Dissertations / Theses: 'Sustainability discourse'

1

au, M. Gollagher@murdoch edu, and Margaret Mary Gollagher. "Corporations and the Discourse of Sustainability." Murdoch University, 2006. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20100330.120930.

Full text

Abstract:

The contemporary notion of sustainability is emerging as a political response to ecological and social problems associated with human development. It is a contested concept - eco-modernists interpret it as a call to rethink or adjust industrial production systems while others interpret it as a fundamental challenge to the dominant development paradigm. Corporations are playing a key role in shaping the discourse. Many argue that since corporations have enormous influence in the global political economy, they must take the lead in the search for sustainability. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) promotes eco-efficiency - an eco-modernist stance - as the primary business contribution to sustainability. However, the potential of the corporate focus on efficiency to contribute to sustainability is a subject of debate. In this thesis, I use a heterogeneous methodological approach to explore the interaction between corporations (with a focus on multinational corporations) and the discourse of sustainability in order to identify the potential for positive outcomes. I consider the compatibility of aspects of corporate identity and organisational structure to the ethos of sustainability. This leads to an examination of the meeting between corporations and sustainability as a reflexive process, paying particular attention to the ways in which language and mythology serve to uphold or transform existing power relations. I also explore forms of knowledge relevant to sustainability, comparing those that are typically emphasized in corporate enterprise with traditional, Indigenous and local ways of knowing that are essential to sustainability. The knowledge of classical equestrianism is used as an example in this analysis. Practical ways of including all these essential perspectives in the discourse are considered. The thesis concludes that certain aspects of corporate identity, structure and function are incompatible with the ideals of sustainability and that these disparities must be borne in mind as corporations attempt to embrace sustainability. I contend that sustainability requires network approaches that integrate strong and weak relations as well as diverse values and forms of knowledge. Sustainability can only be achieved with broad civic engagement that allows the synergistic combination of all values and knowledges relevant to sustainability. Furthermore, I argue that while corporations orientation towards market-based strategies has significant potential to support sustainability, it is limited since the market is fundamentally constituted by a network of weak ties. Therefore the thesis argues that while corporations can provide significant benefits in terms of sustainability, they cannot be expected to lead the sustainability agenda as it requires discursive plurality. The efficacy of the corporate contribution to sustainability will be greatly enhanced if companies are guided by strong democratic processes of deliberation and community engagement.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Gollagher, Margaret. "Corporations and the Discourse of Sustainability." Gollagher, Margaret (2006) Corporations and the Discourse of Sustainability. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2006. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/1696/.

Full text

Abstract:

The contemporary notion of sustainability is emerging as a political response to ecological and social problems associated with human development. It is a contested concept - eco-modernists interpret it as a call to rethink or adjust industrial production systems while others interpret it as a fundamental challenge to the dominant development paradigm. Corporations are playing a key role in shaping the discourse. Many argue that since corporations have enormous influence in the global political economy, they must take the lead in the search for sustainability. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) promotes eco-efficiency - an eco-modernist stance - as the primary business contribution to sustainability. However, the potential of the corporate focus on efficiency to contribute to sustainability is a subject of debate. In this thesis, I use a heterogeneous methodological approach to explore the interaction between corporations (with a focus on multinational corporations) and the discourse of sustainability in order to identify the potential for positive outcomes. I consider the compatibility of aspects of corporate identity and organisational structure to the ethos of sustainability. This leads to an examination of the meeting between corporations and sustainability as a reflexive process, paying particular attention to the ways in which language and mythology serve to uphold or transform existing power relations. I also explore forms of knowledge relevant to sustainability, comparing those that are typically emphasized in corporate enterprise with traditional, Indigenous and local ways of knowing that are essential to sustainability. The knowledge of classical equestrianism is used as an example in this analysis. Practical ways of including all these essential perspectives in the discourse are considered. The thesis concludes that certain aspects of corporate identity, structure and function are incompatible with the ideals of sustainability and that these disparities must be borne in mind as corporations attempt to embrace sustainability. I contend that sustainability requires network approaches that integrate strong and weak relations as well as diverse values and forms of knowledge. Sustainability can only be achieved with broad civic engagement that allows the synergistic combination of all values and knowledges relevant to sustainability. Furthermore, I argue that while corporations’ orientation towards market-based strategies has significant potential to support sustainability, it is limited since the market is fundamentally constituted by a network of weak ties. Therefore the thesis argues that while corporations can provide significant benefits in terms of sustainability, they cannot be expected to lead the sustainability agenda as it requires discursive plurality. The efficacy of the corporate contribution to sustainability will be greatly enhanced if companies are guided by strong democratic processes of deliberation and community engagement.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Brodscholl, Per Christian. "Negotiating sustainability in the media: critical perspectives on the popularisation of environmental concerns." Curtin University of Technology, Faculty of Media, Society and Culture, 2003. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=13600.

Full text

Abstract:

Despite intensified and concerted efforts to realise sustainable development. Western industrialised countries have in recent years experienced several mass protests against institutions perceived variously to have the potential to govern the global economy in environmentally sustainable or unsustainable ways. This thesis examines how different actors in the news media attempt to legitimate and de-legitimate neoliberal approaches to economic governance on grounds that these approaches are or are not environmentally sustainable. By using a critical discourse analysis perspective to analyse texts produced by actors with competing political commitments (neo-liberal and left-liberal), it discusses how primarily profit-driven generic conventions can govern what can and cannot be said in debates on sustainability. The thesis suggests that the effectiveness of (cultural) politics aimed at legitimating and de-legitimating neo-liberal approaches can be understood in teens of the relationship between an instrumental rationality geared at maximising the effectiveness of existing institutional systems and a communicative rationality geared at achieving understanding.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

Kallio, Emmi-Maria. "Responsibility for sustainability within tourism – an emerging discourse." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-353160.

Full text

Abstract:

The tourism industry is at a pivotal point in time, where the potential and threats associated with the industry have gained global attention. While the field provides numerous development opportunities by being one of the largest global industries, the tourism industry’s contribution to universal threats such as global warming and climate change has been acknowledged. As a response, the industry and academia have experienced a shift towards discourses of sustainable tourism, or more recently responsible tourism, where stakeholders aim to embark on a path of holistic sustainability. The global significance of tourism’s potential to foster sustainable development has further been recognized by the assignment of 2017 as the International year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. At the core of the sustainable tourism debate lies the notion of responsibility, particularly the notion of various stakeholders’ responsibility for sustainability within tourism. Within this paradigm, consumers play a central role, as consumers can guide industry action with their travel related choices. Yet, there is a notable discrepancy between consumer attitudes about sustainability and their travel related behaviour and the disparity begs the question of how consumers perceive their own responsibility for sustainability in a tourism context. This study set out to explore the emerging discourse of responsibility for sustainability within tourism by examining how the notion has been addressed, constructed and framed within academia and the industry, with a particular interest in the framing of consumer responsibility for sustainability. Seven themes with additional subthemes of notions about responsibility for sustainability were identified through a literature review consisting of 132 peer-reviewed journal articles and two book chapters. Furthermore, an interpretive content analysis of the recently launched UNWTO Responsible Traveller campaign was carried out. The findings suggest that responsibility for sustainability within tourism has emerged as its own, distinct discourse characterized by an ambiguous and complex nature where the notion of responsibility is influenced by the surrounding context, prevailing social norms and individual identity. While responsibility for sustainability is recognized as the responsibility of all tourism stakeholders, the results suggest that consumers in particular abrogate themselves from a responsibility for sustainability in a tourism context and consequently, the industry is seen to lie in a state of lock-in. The findings indicate that there is a need to re-establish how and by whom responsibility for sustainability is constructed and framed within tourism, while notions of sustainable lifestyles and global citizenship should be fostered together with new social norms that challenge the prevailing status quo.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

Campbell, Isaac. "Discourse Analysis of Sustainable Consumption." Thesis, Karlstad University, Faculty of Social and Life Sciences, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-340.

Full text

Abstract:

In the following C-Level Thesis, the geographically isolated consumer society that has evolved in the developed world is examined through discourse analysis. This research frames the issue of material consumption in a historical context and then interrogates the modern task of sustainability. Through review and analysis of current discourse in the sociopolitical field of sustainable consumption, this paper critically analyzes the development of modern consumer culture. The concept of ecological citizenship is presented and inspected as an effective strategy for the realization of sustainability and is viewed as a unifier of the many conflicting discourses on sustainable consumption. The dominant institutional discourse of ecological modernization is presented through a review of UK policy documents, and the opinions as well as alternative solutions touted by critics is noted. This paper finds that ideal of ecological citizenship has not yet been reached, but positive steps have been taken to achieve the goal of sustainability through curbing consumptive habits. In this presentation of sustainable consumption discourse it is important to recognize that there may be no absolute answer or right way to live on this planet, but rather, many ways which can, together, bring about a sustainable society.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Banerjee, Chirantan [Verfasser]. "Weather Derivatives Revisited : A discourse on scalability, feasibility and sustainability / Chirantan Banerjee." Bonn : Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn, 2014. http://d-nb.info/1050025156/34.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Julia, Lindkvist. "The Making of ‘Sustainable Consumerism’ - A critical discourse analysis of the discourse of sustainability found in Oatly’s product advertisements." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-21870.

Full text

Abstract:

With the help of various advertising strategies this study addresses the Swedish, plant-basedfood-production company Oatly, and their advertisements to see how the discourse onsustainability is approached. By using critical discourse analysis, and primarily Fairclough’sthree-dimensional-model for analysing discourse (1989, 1995) as well as the marketingframework AIDA, these advertisements have been analysed to see how the companymanages to tempt and persuade their consumers into consumption. This paper seeks tounderstand how Oatly portrays their products as the “right” choice, by acting on and creatingsocial, public understandings. But who decides what is “correct” and what is not, and howdoes a company act on contemporary social conventions to portray themselves as the “good”choice? Through a textual analysis of Oatly’s product descriptions on their website as well asof the product packaging in-store, this report has established that Oatly acts on publicunderstandings of environmental sustainability to persuade their audience into consumption.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Lindblom, Erica. "Reporting on Gender Equality and Diversity: A Discourse Analysis of the GRI Framework for Sustainability Reporting." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tema Genus, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-141607.

Full text

Abstract:

Organizations around the world increasingly publish voluntary sustainability reports. Stakeholders want more information than financial statements, and environmental and social concerns have grown in the past two decades. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework for sustainability reporting is used by most organizations today. This is an analysis of the indicators in the GRI framework used to report on gender equality and diversity. I have used Carol Bacchi's method "What Is the "Problem" Represented to Be?" to discover how the "problems" of gender equality and diversity are presented in the framework and what effects those constructions of the problem might have.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Adams, Kathleen. "The Sustainability of Overconsumption? A Discursive Analysis of Walmart's Sustainability Campaign." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5093.

Full text

Abstract:

This study inquires as to whether Walmart's sustainability campaign represents a sincere and holistic change throughout the company's global supply chain or if it is simply a public relations campaign which caters to the growing target market of “next-generation” consumers and justifies further expansion into “emerging markets”. A critical analysis of Walmart's sustainability discourse is presented, using transcribed texts of various corporate and publicity-geared publications. Frequently utilized terms and themes are identified throughout the big-box retailer's sustainability campaign which convey a distinctly Neoliberal ethos—a political economy which lies at the heart of current practices of institutional unsustainability—and emphasize the role of the atomized individual—who may purchase protection from environmental risks via green products. Other themes, which are commonly associated with sustainability research, are glaringly absent: subsidiarity; human rights; steady-state economics; economic inequity; the precautionary principle. This research aims to shed light on the prospects for the sustainability of green overconsumption, which Walmart is leading the way in promoting, and for the continuation of the modern economistic zeitgeist into the twenty-first century.
ID: 031001513; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Title from PDF title page (viewed August 8, 2013).; Thesis (M.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-113).
M.A.
Masters
Political Science
Sciences
Political Science; Environmental Politics

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Hector, Donald Charles Alexander. "Towards a new philosophy of engineering: structuring the complex problems from the sustainability discourse." University of Sydney, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2690.

