Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sustainability of relationships'
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1
Huang, Yu. "Identity matters : exploring supply chain sustainability with a social identity perspective." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/23509.
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Relationship management plays a critical role in sustainable supply chain management (SCM). The literature focuses on the operational and strategic levels of inter-organisational relationships in supply chains, where little is known about the psychological aspect of these relationships. Adopting social identity theory as the key theoretical lens, this research investigates inter-organisational relationships in the context of sustainability implementation in supply chains. Two research questions are asked: RQ1 How do focal organisations engage their supply chain stakeholders in sustainable SCM using social identity thinking? RQ2 What are the specific identity issues relating to inter-organisational relationships in a sustainability context? This research adopts an exploratory case approach and combines multiple data sources: semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and secondary data analysis. Three case studies are conducted in three international organisations and their suppliers in a global setting. The research findings reveal that organisations face the challenge of managing multiple identities during their sustainability implementation in supply chains. Subject to their operational context and supply chain characteristics, organisations may have different approaches to sustainability implementation. Sustainability identity is associated with internal stakeholders’ motivation and proactivity when contacting external stakeholders, as well as external stakeholders’ commitment to cooperation and information sharing in sustainable supply. Analysis of the 41 interviews reveals that both the internal and external stakeholders play an important role in identity formation through various identity assessment and comparison activities. The key identity issues observed during sustainable supply practices include identity conflicts, inconsistencies, and disagreements among the stakeholders. The current SCM literature focuses on supply chains as one uniform identity. A major contribution of this research is that it addresses the complexity of identity issues in supply chains, especially in the context of sustainability implementation. It also contributes to theory by defining a typology of focal organisations’ identity regulation approaches.
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Ransom, Jeffrey Wallace. "Assessing the value of sustainability initiatives in business-to-business relationships." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77467.
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Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, June 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-62).
Environmental sustainability initiatives have risen in popularity over recent decades. Companies are actively seeking to promote innovative practices to reduce environmental impact and attract the "green" shopper. The business-to-business (B2B) segment is no different, and many companies utilize proactive sustainability strategies. This thesis examines the important role that environmental sustainability plays within the B2B segment and makes recommendations on how to prioritize sustainability investments. RetailCo, a national provider of various material goods and services, provided data and support for analysis. Information was collected and analyzed from customer inquiries such as Requests for Proposals and Requests for Information. An online survey, constructed to determine customer sustainability priorities, was distributed to business customers. The results from both data sources were used to analyze customer preferences and priorities. Results were analyzed by industry type, company size, geographic region, and annual spend with RetailCo. Finally, interviews were conducted with select companies to compare survey results. Detailed analysis of all data sources shows that sustainable business customers are larger government or education organizations, and they appear to strongly favor electronics and paper product recycling initiatives. Although many companies show strong support for sustainability initiatives, price and quality continue to dominate purchasing decisions.
by Jeffrey Wallace Ransom.
M.Eng.in Logistics
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Park, Jonghun. "Investigation of Fundamental Relationships to Improve the Sustainability of Unit Loads." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/73556.
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Sustainability is one of the most critical issues in today's packaging and supply chain industries. With the increase of environmental concerns, there has been a tremendous effort to improve packaging sustainability. However, most of these works have focused on individual packaging components rather than an integrated unit load. In global supply chains, three levels of packaging components (primary, secondary, and tertiary) are commonly assembled in the unit load form to facilitate efficient and economical storage and transport of goods to customers. Unit loads is important to improved, packaging sustainability.
This study developed the fundamental information that facilitates understanding and enhanced sustainability of unit loads from two different perspectives: physical interactions and end-of-life options of unit load components. From the physical interaction perspective, the effects of various characteristics of secondary and tertiary packaging components on load-bridging within unit loads are investigated.. Packaging component characteristics investigated included the flute type and size of corrugated paperboard boxes, stretch wrap containment force, and pallet stiffness. From the end-of-life option perspective, process methods and environmental impacts of wood pallet repair in the United States are analyzed to provide fundamental information for accurate life cycle assessment of pallets.
The experimental results of this study demonstrate that the size of corrugated paperboard boxes and stretch wrap containment force significantly affected the bridging of loads on pallets. The results regarding load-bridging, verified in this study, provides essential knowledge regarding factors influencing unit load deflection. Pallet design procedure should include the load-bridging effect. For simulated pallets which was comparable to a stringer class wood pallet spanning the width of a storage rack, average deflection in the unit load decreased by 70% when package size increased to 20 in. x 10 in. x 10 in. from 5 in. x 10 in. x 10 in. In addition, average deflection in the unit load consisting of 5 in. x 10 in. x 10 in. packages decreased by 50% when stretch wrap containment force increased to 30 lbs. from zero pounds. Updated design methods that consider the effect of packaging characteristics on unit load deflection can help to reduce the amount of raw materials required to build pallets using current pallet design methodologies.
The life cycle inventory analysis results of this study determined that pallet repair is an environmentally beneficial end-of-life option for 48 by 40- inch stringer class wood pallets in terms of greenhouse gas generation. Most wood pallet repair firms in the United States utilized high levels of manual labor with non-automated machinery support. The life cycle inventory results from this study can be a useful resource for researchers as an input to the life cycle assessment.Ph. D.
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Jensen, Nathan. "Exploring the Relationships Between Livelihood Dimensions and Socio-ecological Resilience in the Bolivian Altiplano." Thesis, University of Missouri - Columbia, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13850739.
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Households in the Bolivian Altiplano construct their livelihood strategies in a system marked by changing climate and volatile social systems. The strategies that they choose must work to decrease the household‘s vulnerability to shocks, such as drought and frost, and increase its ability to adapt to longer term changes, for instance the affects of globalization. Their strategies may also influence the resilience of their community and environment, either increasing or decreasing the likelihood of catastrophe.
This research uses canonical correlation analysis to analyze survey data collected from 330 rural households in two regions of the Bolivian Altiplano. It examines the impact that dominant livelihood strategies have on the resilience of the household and its socio-ecological environment. The analysis shows that access to land and lifecycle are two household characteristics most highly associated with resilience; that diversification into labor markets often works towards increasing resilience; and that many households use livestock as an insurance mechanism. The results suggest that policies that work towards increasing crop yields and reducing livestock loss in the face of climate change could effectively target the households that are most vulnerable. Programs that include transfer payments to older households for providing services, such as increasing ecosystem resilience by placing land in fallow, could reduce the negative impact of lifecycle experienced by many across both regions.
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Schürch, Marc A. "Antecedents of the offshoring governance mode and the sustainability of offshore outsourcing relationships." kostenfrei kostenfrei, 2008. http://www.unisg.ch/www/edis.nsf/wwwDisplayIdentifier/3577.
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Duphily, Monique. "Transforming relationships| A qualitative analysis of westerners' experience of reciprocity with the natural world." Thesis, California Institute of Integral Studies, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3621046.
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This study responds to the call in the ecological literature (Berry 1988, 1999; Macy & Brown, 1998; Spretnak, 2011) for cognitive, spiritual, and relational shifts in humanity's perception and experience of the natural world. It examines the lived experience of a diverse group of Western adults who were initiated into an eco-spiritual Andean indigenous tradition centered upon reciprocity. Andean reciprocity, or ayni , involves maintaining a relationship of mutual exchange with the natural world and implies a paradigm shift, from the dominant Western paradigm to one that views the Earth as animate and able to reciprocate. In this study, reciprocity is explored as a potential means for Westerners to facilitate living in harmony with the natural world.
