Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Global sustainability'
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1
Brennan, Josephine, Susan Garrett, and Mike Purcell. "Opportunities for Global Sustainability (Global ABCD)." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Avdelningen för maskinteknik, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-3469.
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In spite of our substantive knowledge about global un-sustainability, insufficient progress is being made to halt systematic socio-ecological decline. Much information is readily available on downstream impacts, with limited focus on upstream activities driving such effects. This thesis uses backcasting from socioecological principles for sustainability to identify major upstream human activities violating these principles, the underlying drivers reinforcing such activities, alternative practices already in use with potential for significant expansion, and emerging opportunities for action across different sectors of society. Results show emerging patterns of high magnitude violations across all four socio-ecological principles indicating nexus points in energy, transportation and agriculture. These activities are reinforced by our societal structure which is designed to meet human needs through a growth paradigm which in turn does not adequately consider the ongoing health of ecosystems or the sustainable functioning of society itself. Shifting to potential solutions, examples focus on themes such as renewable energy, green chemicals, organic agriculture, and self-organising network structures. Recognising that these actions may not be enough, the thesis explores elements of a global vision which could guide progress. Emerging nexus points for societal change include education, information flows (particularly the media), design (as a leverage point), self-organization, and governance.Josephine Brennan +27 83 778 9158
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Graymore, Michelle, and n/a. "Journey to Sustainability: Small Regions, Sustainable Carrying Capacity and Sustainability Assessment Methods." Griffith University. Australian School of Environmental Studies, 2005. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20060303.132137.
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Small region sustainability is an extremely important part of the journey to sustainability of the global population, as the most difference can be made at this spatial level through decision making and community choice. However, small regions have not been the focus of sustainability literature. Therefore, this thesis develops theory to explain what small region sustainability involves and tested the applicability of current sustainability assessment methods to find an effective tool for the journey to sustainability that can be used for social learning, decision making, policy development, research and monitoring of sustainability in small regions. It was found through the development of a model of sustainable carrying capacity and the major pressures of human activities on the environment, that sustainability for small regions means living equitably with the impacts of human activities in the region within the limits of its ecosystems. This thesis also found that none of the current sustainability methods tested were effective or useful as a tool for small regions. Therefore, a new sustainability assessment method was developed, the Sustainable Carrying Capacity Assessment (SCCA), which assesses the equitability and size of the major pressures that the human activities are causing and determines if this pressure exceeds the sustainable carrying capacity of the region, and thus, the sustainability of the population. Thus, for small regions to become sustainable, they must live equitably within the sustainable carrying capacity of the region's ecosystems, and a tool that can help them achieve this is the SCCA. By raising social awareness, guiding policy development and decision making this method can help guide small regions, and other spatial levels on their journey to sustainability. Therefore, it is recommended that Local Government Areas, Regional Organisation of Councils, schools, local community groups and anyone who wants to learn more about sustainability use this method. This thesis, therefore, makes a significant contribution to the field of sustainability.
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Graymore, Michelle. "Journey to Sustainability: Small Regions, Sustainable Carrying Capacity and Sustainability Assessment Methods." Thesis, Griffith University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367280.
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Small region sustainability is an extremely important part of the journey to sustainability of the global population, as the most difference can be made at this spatial level through decision making and community choice. However, small regions have not been the focus of sustainability literature. Therefore, this thesis develops theory to explain what small region sustainability involves and tested the applicability of current sustainability assessment methods to find an effective tool for the journey to sustainability that can be used for social learning, decision making, policy development, research and monitoring of sustainability in small regions. It was found through the development of a model of sustainable carrying capacity and the major pressures of human activities on the environment, that sustainability for small regions means living equitably with the impacts of human activities in the region within the limits of its ecosystems. This thesis also found that none of the current sustainability methods tested were effective or useful as a tool for small regions. Therefore, a new sustainability assessment method was developed, the Sustainable Carrying Capacity Assessment (SCCA), which assesses the equitability and size of the major pressures that the human activities are causing and determines if this pressure exceeds the sustainable carrying capacity of the region, and thus, the sustainability of the population. Thus, for small regions to become sustainable, they must live equitably within the sustainable carrying capacity of the region's ecosystems, and a tool that can help them achieve this is the SCCA. By raising social awareness, guiding policy development and decision making this method can help guide small regions, and other spatial levels on their journey to sustainability. Therefore, it is recommended that Local Government Areas, Regional Organisation of Councils, schools, local community groups and anyone who wants to learn more about sustainability use this method. This thesis, therefore, makes a significant contribution to the field of sustainability.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Australian School of Environmental Studies
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Huq, Fahian Anisul. "Social sustainability implementation in global supply chains." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2014. http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/74427/.
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Managing change in suppliers is a challenging issue for firms. In particular, there is a lack of understanding of how to manage organisational change amongst distant suppliers based in developing countries. One such organisational change management process that has become an area of growing interest is the implementation of socially sustainable practices. The consequences of failure to effectively implement socially sustainable practices in the supply chain were highlighted by the recent collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh in April 2013, which killed 1,229 workers of factories supplying apparel to Western retailers like Primark and Benetton. The thesis contributes to this emerging research area by taking a significant step forward in understanding the implementation of socially sustainable practices in a complex, dynamic supply chain context. The overarching research question asked is: “How are socially sustainable practices implemented in complex global supply chains?” To answer this, three inter-related papers are presented: (i) a systematic literature review on upstream social sustainability issues; (ii) an exploratory study on the implementation of socially sustainable practices in developing country suppliers; and, (iii) a theory building, in-depth longitudinal case study, where the implementation of socially sustainable practices is examined over time in relation to critical industry events in the Bangladeshi apparel industry by incorporating the view-points of various institutional actors. The three studies complement each other and, together, provide a comprehensive understanding of the change management issues faced by multinational firms trying to implement socially sustainable practices in suppliers based in a developing country with a challenging institutional environment. By using the Transaction Cost Economics and Institutional Theory lenses, the thesis offers rich insights into the pressures, enablers and barriers to implementing social sustainability initiatives, including the reasons for the disconnect between formal adoption and actual implementation.
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Frazzon, Enzo Morosini. "Sustainability and effectiveness in global logistic systems /." Berlin : Gito, 2009. http://d-nb.info/994712456/04.
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Kok, Nils. "Corporate governance and sustainability in global property markets /." [S.l.] : [s.n.], 2008. http://aleph.unisg.ch/hsgscan/hm00216606.pdf.
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Butler, Colin David. "Inequality and sustainability." View thesis entry in Australian Digital Theses Program, 2002. http://thesis.anu.edu.au/public/adt-ANU20030324.171924/index.html.
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Butler, Colin David, and Colin Butler@anu edu au. "Inequality and Sustainability." The Australian National University. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, 2002. http://thesis.anu.edu.au./public/adt-ANU20030324.171924.
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Global civilisation, and therefore population health, is threatened by excessive inequality, weapons of mass destruction, inadequate economic and political theory and adverse global environmental change. The unequal distribution of global foreign exchange adjusted income is both a cause and a reflection of global social characteristics responsible for many aspects of these inter-related crises.
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The global distribution of foreign exchange adjusted income for the period 1964-1999 is examined. Using data for more than 99% of the global population, a substantial divergence in its distribution is found. The global Gini co-efficient, adjusted for national income inequality, increased from an already high value of 71% in 1964 to peak at more than 80% in 1995, before falling, very slightly, to 79% in 1999. The global distribution of purchasing parity power income is also examined, for a similar period. Though also found to be extremely unequal, its trend has not been to increased inequality. Implications of the differences between these two trends are discussed.
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A weighted time series index of global environmental change (IGEC) for the period 1960-1997 was also calculated. This uses nine categories of global time series environmental data, each scaled so that 100% represents the level of each category in nature prior to anthropogenic change; zero represents decline to a critical point. This index fell from 82% in 1960 to 55% in 1997, and will further decline during this century.
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Using evidence from several disciplines, it is argued that the decline in the IGEC correlates with major macro-environmental changes, which, combined with flawed social responses to scarcity and its perception, place at risk the ability of civilisation to function. This could occur because of the interaction of conflict, economically disastrous extreme climatic events, deterioration of other ecosystem services, regional food and water insecurity, and currently unforeseen events. Uncertainty regarding both a safe rate of decline and the tolerable nadir of the IGEC is substantial.
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Substantial reduction in the inequality of foreign exchange adjusted income is vital to enhance the development of policies able to reverse the decline in the environmental goods which underpin civilisation, and to promote the co-operation needed to maximise the chance that civilisation will survive.
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Ramteke, Sachin Kakaji. "Innovation Strategies for a Global Manufacturing Business." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7421.
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Some global manufacturing businesses fail to reach an adequate level of financial
performance within 5 years. The purpose of this single case study was to explore
innovation strategies that business leaders of a global machinery manufacturing company
in northwestern Illinois used to increase profit margins. The conceptual frameworks for
this study included the holistic innovation model and the disruptive innovation theory. A
purposeful sample of 9 business leaders who had more than 5 years of experience in the
manufacturing industry and more than 2 years of experience using innovation strategies
participated in the study. Data were collected from semistructured in-depth interviews
and business documents, including multiyear strategic plans, annual reports, marketing
campaign fliers, sustainability reports, customer needs documentation, statements, and
other relevant information from the company's website. Data analysis involved manual
and computer-aided techniques to compile the data, disassemble the data into codes, and
reassemble the data into themes. The overarching theme emerging from data analysis was
the importance of increasing a firm's competitiveness and sustaining profitable growth.
There were 8 subthemes: distinctive customer experience, technology-based
modernization, distinctive product quality, business model advantage, diversity of
thoughts and inclusion, strategic partnerships and alliances, speed, and win in
aftermarket. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential
to provide business leaders with evidence-based ideas to improve economic strength and
sustainable development in the community.