Full text

Abstract:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Revised work with minor emendations approved by supervisor.
This dissertation considers three broad issues which emerge from the sustainability discourse. First is the nature of the discourse itself, particularly the underlying philosophical positions which are represented. Second, is the nature of the highly complex types of problem which the discourse exposes. And third is whether the engineering profession, as it is practised currently, is adequate to deal with such problems. The sustainability discourse exposes two distinct, fundamentally irreconcilable philosophical positions. The first, “sustainable development”, considers humanity to be privileged in relation to all other species and ecosystems. It is only incumbent upon us to look after the environment to the extent to which it is in our interests to do so. The second, “sustainability”, sees humanity as having no special moral privilege and recognises the moral status of other species, ecosystems, and even wilderness areas. Thus, sustainability imposes upon us a moral obligation to take their status into account and not to degrade or to destroy them. These two conflicting positions give rise to extremely complex problems. An innovative taxonomy of problem complexity has been developed which identifies three broad categories of problem. Of particular interest in this dissertation is the most complex of these, referred to here as the Type 3 problem. The Type 3 problem recognises the systemic complexity of the problem situation but also includes differences of the domain of interests as a fundamental, constituent part of the problem itself. Hence, established systems analysis techniques and reductionist approaches do not work. The domain of interests will typically have disparate ideas and positions, which may be entirely irreconcilable. The dissertation explores the development of philosophy of science, particularly in the last 70 years. It is noted that, unlike the philosophy of science, the philosophy of engineering has not been influenced by developments of critical theory, cultural theory, and postmodernism, which have had significant impact in late 20th-century Western society. This is seen as a constraint on the practice of engineering. Thus, a set of philosophical principles for sustainable engineering practice is developed. Such a change in the philosophy underlying the practice of engineering is seen as necessary if engineers are to engage with and contribute to the resolution of Type 3 problems. Two particular challenges must be overcome, if Type 3 problems are to be satisfactorily resolved. First, issues of belief, values, and morals are central to this problem type and must be included in problem consideration. And second, the problem situation is usually so complex that it challenges the capacity of human cognition to deal with it. Consequently, extensive consideration is given to cognitive and behavioural psychology, in particular to choice, judgement and decision-making in uncertainty. A novel problem-structuring approach is developed on three levels. A set philosophical foundation is established; a theoretical framework, based on general systems theory and established behavioural and cognitive psychological theory, is devised; and a set of tools is proposed to model Type 3 complex problems as a dynamic systems. The approach is different to other systems approaches, in that it enables qualitative exploration of the system to plausible, hypothetical disturbances. The problem-structuring approach is applied in a case study, which relates to the development of a water subsystem for a major metropolis (Sydney, Australia). The technique is also used to critique existing infrastructure planning processes and to propose an alternative approach.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Hector, Donald. "Towards a new philosophy of engineering structuring the complex problems from the sustainability discourse /." Connect to full text, 2008. http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/2690.

Full text

Abstract:

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2008.
Includes tables. Includes list of publications: p. 9. Title from title screen (viewed September 19, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Hu, Wenjie. "A critical discourse analysis of the magazine Gotland 2016 in the context of sustainability." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-319388.

Full text

Abstract:

This master thesis aims to examine texts of an international tourism promotional magazine Gotland 2016 to figure out whether it will help or on the contrary hinder sustainable development. Though promoters and writers held the beliefs to sustain tourism by prolonging tourism seasons and attracting international tourists, to our bewilderment, they not only failed to stick to its point as such but also expressed the opposite thoughts and notions among the texts. During the process of the analysis, the author found out that in Gotland 2016, the images of Visby, oceans scenes, summer, nature / tourist scenes and exoticism are strengthened while the opposite of these images are inevitably weakened simultaneously, which obstruct the extension of tourism seasons as well as lowering expectations for international tourists. This, in the long run, will hinder continuous development of local area in economic, environment and social sense. Particularly in this master thesis, social sustainability is discussed with priority since it is always likely to be overlooked and seen as less important than other aspects of sustainable tourism. In consequence, it is suggested that the wellbeing of local communities is equally important as environment protection and economic growth when promoting tourism development.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

Richardson, Thomas William. "Science and the politics of sustainability : an analysis of four research-council funded bioenergy projects." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/3244.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis provides a detailed exploration of the way that four large research-council-funded bioenergy projects have engaged with the politics of bioenergy sustainability. Given the contested nature of sustainable development and the nature of the science in question, this thesis takes a discourse analysis approach to critically examine the functioning of these projects in the context of the wider politics surrounding the issue of bioenergy sustainability. Drawing on in depth interviews and a wide-ranging analysis of the literature, this thesis presents a number of findings. While used in strategically ambiguous ways, under the dominant ecologically modernising discourse governing bioenergy, sustainability is primarily constructed as synonymous with least-cost decarbonisation. Policy support for bioenergy is built around a technologically optimistic storyline, underpinned by a number of assumptions, including a linear view of scientific policy making. This dominant discourse around bioenergy has been challenged in two main ways. The first of these has rejected the over emphasis on carbon balances and economics as the primary metrics against which bioenergy sustainability should be measured. Decarbonising our energy supply has become increasingly dislocated from its underlying (disputed) ethical and moral rationales. As such it has seemingly become an end in its own right. The second challenge is more subtle and involves a rejection of the framing of bioenergy sustainability as a scientific and technical problem. Although reproducing a more administrative type discourse, the science initiatives explored in this thesis appear to reinforce much of the dominant discourse. As well as reflecting certain practices associated with the governments focus on scientific policy making, a lack of reflexivity to the strategic aims of energy policy within science also reflects a strong positivism and shared reliance on the perceived linearity of scientific policy making. It is argued that if science is to be liberated to fully respond to the challenges of sustainability, scientists need to be more reflexive as to the (political) role of science in modern environmental controversies, questioning both what their impacts might be and whose interests they are serving.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Etchanchu, Helen. "The roles of discourse, legitimacy and power in enabling and hindering institutional change towards sustainability." Thesis, Cergy-Pontoise, Ecole supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016ESEC0005.

Full text

Abstract:

Cette thèse est basée sur trois essais distincts mais interconnectés qui soulignent le rôle important du discours, la légitimité et le pouvoir dans le changement institutionnel vers un développement durable. Dans deux chapitres de ma thèse, j'explore les dynamiques de (de)légitimation du gaz de schiste, en France et en Allemagne. L'exploitation du gaz de schiste par la fracturation hydraulique a déclenché une forte contestation dans ces pays en raison de ses implications socio-économiques, environnementaux et politiques. Le premier essai est une étude de cas comparative des débats publiques sur le de gaz de schiste, qui démontre le rôle important des institutions pour le succès des cadrages mobilisés. Le deuxième essai est une étude de cas portant sur la (de)légitimation des acteurs impliqués dans le débat sur le gaz de schiste français qui propose qu'il y ait une différence fondamentale dans légitimant un problème et légitimant un acteur. Le troisième essai théorique introduit le concept de parentalisme afin de mettre en évidence comment les acteurs contrôlent qui peut participer aux débats. En tout, cette thèse met en lumière comment les débats sur des enjeux sociaux et environnementaux sont influencés par des stratégies discursives en résonance avec le contexte institutionnel et l’identité des acteurs ainsi que par des stratégies de contrôle discursives et non discursives sur qui participe et comment dans la délibération
This dissertation is based on three separate but interconnected essays which underscore the important roles of discourse, legitimacy and power in fueling or hindering institutional change towards sustainability. In two chapters of my thesis I explore the discursive legitimation dynamics in the contested issue field around shale gas, in France and Germany. The exploitation of shale gas via the hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) technique triggered strong contestation in these countries due to its socio-economic, environmental, and political implications which challenge the energy sector on a global scale. The first essay is a comparative case study of the public shale gas debates which surfaces the important role of institutions in influencing the success of certain arguments over others. The second essay is a single case study focusing on the (de)legitimation of the actors involved in the French shale gas debate which proposes that there is a fundamental difference in legitimating an issue and legitimating an actor. The third theoretical essay introduces the concept of parentalism in order to highlight how actors control who may participate in discursive struggles. On a whole this thesis surfaces how ongoing struggles in contested environmental and social issue fields are shaped by the fit of discursive strategies with the institutional context and contestants’ legitimate identities as well as by actors’ discursive and non-discursive controlling strategies of who participates and how in deliberation

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Waara, Oskar. "Sustainable Development on Colonised Land : A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Sustainability of Wind-Power." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-324544.

Full text

Abstract:

Sustainable development is major post of global and national political agendas, and notions of sustainability permeate whole societies. Sweden is heavily influenced by sustainable development which can be exemplified by the ambitious goal of fossil-free energy and the current phase of rapid wind-power developments. In the name of sustainability many of these wind-power turbines and parks are now placed in the northern regions of the country, but whether it is sustainable is questionable. The northern region is a colonised territory, and the colonial relations between the indigenous Sámi people and the non-indigenous population remains an unresolved area. It is a cause of grievance and continuous conflict over land-use in the north – by of which wind-power developments are a part of. Therefore, this thesis examine the discursive construct of sustainability, in terms of content and underlying power relations, when applied to wind-power in four north Swedish newspapers between 2009 and 2016. The thesis use discourse and media-sociological theories in order to understand the role of media texts in the social construction of knowledge and how knowledge is shaped by social realities and shaping the social interpretation of reality. To study discourses a qualitative method based on critical discourse analysis is employed with the aim of investigating contextual meaning derived from the relationship between the text and the surrounding society. The empirical material is subject to an inductive analysis that has much in common with a grounded theory approach, but which involves some deductive analytical elements derived from theory and previous research. The findings of this thesis is that there is no singular discursive construct of sustainability, but rather a multiplicity of perspectives that together form a general representation of how sustainability is perceived when applied to wind-power. However, the discourses were dominated by non-indigenous actors with a national perspective - such as political parties, government actors and the wind-power industry. They portrayed sustainability and wind-power as environmentally benign economic growth leading to societal development, but in doing so experiences of marginalisation, and sustainability perspectives of peripheral groups, were made invisible. The study did find indications of change in the discourses from 2012 in the sense that the perspective of dominant actors was increasingly challenged by Sámi reindeer herders and rural populations, but the discursive and practical impact of this change remains uncertain.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Hussain, Wajahat. "Transparency in Sustainability Communication : Developing and Testing a new Model to assess Consumer-Facing Sustainability Transparency Communication of Fashion Brand/Retailer’s Website." Thesis, Högskolan i Borås, Akademin för textil, teknik och ekonomi, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-12834.

Full text

Abstract:

Background. Consumer facing Transparency is a function of communication that has become essential for the fashion business ecosystem and to have the reputations of legitimacy and credibility. As a contemporary subject, it is surrounded with ambiguity and heterogeneity in definitions, different Fashion brands/fashion brands/retailers/Fashion brands/retailers try to have their own definition and approach towards transparency. The communication strategy and disclosure of information therefore varies within these companies. With the increase in ecommerce, corporate Websites are currently the largest medium of sustainability communication. Fashion brands/fashion brands/retailers/Fashion brands/retailers use a combination of visual communication, data, text, reports and design to communicate the sustainability of their supply chain. There is however, a need to be able to measure the level of transparency of such communication against a standardized model. A model that Fashionbrands/fashion brands/retailers/Fashion brands/retailers can adopt to assess the transparency in their communication. Theory. Consumer facing transparency is an interdisciplinary subject where media, social accountability, information accessibility and quality, openness and effective design interplay to create what can be called “Perceived Transparency”. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to build and test a model tool to assess transparency in website based communication. Research Question. What informational, communication design and behavioral attributes constitute the perceived transparency, create legitimacy and credibility? Method. The study is divided into two parts. Part I: Conceptual literature review for Model Development Part II: Testing the model on a real-life Fashion Brand/Retailer website using Applied Discourse Analysis Contribution: - The model provides a multifocal approach to assess web design and communication strategy to improve transparency in sustainability communication by focusing on factors such Coherence, comprehensibility, navigability, attestation, engagement and correspondence Limitations: - The model is still a prototype and therefore there is room for improvement. It needs to be tested further on a larger scale involving multiple cases. Although the applied discourse analysis method focuses on empirical evidence, the analysis can be objective depending upon the user.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Lewis, Robin A. "The politics of sustainability a case study of forestry policies in peninsular Malaysia /." Connect to this document online, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=miami1133542461.