This basic qualitative analysis used semi-structured interviews with 8 U.S. residents who were initiated into an eco-spiritual Andean indigenous tradition and report that they actively maintain reciprocity with the natural world three or more years after their initiation. Interviews solicited stories from participants and, in the process, honored the oral culture of the Q'ero, into which the coresearchers were initiated. Data analysis was an inductive process that extracted salient themes from all stories to construct a process of sacred reciprocity for Westerners.
This study can inform Westerners who are interested in deepening relationship and learning practical ways of being in harmony with the natural world. It can also inform anyone interested in developing skillful means to utilize ancestral teachings in a contemporary context. For Westerners and industrialized societies, these practices and tools could help facilitate ecological citizenry and cultural transformation.
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La, Rochelle Margaret Laura. "Portrait of a Learning Farm| Re-rooting Selves, Natures, and Relationships." Thesis, University of California, Davis, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3737011.
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This ethnography explores the practices and activities of an experiential learning program in sustainable agriculture, the Student Experimental Farm at the University of California, Davis, from a community development and social justice perspective. We need more dialogue about the work to imagine and live new futures—ways in which human beings might rectify the social and environmental contradictions created by structural and historical injustices in their own lives and organizations. We need more records of the activities and approaches of programs attempting to do the work of changing a system inside and out—the subversive work of peaceful and self-determined adaptation to a more just way of working with ourselves, other people and nature. And importantly, we need more records of programs working in public view; not just in the oft-detached realms of liberal counterculture, though these spaces can be creatively rejuvenating, but in the institutions of education and politics—land grant universities in particular—that still carry much weight in the agricultural field, to which many practitioners are connected, and which most still consult as a major resource for guidance and knowledge.
This research is framed by three broad relationships for inquiry: the individual’s relationship to oneself in the learning process, social relationships between members of a learning community, and institutional relationships that frame activity. In discussion I address issues of the opportunity for critical transformation in experiential learning, meaning and motivation for individuals in the learning process, and emphasize the value of peer relationships and a broader learning community for successful results. I present various social tensions between responding to the needs of both novice and advanced learners; between education and production in the student farm setting; and in socio-spatial identity and meanings. I argue for building communities of inquiry in sustainable agriculture education more proactively, with the goal of acknowledging cultural difference and working for social equity from the inside out.
Additionally, I discuss institutional relationships and structures at the Student Farm and in the undergraduate major in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SA&F) staff, educators and students have developed to adapt existing institutional structures for more shared power in decision-making and progressive learning aims. I offer research findings, discussion and recommendations as resources that can be consulted by educators, student farmers, and those interested in developing contextualized learning programs for the purposes of social justice, sustainability, and community development.
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Holgar, Monika Isabelle. "The wardrobe impact of worn stories: Exploring garment storytelling for sustainability." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2019. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/133290/1/Monika_Holgar_Thesis.pdf.
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Slowing down the throughput of garments is an important way of reducing the critical environmental and social impacts of contemporary fashion practices. This research explores how the process of sharing personal garment stories might assist everyday wearers to change their consumption practices in this way. Applying thematic and visual content analysis to participant garment stories and interviews, this study offers insight into participants' approaches to, experiences of and wardrobe impacts from garment storytelling. Finding a positive impact on participants' clothing relationships and practices, the study builds a case for garment storytelling as a durability strategy for wearers, and offers resources to support its uptake.
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Paunisaari, Essi, and Eric Raatgever. "“It Would Be Interesting to See Assurance Statements with Qualifications” : Assurers’ Perspectives on Sustainability Assurance Engagements and Client Relationships." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-354928.
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The proliferation of sustainability reporting has been accompanied with stakeholders’ concerns over the credibility of sustainability reports. This worry has resulted in the assurance of sustainability reports and accordingly, professionals have sought to create a new auditable market and academics to understand this phenomenon. Though previous research has shown that assurers and clients jointly decide the terms of the engagement, assurers’ perceptions of sustainability assurance and assurer–client relationships, in which the engagement takes place, have been overlooked. We try to close this gap by conducting an interview-based study which firstly, examines how assurers view and experience sustainability assurance engagements and secondly, investigates how assurers characterize their relationship with clients. We lead 12 interviews with assurers working for either Mazars, BDO, Grant Thornton, or RSM, covering 11 countries worldwide. The empirical findings indicate that assurers work with sustainability reports that are unbalanced and inaccurate. Particularly, they view the inaccuracy of nonfinancial data as a challenge to the issuance of sustainability assurance statements. We find that inaccuracy is perceived difficult because assurers lack technical expertise and are unpracticed in auditing qualitative information. Further, when assurers cannot verify the disclosed information, they rather terminate the engagement than issue a presumably misleading assurance statement. The termination of an engagement is, however, the ultimate response and until then, assurers collaborate with the client to be able to issue an assurance statement. Hence, collaboration is considered key to the completion of a sustainability assurance engagement. This research contributes to a better understanding of practitioners’ perspectives on sustainability assurance engagements both practice and relationship-wise. We also develop practical implications and future research avenues.
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Harris, Kristina Ann. "Networking the Relationships of Microenterprise Development in Bulgaria." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1443.
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The networking relationships provided by microenterprise development (MED) organizations foster sustainable and scalable Bulgarian small businesses. Some Bulgarian MED leaders lack the strategies to help sustain small businesses in Bulgaria. Guided by the actor network theory, the purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies MED leaders use to help sustain small businesses in Bulgaria. Data were collected through a semistructured focus group comprised of MED Bulgarian business leaders (n = 4) in Rhodope Mountain Region and company data consisting of financial reports, marketing presentations, and company business plan. The data analysis included using keyword frequency comparisons, coding techniques, and cluster analysis. Three themes emerged from the findings: access to financial and nonfinancial capital, networking and relationships, and sustainability and scalability. According to the study results, strategies and scalability impede the ability to expand and service more small business owners. The recommended change in business practices of MED leaders included the formalization of networks of other MED leaders and partner organizations to efficiently meet the demands of the Bulgarian small business market. The implications for social change include the need for networks to aid entrepreneurs in gaining market access, obtaining capital resources, and maintaining sustainability that contributes to the economic and social development of Bulgaria.
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Yamashita, Ströberg Chikako. "How Plants Think : Rethinking human-plant relationships by theorising using concepts from posthumanism and design." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för design (DE), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-77739.
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Today, ecology-oriented thinking is increasing in people’s minds. However, urbanisation, with its accompanying character of environmental depletion, impacts on society, ecology, and economy. It makes me think about where places in nature are situated in our everyday lives. What is nature in our lives? In our mind now, how do we think about nature? My project, How Plants Think is to address the question how city inhabitants can begin to recognise a new way of looking at plants, the human relationship to nature in everyday life in the urban domestic space. This thesis examines the design field in the context of sustainability on the environmental and societal aspects. Observing relationships between humans and plants makes a different design perspective from emotion and design to posthumanism and design that enables designers to engage with complex issues. The resulting project displays a space where people to rethink about human-plant relationships, as well as the meaning of we, humans and nature, are tangled. It is not so much about design does itself, itis about what it can show us about what it has not been done.
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Yang, Xinquan. "Managing relationships and developing sustainability : the case of VANOC and the Vancouver 2010 national partners." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/30530.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate how corporate sponsorship might contribute to Olympic sustainability, including economic, environmental and social sustainability. The research focused on the partnership management strategies of VANOC (the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee) and the six national Vancouver 2010 corporate partners, with an emphasis on the role of social responsibility imperatives in shaping corporate investments in the sustainability of the Vancouver 2010 Games.
