MA001: Converting research dissertation to manuscript (Field-MBA)
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Due date: No deadline
Nature of assignment: Assisting in converting a completed research dissertation into a manuscript for publication
Title of manuscript: Environmental Sustainability (ES) and Management (EM) practices among Service Sector Institutions in Kathmandu, Nepal (20,000 words)
Co authors: Pratik Karki (ex MBA student at APEX College, Kathmandu, Nepal), Prakat Karki (UGC-JRF; PhD at CHRIST)
Goal for final manuscript: Approx 5000 words, and targeting SCOPUS/WoS journals or decent indexed ones (EBSCOhost, ProQuest, IC, J-Gate, G-Scholar, ERIC, etc.)
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INSTRUCTIONS (for prospective coauthor)
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There is no prescribed role for this project. The content is already available, and you can help at different parts of the writing. The Methods and Results parts are taken care of. So we need your help more in terms of synthesizing content in the Introduction, Review of Literature and Discussion chapters to the manuscript.
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For any help in terms of original writing, you can claim second author for this manuscript.
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Help is also needed in terms of reviewing and arranging the in text citations and references that will be retained in the manuscript.
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The final product is expected to be a manuscript decent enough to attempt for SCOPUS/WoS indexed journals. There are three journals already in the shortlist; Environment, Development and Sustainability (Springer- WoS, Scopus), Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management (WoS, Scopus) and World Journal of Science Technology and Sustainable Development (WoS, Scopus)
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If the final manuscript is not fit for high quality publication, it will be ensured that the manuscript will be published with journals that are indexed in a list of legitimate databases, including EBSCOhost, ProQuest, ERIC, Google Scholar, J-Gate, Index Copernicus, etc. which allows maximum web visibility.
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The journal submission formalities will be taken care of by the third author and your help is needed in finalizing the manuscript only. If subsequent journal submission attempts require considerable formatting changes, your help may be sought.
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This is a good opportunity for novice writers/authors to learn about the intricacies of research article publication, through direct mentorship with Mr. Prakat (along with authorship).
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ABSTRACT (from the thesis)
Background: Environmental Sustainability (ES) has emerged as a matter of pressing concern worldwide given the unprecedented exploitation and degradation of natural resources that has taken place in the last few decades. ES refers to the nature of use of environmental resources in which needs of humans are met, without compromising the capacity or quality of those resources. Environmental Management (EM) is an offset of ES and refers to the processes and practices adopted by various social institutions in reducing, eliminating and preventing negative environmental effects arising from their continued use. Service Sector Institutions (SSI) such as schools, hospitals, banks, hotels, restaurants, etc. make up a significant proportion of organizations in any society and are directly involved in catering to basic human needs. Service sector institutions also have the distinct characteristic of being directly involved with large sections of populations, and hence hold the potential to pioneer innovative and effective solutions towards the growing environmental issues and also influence the people they cater to.
Method: In this research study, information was gathered from 102 Service Sector Institutions (SSIs) from Kathmandu, Nepal to explore the prevalent Environmental Sustainability (ES) and Environmental Management (EM) practices in place. The 102 SSIs included 25 schools, 26 restaurants, 16 hotels/lodges, 18 banks and 17 health care organizations. Environmental Sustainability (ES) included three measures of Fresh water usage, Energy efficiency and Waste management and Environmental Management (EM) included two areas of Organizational Capacity building and Attitudes towards ES. The research design was a quantitative exploratory one and the data was collected through rating scales designed specifically for the study and encompassing the five mentioned areas of ES and EM.
Results: It was found that the overall extent of ES and EM practices among the 102 SSIs was dismally low in Kathmandu, Nepal. The major proportion (73%) of fresh water needs was fulfilled by outside resources like corporation pipelines and tankers, and rain water harvesting was nonexistent. For energy usage however, 71.7 percent of needs were fulfilled through electricity, which in the case of Nepal is based on hydropower and renewable in nature. In terms of waste management as well, among 59 out of 102 SSIs, no system was in place for waste segregation, and almost all wastes from the five kinds of institutions were treated outside of the premises. In terms of comparing the scores of the five SSIs, educational institutions such as schools and colleges performed significantly better across all five ES and EM measures indicating highest prevalence of sustainability measures and practices. On the other end, banks performed significantly worst across all categories compared to the four other SSIs, indicating least amount of efforts in ES and EM. All five measures of Environmental Sustainability (ES) and Environmental Management (EM) were also strongly positively correlated amongst each other, indicating inclusivity of the criterion measured and also providing indication of validity for the newly developed instruments.
Conclusion: Among Service Sector Institutions (SSI) in Kathmandu, Nepal, the extent of environmental sustainability and management practices are still at a very rudimentary stage. A huge amount of effort is required to revamp the existing policies and organizational norms, as well as attitudes and behaviors of Nepalese people in general, in order to effect any positive changes in the future and conserve the local natural resources. Education remains the most critical starting point in improving ES and EM adherence and commitment, and adequate resources need to be mobilized at every level in society to at least halt the current rate of environmental degradation, and have some chance at reversing the decades of damage.
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Keywords: Environmental Sustainability (ES), Environmental Management (EM), Service Sector Institutions (SSIs), Fresh water use, Energy efficiency, Waste management, Organizational capacity building, Attitudes towards ES
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