Full text

Abstract:

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Geography, 2005.
Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], vi, 83 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-83).

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

Gaddy, MacKenzie. "The not-so-green Green New Deal: A Discourse Analysis for Sustainability in House Resolution 109." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-392952.

Full text

Abstract:

House Resolution 109 mandates the duty of the United States Federal Government to the people of the United States to create a Green New Deal to combat the triple crises that people are currently facing. In order to understand this mandate and whether or not it is calling for sustainable changes, a discourse analysis was used to examine the discourse as text, interaction and context. This study seeks to fill in a gap of missing literature about House Resolution 109 due to its recent creation. The results show that while author Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez emphasizes her beliefs of democratic socialism throughout the text as well as economic-based solution, the document lacks strong sustainability and fails to address the intricacies of sustainable development.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

Ries, Matthew Paul. "Sustainability at U.S. Urban Water Utilities: A Framework to Assess Key Attributes." Scholar Commons, 2016. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6367.

Full text

Abstract:

Urban water utilities in the United States face challenges due to a combination of external drivers. These include urbanization and population growth, which are stressing a system of aging infrastructure. Compliance with increasing regulations is also a challenge in a fiscally-constrained economic environment. A changing climate threatens infrastructure and past assumptions for water supply and quality. Urban utilities provide clean water and sanitation services to over 80% of the country’s population and its industrial centers. Therefore, the sustainability of these water utilities are crucial to the country’s and the public’s well-being. New operating models are emerging for a “utility of the future.” Future utilities will recover resources, reduce their overall environmental impact, partner in the local economy, and deliver watershed-wide benefits to improve quality of life. These are all elements of a sustainable utility, but the sector has not agreed upon an applicable definition of sustainability, which intuitively incorporates an inter-generational approach to utility operations. For the purposes of this research, a sustainable utility is defined as one that will provide its crucial services for current and future generations, protect public and environmental health, and enable economic growth, all while minimizing resource consumption. Previous research provided little guidance on the most important sustainable practices for U.S. urban water utilities or the key attributes of those utilities that enable the shift toward sustainability. Additionally, the practice of sustainability measurement, and the closely-related practice of performance measurement, has not been widely adopted in the U.S. water sector. This research program addressed the challenge of providing guidance on, and measurement of, sustainability by developing a framework to quickly and quantitatively assess a utility’s sustainability and key organizational attributes. A mixed methods approach to this research used qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The approach utilized accepted anthropological methods to assess engineering and business concepts at water utilities. Data originated from semi-structured interviews of an external advisory committee of 12 widely-recognized, progressive, U.S. water utility leaders along with online surveys of water utility professionals. The analyzed data revealed the most important sustainable practices for sustainable utilities and organizational attributes that enable the shift toward sustainable operations. Practices are actionable, quantitative, and in some cases, unique to the water sector. Attributes are generally qualitative; largely controlled by internal decisions and actions; and influence a utility’s ability to operate sustainably. Datasets for sustainable practices and organizational attributes were generated using the techniques of discourse analysis on the semi-structured interview transcripts and freelisting on the online survey results. Top results from each dataset were cross-compared to generate the final, consolidated list of top practices and attributes. A sustainability index was developed from the top eight sustainable practices, measured via a total of 14 indicators. Indices were tailored to water, wastewater, and combined utilities. The top sustainable practices were: Education and Communication; Financial Management; Green Infrastructure; Habitat/Watershed Protection; Long-term Resource Plan; Resource Recovery; and Water Conservation. These eight practices provided sufficient coverage of the economic, social, environmental, and infrastructure components of the triple bottom line-plus concept used to frame sustainability for this research. This research also established the top six organizational attributes that enable the shift toward sustainability. These attributes were: Board Support / Political Will; Flexible Staff; Innovative Culture; Leadership; Organizational Commitment; and Staff Training / Development. These six attributes were assessed via a total of seven indicators, with guidance and scaling similar to the practices for ease of use by the end user. Current sustainability and performance measurement frameworks were analyzed for indicators and measurement approaches that matched the top practices and attributes. Some of the practices and only one of the six attributes matched an existing framework. When there was a match, the existing assessment was used to help with ease of use. In other cases, new indicators, guidance, and scaling (for assessment) were developed. Practices and attributes without a match suggests these aspects of sustainable utilities are relatively new to the sector, or at least, measurement of these practices and attributes is not widespread. The practices and attributes were combined into the final framework, a survey tool, which was pilot tested with three water utilities. The pilot testing demonstrated that the survey was comprehensive, yet at the same time, concise enough that it could be completed in under two hours by a limited number of utility staff. The application of this framework to a representative sample of U.S. urban water utilities can generate data to establish which attributes correlate to sustainable utilities. This will help utilities focus their limited resources on attributes which are shown to enable the shift toward sustainability.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Tommasini, Margherita. "Researching sustainability education through the lens of anti-oppressive pedagogy : a critical discourse analysis of the educational policies of three international high schools with sustainability foci." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-445655.

Full text

Abstract:

As the notion of sustainability has gained prominence in the past decade, so have different disciplines that have addressed sustainability issues from an educational standpoint, for example Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development. Both fields have been called out for shortcomings such as omitting social considerations to sustainability issues and reproducing neoliberal framings that go hand in hand with oppressive power structures and systemic inequality. To better grasp how sustainability education is framed in relation to anti-oppressive pedagogy, this research conducted a Critical Discourse Analysis on selected materials that were publicly available on the websites of three international high schools with sustainability-oriented curricula—Green School, United World Colleges, and Amala Education. From the analysis of the selected documents, the three educational organizations’ discourses of sustainability align with the narrative of Education for Sustainable Development and lack critical considerations on the embeddedness of their sustainability education, and the larger sustainability challenge, in neoliberal framings and systems of oppression that reproduce inequality and marginalization and that constrain processes of transformation. While language that relates to the framings of anti-oppressive pedagogy was present, to different extents, in the texts of the three organizations, it was not framed in relation to sustainability, but as a separate layer of educational practice, lacking problematization on the role of sustainability education discourses in the making of anti-oppressive sustainability education, and on the critical significance of considering anti-oppressive pedagogy for the making of sustainability education.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Kurz, Sarah. "Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Governance – A Driver for Change towards Environmental Sustainability? : An Embedded-Case Study on the Sustainability Discourse in the Palm Oil Industry." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Institutionen för globala politiska studier (GPS), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-44518.

Full text

Abstract:

The planet’s biodiversity is in a worrying state. Palm oil production significantly contributes to biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia. Unfortunately, the different forms of public and private regulation in place have had limited success in regulating the sector and protecting the environment. Three of the biggest palm oil traders – Cargill, Musim Mas, and Wilmar International – were chosen as subjects of an embedded case study to answer whether their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts have the potential to drive transformation in the palm oil sector towards more environmental sustainability. This thesis contributes to the debate around the role of business actors in Global Governance and their ability to tackle social and environmental problems caused by their business models with CSR. The thesis engages deductively with capitalism-critical theories on CSR. Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the Problem Represented to be?” (WPR) approach will guide a discourse analysis of the 2019 sustainability reports of the three companies regarding their efforts to improve sustainability in the palm oil sector. A comparison with research articles and NGO reports reaches the conclusion that the measures taken by Cargill, Musim Mas, and Wilmar are not enough to improve sustainability sufficiently.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

Prado, Perez Sonia. "Sustainability Discourse in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Sector – A comparison between Procter & Gamble and Unilever." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-23428.

Full text

Abstract:

Environmental protection has gained a lot of attention in recent years. People, governments and NGOs understand that our economic growth needs to be sustainable and respect the ecosystem. Everyone has a role to play in the planet conservation, from consumers to industries. This paper investigates on a linguistic level how the fast-moving consumer goods companies such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever communicate about their sustainability profile, as well as the differences and similarities in their communications. Lastly, I analysed the companies’ sustainability goals and how they relate to those established by the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). My methodology was a Faircloughian textual analysis of each company’s official web pages with a focus on their sustainability section. The results show that each company addresses their impact on the environment on different sustainability goals. To resolve the environmental challenges, both companies count on innovative technologies to improve their products so they become eco-friendly. This study’s implication is the importance of words choices in the companies’ sustainability discourse, in order to convey clearly what measures are applied to diminish their environmental footprint.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Cakici, Baki. "The Informed Gaze : On the Implications of ICT-Based Surveillance." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för data- och systemvetenskap, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-92956.

Full text

Abstract:

Information and communication technologies are not value-neutral. I examine two domains, public health surveillance and sustainability, in five papers covering: (i) the design and development of a software package for computer-assisted outbreak detection; (ii) a workflow for using simulation models to provide policy advice and a list of challenges for its practice; (iii) an analysis of design documents from three smart home projects presenting intersecting visions of sustainability; (iv) an analysis of EU-financed projects dealing with sustainability and ICT; (v) an analysis of the consequences of design choices when creating surveillance technologies. My contributions include three empirical studies of surveillance discourses where I identify the forms of action that are privileged and the values that are embedded into them. In these discourses, the presence of ICT entails increased surveillance, privileging technological expertise, and prioritising centralised forms of knowledge.

At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript. Paper 5: Manuscript.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Ferns, Jan George. "Organizing nature as business : discursive struggles, the global ecological crisis, and a social-symbolic deadlock." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/25847.

Full text

Abstract:

Despite looming ecological disaster, a persistent state of insufficient action seems commonplace amongst most organizations. This thesis critically explores how this impasse is constituted by discursive struggles surrounding the global ecological crisis. These struggles are situated within the context of global environmental governance – a power arena that has, over the past 25 years, become a defining battleground regarding environmental sustainability. Here, discourses of the ecological crisis are constituted by political contests amongst, most notably, multinational corporations, civil society organizations, and (trans)national policy actors. This thesis draws mainly from post-structural discourse theory, coupled with critical perspectives on organizations and the natural environment, to explore both the discursive practices that fix meanings surrounding the global ecological crisis, and the power effects thereof. The primary source of data is text – this study is explicitly interested in how discourses of the global ecological crisis evolve as the natural environment is (mis)represented in organizational disclosures. Despite recognition by management and organization scholars that the natural environment is indeed constructed, a functional separation between business and nature persists, the relationship of which is mostly examined from a firm-centric perspective. However, sustainability issues such as climate change transcend the confines of firm activity and operate across spatial and temporal dimensions. Hence, there is an urgent need to reconsider the business-nature dualism. To do so, this study adopts a multi-level, multi-method approach that permits a necessary degree of analytical and theoretical flexibility. The four individual articles that encompass this work, whilst drawing from different theoretical approaches, along with focusing on different levels of analysis, are underpinned by the contentious intersection between discourse, organizations and the natural environment. The first article concerns ‘macro talk’ and, operating on the field level, explores how a dominant understanding of business’ role in sustainable development is constituted during the UN Earth Summits in 1992, 2002, and 2012. The second article regards ‘corporate talk’ and, this time on an organizational level, examines how tensions between economic growth and environmental protection are avoided by the European oil and gas supermajors—BP, Shell and Total—through the practice of mythmaking. The third article takes a longitudinal approach and, also concerning ‘corporate talk’, examines how BP rearticulated a hegemonic discourse of fossil fuels, which, when enacted, reproduces corporate inaction on climate change. Finally, the fourth article emphasizes ‘resistance talk’, focusing on how climate activists, as part of the global fossil fuel divestment movement, engage in certain micro-level practices as they attempt to stigmatize the fossil fuel industry. In all, the findings from these articles suggest that organizations both represent nature as something to be conquered, dominated, and valued economically and as a pristine wilderness to be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. In pursuing these two extremes concurrently, organizations self-perpetuate a social-symbolic deadlock that hinders finding sustainable ways for human systems to coexist with natural systems. This thesis contributes mainly to literature on organizations and the natural environment by illustrating how certain practices, mechanisms, and processes continuously redefine the business-nature relationship by facilitating a discursive struggle across multiple spatial and temporal dimensions. In doing so, there are implications both for policy and business organizations, which are discussed in the concluding chapter of this work.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Mahlouly, Dounia. "Alienation of the revolution : how connectivity affects the sustainability of counter-discourse in post-revolutionary Tunisia and Egypt." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2015. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7244/.