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Alexander, Rachel Ruth. "Sustainability in global production networks : rethinking buyer-driven governance." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/sustainability-in-global-production-networks-rethinking-buyerdriven-governance(3bb480ac-2873-40f0-ba2d-496249373ef8).html.
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Achieving sustainable production is a critical task in today’s globalised world. This is especially the case in the cotton garment industry where globally dispersed suppliers feed rapidly expanding demand across international markets. Practices associated with cotton garment production face numerous sustainability challenges from cotton farming to textile and garment manufacturing. Retailers are under increasing pressure to address these challenges and leading retailers are now actively trying to promote more sustainable production across all stages of production from raw material to final product. While numerous studies have investigated the relationship between retailers and their upper tier suppliers, there is little understanding of how sustainability challenges can be addressed across fragmented production processes. It is this gap that this thesis seeks to fill. Promoting sustainable production from raw materials to the final stages of manufacturing involves influencing practices of a diverse set of businesses responsible for different stages of production. This thesis defines the set of businesses that turn raw materials into final products as an ‘extended supplier network’ (ESN). Drawing on global value chain (GVC) and global production network (GPN) approaches to understanding how production is organised, the core question of this thesis is: To what extent is buyerdriven governance sufficient for promoting sustainable production across fragmented production processes in an ESN? GVC and GPN research provides insight into this issue as it offers a way to conceptualise how lead firms influence their suppliers. The GVC approach highlights the importance of lead buyers. The GPN approach incorporates this argument but further emphasises the importance of spatiality and the roles of a wider set of actors and processes. While both approaches theoretically incorporate all stages of production, garment industry studies using these approaches have tended to focus on relationships between brands and retailers and upper tier suppliers, paying insufficient attention to lower tiers. Considering the case of Indian cotton clothing production for major UK retailers, this study explores retailers’ governance relationships with producers at different points in their ESNs. Producers’ experiences of vertical governance through buyer-seller relationships across all stages of production within an ESN are explored. These producers’ experiences with horizontal governance within distinct local productive systems are also considered. Diverse producers’ locations within the ESN and within local productive systems are found to involve different governance experiences within the same ESN. Across the ESN, vertical governance flows are found to be limited by variation in potential for buyer governance across buyer-seller relationships in the multiple vertical pathways connecting retailers to raw material producers. Alternatively, retailers can connect to producers by making non-sourcing horizontal connections with actors in local productive systems. While dominant methods in retailers’ efforts at governance for sustainability have been vertical, horizontal connections are increasing across the industry. However, despite the emergence of new connections, this research finds that retailers’ influence over lower tier production processes remains limited. Empirically, this thesis provides insight into the complexity of sustainability challenges involved in the production of cotton garments. Conceptually, it shows the nature of diverse governance relationships across an ESN. It also emphasises that effective governance for sustainability cannot be achieved simply through vertical buyerdriven governance. Instead a more nuanced, and more complex, understanding of the interplay between vertical and horizontal is required, particularly considering the role of alliances. This has significant implications for policy, including the public and private governance for sustainability in the global cotton garment industry.
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Trujillo, Pablo. "A global analysis of the sustainability of marine aquaculture." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/32361.
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Following a review of the history and main characteristics of mariculture, a global
assessment of its sustainability over the 10 year period from 1994 to 2003 was performed, which
suggests that sustainability is low. The assessment is based on 13 indicators covering ecological,
economic and social aspects of the industry and involving 60 countries and 86 species. The suite
of indicators were based on a set of criteria meant to be independent of areas, species and time,
so that they have wide application and will be applicable for years to come.
The indicators used in the analyses proved to be effective in differentiating levels of
sustainability between countries and species and provided a benchmark on which to gauge
progress within the industry in the coming decades. A single mariculture sustainability index
(MSI), ranging between 1 and 10, was derived by combining the 13 indicators weighted by
production to analyze differences between countries and species, and to compare the MSI with
other indicators such as the environmental sustainability index (ESI) and the human
development index (HDI).
The highest ranking countries for sustainable mariculture are Germany, the Netherlands,
Spain, Japan and South Korea. In these countries, the common factor is farming (1) native
species, (2) low trophic level species, (3) under non-intensive conditions, (4) for domestic
consumption. The lowest ranking countries were Guatemala, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Honduras
and Myanmar. The common factor in these countries is the culture of (1) non-native species, (2)
higher trophic level species, (3) farmed intensively, and (4) destined for export, often to
countries ranking high for mariculture sustainability.
The highest ranking species on the sustainability scale were mollusks, specifically
bivalves, i.e., blue mussels and cupped oysters. For finfish, the highest ranking taxa were
Atlantic halibut, Spotted wolfish and European eel. The lowest ranking species belonged to the
crustacean groups, specifically prawns and shrimp. Many of the most valuable groups such as
shrimp and salmon were among the lowest scoring species in both developing and developed
countries.
The global average MSI score was 5.1 based on 361 cases. Based on this analyses, it is
suggested that the industry is at the cross-roads of sustainability. There are a number of options
for the industry to ensure it is sustainable over the long-term, including the implementation of
best management practices, economic incentives and consumer awareness, expressed as a
willingness to pay higher prices for sustainability.
The results of this study provide the framework, indicators and baseline data on which to
assess the sustainability of mariculture at global and regional levels, as well as across species.
The MSI developed in this study can be used to generate globally, robust rankings of countries
and taxa in terms of their sustainability.Science, Faculty of
Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for
Graduate
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Sharp, Elizabeth. "Contesting sustainability : local policy making for the global environment." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.311061.
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Yokomaku, Katsunori. "The pursuit of sustainability by a global commercial bank." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59154.
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Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 112-119).
"What is Corporate Social Responsibility?" "How can it be achieved?" These questions have been central themes in business management for the last decade. In particular, protecting the global environment is now recognized as common wisdom throughout the world. In fact, many companies worldwide have initiated steps to challenge environmental issues, and various methods have been developed to measure the impact. It must be said, however, that most companies have not directed their attentions to economic and social issues, such as human rights and poverty, on which companies can exert enormous influence. This thesis examines the next courses of action for the commercial banking industry in its efforts to pursue global sustainability. Already commercial banks have as their primary mission to circulate money in a global society. In this thesis, I explore a revolution in global banking in terms of habits of thought and action, and habitual artifacts. First, I address current discussions among international organizations about global sustainability, including the serious impacts stemming from the current world financial crisis, and the policies and activities of commercial banks. Second, I research recent examples of multinational companies and NGOs that are striving to understand and mitigate the negative impacts to society. Finally, I explore how to design a global commercial banking system that helps commercial banks achieve their goal of sustainability.
by Katsunori Yokomaku.
M.B.A.
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Lin, I.-HSIANG. "Users' and Preparers' Perception of Sustainability Reporting and Corporate Sustainability." NSUWorks, 2010. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/hsbe_etd/62.
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The purpose of this study was to explore users' and preparers' perception of sustainability reporting, especially for accountants and financial analysts who are involved with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines and GRI based sustainability or CSR reports in the United States. With the increasing trends to sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR), it is important to understand what level users and preparers currently hold towards the sustainability reporting. This study used samples from the following resources: all companies included in the GRI report list as a report preparer group and financial analysts as report users, whose companies' core business focused on social and environmental investing. This study examined four hypotheses concerning general corporate sustainability & reporting and sustainability performance indicators in environmental, economic and social aspects suggested by the GRI Guidelines.
This paper contributes to corporate social responsibility and sustainability reporting. This paper studied users' perception of sustainability reporting and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Prior research mainly focused on preparers' perception or attitudes toward sustainability reports (Guthrie & Parker, 1990; Kolk, 2004; Lindgreen et al., 2009; White, 2005). Also, this paper adds to the literature on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and its guidelines that have not been extensively studied in prior research.
The results revealed that users and preparers agreed on the important issues asked for the general corporate sustainability and reporting, and both groups held similar attitudes towards the environmental, economic and social performance indicators and felt most of them as important to be included in a sustainability report. In addition, both groups indicated the GRI as the preferred standard setting body for sustainability reporting and gave support to GRI for its effort to establish and promote the standards for sustainability reporting. Finally, a considerable number of users and preparers agreed that the GRI report can fairly measure a company's environmental, economic and social performance.
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Landén, Johannes, and Edvin Malmberg. "Sustainability reports: environmental friendly or a greenwashing tool? : A study of how global mining companies use sustainability report." Thesis, Högskolan i Jönköping, Internationella Handelshögskolan, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-30105.
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Pinchuk, Natallia. "Corporate sustainability assessment methodology." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/66056.
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Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-102).
Sustainability is a vague concept specifically in the context of a corporate world. There are numerous definitions for corporate sustainability and just as many ways of evaluating it. This work attempts to define, structure and assess corporate sustainability in a standardized robust manner through development of a comprehensive framework. The framework is developed based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines to serve as a common measure system allowing for meaningful assessment of current state and comparison between companies in a variety of industries. Based on this framework and earlier developed Sustainability Assessment by Fuzzy Evaluation (SAFE) model a quantitative method is developed in MATLAB code. The new method is demonstrated on five companies within software industry through evaluation of publicly available data. The outcome of the evaluation is a relative ranking of companies with respect to economic, social and environmental aspects as well as intermediate components of each. Additionally high impact components, which have the potential to improve the ranking outcome the most, are identified for one of the companies as an example of practical application of such assessment. Evaluation of these components could serve as a base for recommendations development of further management action on improving of company's sustainability.
by Natallia Pinchuk.
S.M.
M.B.A.
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Keeling, Brian Neville. "A critical analysis of global sustainability indices / Brian Neville Keeling." Thesis, North-West University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/10204.
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Nation states of the world are driven by socio-economic imperatives that are rapidly degrading
the natural resources that sustain life on Earth. This paradox has led to numerous initiatives to
better understand and measure sustainability and sustainable development through indices.