The research followed an interpretive approach. My research focused on how decision-makers endeavored to reduce the potentially negative impacts and to enhance the benefits of the Vancouver 2010 Games. The research followed a case study approach focusing on the key relationships formed in the sustainability area. Data collection included document analysis (128 documents) and semi-structured interviews with 26 key informants identified by VANOC and the corporate partners.
The results of the study show that VANOC was the first OCOG to fully integrate sustainability into its vision statement and to apply sustainability principles in all aspects of Games’ planning, operations and delivery. These measures were a direct response to the Vancouver 2010 bid commitments, as well as a response to the IOC’s (International Olympic Committee’s) adoption of sustainability, along with sport and culture, as a central element of the philosophy of the Olympic Movement.
Although the motivations for corporations to enter Olympic sponsorship were typically not for sustainability objectives as such, they considered sustainability a key component in forming the Olympic partnership. Sponsorship activation on sustainability for the corporate partners was aided through the 2010 Sponsor Sustainability Initiative and 2010 Legacies Now. For the most part, the corporate partners were very satisfied with their role in contributing to the sustainability of the Games and with VANOC’s management strategies. Nevertheless, a few areas of tension were identified. One was that VANOC did not have an activation budget for promoting the sustainability program and the contributions of the partners to the sustainability of the Games. The other key point of tension occurred when VANOC sought assistance in areas that were outside of their corporate expertise or core business interest.
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Lundqvist, Emelie. "Design patterns for social sustainability in HCI : A study on destructive relationships on the use of design patterns." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för naturvetenskap, miljö och teknik, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-38533.
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In this paper, a study was conducted to explore social sustainability in HCI. The study focuses on people in destructive relationships and uses the notion of research through design to gain and share knowledge using design patterns. The study focused on creating methods for working more practically with social sustainability in HCI and used several design methods such as story share and capture to gain and share knowledge on the user group which was then presented in a pattern, consisting of a total of eight different patterns. The patterns was later tested with designers who suggested designs which users were then to rate from best to worst. The study show that design patterns can successfully be used to share knowledge, however the study also show some variation in how well design patterns are understood based on experience. Experienced designers tend to create better designs with the pattern than inexperienced. However, designers with the pattern designed better solutions than designers without regardless of experience.
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Borona, Gloria Kendi. "Investigating people-forest relationships around central Kenya's Nyandarwa forest reserve : understanding their sustainability through indigenous knowledge systems." University of British Columbia, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/63770.
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This study explored how people-forest relationships are forged around Kenya’s Nyandarwa Forest Reserve, and how Indigenous Knowledge Systems of Agĩkũyũ people around the Reserve might contribute to healthy, sustainable people-forest relationships in light of the country’s changing social, economic, and political situations. The study sought to examine:1) how the indigenous communities around Nyandarwa Forest Reserve traditionally understood and sustained interdependencies with the forest; 2) how these interdependencies have transformed consistent with Kenya’s post-independence changes in social, economic, and political situations; 3) to what extent local, national, and international efforts to promote healthy sustainable people-forest relationships are incorporating local communities’ Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS); and, 4) how these communities’ IKS might inform the proposition of an environmental conservation framework for sustainable people-forest relationships.
The study was guided by post-colonial indigenous research paradigms anchored in decolonizing methodologies. These methodologies were buttressed by indigenous theories that consider communities as spiritual beings with multiple relations. The study was informed by the traditions and cultural heritage of the Agĩkũyũ people, and augmented by Afrocentric philosophies that underlie African ways of knowing and value systems. Data were collected from community groups, elders, the Kenya Forest Service, and archives. The data corpus was analyzed using NVIVO consistent with the study’s theoretical framework and generated themes that address the research questions. In addition, the research participants contributed to the process as this study sought to elevate the community to the role of co-researchers and to create mutually beneficial long-term relationships.
Results show that the pre-colonial manifestation of Agĩkũyũ people-forest relationships were understood through land, that land continues to be a central pillar of Agĩkũyũ indigenous environmental thought, and that one of the historical values of the forest is its role in sustaining the struggle for independence. Further, the study reveals that some indigenous practices tied to sacred sites and food sovereignty have endured, different governance regimes have shifted the way people-forest relationships are constructed, and the Agĩkũyũ have been continuously mobilizing to protect their landscape. In the end, this study suggests how IKS can contribute to forging sustainable people-forest relationships, arguably the planet’s most threatened resource.Forestry, Faculty of
Graduate
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Niang, Aminata. "Mining as Development? Corporate/Community Relationships in the New Gold Mining Sector of West Africa: The Case of Sabodala, Senegal." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/242396.
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This dissertation investigates overall the impacts of the modern extractive mining industry on the lives of local people in the region of Kedougou, and in particular in the villages of Sabodala and Faloumbo. It explores also, how the utilitarian narratives about corporate mining impacts shape both the understanding of the scope of mining- and of corporate-community relationships. Sabodala is one of the many communities all over the world that lack significance in the global economy simply because they are geographically isolated and were abruptly introduced to modern corporate mining. This dissertation investigates the impacts of modern extractive industry on the lives of rural communities in eastern Senegal. It investigates also how utilitarian discourses by the Senegalese state and corporations contradict the reality of corporate social (ir) responsibility in the mining region. Using the lenses of political economy, political ecology and livelihood sustainability, I investigate how governance plays out in the process of implementing corporate social responsibility as a vehicle for local community development. This case study has also shed the light on the fact that the state has neglected ethical issue. Doing an anthropology of place in Sabodala helped me to understand how this place is "wired" into the global market of gold and how this new "order" creates "disorders" at the local level. For example and interestingly, the realignment of power relations in the community was responsible for tensions, conflicts and de-structuring social cohesion and traditional stratification, as some members of the community have seen their economic status changed overnight while others were deprived. In reality, the expected grand benefits haven't "trickled down" to the wider society, and to paraphrase Ferguson, industrial mining in Senegal is not "socially thick". Meanwhile, as the pace of gold mining increases in Sabodala so too, do its rapacious demands on local natural resources (land, water, flora, and fauna), which simultaneously affect local livelihoods system.
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Puga, Federico Manuel. "An empirical study of leadership and strategy in a copper mining environment : care of the self, interactional patterns and sustainability." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/14929.
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This study extends the understanding of leadership emergence from a relational perspective (Hosking, 2011; Cunliffe & Eriksen, 2011; Uhl-Bien, 2006), specifically related to the forming of trusting relationships. The argument follows from the conceptual development of subjectification processes referred to as “care of the self” (Foucault M. , 1988; Foucault M. , 2005) and the implications of “regimes of practices" (Foucault M. , 2010; Dean, 2010). The findings contribute to our understanding of the relation between patterns of differentiation and reciprocity (as contextual definitions) and the relational emergence of leadership. We conceive leadership formed by actions that have no instrumental purpose beyond constructing a subject able to form trusting relationships and judge this to be a phronetic practice. The research is based on a case study of the executive team of a large copper mining company implementing a sustainability strategy that has as its central purpose the construction of trusting relations within a complex net of stakeholders. Based on this case, my second contribution is to conceptualise the function of “parrhēsia practice” (Foucault M. , 2010), a “truth game” about truth, truth-telling and action in the relation of the self and others, which is significant in the formation of the relational leadership of the “conscious pariah” (Arendt, 1978). The study examines how it is that “truth games” of examining the self and “reframing” interactional patterns can facilitate the relational emergence of phronetic forms of leadership. The research methodology, designed to deal from a non-dualistic perspective with the relational emergence of leadership, uses a narrative research approach to describe practices (Czarniawska, Narratives in Social Science Research, 2011). It is “uncovered” as representational and dualistic in the research relation, and a discussion of how a non-dualistic research approach could be developed is provided.