Full text

Abstract:

Early research investigating digital activism in relation to the 2011 Arab uprisings intended to determine whether digital media played a significant role in consolidating the revolutionary opposition. As a result, this literature essentially focuses on the exact moment of the January 2011 protests and often fails at considering the evolution of digital activism and social media consumption over time. Alternatively, this work goes beyond the context of the January 2011 events and investigates how participative media have been used over the course of the political crisis that led the 2011 Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions to the 2013 military coup d’état. By doing so, it elaborates the debate on digital activism and assesses how social media has affected public deliberation over the long run and as political leaders attempted to regain legitimacy in the aftermath of the uprisings. In doing so, this research contributes to the evaluation of what extent these emerging forms of political action, which Bennett and Segerberg conceptualise as connective action (2012) are sustainable and likely to materialise into institutional politics. In order to map the post-revolutionary debate across a range of digital media, this study draws on a large data set extracted from different social platforms, including blogs, search engines and e-consultation project. Data visualisation tools and traditional discourse analysis are jointly applied to analyse this data set and identify how various political actors, such as party leaders, bloggers or random social media users debated online over the course of the 2011-2013 political crisis. In addition, this work includes a set of face-toface interviews conducted on the field with Egyptian journalists and political activists actively engaged in the post-revolutionary debate. By analysing the long-term effects of digital activism in Tunisia and Egypt, this research proposes to challenge the assumption, according to which digital media, as a manifestation of technological development acts as a factor of democratisation.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Huge, Jean. "Are we doing the right things the right way? discourse and practice of sustainability in North and South." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/209697.

Full text

Abstract:

Sustainable development is a ubiquitously used concept referring to a vision of society centred on the principles of global responsibility, integration, inter- and intra-generational equity, precaution, participation and a long-term time horizon. It is a contested concept that regroups various sub-discourses which embody its constructive ambiguity. For sustainable development to become a decision-guiding strategy in pubic decision-making, adequate decision-supporting processes are required. This thesis reflects on the theory and on the practice of ‘sustainability assessment’ in various contexts by combining discourse analysis with a case-study approach.

The thesis builds on three case studies, undertaken in different –institutional, geographical, thematic and research- contexts. The three cases (situated respectively in the realm of sub-national policies; development co-operation and energy policy) allow for different approaches to sustainability assessment to be applied and analyzed. The relative novelty of sustainability assessment created room for experimental participatory approaches and provided opportunities for policy-relevant learning. Understanding how sustainability assessment contributes to a shared interpretation of sustainability, to an enhanced structuring of information and to influencing policy decisions is key to develop and apply the approach in the future. Research findings indicate that: sustainability assessment should act as a forum giving sense to the interpretational challenge of sustainability, within the boundaries set by essential sustainability principles. Participatory approaches are key in performing sustainability assessment, for both intrinsic and pragmatic reasons. Stakeholder knowledge should be combined with scientific information in real-life ‘science for sustainability’ experiments. There is no blueprint approach for developing and applying sustainability assessment. The discursive-institutional interplay determines how sustainability assessment is conceptualized and applied. Windows of opportunity for introducing and applying sustainability assessment may arise unexpectedly due to discursive and institutional convergences facilitated by the interpretational width of the sustainability concept, and these should be taken up. Sustainability assessment should be designed as a de-polarizing process, bringing the co-production of knowledge and decisions into practice.

The capacity of sustainable development to grasp the complexity of current societal challenges by providing a decision-guiding framework can be operationalized by sustainability assessment, which entails an increased awareness of the overlap between different areas of public policy. If sustainability assessment is to actually support decision-makers, scientifically and participatory designed beacons are needed. This is a challenge where scientists act as analysts and facilitators to help translate the intrinsically dynamic meaning of sustainability into actions. This thesis wishes to contribute to this endeavour.

Doctorat en Sciences
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

Heyward, Benjamin Rex, and ben heyward@baptistworldaid-au org. "A Comparative Study of Community Participation in the Philippines." Flinders University. Geography, 2006. http://catalogue.flinders.edu.au./local/adt/public/adt-SFU20070328.131827.

Full text

Abstract:

Community participation takes place when community members act together as subjects. It is argued here that community participation empowers when community members take decisions, or negotiate an equitable share in making the decisions that affect them. However, since participation takes place within a network of power relations it is not necessarily empowering but can take a range of forms from enforcement to empowerment, whereby empowerment may involve not only willing cooperation, but also resistance to outsider project objectives. This thesis explores these issues through a study of how people in three Philippine upland communities participated in soil conservation and livelihood restoration projects initiated by three different NGOs. The principal aim of the study was to identify and examine the changing discourses of development and participation held by the NGOs and by the members of the subject communities. The development discourses revolved around socio-ecology, described as the relationship between the culture and society of Filipino subsistence smallholders and the ecological units of their local environment. The failure of this existing socio-ecology under the pressure of increasing population density on a limited upland resource base was the stimulus for change in the study communities. The thesis compares the NGOs practice of engaging with the communities with their discourses of participation, and examines the importance of the relationships between the NGOs, government agencies and the communities for the success of the projects. The study identified several key factors in the empowerment of subject groups. Firstly, the need for a discourse that enables them to embark on socio-ecological change. For the Filipino communities examined here, the discourse of sustainability was validated by enabling the restoration of their livelihoods. Secondly, outside agencies, either NGO or government, may be needed to catalyse community change processes. Thirdly, the subjects need leaders who have the vision and skills to work for the desired livelihood and social development outcomes. Training activities of livelihood restoration proved highly significant in expanding womens political space that led to opportunities for them to take up leadership, as well as giving capacity-building training for existing and future leaders which helped to equalize gender relations between men and women. Fourthly, the policy and program initiatives of host government agencies can synergize with community and partner agency activities at several levels, including resourcing and building the capacities of leadership.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Boxer, Lionel John, and lionel boxer@rmit edu au. "Using positioning theory to understand how senior managers deal with sustainability." RMIT University. School of Management, 2003. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20081212.104859.

Full text

Abstract:

Social pressure for sustainability has become a significant factor in Australian business. Made popular by a variety of diverse social movements that employ various tactics, sustainability is increasingly being debated in boardrooms and work areas of both large and small businesses. In this research, sustainability issues are treated as a set of a wider range of obligatory and externally imposed (OEI) issues that are increasingly confronting contemporary business. Of interest to this research is how senior managers deal with sustainability issues. While some businesses excel in dealing with OEI issues, others prevaricate. This research focuses on those businesses that appear to excel in resolving sustainability issues to explore how senior managers deal with sustainability issues. Such understanding is essential for contemporary practising senior managers, as it provides guidance for management behaviour that will enable sustainability and other OEI issues to be dealt with. The author's effort to understand how senior managers deal with sustainability issues has led to the first business context application of Harré's positioning theory. A social constructionist approach, positioning theory is concerned with ordinary conversations, and presumes that these are the building blocks of all other discursive phenomena. The resulting theory builds on positioning theory and provides a point of departure to conduct related research on other organizations that excel in dealing with OEI issues and those that prevaricate. With positioning theory it has been shown that, in dealing with sustainability issues, senior managers engage in a range of positioning of themselves and others. In doing so, power and knowledge have been considered in the light of Foucault's unique and penetrating concepts. This has led to the proposed augmentation of positioning theory to include a concept of social flux, which is put forward as an indication of social order or culture. Through this development, it has shown how senior managers confront opposition and reinforce support to enable them to achieve and preserve sustainability objectives. In practical terms, senior managers alter four components of the social order to align the culture with the issues that need to be dealt with. These components - rights, duties, morals and actions - are parameters that senior managers tune or level when they deal with sustainability issues. When the social order is appropriately tuned or levelled, it is aligned with the issues that need to be dealt with. That alignment enables issues to be resolved in a way appropriate for the organization.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Beveridge, Meghan. "Proposing A Water Ethic: A Comparative Analysis of Water for Life: Alberta's Strategy for Sustainability." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/2907.

Full text

Abstract:

Because water is basic to life, an ethical dimension persists in every decision related to water. By explicitly revealing the ethical ideas underlying water-related decisions, human society's relationship with water, and with natural systems of which water is part, can be contested and shifted or be accepted with conscious intention. Water management over the last century has privileged immediate human needs over those of future generations, other living beings, and ecosystems. In recent decades, improved understanding of water's importance for ecosystem functioning and ecological services for human survival is moving us beyond this growth-driven, supply-focused management paradigm. Environmental ethics challenge this paradigm by extending the ethical sphere to the environment. This research in water ethics considers expanding the conception of whom or what is morally considerable in water policy and management.

First, the research proposes a water ethic to balance among intragenerational equity, intergenerational equity, and equity for the environment. Second, the proposed ethic acts as an assessment tool with which to analyse water policy. Water for Life: Alberta's Strategy for Sustainability is the focal policy document for this analysis. This document is an example of new Canadian policy; it represents the Government of Alberta's current and future approach to water issues; and it implicitly embodies the ethical ideas that guided the document's production. To assess Water for Life's success in achieving the principles of the proposed water ethic, this case study used discourse analysis, key informant interviews, and comparison to a progressive international policy document, Securing Our Water Future Together, the 2004 White Paper of Victoria, Australia.

Key conclusions show that Water for Life is progressive by embracing full public participation, a watershed approach, knowledge-generation initiatives, a new planning model, and water rights security. However, barriers exist that can disrupt the strategy's success, including the first-in-time first-in-right water allocation system, the strategy's lack of detail, inadequate protection of aquatic ecosystems, ambiguity of jurisdiction over water in First Nations communities, and under-developed connections between substantive issues. The thesis also outlines recommendations for Alberta and implications for other jurisdictions. Additionally this research offers guidelines and an assessment tool grounded in broad ethical concepts to water policy development; and it encourages making ethical ideas explicit in assessment and formation of equitable and sustainable water policy.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

Olofsson, Linnea. "Integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Sustainability Reporting : A Discourse Analysis on Value Creation in the Apparel Industry." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-363378.