The primary objective of this research is to critically analyse the plethora of indices developed
and used by institutions and organisations globally that have a role to play in measuring the
sustainability and sustainable development of nation states, and distil the analysis into one
integrated Sustainable Development Index (SDI) that compares all countries. A secondary
objective is to review South Africa‟s response to measure sustainability and determine how well
it performs compared to other nation states. A qualitative approach is used to review the
literature in three steps, namely to consider the challenges of measuring what matters, to reflect
on the response to govern and measure sustainability, and then to identify outcomes in terms of
specific indices related to triple bottom line dimensions. The review considers the scope and
level of integration of global indices as well as South Africa‟s response to measure
sustainability. The analysis phase normalizes all the data to establish an integrated SDI for all
countries, it then analyses and interprets the data to determine the variation and correlation
between all the global indices, and then benchmarks countries and specifically South Africa.
The review finds that twenty-one years after the Agenda 21 agreement at the Rio Earth Summit,
no acceptable or established SDI has been developed and implemented by the United Nations,
and the analysis develops two options for an integrated SDI at nation state level. In terms of
both these SDI‟s South Africa performs poorly from a benchmarked perspective. From both the
nation state and global indices perspectives, the appraisal of the single integrated SDI finds
significant variations in the results, coupled with a wide range of correlation outcomes which
distil into well correlated single integrated SDIs. The findings indicate that recent SDI
developments are moving towards human wellbeing indicators, however although
environmental priorities are considered, they play a secondary role. This “inconvenient truth”
alludes to a “business as usual” approach as the policy makers of the world continue to focus
on short-term socio-economic imperatives. Environmental thresholds and “limits to growth”
considerations need to be fundamental aspects of all SDIs. This argument continues by
factoring thresholds and priorities into the triple bottom line dimensions - a Sustainability
Intelligence Quotient is developed from the integrated SDI, which suggests that only two
countries meet the requirements.(Master of Environmental Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013
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Wood, Richard, Konstantin Stadler, Tatyana Bulavskaya, Franz Stephan Lutter, Stefan Giljum, Koning Arjan de, Jeroen Kuenen, et al. "Global Sustainability Accounting - Developing EXIOBASE for Multi-Regional Footprint Analysis." MDPI AG, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su7010138.
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Measuring progress towards sustainable development requires appropriate frameworks and databases. The System of Environmental-Economic Accounts (SEEA) is undergoing continuous refinement with these objectives in mind. In SEEA, there is a need for databases to encompass the global dimension of societal metabolism. In this paper, we focus on the latest effort to construct a global multi-regional input-output database (EXIOBASE) with a focus on environmentally relevant activities. The database and its broader analytical framework allows for the as yet most detailed insight into the production-related impacts and "footprints" of our consumption. We explore the methods used to arrive at the database, and some key relationships extracted from the database.
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Liddle, Brantley T. (Brantley Thomas). "The environment-development-population system : a treatment of global sustainability." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/10004.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (v. 2, p. [268]-278).
by Brantley T. Liddle.
Ph.D.
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Haysom, Gareth. "Food system governance for urban sustainability in the global South." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8694.
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Includes bibliographical references.Food security remains a persistent global challenge. Food security is defined as a situation where all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The Food and Agriculture Organisation 2013 State of Food and Agriculture review reports that in excess of 868 million people, 12 percent of the global population, are undernourished. Global inequalities mean that this challenge is disproportionately experienced. Food insecurity manifests most severely in specific geographies. Global demographic changes have resulted in shifts in the locus of these experiences. Food insecurity in urban areas, particularly in developing countries, is a persistent yet poorly understood phenomenon. Responses to food security have primarily focused on ensuring food availability, resulting in responses that are predominantly production-orientated. This approach presupposes a principally rural challenge and overlooks critical emerging urban food insecurity challenges. The production and rural dominance in efforts to ameliorate food insecurity have a number of consequences. The first consequence reflects a scientific and technology-driven focus on increasing or optimising net calories produced. Secondly, where access to produced food is constrained, welfare interventions are used to mitigate challenges. Such interventions are predominantly reactive and lack strategic focus. The third consequence, informed by the preceding two interventions, sees policies and legislation that reinforces the production/welfare paradigm. Such food security responses disregard the current transitions evident within society. This thesis identifies a number of global transitions. Within the context of wider global change processes, focus is given to four inter-connected transitions. These transitions include the second urban transition, the food system transition and the nutrition transition. Fourth, driven by the preceding transitions, is the emergence of alternative urban food governance interventions.
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Simon, Kallstenius Ivan. "Patterns of Collaboration for Sustainability in the Global Clothing Industry." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-169781.
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Global industries are characterized by complex networks of organizations, which are often dominated by a few disproportionately large transnational corporations. While industry consolidation is not a new phenomenon, the scale and speed at which global industries now impact diverse social-ecological systems is unprecedented. In this thesis, I combine the interconnected perspective of business ecosystems with the sustainability focus of the social-ecological systems literature through the concept of keystone actors. Adopting a network perspective, I apply this framing to the global clothing industry, and specifically analyze the patterns of coordination and collaboration among actors working to address systemic sustainability challenges facing the industry. While keystone actors wield significant influence over both the industry’s biophysical and socio-economic impacts, I find it is the presence of key brokers – actors who mediate indirect connections between keystone actors in the clothing industry – that possess the potential to coordinate action around sustainability challenges into a collective industry-wide effort. I conclude the thesis by discussing how the empirical findings, and network perspective more generally, can advance the study of keystone actors in global business ecosystems.
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Ehnert, Ina, Sepideh Parsa, Ian Roper, Marcus Wagner, and Michael Müller-Camen. "Reporting on sustainability and HRM: a comparative study of sustainability reporting practices by the world's largest companies." Taylor & Francis, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2015.1024157.
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As a response to the growing public awareness on the importance of organisational contributions to sustainable development, there is an increased incentive for corporations to report on their sustainability activities. In parallel with this has been the development of 'Sustainable HRM' which embraces a growing body of practitioner and academic literature connecting the notions of corporate sustainability to HRM. The aim of this article is to analyse corporate sustainability reporting amongst the world's largest companies and to assess the HRM aspects of sustainability within these reports in comparison to environmental aspects of sustainable management and whether organisational attributes - principally country-of-origin - influences the reporting of such practices. A focus in this article is the extent to which the reporting of various aspects of sustainability may reflect dominant models of corporate governance in the country in which a company is headquartered. The findings suggest, first and against expectations, that the overall disclosure on HRM-related performance is not lower than that on environmental performance. Second, companies report more on their internal workforce compared to their external workforce. Finally, international differences, in particular those between companies headquartered in liberal market economies and coordinated market economies, are not as apparent as expected. (authors' abstract)
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Murphy, Catherine Estelle. "Conditions for sustainability in the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation." Thesis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (University of London), 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.417379.
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Koberg, de la Cruz Esteban. "Developing sustainability in global supply chains: the role of secondary stakeholders." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Ramon Llull, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/672393.
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Desenvolupar sostenibilitat en les cadenes de subministrament és una preocupació urgent per a les empreses. Per abordar aquestes preocupacions, les empreses compradores freqüentment implementen la gestió sostenible de la cadena de subministrament a través de l'avaluació i la col·laboració amb els seus proveïdors. No obstant això, l'efectivitat de l'avaluació i col·laboració amb proveïdors per millorar els resultats ambientals i socials en cadenes de subministrament globals caracteritzades per una gran distància geogràfica entre compradors i proveïdors, es troba qüestionada. L'evidència anecdòtica i la investigació recent suggereixen que públics d'interès secundaris com les ONG o les associacions comercials, que tradicionalment no es consideren part de la cadena de subministrament, poden ajudar a les empreses compradores a desenvolupar la sostenibilitat en les seves cadenes de subministrament globals. El propòsit d'aquesta investigació va ser explorar el desenvolupament de la sostenibilitat en cadenes de subministrament globals. Per aconseguir aquest objectiu, en primer lloc es va dur a terme una revisió sistemàtica de la literatura centrada en els principals elements estructurals i relacionals que caracteritzen la gestió sostenible de la cadena de subministrament en cadenes de subministrament globals. Els resultats de la revisió sistemàtica indiquen que es requereix més investigació pel que fa a la distància geogràfica i als públics d'interès secundaris. A partir d'aquests resultats, es va dur a terme una anàlisi estadística de dades secundàries de 186 empreses certificades com B Corporation per examinar la relació entre la distància geogràfica, col·laboració d'empreses compradores amb públics d'interès secundaris, i l'adopció per part de l'empresa compradora d'avaluació i col·laboració amb proveïdors. Els resultats mostren que l'adopció per part de l'empresa compradora d'avaluació i col·laboració amb proveïdors és major quan més gran és la distància geogràfica, i que la participació de públics d'interès secundaris modera negativament aquesta relació. Posteriorment, per tal d'explorar el rol dels públics d'interès secundaris amb més profunditat, es va dur a terme una investigació qualitativa basada en un estudi de cas de la cadena de subministrament de la banana fresca a Costa Rica. Els resultats revelen que els públics d'interès secundaris exerceixen rols específics i operen simultàniament per desenvolupar la sostenibilitat en una cadena de subministrament global. Aquesta investigació contribueix a estendre la literatura sobre la gestió sostenible de cadenes de subministrament al destacar el paper dels públics d'interès secundaris per desenvolupar la sostenibilitat en les cadenes de subministrament globals. La investigació també té implicacions per a gerents i legisladors.Desarrollar sostenibilidad en las cadenas de suministro es una preocupación urgente para las empresas. Para abordar estas preocupaciones, las empresas compradoras frecuentemente implementan la gestión sostenible de la cadena de suministro a través de la evaluación y la colaboración con sus proveedores. Sin embargo, la efectividad de la evaluación y colaboración con proveedores para mejorar los resultados ambientales y sociales en cadenas de suministro globales caracterizadas por una gran distancia geográfica entre compradores y proveedores, se encuentra cuestionada. La evidencia anecdótica y la investigación reciente sugieren que públicos de interés secundarios como las ONG o las asociaciones comerciales, que tradicionalmente no se consideran parte de la cadena de suministro, pueden ayudar a las empresas compradoras a desarrollar la sostenibilidad en sus cadenas de suministro globales. El propósito de esta investigación fue explorar el desarrollo de la sostenibilidad en cadenas de suministro globales. Para lograr este objetivo, en primer lugar se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de la literatura centrada en los principales elementos estructurales y relacionales que caracterizan la gestión sostenible de la cadena de suministro en cadenas de suministro globales. Los resultados de la revisión sistemática revelan que se requiere mayor investigación respecto a la distancia geográfica y los públicos de interés secundarios. A partir de estos resultados, se llevó a cabo un análisis estadístico de datos secundarios de 186 empresas certificadas como B Corporation para examinar la relación entre la distancia geográfica, colaboración de empresas compradoras con públicos de interés secundarios, y la adopción por parte de la empresa compradora de evaluación y colaboración con proveedores. Los resultados sugieren que la adopción por parte de la empresa compradora de evaluación y colaboración con proveedores es mayor en presencia de mayor distancia geográfica, y que la participación de públicos de interés secundarios modera negativamente esta relación. Con el fin de explorar el rol de los públicos de interés secundarios con mayor profundidad, posteriormente se llevó a cabo una investigación cualitativa basada en un estudio de caso de la cadena de suministro de banano fresco en Costa Rica. Los resultados indican que los públicos de interés secundarios desempeñan roles específicos y operan simultáneamente para desarrollar la sostenibilidad en una cadena de suministro global. Esta investigación contribuye a extender la literatura sobre la gestión sostenible de cadenas de suministro al destacar el papel de los públicos de interés secundarios para desarrollar la sostenibilidad en las cadenas de suministro globales. La investigación también tiene implicaciones para gerentes y legisladores.