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Woodbridge, Sandra. "Exploring the relationship between grandparents and their grandchild who has a disability." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2010. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/41020/1/Sandra_Woodbridge_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis reports on the findings of a study which sought to explore the relationship between grandparents and their grandchild who has a disability. In contrast to previous studies, it presents the grandparents’ perspective on the roles and relationships they maintain within their families and adopts a qualitative approach to identify the meanings, symbols and beliefs grandparents attribute to their experiences.
Grandparents have played and continue to play an important role in the lives of many families, contributing both symbolic and instrumental support to their grandchildren. Changing life expectancy for older people has meant that many more grandparents and grandchildren now have the opportunity to participate in meaningful interactions and to develop strong relationships. In the future, this will be true for great grandparents and in some cases great great grandparents as well. This presents a number of challenges to all concerned as family members negotiate the often complex arena of family life in the 21st Century. Realizing that a grandchild has a disability adds another degree of complexity to the negotiation of roles and responsibilities of grandparents within families. By focussing on grandparents experiences when their grandchild has a disability, this research both explores a knowledge gap in the current literature and more practicably, will inform both grandparents and their families as they negotiate these challenges. This research makes a significant contribution to knowledge in this area by exploring grandparents’ views on the differences in the relationship they have with their typically developing grandchildren and their grandchild with a disability; the impact having a grandchild with a disability had had on their grandparent identity and whether it impacted on quality of life.
As well as reporting on the aims of the study, the papers presented in this thesis report on the key topics and themes identified in the analysis of the transcribed interviews conducted with 22 grandparents whose grandchild has a disability. Article 1 presents an overview of the literature which informs current knowledge in relation to grandparents, presenting a historical and theoretical perspective. Additionally, it presents previous literature which discusses the roles and styles grandparents adopt thus providing a framework which is later used to examine the roles and styles adopted by the grandparents in the study.
Article 2 addresses the emotional responses grandparents in the study experienced as they grandparented a child with a disability. Comparing these emotions to that of a roller coaster ride, ranging from absolute sadness and grief to pride and delight, these findings highlight their unique experiences and will be reassuring for other grandparents who experience similar emotional responses.
Article 3 discusses from the grandparents’ perspective, how having a grandchild with a disability has impacted on their family. Whilst reporting on the day to day challenges of competing family commitments and conflict, a number of grandparents in this study also commented that the experience had made them closer as a family and that there had been significant changes in how some individual family members now viewed people with disability.
Article 4 explores the impact having a grandchild with a disability may have on the grandparents’ sense of identity and enactment of the grandparent role, utilising Neugarten and Weinstein’s (1964) classic grandparenting styles and Kornhaber’s (1996) concepts of latent and functional grandparent identity as a basis for comparison. It provides important insight into grandparenting identity when a child has a disability, suggesting that the grandparenting experience and role enactment may be universal with only the context and delivery varying.
In summary, this thesis confirms the valuable role grandparents play in the lives of grandchildren who have a disability and their families. It identifies a number of implications and makes recommendations for future research and practice.
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Touboulic, Anne. "Exploring how to manage supply chain relationships for sustainability : an action research project with PepsiCo and their agricultural suppliers in the UK." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2014. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/65479/.
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This thesis is the result of the work conducted in collaboration with PepsiCo UK and their UK based growers between October 2010 and October 2013. The research project has been funded by an ESRC-CASE studentship and has provided the opportunity to explore the relationships between PepsiCo, as a large customer, and their small agricultural suppliers on their journey to address the sustainability challenge. The research is framed within the field of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), which can be defined as the integration and coordination of economic, environmental and social goals in the management of inter-organisational business processes (Carter & Rogers, 2008). Although there has been a growing amount of research in the field in the last decade, little research has offered insights into the actual implementation process of sustainability practices in supply chains (SC). This research addresses the qualitative knowledge gap around the relationship aspects of implementing SSC practices, and particularly relationships between a large buyer and small suppliers. The research adopts an Action Research (AR) approach; drawing on a variety of empirical methods, in an attempt to both contribute to academic knowledge and to address the practical concerns of the research participants. The thesis presents the process and outcomes of this AR project that has revolved around several emergent cycles of inquiry. The findings of this research offer a complementary perspective between inter-organisational governance dynamics for sustainability and the critical role of individual stakeholders in the change towards more sustainable practices in the SC. This is helpful in moving towards a more multilevel understanding of SSCM. The practical contribution of the research aims at supporting the development of better management practices for the implementation of sustainability practices in a supply chain involving a large buyer and SME suppliers.
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Ozcan, Ozan. "The Impact of Supply Chain and Network Structure on the Environmental Performance of Sustainability-Focused Companies." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3275.
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The goal of this dissertation was to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between supply chain structure and the pursuit of a sustainability-driven corporate strategy. The literature indicates that in order to pursue a sustainability-focused strategy, an increased level of integration across the supply chain is required. However, there are also industry-level dynamics that impact observed levels of vertical integration. That is, some industries are naturally more integrated than others based on the maturity level of the industry. Thus, some firms may experience opposing forces regarding their sourcing strategies once they choose to pursue a sustainability-focused strategy.
To explore this potential tension, it is first necessary to objectively measure vertical integration. Several methods for measuring vertical integration exist; however, all of these methods rely exclusively on economic data. These measures might overlook other forms of integration that might be enacted, such as the development of stronger social ties. Thus, this research will seek to utilize a novel method that makes use of social network analysis to assess integration among firms in a supply chain along social dimensions.
This dissertation 1) determined the correlation between having a vertically-integrated organizational structure and pursuing a sustainable supply chain strategy by identifying if sustainability-focused companies (SFCs) have a more vertically-integrated organizational structure than their counterparts that are not pursuing such strategies, 2) examined the evolution of supply chain structure as a company becomes more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable over time, and 3) defined the social ties between SFCs and their first- and second-tier suppliers to understand if they develop stronger social ties as a potential substitute for pure vertical integration.
This dissertation is comprised of four main parts. In the first part of the dissertation, I compared three recently developed vertical integration indices based on consistency and ease of measurement. The three vertical integration indices studied were empirically tested on companies in the U.S. Medical Devices Industry and the limitations of each are discussed. Our analysis suggested adoption of the Fan and Lang's method.
In the second part, I examined the vertical integration level of environmentally sustainable and non-sustainable companies. I empirically examined the vertical integration level of 144 sustainability-focused companies in 9 different industries. The results demonstrate that sustainability-focused companies in the Medical Devices Industry and the Industrials Industry tend to have more vertically integrated organizational structures than their industry competitors that are not pursuing such a strategy since these two industries are production oriented and they have closer relationships with their suppliers.
In the third part, the objective was to understand how the organizational structure of sustainability-focused companies changes over time as the companies become more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. I applied trend analysis to the sustainability and vertical integration level of the companies. Our sample consisted of 10 sustainability-focused companies from the industrials industry. I used the content analysis of annual reports to calculate sustainability development scores, and applied the Fan and Lang's method to determine the vertical integration level of the companies. The study results demonstrated an increasing trend in both vertical integration and sustainability development of industrial industry companies over a 15-year of period. Furthermore, the companies became more vertically integrated as their environmental, economical, and social sustainability increased.