Full text

Abstract:

In September 2015, the world leaders gathered to endorse 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), demonstrating a paradigm shift for people and the planet build on shared values, principles, and priorities for a common destiny. In the process of consolidating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consultations with business representatives raised two issues related to the potential success of the goals. The first issue was to better measure and value true performance of business preconditioned by identifying the most significant impact areas. The second issue was concerned with integration of sustainability into core business strategies. Both issues lead back to the proclaimed paradigm shift built on shared values for a sustainable future as demonstrated by the SDGs and demonstrate challenges with implementation of the SDGs. Although comprehensive frameworks to help business integrate the goals have been developed, the complexity and sheer volume of the various targets and indicators hinder many companies from reporting on their performance and contributions. The textile and apparel industry, while endowed with enormous potential related to development of countries has drawn increased attention to its negative impacts along the value chain. The industry is also one of the first to integrate the SDG into their sustainability reports. However, critics point to the fact that simply linking sustainability activities to the SDGs is not enough and cherry-picking the goals that have the easiest business case will be insufficient. Thus, to address this potential discrepancy between communication and action, the aim of this study has been to investigate the perceived value of SDGs integration in sustainability reporting within the apparel industry. Through a critical discourse analysis, the study has reviewed six sustainability report by two Swedish apparel companies, Lindex and Filippa K, from 2015 to 2017. conceptual framework has been developed according to the SDG compass including two variables; communicated motives for SDG integration and methods to measure and report on goal fulfilment. The findings show that both companies are using the SDGs as a communicative tool to point to the conceptual motives which drives the sustainability work. Discursive strategies to frame the companies’ sustainability methods are made by utilizing the concept of “circularity”. The level of SDG integration differs between the companies. Lindex show discursive developments between 2015 to 2015 reflecting extended responsibility with correspondence between communication and action. While Filippa K does not show the same level of discursive maturity in terms of motive, the methods to address the sustainability issues related to circular fashion has accelerated significantly over the years comparatively to Lindex. The lack of communicated methods to address social issues is however evident. The findings further show that there is a correspondence between level of SDG integration and SDG contribution. This study corroborates with previous research arguing that the business world is more complex than something that can be assessed in a black and white dichotomy of hypocrisy versus sincerity and needs a much more sophisticated approach to the gap between promise and performance and that the SDGs have a transformative potential. It also provides insights on how the application of the SDGs can be seen through a spectrum between weak and strong sustainability depending on the maturity of a company’s sustainability management.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Kelsall, C. A. "A critical discourse analysis of the concept sustainability within the accounting community inclusive of small and medium-sized practices." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2015. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/10594/.

Full text

Abstract:

In looking at the continued development of the concept of sustainability intra and inter the accounting community, this work has created a number of empirical data sets: interviews with Small and Medium-sized Practices (SMPs); interviews with Big Four firms/ Professional Accounting Bodies/ others – relevant to sustainability and accounting. This empirical data has in particular added the views of a marginalised group within the accounting community – SMPs. Also the web-site empirical data sets from the Big Four have added some triangulated data. The key findings include: SMPs understanding of sustainability is still quite basic, grappling with the definitions and how the sustainability concept can be aligned to accounting services; dominant groups (Professional Accounting Bodies and Big Four firms) continue to develop the concepts and services, with a view those developed primarily for and with multi national firms can be trickled down to SME/Ps; SMPs have been viewed as trusted business advisers, combined with the development of the business case to sustainable development and the reduction in traditional accounting services, there are strong motivations for the development of sustainability services and advice by SMPs; the concept of sustainability is multi-layered within the accounting community with SMPs still at an introductory stage whilst the Big Four and Professional Accounting Bodies developing the use of accounting language to create, explain and analyse sustainable development. The theoretical development in using a critical discourse analysis framework is in particular the stage between discourse and Grand Discourse. Initially in poly-vocal discourse the Grand Discourse analysis can be said to theoretically identify the level of development of the idea and leadership and power dynamics within the specific sub-groups in the progression of the concept. There are a number of policy suggestions that this work develops including: improved engagement intra the accounting community; clear guidance developed for marginalised accounting groups; increased regulatory support in addition to reporting; continued guidance on sustainability assurance.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

Meyer, Gustavo da Costa. "A sustentabilidade em questão: paradigma ou matriz discursiva?" Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/100/100134/tde-13112015-140605/.

Full text

Abstract:

Tendo como base contextual a crise ambiental contemporânea, a qual tem características de crise civilizatória, este trabalho teve como principal objetivo colocar em debate a noção de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (DS), visto que este importante conceito foi politicamente construído e consensuado de forma a ser a principal resposta para a questão ambiental. Dessa maneira, dado que a crise ambiental pede a emergência de um novo paradigma (o qual supere o chamado paradigma da simplificação), que leve em consideração uma mudança de cunho cognitivo, e compreenda o espaço em sua dinâmica de produção e reprodução da vida e em suas múltiplas territorialidades, esta pesquisa buscou analisar a possível constituição da sustentabilidade como este paradigma complexo, ou, ao contrário, se tal noção se resume a uma matriz discursiva que, como tal, obscurece as principais questões que deveriam ser consideradas por um paradigma da complexidade com um, conseqüente, novo aporte teórico-metodológico. Nesse sentido, o caminho metodológico traçado incluiu a discussão das diferentes concepções acerca das noções de matriz discursiva e paradigma, relacionando-se, posteriormente, tais temáticas com a questão ambiental e com a noção de DS em si, em seu viés político e científico. Apesar de dúvidas permanecerem, se considerou que a sustentabilidade parece, realmente, se apresentar muito mais como uma matriz discursiva do que como um paradigma, integrando uma matriz discursiva do meio ambiente. Assim, se pode apontar que o DS se encontra delimitado em um campo institucional específico, com pesquisas e políticas públicas orientadas e influenciadas pelos agentes determinantes hegemônicos de tal campo, como o Banco Mundial, por exemplo. Estes, de acordo com determinada visão de desenvolvimento (como sinônimo de crescimento econômico e se utilizando do viés da economia neoclássica) e da problemática ambiental (relegada a uma questão de gestão ou planejamento ambiental adequado, sem maiores entendimentos com relação a dinâmica territorial em sua totalidade) influenciam os discursos que devem permear o campo ambiental, pautando, inclusive, o conhecimento científico. A noção de DS colocada desta forma não representa, assim, qualquer ruptura com o paradigma da simplificação, sendo apenas uma matriz discursiva que encobre (e desenvolve na prática) o núcleo de tal paradigma, influenciando a práxis dos diversos agentes sociais presentes nos territórios. Como possíveis rupturas com a matriz discursiva do meio ambiente, se procurou apresentar e discutir, também, duas linhas de pensamento, ou coletivos do pensamento, que se apresentam como possíveis novos aportes teórico-metodológicos, condizentes, talvez, com um paradigma da complexidade que leve em conta, principalmente, as noções de totalidade e de complexidade ambiental
With the contextual basis the contemporary environmental crisis, which has characteristics of civilizing crisis, this work aimed to put in discussion the idea of Sustainable Development (SD); following that, this important concept has been politically built and conceived in order to be the main answer to this environmental issue. Therefore, since the environmental crisis asks for the emergence of a new paradigm (which exceeds the so-called paradigm of simplification), that takes into account a change of cognitive mark and take in the space in its dynamics of production and reproduction of life and in their multiple territories. This research sought to check over the possible formation of sustainability as this complex paradigm, or, oppositely, if such notion comes down to a discursive matrix that, as such obscures the mains issues that should be considered by a paradigm of complexity and, consequently, new theoretical and methodological support. In this sense, the trace of methodological approach included the discussion of different conceptions about the notions of discourse and paradigm matrix, relating subsequently such topics to environmental issues and the notion of SD itself in its political and scientific bias. Although doubts remain, it was taken into account that the sustainability seems to really perform much more as a discursive matrix than a paradigm, which integrates a discursive matrix of the environment. Consequently, one can point that the SD is found in a limited specific institutional field, with research and policy oriented and influenced by hegemonic determinant agents of such a field, such as the World Bank, for instance. These, according to certain development vision (as a synonym for economic growth and using the bias of neoclassical economics) and environmental issues (relegated to a management issue or appropriate environmental planning, without further understandings with respect to territorial dynamics in your all) influence the discourses that should pass through the environmental field, guiding even scientific knowledge. The notion of SD placed in this way does not represent, so any break with the paradigm of simplification, just being a discursive matrix that covers (and develops in practice) the core of such paradigm, which influences the practice of various social agents present in the territories. Considering as possible disruptions to the discursive matrix of the environment, an attempt to present and discuss also two schools of thought, or collective thinking, posing as potential new theoretical and methodological contributions, observing perhaps with a paradigm of complexity that takes into account mainly the notions of wholeness environmental complexity

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Andersson, Pernilla. "The Responsible Business Person : Studies of business education for sustainability." Doctoral thesis, Södertörns högskola, Miljövetenskap, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-29400.

Full text

Abstract:

Calls for the inclusion of sustainable development in the business curriculum have increased significantly in the wake of the financial crisis and increased concerns around climate change. This has led to the appearance of new initiatives and the development of new teaching approaches. This thesis explores business education at the upper secondary school level in Sweden following the inclusion of the concept of sustainable development in the curriculum. Drawing on poststructuralist discourse theory, the overarching purpose is to identify the roles of a responsible business person that are articulated in business education and to discuss how these roles could enable students to address sustainability issues. The thesis consists of four studies, based on textbook analyses, teacher interviews and classroom observations. Three categories of roles have been identified, implying that a business person is expected to either adapt to, add or create ethical values. These three categories are compared with the roles indicated in the environmental discourses constructed by Dryzek and the responsibility regimes developed by Pellizzoni. Drawing on Dryzek’s and Pellizzoni’s reasoning about which qualities are important for addressing sustainability issues, it is concluded that the roles identified in the studies could mean that students are unequipped (the adapting role), ill-equipped (the adding role) or better equipped (the creating role) to address uncertain and complex sustainability issues. The articles include empirical examples that illustrate how and in which situations specific roles are articulated, privileged or taken up. The examples also indicate how the scope for business students’ subjectivities are facilitated or hampered. It is suggested that the illustrative empirical examples could be used for critical reflection in order to enhance students’capabilities of addressing uncertain and complex sustainability issues and to improve educational quality in terms of scope for subjectivity.
I kölvattnet av den finanskris som kulminerade 2008 och växande uppmärksamhet för olika miljö- och hållbarhetsutmaningar, som exempelvis klimatförändringar, har uppmaningar till integrering av ’hållbar utveckling’ i ekonomiutbildningar ökat internationellt. Miljö och hållbarhetsfrågor har sedan tidigare varit framskrivna i gymnasieskolans styrdokument men i samband med den senaste gymnasiereformen 2011 skrevs begreppet hållbar utveckling tydligare in i Företagsekonomiämnets ämnesplan. Denna avhandling undersöker integrering av hållbarhetsfrågor inom ramen för undervisning i företagsekonomi och närliggande ekonomiämnen på gymnasienivå. Utifrån ett poststrukturalistiskt perspektiv är det övergripande syftet att identifiera vilka företagarroller som artikuleras i läromedeloch undervisning, och även att diskutera i vilken utsträckning dessa roller förbereder de studerande, som framtida företagare, att hantera hållbarhetsfrågor. Avhandlingen består av fyra delstudier som baseras på analyser av läroböcker, lärarintervjuer och klassrumsobservationer. Tre kategorier av företagarroller, som rymmer olika förväntningar på en ansvarstagande företagare har identifierats. Dessa olika roller innebär att en företagare förväntas antingen: anpassa sig till etiska värden som uttrycks i lagar och regler, addera etiska värden som efterfrågas av andra, eller skapa etiska värden. Rollerna skiljer sig åt huruvida en företagare: skall hålla egna känslor för hållbarhetsfrågor åt sidan (anpassande rollen), har utrymme för egna känslor (adderande rollen) eller måste involvera egna känslor (skapande rollen), vid fattande av affärsbeslut. Dessa roller jämförs med de företagarroller som impliceras i Dryzeks miljödiskurser och Pellizzonis ansvarsregimer. Utifrån Dryzeks och Pellizzonis argument om vilka kvaliteter som är viktiga för att hantera hållbarhetsfrågor dras slutsatsen att de studerande kan bli: icke rustade (den anpassande rollen), illa rustade (den adderande rollen) eller bättre rustade (den skapande rollen), att hantera osäkra och komplexa hållbarhetsfrågor, beroende på hur hållbarhetsfrågor integreras i företagsekonomiundervisningen. De fyra artiklarna innehåller detaljerade exempel på hur och i vilka situationer specifika företagarroller artikuleras eller privilegieras. Exemplen visar också i vilka situationer utbildningen tilltalar de studerande och potentiellt blivande företagarna som moraliska subjekt och ger utrymme för de studerandes subjektivitet (som inbegriper förnuft och egna känslor).Dessa exempel kan användas av (bl a) lärare som utgångspunkt för kritisk reflektion i syfte att förstärka de studerandes förmågor att som framtida företagare hantera osäkra och komplexa hållbarhetsfrågor, samt för att utveckla utbildningens kvalitet avseende dess subjektifierande funktion.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Hirschstein, Nick. "Corporate Social Responsibility into the 21st century : Brewing a better future?" Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för arkeologi och antik historia, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-269005.

