Final answer:
The claim that sustainability was an early 1950s management focus is (1) false. The modern understanding of sustainability, especially in relation to sustainable development, emerged significantly later, with the 1987 publication 'Our Common Future'.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that sustainability was an early 1950s management function and focus is False. While the principles of conservation and environmentalism existed well before the 1950s, the modern concept of sustainability as it's understood today, particularly in the context of development, gained prominence with the publication of 'Our Common Future' in 1987. This report by the World Commission on Environment and Development is widely credited with bringing the term sustainable development to the forefront of global discourse.
Furthermore, the 1950s saw the beginning of the conservation movement and the split between utilitarian conservationists and preservationists, as described in Environmental Biology 23. However, it was not commonly seen as a core management function in businesses during that time. The focus on sustainability as integral to business practices and corporate responsibility developed later, as environmental awareness and concerns grew in the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century.