Finally, in the fourth part, I developed and empirically tested a theoretical model that examines the supplier relationships of sustainability-focused companies (SFCs) to understand if these relationships are substitute to a vertically integrated organizational structure. Furthermore, I tested if SFCs are more socially connected to their suppliers compared to non-sustainable companies (non-SFCs). An online survey instrument was utilized for data collection. The empirical findings of path analysis demonstrated that SFCs establish long term relationships, collaborate, transfer know-how and experience, and create strong-ties with their first and second-tier suppliers to have an organizational structure that is substitute to a pure vertical integration. Findings further revealed that SFCs are connected to their first and second tier suppliers with stronger social ties compared to non-SFCs. Results support the natural transaction cost economics and natural resource based perspectives. Our study results should be useful to researchers and managers who are interested in corporate sustainability behavior.
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Lee, Ra Won. "Interorganizational Relationships and Mergers of Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Two Case Studies of Mergers of Nonprofit Arts Organizations." The Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1451948476.
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Prusa, Jillian L. "Refurbishing the Rust Belt: Vacant Land Reuse in Baltimore, Maryland and Cleveland, Ohio." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1416312594.
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Hellström, Malin, and Clara Lindgren. "Hållbarhet, ett sätt att försäkra långsiktiga kundrelationer? : En fallstudie av Länsförsäkringar Östgötas arbete med hållbarhetsfrågor för att skapa långsiktiga kundrelationer." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-138812.
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Bakgrund: Att jordens resurser inte är oändliga är något som idag är allmänt känt, vilket ställer krav på ett gemensamt arbete för en hållbar utveckling. Företag har därmed kommit att rikta ett allt större fokus mot sociala, miljömässiga och etiska mål, snarare än en ensidig inriktning på ekonomiska mål. Tidigare forskning visar på ett positivt samband mellan kundens uppfattning av socialt ansvarsfulla företag. Forskningen är dock knapp beträffande vilken påverkan sådant arbete antas få för företags långsiktiga kundrelationer. Genom att undersöka ett försäkringsbolag och dess kunder avseende arbete med hållbarhetsfrågor bidrar studien till en kunskapsspridning gällande vilken betydelse arbete med hållbarhetsfrågor har på långsiktiga kundrelationer. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera vilka hållbarhetsaspekter företag i tjänstebranschen arbetar med för att skapa långsiktiga kundrelationer samt vilken betydelse detta arbete har för kunden. Vi avser även att nå en ökad insikt i hur arbetet med hållbarhetsfrågor kommuniceras och följs upp. Genomförande: I studien har en kvalitativ ansats som har sin grund i ett iterativt angreppssätt antagits. Empirisk data har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med anställda på fallföretaget med kunskap inom hållbarhet, samt att kundens perspektiv fångats genom fullmäktige. Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att försäkringsbolaget i studien arbetar med samtliga ansvarsområden inom hållbarhet, men socialt ansvarstagande visade sig vara vitalt för fallföretaget. Vidare indikerar resultaten på att hållbarhetsarbete med lokal förankring kan vara ett sätt för tjänsteföretag att differentiera sig. Huvudfokus inom hållbarhet varierar beroende på vilken bransch samt vilket företag det gäller och bör riktas dit företag främst kan påverka, både samhället i stort samt sitt eget resultat. Kunder har visat sig ha en positiv inställning till hållbarhetsarbete men någon definitiv slutsats avseende hur den långsiktiga kundrelationen påverkas har inte funnits. Vi har funnit indikationer på att negativ publicitet tenderar att uppmärksammas i högre grad än positiv publicitet, därmed är det viktigt för företag att agera riktigt i dessa frågor. Studiens resultat påvisar att det för försäkringskunden är svårt att förstå kopplingen till hållbarhet eftersom tjänsten har en abstrakt natur. Att involvera kunden i hållbarhetsarbetet för att öka dennes medvetenhet har därmed visat sig vara fördelaktigt. Resultaten indikerar på att kommunikation och uppföljning därför är väsentligt för att kunden ska förstå bolags hållbarhetsarbete och vilka effekter det har för denne. Hållbarhetskommunikationen bör ha en karaktär där kunden omedvetet uppfattar bolaget som hållbart. Resultaten i studien tyder på att det föreligger svårigheter i att mäta effekterna av vissa delar av hållbarhetsarbetet eftersom det är svårt att fastställa att resultaten enbart beror på hållbarhetsarbete, även om det går att få vissa indikationer.Background: The fact that the earth’s resources are not endless is something that today is widely known, which requires joint work for sustainable development. Many companies have thus increased their focus on social, environmental and ethical goals, rather than a one-sided focus on financial goals. Previous research has showed a positive link between customers perception of socially responsible companies. The research however is scarce on the impact of such work on corporate long-term customer relations. By studying an insurance company and its customers regarding sustainability issues, the study contributes to a dissemination of knowledge about the importance of work on sustainability issues on long-term customer relationships. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify which sustainability aspects companies within the service industry work with in order to create long-term customer relationships and which importance this work has for the customer. We also intend to gain an insight into how work on sustainability issues is communicated and followed up. Completion: In this study, a qualitative approach that has its foundation in an iterative approach has been adopted. Empirical data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with employees at the case company with knowledge within sustainability, and the customer perspective has been captured by the council. Conclusion: The study’s results show that the insurance company in the study applied all responsibilities included in sustainability, but social responsibility proved to be vital to the case company. Furthermore, the results indicate that sustainability work with a local anchoring can be a way for service companies to differentiate themselves. The main focus on sustainability varies depending on which industry and what company it is and this should be directed to areas where companies can primarily affect both the community as a whole and its own results. Customers have showed a positive attitude towards sustainability work but no definite conclusion about how the long-term customer relationships are affected have been found. We have found indications that negative publicity tends to get a lot more attention than positive publicity showing the importance for companies to work with these issues. The study’s findings show that it is difficult for the insurance customer to understand the link to sustainability because of the abstract nature of the service. Engaging the customer in sustainability efforts in order to increase their awareness has shown to be beneficial. The results indicate that communication and follow-up therefore are essential for the customer to understand the company’s sustainability efforts and the effects they have. The sustainability communication should have a character in which the customer unconsciously perceives the company as sustainable. The results in the study indicate that there are difficulties in measuring the impact of certain aspects of sustainability work, as it is difficult to determine that results are solely due to sustainability, although some indications can be obtained.
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Andersson, Emil, and Mahim Hoque. "The Causal Relationships Between ESG and Financial Asset Classes : A multiple investment horizon wavelet approach of the non-linear directionality." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Nationalekonomi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-159650.
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This thesis investigates if Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investments can be considered as an independent asset class. As ESG and responsible investing has increased substantially in recent years, responsible investments have entered the portfolios with other asset classes too. Therefore, there is a need in studying ESG investment properties with other financial asset classes. By collecting daily price data from October 2007 to December 2018, we research the directionalities between ESG, ethical, conventional, commodities and currency. Initially, we employed a MODWT, multiscale investment horizon wavelet analysis transformation of the data. The decomposed wavelet data is then applied in pairwise linear and non-linear Granger causality estimations to study the directionality relationships dependent on investment horizon. Additionally, econometric filtering processes have been employed to study the effects of volatility on directionality relationships. The results mainly suggest significant directionality relationships between ESG and the other asset classes. On the medium-term investment horizon, almost all estimations indicate strict bidirectionality. Thus, on the medium-term, ESG can be said to be integrated with the other asset classes. For the long-term horizon, most relationships are still predominantly bidirectional between ESG and all other asset classes. The biggest differences are found on the short-term horizon, with no directionality found between ESG and commodities that cannot be explained by volatility. Furthermore, most directionality relationships also disappear when controlling for the volatility transmission between ESG and currency on the short-term horizon. Thus, our findings suggest significantly more integration between ESG and ethical and conventional as bidirectionality overwhelmingly prevails regardless of investment horizon. As previous research has found similarities between ethical and conventional as well as ESG having similar characteristics to commodities as conventional and ethical, we suggest that ESG should be considered as being integrated and having strong similarities with other equities. Thus, it should be treated as being part of the conventional equity asset class. Deviations from bidirectionality could be caused by ESG variable specific heterogeneity. However, despite our rejection of ESG as an independent asset class, it still carries significant potential as it excludes firms with climate-harming practices, thereby helping in combating climate-related as well as social and governance issues the world is facing.
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Bäckstrand, Annie, and Filippa Sjögren. "No retailer is an island in the sea of CSR : A multiple case study of how buyers and suppliers co-create CSR in the retail supply chain." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för marknadsföring (MF), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-95884.
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In recent years, the concept of sustainability has increased of importance and customers today are more aware of the implications of not being sustainable. As of the increased awareness, customers are demanding more sustainable practices from retailers, which leads to them communicating this further down the supply chain. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis has been to examine and understand how retailers together with their suppliers in the furniture and interior retail industry co-create a more sustainable supply chain through the Corporate Social Responsibility framework, and to identify what kind of facilitators and barriers that appear in co-creation of CSR between buyers and suppliers. The empirical findings were obtained using a qualitative multiple case study of seven furniture and interior retailers originated from Sweden through semi-structured interviews. The findings were then analyzed and discussed with the presented literature to identify how they were similar or different. The conclusion of this thesis shows that buyers somewhat are engaged in co-creation with their suppliers, although there is no unified answer for how, as the level of involvement, why involved and in which function they are involved are highly different among the cases. A common theme throughout the findings indicated that the more responsible the company is, the more developed they are in their buyer-supplier relationships. Although, the co-creation level of a relationship was found to be ambiguous due to its unexplored nature of the B2B market. Furthermore, the thesis identified both some general and more specific facilitators and barriers that could be used as a guide for future co-creating activities for the implemewntation of CSR in the retail supply chain.
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Wu, Caroline, and Sandra Fernström. "Det komplexa valet av leverantör och dess betydelse för företagens framgång : En fallstudie i den svenska modebranschen." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för samhällsvetenskaper, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-28403.
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Modeföretagen i Sverige 2015 befinner sig i en mycket konsumentstyrd bransch där trender uppstår och passerar snabbt, vilket ger en bransch som ständigt förser marknaden med nya varor. Mode är samtidigt råvaruintensiv och lämnar ett avtryck i miljön som påverkar alla. Konsumenterna ställer nu allt högre krav på att varor är producerade mer hållbart och under socialt ansvarstagande, CSR, i alla led. Modeföretagen ansvarar för en produktion av varor som främst sker i länder med lägre kostnad för arbetskraft, vilket medför svårigheter i form av kontroll då avstånden är långa. Vilken relation företaget har till sina leverantörer har således kommit att spela en allt mer avgörande roll. Syftet med uppsatsen är att genom en fallstudie undersöka och analysera de överväganden som producerande aktörer på den svenska modemarknaden gör vid val av leverantörer, för att på så sätt belysa de svårigheter de anser finns och vad som är viktigt för deras framgång. Metoden som använts är semistrukturerade intervjuer inom fallstudiens ramar. Sekundärdata har samlats in från press, företagens hemsidor och från mailkorrespondens med branschorganisationer. Fallstudien visar att relationen företagen har till sina leverantörer är väldigt viktig för dess framgång. Ett bra leverantörssamarbete ökar företagens chanser till både hållbar produktion och ger en ökad möjlighet till finansiering genom handelskredit. En bra leverantörsrelation ökar även företagens möjligheter till flexibilitet från leverantörens sida med snabbare leveranser som bättre kan möta kundens efterfrågan och minska risken för felbedömningar. Långa avstånd anses som ett problem för modeföretagen och de söker därför närmare produktion inom EU som ger kortare ledtider, en möjlighet till bättre leverantörsrelationer samt ett underlättande av likvärdiga kemikalielagar.
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Mathis, Michael C. "Assessing Relationships between Social Context, Knowledge and Student Perspective in a College Course on Environmental Science." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1493329571161738.
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Steenhuisen, Maria Jacoba. "The knowledge continuum as an enabler for growth and sustainability in the South African basic education system / Mariè Steenhuisen." Thesis, North-West University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/9207.
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The poor state and failure of the basic education system in South Africa gave rise to this research. The wave of knowledge loss experienced in the last two decades is expected to carry on and will continue to deplete the basic education system’s knowledge base, severely affecting the already poor quality of education as well as the future economic growth and sustainability in South Africa.
The main research objective was to establish whether future growth and sustainability in the basic education system in South Africa is achievable; which factors it is influenced by; and how knowledge continuity could impact on future growth and sustainability. A multidisciplinary approach focusing on organisational performance, knowledge management, individual and organisational behaviour and organisational development was followed.
The nature of growth and sustainability and knowledge continuity in organisations was explored by following a contextualisation theory-building process.
The main objective of the empirical research study was to determine by means of quantitative research the degree to which the influencing factors would enhance or impede growth and sustainability in an organisation. A quantitative survey method was followed. A questionnaire was developed and the survey was performed in 6 primary and secondary schools of the basic education system in South Africa. The questionnaire was found to be reliable with a Cronbach’s alpha of .8060.
In the descriptive factor analysis process, principal component factor analysis was conducted, which described the five constructs that would influence growth and sustainability. These constructs’ dimensions produced significant intercorrelations which indicate that the dimensions are for the most part intercorrelated with each other in contributing to growth and sustainability.
The multiple regression analysis indicated that knowledge loss would have an exceptionally strong impact on knowledge; and that knowledge, information and performance would significantly predict growth and sustainability. Organisations should change the focus for growth from physical assets to the development of intellectual capital, and knowledge continuity should form part of an organisations’ business strategy and mission. Knowledge continuity will only be successful if a culture conducive of trust and knowledge sharing and transfer exist, and are supported by effective and appropriate human resource practices and incentives.
A structural equation model development strategy produced a knowledge continuity model aimed at enabling future growth and sustainability, based on the constructs confirmed in the factor analysis. The model indicated that there is a direct causal relationship between knowledge, information and performance with growth and sustainability. The regression analysis showed that most of the intercorrelations are significant, thus confirming the theory.
The newly developed questionnaire and structural equation model should enable organisations to measure the degree to which the enhancing individual and organisational behavioural factors of growth and sustainability are in place and provide the measurement outcomes that would identify the factors that need to be focused on to improve and enable future growth and sustainability in an organisation.Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.
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Glavas, Ante. "EFFECTS OF CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP ON EMPLOYEES: WHY DOES DOING GOOD MATTER?" Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1247063961.
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Elsler, Laura G. "Multi-level Interactions between Fisheries and Trade : Modeling intertwined social-ecological systems." Licentiate thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-159470.
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Sustainable and equitable fisheries are central for addressing the challenges of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. International trade, once presented by Walrasian economists as a panacea for fisheries development, has not markedly decreased poverty and has been related to the overexploitation of marine species. In this light the consequences of a continued expansion of seafood trade are highly uncertain and problematic. Two competing theoretical hypotheses predict either overexploitation or recovery of marine species when connected to international trade, respectively. The empirical literature finds trade relationships and connections of local fisheries to a large-volume market critical factors for social-ecological outcomes. Here, I combine these insights to show that multi-level links, between fishers & different markets (market manuscript) and marine species & trade relationships (squid manuscript), are critical to explain diverging social-ecological outcomes. In the market manuscript we model the transition from local, to multi-level (both local and global), to global markets in a two species fishery. We find this transition is non-linear, leading to fluctuations in species abundance as a result of abrupt switches between target species. Critical fluctuations of species abundance driven by new market connections are a result of large shifts in prices for one species and high asymmetries in expected income between the two species. The squid manuscript provides empirical and modeling evidence that cyclical changes in the ocean can drive social-ecological systems outcomes through changing interactions at multiple levels. The interactions between squid population and fishers and squid distribution and trading structures determines benefit distributions in the fishery. The lack of consideration of multi-level interactions related to trade in models for fisheries management is likely associated with a lack of processes for integrating the empirical and theoretical insights of two disciplines at the core of fisheries science. Social-ecological system scholars study more often empirical and fishery economics the theoretical aspects of interactions between trade and fisheries. One process suggested in this thesis to bridge insights from both disciplines in fishery models is the careful study of the important interactions in the empirical case. Comparison of these interactions with observed empirical interactions in other systems informs the model conceptualization that is then embedded in a theoretical framework. This leads to the development of models of intermediate complexity that integrate insights on regular structures and patterns observed in real social-ecological systems. The squid manuscript exemplifies this integration. We integrate observed multi-level links in a standard fishery model between the squid population fishers and traders, and thus better represent the empirical system. A continuous dialogue between empirics and theorycan help build models of intermediate complexity. To capture the complex elements of these social-ecological systems, in this young field of study, next to a continuous dialogue priority observed empirical dynamics can help question theoretical assumptions. This study seeks to contribute to the development of fisheries management models more suitable to face contemporary challenges of fisheries management by focusing on how multi-level interactions between fisheries and trade shape sustainable and equitable outcomes.
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Rosado, de Sousa Maria Mislene. "La pérennité des relations interorganisationnelles en fédérations de coopératives – le cas Casa Apis du Brésil : Le rôle des proximités et du leadership transformationnel dans la construction de la relation et l’intention des adhérents de le rester." Electronic Thesis or Diss., Lyon, 2021. http://www.theses.fr/2021LYSES008.
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L’objectif de cette thèse est de comprendre les facteurs qui peuvent expliquer et influencer la pérennité des relations interorganisationnelles dans les fédérations de coopératives. Pour aboutir à cet objectif, nous avons mobilisé les concepts de la proximité, de la confiance, du leadership transformationnel et de l’engagement organisationnel (engagement affectif et de continuation), au sens de l’intention de rester dans la relation. Deux études ont été réalisées : d’abord, une étude qualitative afin d’identifier les proximités mobilisées pour la construction des relations interorganisationnelles dans la fédération de coopératives. Ensuite, une étude quantitative auprès de 232 adhérents de la fédération pour tester l’influence des proximités (prix, d’accès, identitaire, de processus et relationnelle), la confiance et le leadership transformationnel sur l’engagement organisationnel. Les données ont été analysées par le logiciel Nvivo 11 (étude qualitative) et par le logiciel SmartPLS 3.0 (étude quantitative). Ces études ont été appliquées à la fédération de coopératives Casa Apis du Brésil. Le développement de ces deux études nous a permis de conclure que la construction de la relation entre Casa Apis et les apiculteurs adhérents est expliquée par les proximités, lesquelles sont créées de façon hiérarchique. Puis que l’intention des apiculteurs de rester dans la relation avec Casa Apis est influencée par les proximités de prix et de processus, par la confiance et par le leadership transformationnel. Par conséquent, la pérennité des relations est influencée par les proximités, par la confiance, par le leadership transformationnel et par l’engagement organisationnelThe objective of this thesis is to understand the factors that can explain and influence the durability of inter-organizational relations in cooperative federations. To reach this objective, we mobilized the concepts of proximity, trust, transformational leadership and organizational commitment (affective and continuation commitment), in the sense of the intention to remain in the relationship. Two studies were carried out: first, a qualitative study to identify the proximities mobilized for the construction of inter-organizational relations in the federation of cooperatives. Then, a quantitative study with 232 members of the federation to test the influence of proximities (price, access, identity, process and relation), trust and transformational leadership on organizational commitment. The data were analyzed using Nvivo 11 software (qualitative study) and SmartPLS 3.0 software (quantitative study). These studies were applied to the cooperative federation Casa Apis in Brazil. The development of these two studies allowed us to conclude that the construction of the relationship between Casa Apis and the member beekeepers is explained by proximities, which are created in a hierarchical way. It was also found that the intention of the beekeepers to remain in the relationship with Casa Apis is influenced by the proximities of price and process, by trust and by transformational leadership. Therefore, the sustainability of relationships in Casa Apis is influenced by proximities, trust, transformational leadership, and organizational commitment
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Ekins, Paul W. "The relationship between economic growth, human welfare and environmental sustainability." Thesis, Birkbeck (University of London), 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.242396.
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Mashele, Faith. "The relationship between sustainability and compliance in a procurement context." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52442.
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Regulatory compliance plays a key role in influencing organisations to engage in responsible business practices that contribute towards driving objectives around social, economic and environmental considerations. At a national level, governments around the world use regulation as a policy lever to drive imperatives that promote socio-economic and environmental objectives. Procurement, therefore, plays a significant role in ensuring that the contribution towards sustainability objectives is achieved and accelerated.
This study set out to understand the impact of regulatory compliance on the adoption of sustainable procurement practices by organisations, whist assessing whether leaders are able to balance compliance and the interests of various stakeholders in procurement decision making processes. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were the main statistical techniques that were used to quantitatively test primary data that was collected from 247 procurement and sustainability managers within the public and the private sector.
Relationships were observed between regulatory compliance, leadership and decision making towards adoption of sustainability objectives by organisations. It was observed that leaders are able to consider and translate stakeholder views into compliant decisions. Finally, the results have showed that there is strong relationship between regulatory compliance and sustainability, highlighting the contribution of procurement compliance towards driving sustainable development.Mini-disseration (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
nk2016
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
Unrestricted
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Amisano, David. "The Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and Sustainability in Small Businesses." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3273.
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Since the 2008 financial crisis, business leaders' ethical behaviors have been under scrutiny. These leaders face uncertainty regarding ethical leadership behaviors and their impact. Because small business leadership involves multiple facets of behavior and decision-making, small business leaders may have an insufficient understanding of the impact of ethical leadership behaviors on the sustainability of their businesses. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between ethical leadership and financial, social, and environmental sustainability in small businesses. Integrated social contracts theory was the theoretical framework. The participants consisted of 80 members of a chamber of commerce located in Miami, Florida who had experience with ethical leadership and more than 1 year of ownership or management of a business. The data collection instrument was a self-designed Likert scale survey with items based on the research literature and also included financial measures such as return on assets, net profit margin, and net revenue. Correlation analysis and Bonferroni corrected significance calculation indicated significant relationships (p < .001) between some ethical leadership behaviors and social and environmental sustainability; however, no statistically significant correlations were identified between ethical leadership and financial sustainability. The implications for positive social change include small business leaders partnering with local leaders to implement ethics and sustainability into community programs to create a basis for increased trust in local business leaders to improve consumer confidence.