Full text

Abstract:

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a field still under development, has already seen different phases. With new technological advancements and the demand for ethical business growing –how has history affected the theory and practice in this field? Is Corporate Social Responsibility moving into new directions, and how do global players deal with challenges in the field while trying to stay ahead of their competition? Interests and efforts in Corporate Social Responsibility are seemingly growing, but does this also mean that sustainable development is progressing alongside these efforts? This research will focus firstly on the global historical development of the field. This will then be continued with an analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility programs of selected global beer brewing corporations where CSR and Sustainable Development has become a main focus for the development of the industry. . Common traits, strengths and weaknesses will be identified through this analysis in order to build a suggested framework for Corporate Social Responsibility that aims for an ethical and economically responsible sustainable development. With this process and eventual framework, this thesis aims to contribute to close the gap between how CSR is communicated to the public, and how it is perceived. This in order to critically assess the potential of CSR in the future.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

Alves, Sérgio. "Anything new under the sun? : A qualitative study on the discourse of sustainable entrepreneurs and its potential source." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Handelshögskolan vid Umeå universitet, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-48719.

Full text

Abstract:

The human kind is at risk as severe problems, such as poverty or climate change, escalate. At the root of these problems is the organization of human (economic) activity and sustainability, a simple and attracting concept that hides an ideological battle among three discourses, is pointed out as the solution. The result of this battle will dictate if we will deal with those problems by keeping all the same (market discourse), by reforming the actual system (weak sustainability discourse) or by transforming it radically (strong sustainability discourse). Sustainable entrepreneurs, as an important source of innovation, can provide cues to what kind of change we will have. Given the non-existence of previous research on the topic two research questions were defined that try to i) understand how much of the discourse of the sustainable entrepreneurs is based upon our current way of thinking and ii) identify what social mechanisms can be conditioning such discourse. Taking a critical realism stance, and understanding the tentative nature of the research, a retroductive process is used to obtain qualitative knowledge, in a cross-sectional study. Drawing from the theoretical areas of sustainability discourse, sustainable entrepreneurship, discourse and social structure a conceptual map as well as framework of reference are defined, that highlight the existence of sustainable entrepreneurs inside the social structure as well as the ways how the social structure can condition that discourse. Looking at the views of eleven sustainable entrepreneurs, collected during interviews and analysed through critical discourse analysis, it was found that the discourse of sustainable entrepreneurs is identifiable with the weak sustainability discourse, albeit some traces of strong sustainability discourse. Findings also show that the discourse is characterized by having “bipolar” normative assumptions with a set of explicit weak/strong sustainability discourse values and a set of implicit market discourse beliefs. Moreover, the discourse seems to reproduce the key features of the market discourse. Based on those findings and the analysis of the current social structure, two social mechanisms (knowledge control and collateral awareness) are hypothesized as to impact the discourse of sustainable entrepreneurs. Future research is suggested to focus on the further analysis of the phenomenon as well as a need to create knowledge to help transform the situation. Similarly, recommendations to society and sustainable entrepreneurs are made that advocate the development and application of knowledge that is free from the market discourse.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Hensel, Michael U. "Performance-oriented architecture : an integrated discourse and theoretical framework for architectural design and sustainability towards non-discrete and non-anthropocentric architectures." Thesis, University of Reading, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.578023.

Full text

Abstract:

The interaction of humankind with the natural world begets their mutual becoming: transformation arises from the agency that imbues and entwines them. As the impact of human intervention upsurges and accelerates the transformation of the natural environment the question arises whether their perceived diametrical opposition continues to be useful in locating an integrated and complex approach to architectural design and sustainability. Could an intensively context-embedded architecture be in the service of the natural environment by interlinking its inherent and latent agency with that of the natural environment? And if thus a performance- oriented architecture is possible how may it be thought of? This thesis focuses on formulation an integrated and overarching theoretical framework for a performance- oriented architecture. It explores the concepts of non-discrete and non- anthropocentric architecture that opens itself out to the natural environment and seeks to locate in the consequentially evolving extended threshold a heterogeneous space that offers varied and sustainable provisions for human use and local ecosystems. Four main efforts underlie this endeavour: 1. Critical examination of relevant architectural theories, practices and works, paralleled, wherever useful, by a historical account of the developments that led up to these theories and practices. This effort is geared towards formulating core concepts and traits of a performance-oriented architecture. 2. Research by design efforts that inform the development of the traits of performance-oriented architecture. 3. The development of an overarching inclusive and integrated theoretical framework for performance-oriented architecture. 4. Discussing ways in which architecture can serve as an extended interface between the man-made and natural environments

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

Wayman, Susan Caroline. "D/discourse analysis : using multiple lenses for researching curriculum, sustainability and agency in the context of higher education texts and talk." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/18598.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis primarily involves an exercise in D/discourse analysis (Alvesson and Kärreman, 2000), where particular Higher Education [HE] curriculum D/discourses were explored in the context of sustainability and with an emphasis on agency. In drawing together the global and local nature of D/discourse, attention to change as a linguistic phenomenon envisaged concepts of sustainability, curriculum and agency as ‘floating signifiers’ or ‘nodal points’ filled with different discursive meanings. This was progressed through poststructural, constructionist and constructivist lenses using linguistic, semiotic, narrative, interpretative and reflexive methods in analysis of texts and talk in a creative way and it is my approach to study that, I believe, offers a distinct and original contribution to the academic community. The emphasis was on personal challenge to my own ways of knowing and being. My research has alerted me to the power of D/discourse analysis in diminishing the realist sense of closure that in the possibility of multiple interpretations can also highlight languages of agentic possibility as well as despair. In moving from constructs of Discourse to discourse and back again, I considered that we were in some ways creating the issues we discussed and in this maintaining and perpetuating a restricted view of educational curriculum, each other and the future that we did not necessarily want or believe in. The pessimistic narratives reinforced articulations of hopelessness in educational, agentic and natural ways, offering multiple reasons for inaction and in this also constraining potential opportunities for more positive change. My argumentative, interpretative and reflexive approach made me more attentive to and understanding of alternative perspectives and positions, and my own, that I hope will open up lines of dialogue and suggested agency that may generate more sustainable ways of being.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Eliasson, Johanna. "The H&M Group: Enabling the Future : An anthropological discourse analysis of The H&M Group Sustainability Report 2016." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för kulturantropologi och etnologi, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-339565.

Full text

Abstract:

Initiatives in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are getting more pronounced than we as a society are used to, and spurs confusion over the perceived dichotomy between corporate ethicising and profitability. H&M is a company engaging in these initiatives, and their manifest of CSR will be analysed for discourse content. Themes such as social institutions, contrasted groups, individuality and collectivism and agency emerge within the pages of the H&M group’s sustainability report.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Brooks, Sarah E. "Image Trends in Corporate Environmental Reporting: Bolstering Reputation through Transparency or Widening the “Sustainability Gap”?" Digital Archive @ GSU, 2012. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/communication_theses/96.

Full text

Abstract:

As companies discover the monetary benefits of a positive environmental image, a proliferation of green imaging confounds the public sphere. The consequence becomes the disarticulation of terms like environmental excellence, sustainable development, and minimum environmental harm. Because the oversaturation of greening efforts has elicited public distrust, stakeholders need timely and accurate information regarding environmental claims. As a major vehicle for communicating these efforts, corporate environmental reports (CERs) are laden with colorful and sublime images. This study examines the functionality of images found in CERs from 27 industry leaders, applying Sonja Foss’s tenets of visual rhetorical analysis to identify the nature and function of the images and offer an evaluation based on emergent themes. Because images are increasingly important to corporate transparency, the study concludes with several best practice recommendations to serve as ethical image design strategies and to reflect the ways companies address impactful operations.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Lam, Daniel, and Amel Hasanovic. "Diskurser som legitimerande verktyg : En diskursanalys av hållbarhetsredovisningar inom kläd- och flygbranschen i Skandinavien." Thesis, Högskolan i Borås, Akademin för textil, teknik och ekonomi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-21610.

Full text

Abstract:

Det blir allt vanligare för företag att publicera hållbarhetsrapporter som innehåller krav från intressenter. Tidigare studier genom denna kommunikationskanal har fokuserat på innehållet och inte på hur rapporterna konstruerar företagets hållbarhet. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur en organisation kommunicerar i sin hållbarhetsrapport för att anses legitim genom specifika diskursiva strategier. I fallstudien används diskursiva strategier som en teoretisk referensram, men även som metodisk utgångspunkt. Dessutom undersöker fallstudien datamaterial som hämtats från företag som verkar inom kläd- och flygindustrin, publikationer från tidigast 2017. Analysprocessen som används i denna uppsats är genom en diskursanalys där resultatet visar att företagen tillämpar olika diskursiva strategier som ett legitimerande verktyg genom hela sin hållbarhetsrapport. Det gör att företagen framstår som hållbara.
increasingly common for companies to produce sustainability reports containing demands from stakeholders. Previous studies through this communication channel has focused on the content and not on how constructions of the company's sustainability are made in their report. The purpose of this study is to examine how an organization communicates in its sustainability report in order to perceive as legitimate through specific discourses. The authors of this case study use discourses as a theoretical point of view which is also used as a method. This case study examines empirical material retrieved from companies operating in the apparel and aviation industry published after 2017. The analytical process used in this essay is through a discourse analysis which shows that companies apply various discourse strategies as a legitimacy device throughout their sustainability report. Companies can therefore appear sustainable as a result of gaining legitimacy. This paper is written in Swedish.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

Huber, Stephan. "“Walking encyclopedias of studies” for sustainability transformations? The role of information and discourse in the case of the German coal phase-out." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-197233.

Full text

Abstract:

Transformations of energy systems in line with the Paris Agreement demand rapid deliberate decline of fossil energy production for decarbonization. Rising in priority on national political agendas, policy change for deliberate decline meets political barriers in the form of powerful incumbent actors, path dependencies and frames of loss. Although these dynamics can impede transformations, literature remains unclear in how to engage with these barriers. Therefore, this study focused on discourse and policy process theories in a qualitative analysis based on a broad selection of documents and expert-based interviews to explore and illustrate the “Commission on Growth, Structural Change and Employment” in Germany (2018/19). In this multi-stakeholder committee, a phase-out plan for coal-fired power generation was negotiated alongside claims of just transitions. Findings indicate that policy change was reached through consensual agreement but was reduced in ambition through path dependent discourse and expert-based information. The selection and evaluation of expert-based information was closely tied to expert members, while political debate on necessary assumptions as a basis for this information remained scarce. Lastly, insights from discourse and expert-based information can enrich the understanding of sustainability transformations and further research on the case could investigate the narrative subscriptions of stakeholders.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Flores, Roberto Jose. "Speaking Private Authority: The Construction of Sustainability in Forests and Fisheries." FIU Digital Commons, 2017. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3565.