Developing sustainability in supply chains is a pressing concern for businesses. To address such concerns buyer firms frequently adopt sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) based on supplier assessment and supplier collaboration. The effectiveness of supplier assessment and supplier collaboration for improving environmental and social outcomes in global supply chains characterized by high geographic distance between buyers and suppliers, however, is increasingly debated. Anecdotal evidence and recent research suggest that secondary stakeholders that are not traditionally considered part of the supply chain, such as NGOs or trade associations, can aid buyer efforts to develop sustainability in their global supply chains (GSCs). The purpose of this research was to explore the development of sustainability in GSCs. To achieve the research goal a systematic literature review focused on the main structural and relational elements that characterize SSCM in GSCs was conducted first. The results of the systematic review suggest that further analysis of geographical distance and of the role of secondary stakeholders is needed for understanding how sustainability can be developed in GSCs. Building on these results, statistical analysis of secondary data from 186 certified B Corporations was then carried out to examine the relationship between geographical distance, secondary stakeholder engagement, and buyer firm adoption of supplier assessment and collaboration for sustainability. Results suggest that buyer adoption of supplier assessment and collaboration is greater in presence of geographic distance, and that secondary stakeholder engagement negatively moderates this relationship. Qualitative research based on a case study of the fresh banana supply chain in Costa Rica was then conducted to explore the role of secondary stakeholders in greater depth. Results suggest that secondary stakeholders play specific roles and operate simultaneously for developing sustainability in the upstream part of the GSC. This research contributes to extending the SSCM literature by highlighting the role of secondary stakeholders for developing sustainability in global supply chains. The research also has implications for managers and policymakers.
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Luqmani, Adam R. "Sustainability and innovation : the case of a global carpet manufacturing company." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2017. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/845299/.
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Sustainability requires urgent, radical innovation from the private sector. However, private sector-led sustainability which meaningfully advances social, environmental and economic goals remains a rare occurrence. Despite the potential role of balanced environmental strategies such as ecological modernisation, there remains a lack of understanding of how such theories can be translated to actions at the level of a single organisation. This thesis explores the topics of ecological modernisation, employee engagement and sustainability-oriented innovation, grounded by a case study of Interface, a global manufacturing company. The work helps to build an understanding of the practicalities of organisation-level ecological modernisation, corporate sustainability and innovation in practice. It makes use of a case study research strategy combined with a grounded theory methodological approach. Three themes; ecological modernisation, employee engagement and sustainability-oriented innovation, are discussed and are applied to the analysis of the case material. The following key findings emerge: • Ecological modernisation, a theory typically applied and discussed at the macro-sociological level, is explored at the level of a single organisation, where it is used to contextualise the actions of Interface which contribute to wider, system-level sustainable disruptions. This is found to be a useful unit of analysis compared with typical explorations of EM, and reveals a number of interesting pathways by which EM organisations might impact upon the wider system in which they operate; • Social dimensions of EM theory are discussed and explored. By considering Interface at the centre of a larger, interconnected network of actors, it is found that there are numerous dynamics at play, including the role of employees and their levels of engagement, the role of competitors and the wider industry, the role of customers and the role of suppliers; • Temporal dimensions of EM are revealed and discussed, and several barriers are shown to emerge for Interface as it progresses further into a 20-year journey towards sustainability. Most strikingly, the low-hanging fruit is no longer available, and Interface finds itself in the “tall canopy” in seeking further reductions in emissions and waste; • Net-Works, a radical, innovative recycling project is presented and compared with other, less successful innovations from Interface. The contextual factors that gave rise to Net-Works are a combination of a radical goal, deliberate adoption of a social goal, and a safe failure space. Success is owed to developed capabilities, incorporation into an existing product, and partnering with an NGO and academia for accountability and credibility.
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Ledje, Oskar, and Sharon Asmelash. "A global study on the demographic drivers for corporate sustainability performance." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-172316.
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Sustainability is a topic that has gained significant traction over the last decade. To ensure that we meet the needs of the present without compromising future generations' needs, this study examines the relationship between ESG (environmental, social and governmental) scores and external demographic pressure in an attempt to examine the relationship and a direction between the two. The primary purpose is to investigate whether external demographic pressure drives corporate sustainability. The study uses Age, Education, Gender and Income as variables for demographic pressure, where Age implies median age, Education tertiary attainment, Gender distribution of the sexes, and Income GNI per capita. Through utilizing a quantitative method, ESG scores have been collected from the Thomson Returns Eikon database, and for the demographic factors The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the World Bank have been used. To produce a model that works globally, a global sample has been used, with the majority of the companies based in western countries. The theoretical models Behavioural Finance, Stakeholder Theory and Agency Theory have been used to analyse the underlying dynamics of the relationships between demographic pressure and corporate sustainability performance. The conclusion is that such a relationship exists, and more specifically, that all four variables used display statistically significant effects on ESG scores. However, our results diverge from previous research on corporate sustainability performance, suggesting that higher Age in a population increases ESG scores, while higher numbers of males to females, higher education level, and higher income level decreases corporate sustainability performance. The conclusion of this study contributes to new knowledge of sustainability and an expanded understanding of the role of demographic factors in corporate sustainability. This further suggests that sustainability should be a more integrated part in companies and civil society.
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Arnström, Sebastian. "The Nuclear Option : A Global Sustainability Appraisal of Civil Nuclear Energy." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för byggnadsteknik, energisystem och miljövetenskap, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-32853.
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Energy production systems are essential for human progress. They fuel the technologies that underpin economic growth and are prerequisite for efficient food production, education and healthcare. On the flip side, they also incur substantial eco-social costs. Hence, finding and promoting sustainable means of energy production is a key topic within the Environmental Sciences. This thesis examines the sustainability of nuclear power, by comparing its social, economic and ecological impacts to those of wind and solar power. The assessment is performed using Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA), with a Weighted Sum scoring system and a Distance-To-Target weighting scheme. The selection and the weighting of the indicators are grounded in the Planetary Boundaries framework, the Oxfam Doughnut Economics model and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and the technologies are compared on 9 axes of evaluation; greenhouse gas emissions, land-take requirements, material throughput, non-recyclable wastes, toxic and radioactive wastes, negative health impacts, economic costs, intermittency and energy return on energy invested. The thesis finds nuclear power to be the most sustainable option according to all but three indicators, and in the unified analysis, it outcompetes wind and solar by a factor of 2 and 3 respectively. Also notable is that solar power does not excel in a single impact category; it has the highest greenhouse gas emissions, the largest land-take, and it is costly, intermittent and energy-inefficient. It is also a source of toxic pollution, the effects of which cannot yet be determined. Although wind is more competitive, it consumes vast amounts of physical resources, generates a lot of waste, and its land-take is at least 10 times higher than that of nuclear power. In addition to the MCA, the thesis investigates three perceived threats that are often raised in criticisms of nuclear power; the risk of nuclear fuel depletion, the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation and the risk of catastrophic nuclear accidents. The results show that many popular arguments against the technology are loosely aligned with reality, and the thesis as a whole presents a challenge to the notion that nuclear power is a dangerous and unsustainable energy source.
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Bothello, Joel. "From global formulation to local legitimation : the trajectory of urban sustainability." Thesis, Cergy-Pontoise, Ecole supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014ESEC0003.
