order construct.

34. Figure 34. AI spectrum.

35. Figure 35. Dimensions of diversity in professional nursing.

36. Figure 36. Visual learning path with workshop schedule.

37. Figure 37. Stablecoin transaction volume versus global cross-border value.

38. Figure 38. Stablecoin issuers rank 17th among countries in U.S. Treasury Holdings.

Tables

1. Table 1. Main interview results of the German experts (A–C).

2. Table 2. Main interview results of the Kazakh experts (D–F).

3. Table 3. Logistics Performance Index (LPI) in Central Asian countries (from 1 = low to 5 = high), 2023.

4. Table 4. Ranking of some countries in the world by the Global Competitiveness Index (2019) and the Logistics Performance Index (2023).

5. Table 5. Key survey findings on consumer attitudes toward fast-food in Almaty (2023).

6. Table 6. Main macroeconomic indicators of the EAEU.

7. Table 7. Dynamics of GDP of the EAEU countries from 2014 to 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars).

8. Table 8. Volumes of foreign trade in goods of the EAEU countries (US$ billion).

9. Table 9. Structure of Kazakhstan’s exports and imports by main commodity groups in 2024.

10. Table 10. Share of the country in the total volume of trade turnover, percent.

11. Table 11. Share of EAEU countries in the total volume of exports/imports of Kazakhstan, percent.

12. Table 12. SWOT analysis of Kazakhstan’s participation in the EAEU.

13. Table 13. Macroeconomic indicators for OTS countries, 2024.

14. Table 14. Mutual trade between OTS countries, 2021–2024 (million $).

15. Table 15. Comparison of OTS countries’ trade turnover within the OTS and with the rest of the world, 2023 (%).

16. Table 16. SNW analysis matrix for commercial bank assessment.

17. Table 17. Weighting matrix for bank environmental factors.

18. Table 18. SWOT analysis for strategy variant development.

19. Table 19. Assessment of developed strategy variants.

20. Table 20. Selected significant bank mergers and acquisitions 2023–2024.

21. Table 21. Factors influencing employee job satisfaction.

22. Table 22. Employee interest and willingness to leave.

23. Table 23. Pearson’s linear correlation matrix of factors affecting employee job satisfaction.

24. Table 24. Spearman’s correlation matrix of job satisfaction factors (ranked monotonic relationships).

25. Table 25. Descriptive statistics of the respondents’ characteristics.

26. Table 26. Logistic regression Model A on predictors of direct bias in employee selection.

27. Table 27. Logistic regression Model B on predictors of indirect bias in employee selection.

28. Table 28. Model A fit indices.

29. Table 29. Model В fit indices.

30. Table 30. The hierarchical relationships and details of each key area related to the impact of digitalization on the labor market.

31. Table 31. Overview of data sources and analytical procedures.

32. Table 32. Comparative labor market indicators (pre- and post-Enbek.kz) with gender focus.

33. Table 33. Reliability statistics for Q15 and Q21 scales.

34. Table 34. Test results of H1 sub-hypotheses.

35. Table 35. Test results of H2 sub-hypotheses.

36. Table 36. Test results of H3 sub-hypotheses.

37. Table 37. Test results of H4 sub-hypotheses.

38. Table 38. Revealed comparative advantage indices (RCA) of China and Central Asian Countries, 2015–2024.

39. Table 39. Digital trade advantage (DTA) index of China and Central Asian Countries, 2015–2024.

40. Table 40. Digital trade competitive advantage index of China and Central Asian Countries, 2015–2024.

41. Table 41. Digital trade market share (MS) index of China and Central Asian Countries, 2015–2024.

42. Table 42. Social and demographic characteristics of the interviewees.

43. Table 43. Comparative analysis of positions of Central Asian universities in QS World University Rankings: Asia 2024.

44. Table 44. Formal versus substantive indicators of internationalization in Kazakhstan’s higher education (2021–2024).

45. Table 45. Bologna elements versus hybrid implementation in Kazakhstan’s higher education.

46. Table 46. Test of normality (Grade 1).

47. Table 47. Test of normality (Grade 2).

48. Table 48. Mathematical analysis module performance.

49. Table 49. Sociology module performance.

50. Table 50. Performance of undergraduate and postgraduate students.

51. Table 51. Correlations (marks achieved during online education and location).

52. Table 52. Correlations (marks achieved during online education and gender).

53. Table 53. Correlations (marks achieved during online education and study programs: B.Sc. and M.Sc.).

54. Table 54. Reference sources for research variables.

55. Table 55. Cronbach’s α of the measured dimensions.

56. Table 56. Descriptive statistics.

57. Table 57. Correlation analysis.

58. Table 58. Collinearity diagnostics (SPSS regression analysis).

59. Table 59. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

60. Table 60. Structural equation model (SEM) path test.

61. Table 61. Research groups’ comparisons.

Foreword by the Editors

Nowadays, we are globally confronted with accelerating ecological and social challenges that endanger our common future. These pressing global issues (from global warming to unfair working conditions) expose asymmetries of prosperity and remind us that a desired minimum of social symmetry is not a decorative add-on but a condition for long-term value creation. Sustainability management denotes the integrated steering of environmental, social, and economic goals along the value chain and across corporate functions, with stakeholder orientation and accountability built in. In management terms, it means aligning People, Planet, and Profit within the target system of companies, and reporting alone is no longer sufficient. This monograph argues that sustainability must be embedded in how companies plan, steer, and reward performance, not only in what they publicly disclose. Companies should move beyond just harvesting easy sustainability wins and focus on advancing their overall sustainability development. Global frameworks, for example, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement, can serve as macro targets that give orientation. Yet companies must operationalize them internally to avoid aspiration–execution gaps. Therefore, the focus of this monograph is not only on what should be reported to the outside world but on how sustainability is governed inside the firm, where cause-and-effect chains must connect actions to outcomes. This is considered in a global, interdisciplinary perspective.

The expectation that companies internalize ecological and social responsibility did not appear overnight. It is the product of a long normative and political evolution. Historically, the first conceptual considerations of sustainability date back to the eighteenth-century forestry tradition of Hans Carl von Carlowitz, in which sustained yield expressed a demanding yet straightforward rationality: consume only what can regenerate so that prosperity today does not destroy the prospects of tomorrow. In other words, early sustainability already addressed asymmetries of prosperity across generations and implied a desired minimum of social symmetry as a normative anchor. In the modern era, the Club of Rome debate on Limits to Growth brought planetary boundaries into public and policy consciousness. The Brundtland Report (1987) established the widely accepted definition of sustainable development, namely, that today’s generations should meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The subsequent international frameworks, from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio de Janeiro Conference or the Earth Summit (1992), to the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Millennium Development Goals (2000), institutionalized climate and development ambitions and began to shape reporting expectations and governance codes. These arrangements serve as macro targets for nations and negotiations and, by extension, as external drivers for firms’ sustainability orientation. The trajectory set by Kyoto and the Millennium Development Goals prepared the ground for the consolidated agenda of 2015. The SDGs provide a comprehensive orientation for development. The Paris Agreement defines a temperature pathway well below 2 °C, ideally 1.5 °C, which implies a net zero trajectory in the second half of the century.

Against this historical background, corporate sustainability today is no longer a separate ethical add-on. It is a management task. In line with the three-pillar model, corporate sustainability is classified into environmental, social, and economic activities that must be managed in concert rather than as separate islands. Following Elkington’s famous Triple Bottom Line, People, Planet, and Profit, this shifts the firm from a single bottom line to an integrated objective function in which ecological and social drivers sit alongside financial ones. Correspondingly, this triad provides the basic structure for a sustainability-oriented, accounting-based management control system. Such a system selects the few interactive KPIs that link non-financial performance to value creation within one coherent Plan–Do–Check–Act cycle, referred to here as the PDCA cycle.