Full text

Abstract:

The aim of this dissertation is to expand upon current understandings of the emergent global phenomenon that is private authority. Private authority is a process wherein private actors create, implement, and enforce rules aimed at managing global problems. As private authority is becoming increasingly important in the conduct of global governance, broadening our understanding of it will serve the field of International Relations. In this dissertation I argue that private actors are not simply outgrowths of structures or certain material conditions, rather they are purposive actors strategically pursuing an agenda. As such, explaining private authority requires an examination of the constitutive elements that underlie this social phenomenon––to which I apply an innovative conceptual and analytical framework that combines social network theory with discourse analysis. I applied these tools to two cases taken from the environmental sector––forests and fisheries. I found that as a result of the development of a greater networked character to environmental politics, the actors that were best able to generate and wield private authority were those that were able to construct discursive nodal points around which other competing actors could converge––at the level of identity. The construction of nodal points placed these private actors in privileged positions in-between competing networks––making them network connectors. In this position they are able to facilitate the flow of power across networks and convert such into private authority, at a rate greater than that of their competitors. As related to the cases, I found that in forests and fisheries sectors it was the Forest Stewardship Council and Marine Stewardship Council that emerged as the most prominent and expansive private authorities. They did so as a result of their ability to construct a nodal point around their tailored definition of what sustainable development meant, and looked like in practice. This placed them in-between two powerful networks (the environmental NGO network and the industrial network), facilitating the flow of power between them, and leveraging such to expand their programs beyond that of competing programs. Thus, social position plays a crucial role in determining the success of private authority programs.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

DÔCE, EDUARDA RAMALHO. "THE APPROPRIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISCOURSE IN THE MARKETING OF REAL ESTATE PROJECTS IN THE BARRA DA TIJUCA REGION: AN OPPOSITE PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2015. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=29762@1.

Full text

Abstract:

O mercado imobiliário tende a se apropriar da paisagem como elemento de valorização imobiliária, o terreno próximo a amenidades naturais já tem embutido em seu preço o valor atribuído à paisagem. Junto a esse fator surgem questões sobre o meio ambiente e as empresas buscam cada vez mais adotar a imagem de ecologicamente correta, comercializando itens de sustentabilidade. Esses empreendimentos, que se utilizam dessas estratégias de marketing, normalmente não estão se apropriando da natureza visando uma melhoria efetiva de qualidade ambiental, mas sim a exploração de seus atributos para atrair possíveis compradores. O objetivo do trabalho é estudar o processo de uso do conceito de sustentabilidade nos empreendimentos imobiliários na Barra da Tijuca e adjacências, refletidos nas suas propagandas imobiliárias e materiais de venda, e sua contribuição efetiva na redução dos impactos gerados e melhoria na qualidade ambiental desses lugares. No estudo foram identificados dois grandes grupos, distintos pela forma como se aproximam do tema da sustentabilidade: o primeiro grupo mais explicitamente comercial e o segundo mais técnico. Naqueles empreendimentos em que a introdução de conceitos de sustentabilidade foi mais efetiva, apenas dois abordaram sobre a preocupação com a comunidade do entorno e questões sociais como geração de emprego, o restante a prática se reduziu a aspectos técnicos e ecológicos, como a preservação e incrementação de áreas verdes, o que ainda não é suficiente para a sustentabilidade em geral.
The real estate market tends to use landscapes as an element of property valorization. A land that is near the nature already has the value attributed to the landscape included in its price. Alongside this aspect, questions arise about the environment, and companies increasingly seek to adopt an eco-friendly image and sell sustainability items. These enterprises, which use these marketing strategies, do not usually appropriating of the nature aiming at an effective improvement of environmental quality, they explore its features in order to attract clients. The main purpose of this work is to study the process of use of the concept of sustainability in real estate projects at Barra da Tijuca and surrounding areas, reflected in their advertisements and selling material, and their effective contribution to reduce the damages created and to improve the environmental quality of these places. Two main groups were identified in this study, differing from the way they approach the theme of sustainability: the first group is more commercial and the second, more technical. In those enterprises in which the introduction of concepts of sustainability was more effective, only two addressed the concern with the local community and social issues as job creation, in the rest the practice was reduced to technical and ecological aspects, such as the preservation and increment of green areas, which is still not enough for sustainability in general.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Wang, Xiaorui. "The clash of environmentalism, neoliberalism, and socialism : a research on practices and ideologies in China’s sustainability accounting for agriculture." Thesis, Paris Sciences et Lettres (ComUE), 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016PSLED019/document.

Full text

Abstract:

À la lumière des perspectives critiques sur les théories et les pratiques comptables, « la comptabilité pour la durabilité » a émergé comme une discipline relativement nouvelle. Par rapport aux différents modèles développés dans le cadre de l’idéologie néolibérale, certains modèles alternatifs avec des stratégies « plus fortes » de conservation des capitaux, notamment la « Triple Ligne d’Amortissement » (TLA) (Richard, 2012; Rambaud et Richard, 2013), semblent avoir beaucoup des potentiels de faire quelques changements fondamentaux. Cette thèse est une enquête sur les conditions nécessaires et les résistances possibles rencontrées par la mise en place du modèle TLA. Le secteur agricole de la République populaire de Chine est choisi comme le terrain de recherche en vue d’étudier le contexte institutionnel et historique. L’enquête sur le contexte chinois est effectuée en référence aux théories de l’économie politique institutionnaliste, inspiré par Karl Polanyi (2002[1944]), Mancur Olson (1965), and Chang Ha-Joon (1994, 2002)
In the light of critical perspectives on accounting theories and practices, sustainability accounting (SA) as a relatively new discipline has emerged. Compared to various SA models developed under the mainstream neoliberal ideology, some alternative models with “stronger” capital conservation strategies, notably the “Triple Deprecation Line” (TDL) (Richard, 2012; Rambaud & Richard, 2013), seem to have a lot of potentials to make some fundamental changes. This dissertation is essentially an investigation of necessary conditions and possible resistances faced by the establishment of the TDL model. The agriculture sector of the People’s Republic of China is chosen as the field of research in order to study the institutional environment and historical context in real-world settings. The investigation on the Chinese context is conducted with reference to theories of institutionalist political economy, inspired by Karl Polanyi (2002[1944]), Mancur Olson (1965), and Chang Ha-Joon (1994, 2002)

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

Allen, Clifford. "The Caring Face of Business? The Discursive Construction of the New Zealand Businesses for Social Responsibility (NZ BSR) Organisation." The University of Waikato, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2614.

Full text

Abstract:

In 2008 the use of the term Business Social Responsibility (BSR) is now seen, in New Zealand at least, as being old fashioned. The field of BSR has been overwhelmed by the terminology of sustainability. In 1998, however, BSR in NZ was a new, exciting, and controversial development. The progression from BSR to sustainability is often presented as natural and inevitable but this thesis argues that BSR and sustainability in New Zealand arose from different roots and most of the key people who became involved in the NZ BSR organisation did so for reasons that were substantially different from the driving rationale of sustainability. Further, not all of those NZ BSR pioneers consider the current focus on sustainability to be a natural outgrowth of what they were trying to achieve through BSR. This thesis applies critical discourse analysis to interview transcripts and archived documents to examine the competing discourses surrounding the formation of the NZ BSR organisation in New Zealand up until the time of its merger to form the Sustainable Business Network. The NZ BSR organisation was seen by some as primarily a reaction to the prevailing hegemony of the ideas of the neo-liberal New Zealand Business Round Table (NZBRT). The NZ BSR philosophy did not necessarily challenge the neo-liberal inspired reforms of the previous fourteen years but did offer an alternative way for businesses to react to the new environment they found themselves in.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Sulaiman, Samia Nascimento. "Educação ambiental à luz da análise do discurso da sustentabilidade: do conhecimento científico à formação cidadã." Universidade de São Paulo, 2010. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/48/48134/tde-11062010-112658/.

Full text

Abstract:

O desenvolvimento sustentável tem constituído um campo conceitual e metodologicamente novo, cujo discurso envolve conflitos de interpretação e disputas de interesse. Discurso esse que tem repercutido em proposições teórico-metodológicas no campo da Educação, no que se tem denominado Educação Ambiental e Educação para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Buscamos verificar esse cenário por meio da análise da revista Carta na Escola, direcionada ao público docente. O corpus da pesquisa formou-se das séries Sustentabilidade na escola e Caderno de Sustentabilidade, publicadas pela revista entre agosto de 2007 e agosto de 2008. O referencial teórico-metodológico para análise de discurso foi a concepção dialógica da linguagem, ou dialogismo, formulada pelo linguista russo Mikhail Bakhtin e seu Círculo, constituído por Valentin Voloshinov e Pavel Medvedev. O dialogismo enfoca o amálgama indissociável entre linguagem e sociedade. Dessa maneira, analisamos três documentos de referência internacional no tema da sustentabilidade: o Relatório Brundtland, Nosso futuro comum (1987), o Tratado de Educação Ambiental para Sociedades Sustentáveis e Responsabilidade Global (1992) e o programa da Década das Nações Unidas da Educação para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável 2005-2014 (2002), pelos quais identificamos dois discursos do desenvolvimento sustentável: um, relativo ao combate à pobreza e ao atraso tecnológico e outro, referente à cooperação e participação social. E verificamos essa abordagem dicotômica nos textos do corpus, que, de um lado, apoiam a disseminação de conhecimentos científicos como forma de mudar comportamentos insustentáveis e, de outro, o incentivo ao diálogo da escola com seu entorno, como estratégia de participação social e melhoria da qualidade de vida local. A contribuição desse trabalho reside, exatamente, na explicitação dessa dicotomia e sua relevância para que haja coesão e coerência nas ações educativas para a sustentabilidade.
Sustainable development has been a new field of concepts and methods, whose speech involves conflicting interpretations and disputes of interest. This speech has passed the theoretical-methodological proposals in the fields of Education, especificy Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development. We seek to verify this fact by analyzing two series published by Carta na Escola magazine, directed to teacher´s public. The research was formed for the series Sustentabilidade na Escola and Cadernos de Sustentabilidade, published between August 2007 and August 2008. We selected the dialogic language theory, or dialogism, like theoretical and methodological reference for discurse analysis, formulated by the Russian linguist Mikhail Bakhtin and his Circle, consisting of Valentin Voloshinov and Pavel Medvedev. The dialogism focuses on the amalgam link between language and society. Thus, we analyzed three documents of international reference in the theme of sustainability: the Brundtland Report, Our Common Future (1987), the Treaty on Environmental Education for Sustainable Societies and Global Responsibility (1992) and the program of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2002), for which we identified two discourses of sustainable development: one, on combating poverty and technological backwardness and another, on cooperation and social participation. Moreover, we see this dichotomous approach to the texts of the corpus, which on the one hand, support the dissemination of scientific knowledge as a way to change behavior unsustainable and, secondly, the fostering of dialogue from the school and its surroundings, as a strategy of social participation and improvement quality of local community. The contribution of this work is exactly the explanation of this dichotomy and its relevance for cohesion and coherence educational activities for sustainability.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Bardici, Vera Minavere. "A Discourse Analysis of Eco–City in the Swedish Urban Context – Construction, Cultural Bias, Selectivity, Framing, and Political Action." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-21306.

Full text

Abstract:

In recent years, eco–city as a sustainable urban model has gained increasing prevalence and evolved into a hegemonic urban discourse. As a future vision of urban transformation, eco–city is being increasingly translated into concrete projects, strategies, and policies, mainstreaming urban sustainability and being replicated and proliferated across the world. This study aims to examine, by means of a discursive analytical approach, the construction of eco–city in the Swedish urban context – urban planning and development – with a particular emphasis on definitional and thematic issues, cultural bias, selectivity, framing, and political action. I use six analytical devices to guide the analysis of four documents as an empirical material. Findings show that the construction of eco–city in the Swedish urban context entails aspects of other sustainable urban models: smart city, sustainable city, green city, and compact city, making eco–city as an umbrella metaphor for such models. Also, only combining all projects, it is clear that eco–city has evolved into a comprehensive vision, embracing most of the requirements and norms set for a city to be ecological. While the concept of eco–city tends to incorporate social and cultural dimensions of urban sustainability, the prime focus remains on economic and environmental aspects – in other words, social considerations are marginal compared to economic and environmental ones. Moreover, the discourse of eco–city draws on and is informed by an array of established discourses. Building on previous discursive constructions of reality, it changes urban reality – aspects of its economic and environmental dimensions, by generating new ways of thinking about urban practices through new amalgamations of established discourses. The technological orientation of eco–city has links to urban–economic–political processes of regulation as well as involves selective framing in terms of discursive interpretation of urban–environmental crises as material processes, recontextualization of urban- economic imaginaries, reference to particular meta–discourses, and privileging of particular discursive chains. Technologically-oriented eco–city can be conceptualized as a speciﬁc urban practice which is contingent upon hegemonic discourses on the economic, technological and environmental regulation in relation to urbanization and on the agency of various actors advocating energy efficiency and green technologies and forming alliances on sustainable urban issues. Furthermore, the discourse of eco–city is exclusionary, in that it leaves out some topics and facts relating to the negative direct and indirect environmental effects of the so–called green and energy efficiency technologies. In addition, the discourse of eco–city is shaped by cultural frames associated with environmental and climate awareness and the role of technology in enabling and catalyzing sustainable urban transformation. Finally, using different mechanisms, political action has a great impact on the discourse of eco–city in relation with the environment, climate change, and shifts to low–carbon/low-energy cities. It plays a role in the expansion and success of eco–city.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

Schwaab, Reges Toni. "O discurso jornalístico da sustentabiidade em programas de rádio sobre meio ambiente : análise do quadro Mundo Sustentável e do programa Guaíba Ecologia." reponame:Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UFRGS, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10183/11167.

