About the Book

We have entered a new era where business, technologies, communities, and even pandemic deceases cross borders with unprecedented speed and intensity. 2030 Agenda and 17 SDGs reflect the global community's high expectations of finally reversing the destruction of our natural and social habits, and achieving a more balanced and equitable pathways toward well-being of all. However, despite the initial efforts, the world is not on track to achieving the most of the 169 targets that comprise the goals. It is evident that we have a system problem, so we need a system solution. Authors presented a hierarchical system consisting of two-level management systems: first level-unsustainability reduction systems and second level-control system for transformations toward sustainability. The book clearly shows that implementation of systems for unsustainability reduction and for transformations toward sustainability is possible, and that sufficient knowledge is available to get started. It is designed for researchers, practitioners, and politicians.

About the Author:

Jurgis Kazimieras STANISKIS- full member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, professor - emeritus at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania, member of the United Nations Independent Group of Scientists for Global Sustainable Development Reporting.

J. K. Staniskis deals with the development of methods and tools based on systems theory for sustainable economy and sustainable industrial development, for instance, resource-efficient and cleaner production, systems for incremental preventive innovations generation, financing and implementation, and systems for transformations of global development towards sustainability. He is a manager and the main expert for more than 80 scientific and implementation international and national projects, establisher of the new transdisciplinary MSc programme "Cleaner production and environmental management" and PhD programme "Environmental engineering".

As an UNIDO/UNEP/OECD expert on unsustainability reduction in companies, J.K. Staniskis participated in the projects/missions in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Vietnam, China, Russia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru, etc. As a member of the UN Independent Group of Scientists, is one of the authors of the Global Sustainable Development Report 2019: "The Future is Now - Science for Achieving Sustainable Development".

He is the recipient of the following awards: National Science Awards (1979, 1988, 2004), His Excellence the President Dr. Valdas Adamkus Award (2005), the Baltic Sea Award (2010), the Cross of Officer of the Order for Merits to Lithuania (2009).

Egle Staniskiene, a professor at the Sustainable Management Research Group, School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania, PhD in Social Sciences. Research interests include sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, responsible consumption and sustainable production, employee well-being, quality system management and interdisciplinary research. Currently, E. Staniskiene is a member of the expert council of the Lithuanian Responsible Business Association (LAVA). She has published more than 60 scientific publications, participated in more than 20 national and international projects. E. Staniskiene is an expert of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), a KTU representative in the international COPERNICUS alliance, a member of European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS), International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS), Academy of Management (AOM), and a European Member of the Academy of Management (EURAM). She uses and develops her scientific competence in the study process and in cooperation with business and public sector organisations. E. Staniskiene teaches the modules of Sustainable Development, Quality Management, Quality and Sustainable Development Management, Circular Economy and others.

Zivile Stankevičiūte, PhD in Management, is an Associated Professor at the Sustainable Management Research Group, School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania. Her doctoral dissertation on Sustainable Human Resource Management has been recognised internationally: she received the Baltic University Programme Annual Award for the Best PhD defended in 2015. Her research interests include Sustainable Human Resource Management, Employee Well-being, Digital Transformations, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Sustainable Development. Z. Stankevičiūte is a member of the National Expert Council for sustainable development goals at the Lithuanian Responsible Business Association. Lecturing includes courses on Sustainable Development, Employee Performance Management, and Human Analytics.

Asta Daunoriene is an Associated Professor of Quality and Value Chain Management at Kaunas University School of Economics and Business, and a senior researcher at the Sustainable Management Research Group at School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania. Asta has completed her PhD in the field of Economics at Kaunas University of Technology. Her research interest lies in the area of quality management, sustainable value and supply chain management and new business models' development. She has actively collaborated with researchers in other disciplines of pedagogy and information technology. Asta currently serves on the ECIU learning and teaching expert group. A. Daunoriene has been involved in the expert activities in Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, contributing her skills to the strategy development for teachers' professional development and study quality improvement. She has comprehensive experience in quality management systems consulting.

Joana Ramanauskaite is a PhD candidate at the Sustainable Management Research Group at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania. She is interested in corporate sustainability, sustainable transitions and their tensions. She is also a member of the Sustainability Transitions Research Network (STRN). Joana teaches the courses of Sustainable Development and Quality Management. She has been participating in the development of the interdisciplinary course of Sustainable Development for first-year bachelor students at KTU since 2019.