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Cette thèse considère le développement d'une idée puissante dans l'espace transnational – celle de "mythe du monde " - et analyse l'effet de ce mythe sur les structures et discours organisationnels contemporains. Ma recherche porte sur les transformations du développement durable au XXe siècle et examine les effets de ce mouvement dans le contexte de la gouvernance urbaine. Trois articles composent cette thèse, reposant chacun sur un pilier théorique distinct. La premier est la littérature relative aux « dépendances de sentier », qui encadre l'émergence transnationale du développement durable comme un processus de négociation du sens. Le concept de régime d’intermédiation constitue le deuxième pilier théorique de cet ouvrage et permet d’éclairer les mécanismes et acteurs responsables de la diffusion du mythe aux acteurs locaux. Le dernier chapitre repose sur une théorie des récits institutionnels et souligne comment les nouvelles organisations légitiment leurs principes fondateurs - et leur existence même - grâce à une combinaison stratégique de discours locaux et transnationaux. Chacun de ces articles emploie une méthode qualitative d'étude de cas, proposant une approche chronologique des processus en jeu. Le premier chapitre utilise une méthode de généalogie conceptuelle portant sur l’identification de glissements de sens au sein de textes clés marquant des moments historiques. Le deuxième chapitre emploie une analyse historiographique d’archives institutionnelles visant à définir les stratégies d'un intermédiaire central dans la diffusion de l’idée de développement durable auprès de partenaires locaux. Le troisième chapitre utilise une mise en contraste de contextes institutionnels afin de souligner les similitudes et différences entre les récits de deux des plus grands projets de développement urbain durable au monde. L'objectif de cette thèse est triple. Je démontre, d’abord, comment une dimension apparemment évidente de la gouvernance organisationnelle n'est pas le résultat statique d'un processus d'institutionnalisation rationnel mais plutôt un produit malléable, objet de négociations discursives permanentes. Deuxièmement, je souligne l'impact d'un mythe transnational sur le discours d’organisations locales, éclairant par la même comment un mythe peut être utilisé comme ressource stratégique dans la construction une légitimité. J'illustre, enfin, l’effet retour que peuvent avoir les applications locales du mythe sur les discours transnationaux, participant à la redéfinition du mythe à l’échelle mondiale au fil du tempsThis dissertation focuses on the development of a powerful idea in transnational space – referred to here as a “world myth” – and demonstrates the effect of this myth on contemporary organizational structures and discourses. My research takes the environmental movement in the twentieth century as an object of study, examining the effects of this movement within the context of urban governance. There are three theoretical pillars which comprise the dissertation: The first is the literature on path generation, which frames the transnational emergence of environmentalism as a process of negotiation around meaning. The second pillar is based on the concept of regime intermediation, illuminating the mechanisms and actors behind myth diffusion to local actors. The final chapter is founded upon a theory of organizational narratives, highlighting how new organizations legitimate their founding principles – and indeed their very existence – through a strategic combination of local and transnational discourse. These three papers all employ qualitative case study methods, oriented around a process thinking approach. The first chapter is based upon a conceptual genealogy method, identifying changes in meaning contained within key texts at specific junctures in time. The second chapter employs a historiographic archive analysis of organizational reports, to trace the strategies of one influential intermediary charged with diffusing environmentalism to local recipients. The third chapter uses a contrast of contexts approach to highlight the similarities and differences between narratives in two of the largest urban sustainability projects in the world. The objective of this dissertation is threefold: First, I demonstrate how a taken-for-granted aspect of organizational governance is not a static outcome of a rational institutionalization process, but rather a malleable product subject to ongoing discursive negotiations. Secondly, I highlight the impact of a transnational myth upon local organizational discourse and narratives, and identify how a myth can be used as a strategic resource to build legitimacy. Finally, I illustrate the feedback that local adaptation provides for transnational level discourse, defining the transnational conceptualization of the myth over time
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Krauss, Judith. "Cocoa sustainability initiatives and the environment : mapping stakeholder priorities and representations." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/cocoa-sustainability-initiatives-and-the-environment-mapping-stakeholder-priorities-and-representations(cf6db173-5a55-4049-8b7a-ae045aeef971).html.
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Given growing concerns regarding the chocolate sector's long-term future, ever more private-sector, public-sector and civil-society stakeholders have become involved in initiatives aiming to make cocoa production more 'sustainable'. However, despite the omnipresent term, stakeholders' understandings of associated environmental, commercial and socio-economic priorities diverge: while transforming cocoa into a more attractive livelihood for farmers is paramount for some, others prioritise links to global environmental challenges. A third dimension encompasses commercial concerns related to securing supply, an increasing qualm given projected cocoa shortages and ever-rising concentration in the marketplace. This research argues there are considerable tensions between different stakeholders' commercial, socio-economic and environmental priorities in cocoa sustainability initiatives especially in light of the sector's intensifying challenges. Further tensions emerge between underlying drivers and representations, as public-facing communication continues to emphasise altruism rather than commercial necessity, locating engagements in 'nice-to-have' rather than 'business imperative' territory. Based on documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation, this thesis aims to capture how cocoa-sector changes have driven shifts in stakeholder priorities and representations, incorporating voices from across the initiatives ranging from cocoa producers to chocolate consumers. Utilising a modified global production networks lens to represent the full spectrum of stakeholders involved, the research maps three cocoa sustainability initiatives incorporating conservation or carbon measures in terms of power and embeddedness, stakeholder drivers and representations. While identifying tensions, it also argues that acknowledging divergent understandings of the polysemic 'sustainability' concept constitutes an opportunity for a much-needed redressing of power and embeddedness asymmetries to address systemic issues threatening the sector's future. However, the thesis also observes that despite protestations of partnership, few actors are willing to contemplate the systemic changes in favour of more equitable treatment and power distribution which would be required to safeguard the sector's long-term viability. This thesis's contributions include its unprecedented critical exploration of the diverging socio-economic, commercial and environmental drivers which diverse stakeholders associate with cocoa sustainability, the meanings they create towards the public, and the link to underlying power and embeddedness structures. These analytical foci have proved instrumental in unpacking emerging tensions, which are likely to grow more marked as cocoa shortages become more acute and understandings of sustainability continue to diverge.
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Koepsell, Emily Diane. "Environmental sustainability assessment tool for factories." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104286.
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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2016. In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT.Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2016. In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 69-73).
General interest and international regulations have begun to create a world in which consumers demand to know how their products are made and companies must provide that transparency. With over 15,000 suppliers, Li & Fung wants to obtain better insight into its suppliers' environmental sustainability characteristics. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition's (SAC) Higg Index is currently viewed as the foremost way to assess a supplier's environmental sustainability; however, its facility module only applies to certain types of industries. Li & Fung requires a tool that encompasses its full supplier base and is short and robust enough to provide valuable insight into its supply chain and help it engage factories in decreasing their environmental footprints. This thesis discusses the methodology used to create such a tool and the information acquired during a successful pilot. To facilitate integration and adoption, the categories and some of the questions and language are modeled after that in the Higg Index. However, this scorecard incorporates many different and more focused questions, and the majority of its answers are standardized to promote easy analysis post-assessment. Its scoring system is also quite robust, aiming to award points accurately and with attention to the information and quality of environmental initiative undertaken at a factory. Finally, it incorporates a novel benchmarking and visualization section, which not only will help the user compare factories, but also more clearly see the areas in which a given factory is excelling or needs improvement. This knowledge will then allow Li & Fung to engage with its suppliers and help them decrease their environmental impact. The scorecard was piloted in 14 factories in the Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Hong Kong regions. Factory types included categories such as apparel, home textiles, umbrellas, and bags. Benchmarking was done across factory types to investigate commonalities and compare initiatives.
by Emily D. Koepsell.
S.M.
M.B.A.
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Fourie, R., and D. Lubbe. "Trustworthiness of South African sustainability reports : an overview." Journal for New Generation Sciences, Vol 10, Issue 3: Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/616.
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Published ArticleIt is widely assumed that sustainability reporting is a mechanism that companies can use to demonstrate their trustworthiness with regard to development in a sustainable manner. This article uses the Mayer, Davis and Schoorman trust model as basis to discuss how sustainability reporting can enhance trustworthiness in a sustainable development context. The study also uses a survey-questionnaire, sent to South African sustainability reporters, to explore whether they are finding sustainability reporting useful for enhancing companies' trustworthiness among stakeholders in a sustainable development context. Respondents indicate, amongst other things, that sustainability reporting in South Africa has a role to play in enhancing trustworthiness, more so among contractual stakeholders than among community stakeholders. To entrench trust benefits in the long term will however require long term strategies. Such strategies should focus on increasing the engagement of community stakeholders, authentic use of the GRI and implementing effective control systems that prevent the misuse of sustainability reports, while not preventing the formation of real trust.
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Neumayer, Eric. "Weak versus strong sustainability : exploring the limits of two opposing paradigms." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.344090.
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Rinkus, Michael A. "An Exploratory Study Comparing Mid-sized U.S. Banks' and Global Banks' Sustainability Programs." Thesis, Lawrence Technological University, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3738368.
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This is an exploratory qualitative case study of the state of sustainability programs within a set of 12 mid-sized U.S. banks compared among themselves and then compared to a set of 12 global banks. This research was designed in two phases. Phase One presented the current state of sustainability within mid-sized U.S. banks and global banks based upon each bank’s public data as organized into three sections: a bank profile, major strategic initiatives, and bank sustainability initiatives and programs. Phase Two data were analyzed from 24 interviews with key executives within each bank. A structured interview format was used, and the interviews were conducted in-person, by phone, or via email depending on the respondent’s preference.
The research found that the majority of mid-sized U.S. banks had, from a regulatory view point, achieved the broader aspects of sustainability. Mid-sized U.S. banks had not seized the spirit of sustainability by organizing and communicating their efforts in the context of a voluntary formal reporting mechanism. Mid-sized banks generally relied on government compliance reports to communicate their efforts. By relying on compliance reporting, mid-sized U.S. banks are missing an opportunity to enhance their image and improve reputational and risk management efforts. It was found that the global banks demonstrated a willingness to embrace the spirit of sustainability past any regulatory requirements, but found their efforts were still in the process of integration within their many business units. It was also found that there is a need for one globally accepted reporting mechanism for sustainability performance. At present, there appear to be many competing requirements for reporting on sustainability efforts, which are beginning to tax internal departments of global banks in an effort to meet the information needs of all their stakeholders.
Using thematic analysis, five key contributions resulted: The first contribution is an understanding of the key components of mid-sized U.S. banks and global bank sustainability programs. The second contribution is identification of the motivators for mid-sized U.S. banks and global banks to establish a sustainability program. Third, a set of criteria was identified to help determine the success of a bank’s sustainability program that can be used by mid-sized U.S. banks and global banks (criteria for success). The fourth contribution is the presenting of the current state of sustainability programs for the set of banks used in the study. The fifth contribution is a set of guiding elements and impact benefits that can be used by any size bank executives to improve business results through implementation of a sustainability initiative.
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Labruto, Nicole Francesca Hayes. "The plantation network : Brazilian bioenergy science and sustainability in the global South." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/120881.
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Thesis: Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-315).
This dissertation provides a multiscalar analysis of climate change solutions from the global South by investigating how bioscientists are leveraging postcolonial ecological legacies into the basis for what they envision as a sustainable future. In Brazil, scientists from different disciplines are reengineering sugarcane-a crop central to the colonial project-at molecular, organismic, and economic scales in order to expand biofuels as international energy commodities. I argue that biology has become central to what I call the plantation network: a postcolonial agricultural formation that includes laboratories as obligatory passage points in the growing of plants to meet human needs and desires, especially in the era of "sustainability" and "green capitalism." My research uses the plantation network formation to show that even though Brazilian scientists work under ethical and ecological threats posed by climate change, they also rely on Brazilian history, ideology, and cultural practices as they reshape life forms, landscapes, and labor in Brazil and Mozambique. This multisited analysis draws on ethnographic research conducted with molecular biologists attempting to create the world's first commercially viable transgenic sugarcane plant, biochemists working to develop waste-reducing fermentation technologies by using bioprospected "wild" yeasts to digest sugarcane bagasse, and a think tank of agronomic economists seeking to transfer a "Brazilian biofuel model" to Lusophone Mozambique. For these scientists, Brazil's long history of sugarcane is coming to center on ethoses and practices of what they call "sustentabilidade" (sustainability): a form of technoscientifically-aided industrial development that contributes to environmental wellbeing while maintaining the possibility of continued capitalist production for future populations. The dissertation examines "sustainability" as it has emerged in these sites by considering the plantation as a pharmakon-like entity: at the same time (1) a destructive nexus of social-ecological relations that has propelled the harmful, unjust conditions that have led to calls for "sustainable" practices and principles and (2) a redemptive space for ethically-sound renewable fuel and food production that scientists believe is central to creating a more just, livable world. I investigate how scientific practices related to ethically-rendered biofuels are motivating changes to the biotechnologies, production techniques, and locations of sugarcane plantations.
by Nicole Francesca Hayes Labruto.
Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS)
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Frid, Gustav. "Integrating sustainability in the core business : From global goals to local application." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-189045.
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In 2016, the work towards a more sustainable world increased momentum when the new 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) came into force. Now the SDGs will serve as a global agreement in the work towards ending all forms of poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change for the next fifteen years. By using standardized Environmental Management Systems (EMS) together with global goals, the author aims on finding ways in how consultancy companies can develop their environmental and sustainability work even further. The purpose of the outcome is to contribute with knowledge in on how to become a leader within sustainable performance and environmental management as well as providing Pöyry Sweden with the basic knowledge in how to develop its performance in order to meet the new ISO-requirements. In the thesis the author developed a matrix-model in which the SDGs where connected to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) as well as the Sweden’s Environmental Objectives (SEO). The aim of the matrix was to connect the SDGs to local ways of measuring environmental performance, but also on finding the SDGs that the consulting companies were most interested in. In order to collect the information, eight Swedish based consultancy companies (Acando, Accenture, Allies, U&We, Pöyry Sweden, Sweco, WSP and ÅF) where included. All companies where interviewed and took part in the matrix analyse. Based on the research question “How can the SDGs together with ISO be integrated within the management system at a private consultancy company in order to create sustainable benefits, focusing on environmental sustainability, for the company, customers and the society where they conduct business?” it was possible to see that the implementation of the SDGs together with ISO provides sustainable benefits as well as new business opportunities. The results showed that the ISO 14001:2015 could be an advantageous and strategic tool for many consultancy companies. A fully integrated strategic management system would help placing the company in an advantageous position, ready for tougher legislation, customer demand and technical innovation. In combination with commitments to the SDGs the company could find new ways of inspiring its employees and finding long-term purpose for the company and its business. The study made, proved that several of the SDGs are relevant for the interviewed consultancy companies. In the study the author experienced that three companies distinguished themselves when it came to leadership, internal driving force for finding sustainable business opportunities and finding ways of integrating the SDGs in the business. These companies were Allies, U&We and Accenture. For all interviewed parts, several goals are considered both as highly relevant, holding high business opportunities. A commitment to global goals could therefore have a positive effect on the company, providing a communicative strength and new ways of setting goals and bring visions forward. To summarize, the consultancy companies who dare to take a lead in performing sustainable business can send a clear statement and inspiration to customers and the business in general that sustainability is important and should be a desirable goal for the company to achieve. These companies would be considered as role models within sustainability, creating a positive impact reaching beyond the business itself.
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Yaldo, Ilham Salman Yousif. "An Ontology for Sustainability Reporting Based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4." Thesis, Curtin University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1038.
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The aim of this research is to fill the gap by developing ontology for Sustainability Reporting based on GRI G4 Guidelines. The chief research question is: What is the best approach to developing an Ontological Model for the knowledge domain Sustainability Reporting? The main objective of this research is to develop such ontology for Sustainability Reporting based on GRI G4.The developed ontology for Sustainability Reporting was validated by applying it to existing business data.
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Friis, Laursen Mathies Lau. "Holdbarhed og modeller for betalingsbalancer i en global verden = Sustainability and models for current accounts in a global world /." Aarhus : Institut for Økonomi, Aarhus Universitet, 2008. http://mit.econ.au.dk/Library/Specialer/2008/20031663.pdf.
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de, Goes Bruno Barreto. "THE DIFFUSION OF CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY IN GLOBAL SUPPLY NETWORKS: THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL PERSPECTIVES." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2016. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/407666.
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Business Administration/International Business AdministrationPh.D.
The rapid increase in the adoption of global sourcing practices that took place in 1980’s led to significant transformations in traditional value chains, which were encompassed by single, vertically integrated organizations, and became globally dispersed networks of independent buyers and suppliers, where each of these firms performs specific value-adding activities that will ultimately result in that value chain’s final output. As concerns over the negative social and environmental impacts caused by industrial activity continue their rise to prominence, stakeholders are starting to realize that the changes through which value chain structures underwent have shifted the locus of corporate sustainability from individual focal firms to entire supply networks. This wider scope of stakeholder expectations has, thus, created a necessity for corporate sustainability initiatives to be diffused to all members of the supply network. Chapter one constitutes a theoretical investigation of the strategic relevance of corporate sustainability diffusion in global supply networks for both focal and non-focal firms within global supply networks, as well as the determining factors of a firm’s capacity to diffuse and performance in diffusing corporate sustainability within its supply network? The theoretical contributions of this study are divided into two parts. The first part seeks to establish a more solid cause and effect relationship to explain why firms that are more highly exposed to stakeholder scrutiny (i.e. focal firms) should necessarily face a higher risk of being held responsible for the sustainability-related misconducts of lesser exposed members of the network (i.e. supplier sustainability risk). The first part also proposes an expansion of the dichotomous categorization of corporate sustainability initiatives as either mandatory or voluntary, to add what we termed: semi-voluntary corporate sustainability initiatives. This addition serves to explain why certain firms adopt non-mandatory corporate sustainability initiatives, which apparently destroy shareholder value. We argue that this distinction is important because cases concerning semi-voluntary initiatives are likely to involve higher levels of supplier sustainability risk. In part two of the theoretical development we introduce a theoretical framework to explain the existing heterogeneity among different firms within a supply network in regards to their ability to implement the diffusion of corporate sustainability initiatives in the network (i.e. network dominance) and propose that it results from the interaction among three network-related firm characteristics: relative resource value, resource substitutability, and relative network position. Lastly, we discuss why higher levels of network dominance increase the likelihood that firms will be able to ensure a high level of corporate sustainability diffusion in the network. Chapter two aims at empirically testing a set of hypotheses derived from the propositions put forth in the second part of chapter one’s theoretical development Therefore, it seeks to answer questions, such as, who is responsible for ensuring that all network members meet the necessary corporate sustainability standards in order to adequately fulfill the demands of stakeholders? Why do some firms engage in corporate sustainability and others do not? What contributes to the effective diffusion of corporate sustainability in a supply network? These hypotheses are tested on a sample of 10,728 firms in the automotive sector, linked by 45,044 inter-firm relationships. Strong support for our hypotheses provides both researchers and managers with an interesting discussion of how this emerging business paradigm, where corporate sustainability is becoming the norm and no longer the exception, may have significant implications on how value chains are structured within this sector.
Temple University--Theses
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Cordell, Dana. "The Story of Phosphorus : Sustainability implications of global phosphorus scarcity for food security." Doctoral thesis, Linköping : Department of Water and Environmental Studies, [The Tema Institute], Linköping University, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-53430.
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Schein, Steven. "The ecological world views and post-conventional action logics of global sustainability leaders." Thesis, Fielding Graduate University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3627453.
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This is an empirical study of ecological worldviews and action logics of global sustainability leaders. Although a body of research has emerged in recent years focused on corporate sustainability practices at the organizational level, the literature has paid less attention to corporate sustainability at the individual level. As a result, little is known about the deeper psychological motivations of sustainability leaders and how these motivations may influence their behavior and effectiveness as change agents.