Full text

Abstract:

O discurso jornalístico sobre a sustentabilidade é o ponto central deste trabalho composto de três eixos: jornalismo, sustentabilidade e discurso. A pesquisa tem como objeto programas de rádio voltados para a questão ambiental e que têm a sustentabilidade como temática central. São eles o quadro Mundo Sustentável, apresentado dentro do programa Revista CBN, da Rádio CBN AM/FM, e o programa Guaíba Ecologia, da Rádio Guaíba AM. O estudo é calcado na visão do Jornalismo enquanto construção, um lugar de seleção e de configuração do acervo social de conhecimentos, a partir das escolhas do que é dito e do que é excluído do seu discurso, considerando, ainda, as especificidades do Jornalismo no meio rádio. A sustentabilidade foi escolhida por ser atualmente o ponto central de todo debate sobre meio ambiente. Apesar da noção quase consensual de utilizar a natureza para o desenvolvimento sem impedir que gerações futuras também o façam, há antagonismos no entendimento do que seja este desenvolvimento e de como atingir esta sustentabilidade, representados pelas correntes ecossocial e ecotecnocrática, adotadas como perspectivas que guiam os discursos. Elas foram reconfiguradas aqui como Formações Discursivas (FDs) e utilizadas para compreender os sentidos produzidos pelo discurso jornalístico sobre sustentabilidade, considerando, ainda, o estudo das relações de silenciamento e dominância de perspectivas sobre a temática. À luz dos pressupostos da Análise do Discurso francesa foram analisadas seis edições do quadro Mundo Sustentável e seis do programa Guaíba Ecologia, selecionadas entre todas as que foram veiculadas entre os meses de fevereiro e abril de 2006. No Mundo Sustentável foi possível verificar a predominância da visão ecossocial e alguns deslizamentos de sentidos, num atravessamento da FD Ecotecnoncrática. No Guaíba Ecologia é perceptível a filiação às duas FDs, muito em função dos sentidos construídos pelos entrevistados do programa.
The journalistic discourse on the sustainability is the central point of this composed work of three axles: journalism, sustainability and discourse. The research has as object programs of radio directed toward the ambient question and that they have the sustainability as central thematic. They are the Sustainable World block presented inside CBN Magazine program, CBN AM/FM Radio, and the Guaíba Ecology program, of the Guaíba AM Radio. The study is based in the vision of the Journalism while construction, a place of election and configuration of the social assets of knowledge from the choices that are said and that is excluded from its discourse, considering, yet, the specificities of the Journalism in the radio environment. The sustainability was chosen because it’s currently the central point of all debate on environment. Despite the notion almost consensual to use the nature for the development without hindering that future generations also make it. There are antagonisms in the agreement of what development is and how to reach, this sustainability, represented by ecossocial and ecotecno chains adopted as perspectives that guide the discourses. They had been reconfigured here as Discursive Formations (DFs) and used to understand the directions produced for the journalistic discourse on sustainability, considering, yet, the study of the silencement relations and dominance of perspectives on the thematic one. To the light of the estimated ones of the Analysis of the French Discourse six editions of the Sustainable World block had been analyzed and six of the Guaíba Ecology program, selected between all the ones that had been propagated between the months of February and April of 2006. In the Sustainable World it was possible to verify the predominance of the ecossocial vision and some directions landslides, in a trespassing of the DF Ecotecno. On the Guaíba Ecology the filiations to the two DFs is perceivable, much in function of the directions constructed for the interviewed ones of the program.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

Fagervall, Åsa, and Richard Granström. "Går det att jämföra hållbarhetsredovisningar? : En diskursanalys av tre företags hållbarhetsredovisningar inom bygg- och fastighetsbranschen." Thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för ekonomi, teknik och samhälle, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-79211.

Full text

Abstract:

The establishment of sustainability reports has become more prominent among companies the last decades as well as the demand to be able to compare these reports. There are many variables which affect the comparability of sustainability reports, partly the difficulty with the actual definition of the term sustainability as well as the lack of regulations and directives regarding the matter. Further, the style of the texts has bearing on the comparability since the rhetoric of the company affects how sustainability is communicated in the sustainability reports. The aim of this study is to create an understanding of how sustainability is communicated by the three largest companies within the construction- and development industry in Sweden, as well as to see if their sustainability reports are comparable. Through a discourse analysis it is examined how sustainability is communicated in the companies’ sustainability reports. The result shows that the discourse of sustainability is institutionalized by the companies. It is possible to identify a homogeneity since all the companies studied account for their corporate social responsibility, their environmental impact as well as how they strive for conducting a safe, legal and corruption-free business. The result also shows that depending on what the companies choose to communicate, in combination with what rhetorical argument is used to convey the information, it impacts the comparability. The study indicates that the comparable information regarding sustainability has a greater feature of logos argumentation where the texts are supported with statistics and data. This information has a greater opportunity to be compared within the company itself over time but also between the different companies, given that the information meets the basic criteria regarding consistency and uniformity. In the future, it would be of interest to study the comparability of sustainability reports within the construction- and development industry on a larger scale, for instance by comparing companies from different European countries. Further, a similar comparative study of big versus small companies could provide knowledge regarding if sustainability is institutionalized within the whole construction- and development industry.
Upprättandet av hållbarhetsredovisningar hos företag har blivit mer framträdande under de senaste decennierna, tillika efterfrågan om att kunna jämföra dessa rapporter. Det finns många faktorer som påverkar jämförbarheten av hållbarhetsredovisningar, dels svårigheten med definitionen av hållbarhet samt avsaknaden av reglering med tydliga direktiv. Dessutom har texternas utformning en inverkan på jämförbarheten, där företagens retorik påverkar hur de väljer att kommunicera hållbarhet i sina hållbarhets-rapporter. Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en förståelse hur hållbarhet kommuniceras hos de tre största företagen inom bygg- och fastighetsbranschen i Sverige, samt att se om denna hållbarhetsinformation går att jämföra. Genom en diskursanalys undersöker vi hur hållbarhet kommuniceras i företagens hållbarhetsrapporter, där resultatet påvisar att diskursen hållbarhet är institutionaliserad hos de studerade företagen. Det går att identifiera en homogenitet då samtliga företag redogör för hur de tar ett socialt ansvar, sin miljöpåverkan samt hur de strävar efter säkra affärer. Resultaten påvisar även att beroende på vad företagen väljer att kommunicera, i kombination med vilket retoriskt argument som används för att förmedla informationen, har en inverkan på jämför-barheten. Studien indikerar att den hållbarhetsinformation som går att jämföra har större inslag av logosargumentation, där texterna styrks med hjälp av statistik och data. Denna information har en större möjlighet att jämföras inom företaget över tid men även mellan företagen, givet att informationen uppfyller de grundläggande kriterierna om konsekvens och enhetlighet. I framtiden vore det av intresse att se hur jämförbarheten av hållbarhets-redovisningar inom bygg- och fastighetsbranschen ser ut på en större skala, som till exempel i fler europeiska länder. Vidare skulle en liknande jämförande studie mellan stora och små företag bidra med kunskap om hållbarhet är institutionaliserad inom hela bygg- och fastighetsbranschen.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

Landén, Viktor, and Emma Ingemann. "Vad är (eko)logiskt? : En multimodal kritisk diskursanalys av hållbarhetens konstruktion." Thesis, Jönköping University, HLK, Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-51962.

Full text

Abstract:

Hållbarhet är idag ett välanvänt begrepp som förekommer inom flera områden. Vad hållbarhet anses vara må uppfattas som självklart, men hur begreppet och diskursen konstrueras, är inte lika självklart. Genom att se till två aktörer, med olika ambitioner, inom andrahandsmarknaden undersöker studien hur reklam bidrar till konstruerandet av uppfattandet av hållbarhet på olika sätt. Tidigare forskning visar att medierna formar och speglar samhället och att uttryck av hållbarhet idag används som täckmantel i form av grön retorik. Den visar även att kapitalism och ekologi har naturliga motsättningar, att vi måste konsumera mindre och lära oss se ”skräp” som resurser, något som andrahandsmarknaden kämpar med att förhålla sig till. Vi undersöker i denna studie Tradera och Myrornas förmedlade budskap av hållbarhet, med bakgrund i aktörernas intressen som vinstdrivet och ideellt. Syftet är att se hur reklam inom andrahandsmarknaden bidrar till konstruerandet av hållbarhetsdiskursen. Detta genom en multimodal kritisk diskursanalys av reklamfilmer från respektive aktör. Resultatet visar att de olika aktörernas förmedlade budskap bidrar till hållbarhetsdiskursen på både traditionella och kreativa sätt. Traderas reklamfilm visade sig uttrycka underliggande budskap av ekologi som dessvärre hamnar i skuggan av kapitalistiska och materialistiska värderingar. Myrornas reklamfilm utmanar på många olika sätt dessa traditionellt kapitalistiska och materialistiska värderingar. Dessa olika uttryck av hållbarhet utgör till viss del konstruerandet av hållbarhetsdiskursen. Det visar även att särskilda budskap kan verka ideologiskt gynnsamma och att detta är något som aktörer utnyttjar. Vi drar slutsatsen att hållbarhetsdiskursen innefattar svårtolkade budskap som samexisterar och problematiserar vår relation till ett hållbart agerande.
Modern use of the term ‘sustainability’ is broad and varies across multiple industries. The general idea of sustainability is perceived as certain, yet sustainability discourse and the pillars of the term remain fluid. By looking at two stakeholders, with different ambitions, within the second hand market, the study is examining how advertising contributes to the different ways sustainability perceptions are constructed. Previous studies show that media both shapes and reflects our society, highlighting today’s use of the term sustainability is often to “green wash” communication. Studies also shows that capitalism and ecology have natural contradictions. Second hand markets face the challenge of raising awareness to change perceptions for society's to consumer less and begin to see “waste” as a resource. In this study we examine the message of sustainability, mediated by Tradera and Myrorna, in relation to their role as profit-driven, versus not for profit organisations. The purpose of the study is to examine how advertisement within the secondhand market, contributes to the construction of sustainability discourse. This is carried out through a multimodal critical discourse analysis of commercials. The results show that the different stakeholders' messages contribute to the sustainability discourse in both traditional and creative ways. Tradera’s advertisement expressed underlying statements of ecology, shadowed by capitalistic and materialistic values. However, Myrorna’s advertisement in many ways challenges these traditional capitalistic and materialistic values. To some extent these different expressions construct the discourse of sustainability. This further highlights that ideologically specific messages could work, however this is often exploited by businesses. The conclusion drawn from this study displays that the sustainability discourse involves messages difficult to interpret, which infers parallels to the convoluted relationship of society’s aim to advance sustainable development.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sustainability discourse'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles