THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF ENSURING THE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF ORGANIZATIONS
Keywords:
Economic sustainability, resilience, systems approach, resource-based view, human capital, adaptive capacity, sustainability criteria, workforce optimization.Abstract
This article examines the theoretical foundations of the economic sustainability of organizations. Four competing approaches to defining the category — financial, systems, resource-based and adaptive — are compared across five criteria, and an integrated definition is proposed that treats sustainability as a dynamic capacity rather than a static state. The factors affecting sustainability are classified into external and internal groups, and a three-level structure of sustainability (survival potential, stability, development) is substantiated. The article also addresses the measurement problem, arguing for a balanced set of financial and non-financial criteria, and explains why workforce optimization constitutes a critical test of an organization's sustainability rather than merely a cost-cutting exercise.