This study was based on theoretical insights from several social science disciplines including ecopsychology, integral ecology, environmental sociology, and developmental psychology. Drawing on interviews with 65 leaders in more than 50 multinational corporations, NGOs, and consultancies, the study presents three major propositions that illuminate specific ways that ecological worldviews and action logics are developed and expressed by sustainability leaders. Specific findings include five experiences that shape ecological worldviews over the lifespan and six ways that post-conventional action logics are expressed by sustainability leaders. Findings also include how the complexity of sustainability is driving highly collaborative approaches to leadership. Insights from this research can be integrated into leadership development programs in a wide range of public and private institutions and will be of interest to a range of sustainability scholars, social science researchers, sustainability executives, and social entrepreneurs.
Key Words: Sustainability leader, ecological worldviews, action logics, ecopsychology, developmental theory, new ecological paradigm, ecological self, corporate sustainability.
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Pagan, Victoria Kate. "Addressing sustainability and inequality at a global level : how other worlds (may) emerge." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3289.
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Increased global interconnectivity has encouraged a prevalence of forums that seek to organise and facilitate action on sustainability and inequality on a global scale. A body of work has examined such global forums and the theoretical contexts in which they operate but there is little which examines the nature of engagement through these forums to address issues of sustainability and inequality. This thesis explores social actors’ participation in two global forums, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the World Social Forum (WSF), with the aim of creating more sustainable and equal worlds. It has been structured around four overarching research questions as follows. RQ1. What are the perceived relationships between dominant and dominated social actors in global sustainability debates? RQ2. How do different social actors perceive the global field as embodied by the two world forums? RQ3. How do different social actors perceive the struggle in the field, and the strategies adopted? RQ4. How do different social actors perceive the lasting impact of their own participation in the field? Using Bourdieu’s social theory, I propose that the research settings of WEF and WSF are enactments and representations of a global field of power (RQ1). In this global field of power, social actors use global capital, a form of symbolic capital, to define the doxa of the field, that is, the taken-for-granted assumptions about issues of sustainability and inequality that require response, how they are defined and how they should be resolved (RQ2). I discuss the tensions and dilemmas of social actors as they enact strategies within the field to promote conservation, succession and/or subversion of the doxa in relation to these issues of sustainability and inequality (RQ3). The nature and extent of shifts in the global field of power as perceived by social actors is shown, with the aim that such shifts will support the creation of other more sustainable and equal worlds (RQ4). The empirical material gives participant impressions of their own involvement, which has implications for the identities, roles and activities of global social actors.
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Mills, Julianne H. "Economic Prosperity, Strong Sustainability, and Global Biodiversity Conservation: Testing the Environmental Kuznets Curve." The Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1243432252.
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Nemetz, Annette M. "A Global Investigation of Stakeholder and Contextual Influences on Firm Engagement in Sustainability." PDXScholar, 2014. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1630.
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Global sustainability issues cross all sectors of society, including businesses, governments, and communities and come with substantial costs. Business organizations are increasingly expected to address sustainability issues in a responsible manner and to disclose socially responsible behaviors accurately and transparently, showing that they are effective at managing and being proactive about sustainability challenges. In light of these pressures and expectations for business organizations, the fundamental research question for this study was whether variation existed in the levels of engagement in sustainability efforts across firms globally, and, more importantly, why such variation existed.
The level of strategic firm engagement in sustainability was proposed to be influenced by stakeholders and other factors that had relevance to sustainability. Three types of stakeholders with the potential power and legitimacy for influencing strategic decisions regarding firm engagement in sustainability were investigated - executive management, community and government. Multiple firm-related and country-related contextual factors were also investigated as influencers. The study was global in nature, consisting of four hundred companies in twenty-five countries.
Stakeholder theory, as the foundation of the investigation, was supported by the results of the study. Executive management, community, and government as stakeholders were found to have significant influence on the level of firm engagement in sustainability. Firm size, country economy, country technological readiness, country fossil fuel dependence, and industry sector were also found to have significant influence on the level of firm engagement in sustainability and approximately 26% of the variation in firm sustainability engagement was accounted for by the combined influence of executive management, government and community as stakeholder influences and firm size and country technological readiness as contextual factors.
Specific findings showed that there were higher levels of firm engagement in sustainability when executive management provided explicit support for sustainability as a strategic issue, in communities with positive supportive norms for sustainability and a higher propensity for citizen-based political action and when there was an optimal level of government regulation and formalized institutional power. Other factors that led to higher levels of firm engagement in sustainability were for firms in energy-related and automotive industry sectors, for larger firms based on revenue size, and for firms with headquarters located in countries with developed economies and higher technological readiness.
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Chua, Franceen T. "A Global Perspective on Corporate Governance." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2013. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/785.
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As globalization increases at a fast pace, more and more companies are diversifying their presence in foreign capital markets to gain access to capital. Today, strong corporate governance is an important element to a company’s long-term success. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Cadbury Report and King Report from the US, UK and South Africa provide recommendations for good corporate governance. Corporate governance practices and guidelines vary greatly from country to country because of differences in economic, culture, and other factors. This study examines ten companies across different regions around the world analyzing each company’s board structure, committee structure and code of ethics. Results show that the prevalence of concentrated ownerships through family and group dynamics in Asian and Latin American companies convey the need for more independent directors in the board and committees to protect the interests of minority shareholders. European companies are leading the way in incorporating sustainability as part of corporate governance. As the world becomes more interdependent, successful corporate governance requires companies to adopt an inclusive approach to economic, social and environmental issues. Internalizing these issues as part of business strategy are essential for companies to be profitable, sustainable and respected in the future.
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Hillstrom, David (David P. ). "Multi-tier supply chain assessment of garment environmental sustainability." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/117965.
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Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2018.Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2018.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-62 ).
Li & Fung is a global, leading trading firm that connects manufacturing vendors with retailers. Li & Fung is responsible for the supply of beauty products, furniture, and apparel, with the majority of sales in the apparel category. Li & Fung has developed strong relationships with a large portion of global retailers and maintains a leading market position in the global garment market. Furthermore, Li & Fung leverages a complex supply chain of over 16,000 partner factories across 40 countries. These factories employ hundreds of thousands of workers who perform the difficult work of producing a variety of garments. This large footprint of factories and employees results in an equally large environmental footprint. Although it is well known that the environmental impact is substantial, with researchers stating that the apparel industry is one of the largest global polluters, it has been difficult to quantify the business impact as a whole, let alone the impact of a single garment. Through this internship, the objective was to quantify the environmental impact of factories and products. This quantification will enhance decision-making and arm the business with a toolset to help factories improve and drive down impact in a targeted manner. Furthermore, these quantifications are manifested in product level footprints and factory metrics calculated with the use of internally generated data and external data. The internal data provided much of the backbone for the analysis and its collection was completed through an internally developed, proprietary tool. External data was then gathered to address information gaps in the supply chain. Together this data formed the basis for Li & Fung's Environmental Assessment Tool. This tool provides potential benefits at all levels of the supply chain. In particular, it allows designers and customers to make informed decisions about product attributes that drive environmental impact, factories to compare their environmental impact against an appropriate peer group and make educated decisions, and Li & Fung to quantify their environmental impact and take steps to address environmental hotspots.
by David Hillstrom.
M.B.A.
S.M.
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West, Colin Thor. "Pugkeenga: Assessing the Sustainability of Household Extension and Fragmentation under Scenarios of Global Change." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195139.
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This dissertation explores the sustainability of the pugkêenga system of household cooperation as practiced by Mossi rural producers on the Central Plateau of Burkina Faso. Consistent with the sustainable livelihoods framework, this dissertation systematically compares the assets of two different types of domestic organization found among Mossi domestic groups today: extended and nuclear households. Similar studies in contemporary West Africa and other parts of the world suggest that globalization and modernization make extended forms of household organization unsustainable and impractical in the face of changing ecologies and the penetration of capitalist modes of production. This study challenges such assertions and contends that the material and moral configurations of extended households actually enhances their sustainability in the face of environmental and social change. The Sahel region, in which the fieldwork took place, has undergone a period of prolonged desiccation. The Central Plateau is also one of the most densely populated areas within the Sahel. These factors contribute to the high rate of migration for which the Mossi and Central Plateau are well-known. This research investigates these dynamics with ethnographic fieldwork, statistical analyses, and agent based modeling. The results of these analyses demonstrate that the pugkêenga system of household cooperation enhances the household livelihood sustainability under increased climate variability, population pressure, and migration.
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Kamran, Muhammad. "Global Sustainability overview and Role of Policy Instruments for Sustainable Tourism Management in Pakistan." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/669443.
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A la indústria turística, la sostenibilitat ha aparegut com a força durant les dues darreres dècades. Ofereix noves orientacions i valors per a les polítiques públiques i indueix a la creació del concepte de turisme sostenible. Sovint, les activitats turístiques creen impactes negatius no només sobre el medi ambient, sinó també sobre la societat, la cultura i, sobretot, sobre l™economia. El turisme és una de les indústries amb més ràpid creixement a tot el món. Junt amb la seva enorme oferta econòmica, rau la complicació de la petjada humana que influeix en la mare naturalesa. Els líders mundials estan dissenyant polítiques ecològiques per contrarestar aquesta preocupació. L™estudi s™ha realitzat a la regió nord del Pakistan. En aquesta investigació, hem exposat els instruments de política relacionats amb els impactes econòmics, socials i ecològics relacionats amb tots els interessats de la indústria turística. Es va fer una anàlisi descriptiva de recerca transversal mitjançant respostes de 304 participants. La majoria dels participants van mostrar resposta positiva davant polítiques i pràctiques ecològiques. No obstant això, s'ha observat una forta confiança en els antecedents sociodemogràfics dels participants, per exemple, gènere, edat, nivell d'educació, mode de vida.Aquest estudi es podria estendre a institucions i universitats més similars de molts altres països, ja que també cal millorar la manera de desenvolupar pràctiques de turisme sostenible. A més, es podria realitzar més investigació per inspeccionar l'impacte del model de desenvolupament turístic sostenible d'altres variables com la satisfacció del turista, el nivell de vida dels residents locals, els hotels i els beneficis dels operadors turístics. Especialment seria més interessant estudiar la satisfacció dels visitants per contribuir a pràctiques turístiques sostenibles i aspectes orientats al cost.
Al final, tots els suggeriments i recomanacions podrien actuar com a possibilitat per a acadèmics, governs, responsables polítics i altres parts interessades de dur a terme futures investigacions i desenvolupar altres funcions sostenibles del turisme.
En la industria del turismo, la sostenibilidad se ha convertido en una fuerza en las últimas dos décadas. Ofrece nuevas direcciones y valores para las políticas públicas, e induce la creación del concepto de turismo sostenible. A menudo, las actividades turísticas crean impactos negativos no solo en el medio ambiente sino también en la sociedad, la cultura y, sobre todo, en la economía. El turismo es una de las industrias de más rápido crecimiento en todo el mundo. Junto con su oferta económica masiva, se encuentra la complicación de la huella humana que inflige a la madre naturaleza. Los líderes mundiales están elaborando políticas ecológicas para contrarrestar esta preocupación. El estudio se llevó a cabo en la región norte de Pakistán. En esta investigación, hemos exhibido los instrumentos de política que abordan los impactos económicos, sociales y ecológicos relacionados con todos los interesados de la industria del turismo. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo transversal de investigación utilizando las respuestas de 304 participantes. La mayoría de los participantes mostraron una respuesta positiva hacia las políticas y prácticas ecológicas. Sin embargo, se ha observado una fuerte dependencia de los antecedentes sociodemográficos de los participantes, por ejemplo, género, edad, nivel educativo, modo de vida.
Este estudio podría extenderse a instituciones y universidades más similares en muchos otros países también, ya que existe la necesidad de mejorar la forma de desarrollar prácticas de turismo sostenible. Además, se podrían realizar más investigaciones para inspeccionar el impacto del modelo de desarrollo del turismo sostenible y otras variables como la satisfacción del turista, el nivel de vida de los residentes locales, las ganancias de los hoteleros y los operadores turísticos. Especialmente, sería más interesante estudiar la satisfacción de los visitantes al contribuir a prácticas de turismo sostenible y aspectos orientados a los costos.
Al final, todas las sugerencias y recomendaciones podrían actuar como una posibilidad para que la academia, el gobierno, los encargados de formular políticas y otras partes interesadas realicen investigaciones futuras y desarrollen otras funciones sostenibles del turismo.
In the tourism industry, sustainability has emerged as a force in the last two decades. It offers new directions and values for public policy, and induces the creation of the concept of sustainable tourism. Often tourism activities create negative impacts not only on the environment but also on society, culture, and mostly on the economy. Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries around the globe. Along with its massive economic offering, lies the complication of human footprint inflicting the mother-nature. World leaders are devising eco-friendly policies to counter this concern. The study has been carried out in the northern region of Pakistan. In this research, we have exhibited the policy instruments addressing economic, social & ecological impacts related to all stake holders of Tourism Industry. A cross-sectional descriptive research analysis was done using responses of 304 participants. Majority of the participants depicted positive response towards eco-friendly policies and practices. Nevertheless, a strong reliance of sociodemographic background of the participants for example gender, age, education level, mode of livelihood has been observed.
This study could be extended to more similar institutions and universities in many other countries also as there is a need to improve the way developing sustainable tourism practices. Also, further research could be conducted to inspect the impact of the sustainable tourism development model other variables such as tourist™s satisfaction, local residents' standard of living, hoteliers' and tourist operators' profit. Especially, studying the satisfaction of visitors in contributing to sustainable tourism practices and cost oriented aspects would be more interesting.
In the end, all suggestions and recommendations could act as a possibility for academia, government, policy makers and other stakeholders to carry out future research and develop other sustainable roles of tourism.
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Dzhartova, Viliana, Hrishabh Sandilya, Sierra Flanigan, and Alena Iuzefovich. "Integrating Sustainability into Sector Agnostic Innovation Hubs: The Case of Venture Café Global Network." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för strategisk hållbar utveckling, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-18333.
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Given the increasing complexity of global ecological and social problems, innovation plays a key role in solutions for sustainable development. Within innovation ecosystems, intermediaries such as innovation hubs play an important part in influencing other actors like startups, investors and policymakers to create solutions for change. Therefore, it is essential that innovation hubs incorporate sustainability into their practices, if they are to contribute to addressing the Global Sustainability Challenge (GSC). To see how this could be done, this study examines the case of the Venture Café Global Network (VCGN) a type of sector agnostic innovation hub. The study used a multi-method qualitative approach. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with different players in the innovation ecosystem, as well as with actors from within VCGN, and through a documentary analysis. The results and discussion are presented according to certain overarching themes that emerged from the interviews and answer the research questions. Along with a longer list of recommendations, this study concludes that the adoption of a shared organisational definition of sustainability is the bedrock for any sustainability integration and vital for innovation hubs to impact other actors in their innovation ecosystems, to address the GSC.
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Månsson-Perrone, Tristan. "Holistic Sustainability Transformation & Addressing Impacts on Global Biodiversity Integrity : Incumbent Nordic Media Companies." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för elektroteknik och datavetenskap (EECS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-264563.
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Growing ecological challenges [1][2][3] can be addressed by the media industry through proactive engagement with holistic sustainability transformation that covers all activities within their value-chain. With at least 60% of vertebrate species already lost [1] and 40% of insect species at risk of the same [2], the time for business-as-usual has past [4][5][6][49]. In order to mitigate negative, and accelerate positive, impacts on global biodiversity integrity, media companies need to look beyond direct impacts, carbon, and segmented actions to a more holistic understanding and approach of sustainability transformation. This study focused specifically on the Nordic region (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland) and the largest incumbent companies within that region (Schibsted, MTG, Bonnier, Egmont and Sanoma) [7][8], to find what actions and pathway are necessary to protect both people and planet [10]. Through understanding the drivers of biodiversity loss, as well as the proposed sustainability transformation roadmaps from the research community, and by quantitatively analyzing how these five companies understand and prioritize sustainability, this study developed a visual Pathway Lens consisting of Seven Focus Areas (SFAs) to enable media companies to look holistically at their activities and value-chain. The SFAs need to be approached holistically, similar to the 17 SDGs (Agenda 2030) [4]. Since incumbent Nordic media companies are not currently looking at impacts on biodiversity integrity, nor focusing on a holistic approach to sustainability, the SFAs of the Pathway Lens are a tool to better understand their unique opportunity to accelerate sustainable lifestyles through their content, marketplaces, products and events, which in turn address impacts on biodiversity integrity. The media industry also shares in the collective opportunity to accelerate sustainable value-chains through prioritizing self-transcendence values, resources, responsible operations, circular business models, iterative stakeholder engagement, and external partnerships. Since the drivers of biodiversity loss are complex and interconnected [3], protecting both people and planet requires complex and interconnected solutions.Växande ekologiska utmaningar [1][2][3] kan adresseras av medieindustrin genom proaktivt engagemang i holistisk hållbarhetstransformation som täcker alla aktiviteter i värdekedjan. Då minst 60% av arterna bland ryggradsdjur redan har försvunnit [1] och 40% av insektsarterna riskerar att försvinna [2], har tiden för konventionellt företagande (business-as-usual) passerat [4][5][6][49]. För att minska negativa effekter, och accelerera positiva effekter, vad gäller den biologisk mångfaldens integritet, måste företagen se bortom direkta effekter, koldioxidutsläpp, och isolerade åtgärder för en mer holistisk förståelse av och ett mer holistiskt angreppssätt vad gäller hållbarhetstransformation. Denna studie har fokuserat specifikt på Norden (Sverige, Norge, Danmark, Finland) och de största etablerade företagen inom denna region (Schibsted, MTG, Bonnier, Egmont och Sanoma) [7][8], för att ta reda på vilka åtgärder som behövs för att skydda både människor och planeten [10]. Genom att förstå drivkrafterna bakom förlusten av biologisk mångfald, såväl som de föreslagna färdplanerna för hållbarhetstransformation ifrån forskarsamfundet, och genom att kvantitativt analysera hur dessa fem företag förstår och prioriterar hållbarhet, har denna studie utvecklat en visuell lins [Pathway Lens] bestående av sju fokusområden (Seven Focus Areas, SFAs), för att möjliggöra för medieföretag att titta holistiskt på deras aktiviteter och värdekedja. De sju fokusområdena (SFAs) för hållbarhetstransformation måste hanteras holistiskt, likt FN:s 17 globala mål för hållbar utveckling (Agenda 2030) [4]. Eftersom etablerade nordiska medieföretag i dagsläget inte tittar på påverkan på den biologiska mångfaldens integritet, och inte heller fokuserar på ett holistiskt angreppssätt vad gäller hållbarhet, är de sju fokusområdena [SFAs] av den visuella linsen [Pathway Lens] ett verktyg för att bättre förstå deras unika möjlighet att accelerera hållbara livsstilar genom deras innehåll, marknadsplatser, samt produkter och events, vilka i sin tur adresserar påverkan på den biologiska mångfaldens integritet. Medieindustrin delar också den kollektiva möjligheten att accelerera hållbara värdekedjor genom att prioritera värderingar som transcenderar jaget (self-transcendence), resurser, ansvarsfulla verksamheter, cirkulära affärsmodeller, iterativt intressentengagemang, och externa partnerskap. Eftersom drivkrafterna bakom förlust av biologisk mångfald är komplexa och sammankopplade [3], krävs komplexa och sammankopplade lösningar för att skydda både människor och planeten.
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Wedl, Isabella [Verfasser], and Harald [Akademischer Betreuer] Heinrichs. "Governance for Corporate Sustainability: National and global governance influencing TNCs sustainability management in Germany, the US and India / Isabella Wedl ; Betreuer: Harald Heinrichs." Lüneburg : Universitätsbibliothek der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, 2017. http://d-nb.info/1140222074/34.
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