\"The three pillars model for sustainability, often represented with three intersecting circles described as economic, environmental, and social factors with sustainability being at the center is a complex and philosophically open model [1]. As society promotes efforts to reduce carbon impacts, there becomes a need to critically review the models employed for understanding. This research presents a validated methodology, an updated conceptual configuration of sustainability for overall use, as well as a sustainable development performance measurement system. Using the 2020 Sustainable Development Goals Index Data, 232 indicators from 193 countries were used to evaluate the efficacy of using more than three pillars to better represent sustainability in terms of its goals from a global standpoint.
Four distinct contributions are made in this research. The first contribution identifies mediating factors that should be included in any framework to describe sustainable development. The second contribution uses neural network applications to validate the model. The third contribution focuses on adapting a new conceptual framework to describe sustainability for overall use by testing the new conceptual model on two cases studies using the same methodology as above. Lastly, the fourth contribution creates a new performance measurement system and methodology to evaluate sustainable development models that considers other factors that impact sustainability outside of social, environmental, and economic influences. This research can assist engineering project managers to better identify opportunities for improved sustainability plans. Methods developed are easily adapted across a wide range of sectors\"--Abstract, p. iv
","abstract_html":"<p>"The three pillars model for sustainability, often represented with three intersecting circles described as economic, environmental, and social factors with sustainability being at the center is a complex and philosophically open model [1]. As society promotes efforts to reduce carbon impacts, there becomes a need to critically review the models employed for understanding. This research presents a validated methodology, an updated conceptual configuration of sustainability for overall use, as well as a sustainable development performance measurement system. Using the 2020 Sustainable Development Goals Index Data, 232 indicators from 193 countries were used to evaluate the efficacy of using more than three pillars to better represent sustainability in terms of its goals from a global standpoint.</p> <p>Four distinct contributions are made in this research. The first contribution identifies mediating factors that should be included in any framework to describe sustainable development. The second contribution uses neural network applications to validate the model. The third contribution focuses on adapting a new conceptual framework to describe sustainability for overall use by testing the new conceptual model on two cases studies using the same methodology as above. Lastly, the fourth contribution creates a new performance measurement system and methodology to evaluate sustainable development models that considers other factors that impact sustainability outside of social, environmental, and economic influences. This research can assist engineering project managers to better identify opportunities for improved sustainability plans. Methods developed are easily adapted across a wide range of sectors"--Abstract, p. iv</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Toles, Tiffanie Marie"],"institution":"Missouri University of Science and Technology","degree_name":"Ph. D. in Engineering Management","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:18:26Z","subjects":["Balanced Scorecard","Data Analytics","Neural Network","Sustainability","Sustainable Development","Engineering","Industrial Engineering","Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/3265","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Toles, Tiffanie Marie"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph. D. in Engineering Management"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Missouri University of Science and Technology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Balanced Scorecard","Data Analytics","Neural Network","Sustainability","Sustainable Development","Engineering","Industrial Engineering","Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/3265"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["\"The three pillars model for sustainability, often represented with three intersecting circles described as economic, environmental, and social factors with sustainability being at the center is a complex and philosophically open model [1]. As society promotes efforts to reduce carbon impacts, there becomes a need to critically review the models employed for understanding. This research presents a validated methodology, an updated conceptual configuration of sustainability for overall use, as well as a sustainable development performance measurement system. Using the 2020 Sustainable Development Goals Index Data, 232 indicators from 193 countries were used to evaluate the efficacy of using more than three pillars to better represent sustainability in terms of its goals from a global standpoint.
Four distinct contributions are made in this research. The first contribution identifies mediating factors that should be included in any framework to describe sustainable development. The second contribution uses neural network applications to validate the model. The third contribution focuses on adapting a new conceptual framework to describe sustainability for overall use by testing the new conceptual model on two cases studies using the same methodology as above. Lastly, the fourth contribution creates a new performance measurement system and methodology to evaluate sustainable development models that considers other factors that impact sustainability outside of social, environmental, and economic influences. This research can assist engineering project managers to better identify opportunities for improved sustainability plans. Methods developed are easily adapted across a wide range of sectors\"--Abstract, p. iv
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Sustainable Development: A Data Analysis Investigation for a New Conceptual Model, Case Study Comparison and Validation Techniques"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Toles, Tiffanie Marie"],"dc:description.abstract":["\"The three pillars model for sustainability, often represented with three intersecting circles described as economic, environmental, and social factors with sustainability being at the center is a complex and philosophically open model [1]. As society promotes efforts to reduce carbon impacts, there becomes a need to critically review the models employed for understanding. This research presents a validated methodology, an updated conceptual configuration of sustainability for overall use, as well as a sustainable development performance measurement system. Using the 2020 Sustainable Development Goals Index Data, 232 indicators from 193 countries were used to evaluate the efficacy of using more than three pillars to better represent sustainability in terms of its goals from a global standpoint.
Four distinct contributions are made in this research. The first contribution identifies mediating factors that should be included in any framework to describe sustainable development. The second contribution uses neural network applications to validate the model. The third contribution focuses on adapting a new conceptual framework to describe sustainability for overall use by testing the new conceptual model on two cases studies using the same methodology as above. Lastly, the fourth contribution creates a new performance measurement system and methodology to evaluate sustainable development models that considers other factors that impact sustainability outside of social, environmental, and economic influences. This research can assist engineering project managers to better identify opportunities for improved sustainability plans. Methods developed are easily adapted across a wide range of sectors\"--Abstract, p. iv
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/3265"],"dc:subject":["Balanced Scorecard","Data Analytics","Neural Network","Sustainability","Sustainable Development","Engineering","Industrial Engineering","Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering"],"dc:title":["Sustainable Development: A Data Analysis Investigation for a New Conceptual Model, Case Study Comparison and Validation Techniques"],"dc:type":["Dissertation - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph. D. in Engineering Management"],"thesis:institution_name":["Missouri University of Science and Technology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:18:26Z"}