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Larsson, Carl. "Nothing to Do with Us? : Making Sense of Global Wealth Inequality." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för design (DE), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-96654.
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This design project takes the form of an illustrated story told from the perspective of a young adult middle-class Swede who feels uncertainty in the face of larger issues in the world. Where do all our stuff come from? Is he buying unethical products? Is he actively making a situation worse elsewhere through his choices? How would you even know, when the consequences of such actions might only become evident far, far away from Sweden? How do you relate to this? What should you do? As the protagonist wants for answers, he decides to try and find out what the situation is really like, and what could be done about it. But, as he would soon find out, the answer is not a simple one… In this work-in-progress story, a middle-class Swede must contend with the fact that he’s part of a subset of humanity that in large part benefits off of the thankless work that may be found in the so-called Global South. In his investigation, he seeks to find answers to important questions. What’s the nature of this economic relationship between the Global South and the Global North? Is it really enough to buy ‘more sustainable’ products to relieve the impact on environments and societies? What are the hidden perspectives and stories that those in the Global South experience every day? How can one try to be a good person and create positive change in the world when faced with overwhelming systemic issues on a global scale? Through the story, the nature of global wealth disparity is illuminated as the Swede tries to make sense of global power relationships in relation to labor and production, and so too offers a reader who may be having similar worries an opportunity to learn. As uncomfortable truths are revealed, a greater systemic issue becomes evident. As economic growth takes precedence over social and environmental wellbeing, who wins and who loses – and where? This is the written thesis section of the project, which seeks to elaborate on the different concepts included in the story, as well as surrounding it. Aspects such as the purpose of the project and target audience are gone over, emphasizing the need to communicate complex subjects to wider audiences while avoiding the act of oversimplification of the issues presented. The methodology of the work is presented, and aspects of the design process are documented. The project cumulates into a digital exhibition with other design students, where a work-in-progress version of the comic book is presented digitally for reading. The end of the thesis features a reflection of the result and the design process in order to identify where improvements could be made, as well as the answers the author of this thesis found in relation to the project questions. In summary, there seem to be an indication that working collectively as opposed to individually may be more effective towards creating positive change, in opposition to individual-focused solutions. Finding appropriate solutions to issues may not have to be found immediately, but may be found through a process affected by several different people in a collective that are able to contribute with their differing skills and knowledge to locate the most appropriate path forward.Here is an updated version, using the template of the front page that was suggested.
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Martinez, MaryAnn. "Human Centeredness: The Foundation for Leadership-as-Practice in Complex Local/Regional Food Networks." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1624179376157514.
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Shiralizade, Hakima, and Wen Chen. "Circulating for Service Sustainability : Examining relationship between sustainability and servitization in both B2B and B2C context of electric vehicles." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-177620.
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Background: Due to the escalated environmental concerns and the requirement of Paris Agreement, restraining the carbon emission is aimed on a global scale. Being a solution, the electrification of vehicles is inevitable whilst the problematization to the batteries continues. Many strategies, from improving the battery default as a product, to servitizing the batteries in the light of servitization, has been attempted by both battery suppliers and car manufacturers. In connection to sustainability concerns, which refers to the battery End-of-Life (EoL) Management, however, not many scholars believe that circular economy for electric vehicle batteries can shape itself. Deeming the massive adoption of electric vehicle as the foundation of circular economy, some scholars advocate, that servitization can propel the execution of sustainable goal when it changes the ownership of batteries from customers to manufacturers. Purpose: The proposed relationship of battery servitization and sustainability is standing alone shortly since 2020 without much evidence support. Hence, it is put on the list of examination to identify the motives and interest of manufacturers by offering battery servitization. Moreover, owing to the fact that the literature of battery servitization is seen segmented for only single dimensioned service type, it is also aimed by this thesis to coin the status-of-art of battery servitization from the empirical study, with customers’ perspective included. Methodology: This thesis is designed based on a mixed method including qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys to answer the research questions that none of the methods could answer alone. Both inductive and deductive approaches were adopted due to the discrepant results from the empirics. Particularly, triangulation design, obtaining different yet complementary data to study the same topic, is followed to structure the discussion. Findings & Conclusion: Generally, the findings answer the purpose of writing this thesis well. From qualitative study, battery servitization is more of a marketing strategy and not after a goal of building the circularity. However, sustainability is deployed by manufacturers of all levels in the supply chain. Additionally, Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) as an all-round service solution is enlarging the content to servitize. Further, not being much aware of though, battery servitization is enabling the circularity of batteries owing to the respective battery strategies of each manufacturer. This is to say, sustainability is considered in combination of battery servitization, as the theoretical base of this thesis suggests. From quantitative study, customers’ satisfaction level proves that the manufacturers’ aimed goal is partly achieved. However, to use battery servitization as a marketing strategy for electric vehicle adoption, which indirectly facilitate sustainability, it should be invested more efforts to help more potential customers accept it.
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Westling, Martin, and Michael Mazhari. "Sustainability and senior executive compensation : A study of the relationship between sustainability and senior executive compensation in the Nordics." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-161392.
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The focus on sustainability has become more noticeable during recent years. This is especially evident in the Nordics, were Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland tops the sustainability rankings. Moreover, several studies have been conducted surrounding the topic of the sustainability measuring ESG-scores and their relation to financial performance. Simultaneously, researchers have come up with controversial findings regarding the relationship between financial performance and executive compensation. This study aims to find out the relationship between sustainability and senior executive compensation in the Nordics, as well as how they are both connected to financial performance. In order to fulfill this, eight multiple regression models were created on a sample of 101 Nordic companies. The chosen dependent and independent variables comprised various ESG-scores, as well as a ratio of senior executive compensation divided by total revenue. This resulted in 895 different observations during the years 2008 to 2017. This is a quantitative study following the positivist paradigm. Moreover, a deductive approach is taken in regard to how theory is used. Theories used to make conclusions include the stakeholder theory, the shareholder theory, the legitimacy theory, the agency theory and the stewardship theory. The regression models of choice were the OLS model and the OLS robust model, depending whether the models fulfilled the assumption regarding heteroscedasticity. The findings showed no significant relationship between the ESG combined score and the senior executive compensation ratio in the Nordics. However, a significant negative relationship between the compensation and the social and environmental scores could be found. Moreover, the governance-score was the only ESG-score to indicate a positive relationship with senior executive compensation. Conclusions could be made that there is a negative relationship between senior executive compensation and sustainability factors such as emission reduction and employment quality. This finding is in favor for the shareholders, but not the stakeholders. Additionally, there is a positive relationship between senior executive compensation and good governance. This includes factors such as a high score regarding board structure, shareholder rights and CSR strategy. It could also be concluded that good governance has an indirect positive impact on financial performance. Furthermore, the findings question previous arguments that executive compensation is an agency cost, rather than a solution of the agency problem.
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Mwanyisa, Tafadzwa. "The relevance of relationship marketing on the sustainability of Zimbabwe banks." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1610.
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Mass marketing also referred to as traditional marketing, has been criticised for trying to appeal to everyone, without necessarily providing for customers’ needs and wants. Therefore, the traditional marketing mix has been deemed ineffectual in a highly competitive and ever-changing business world, especially in the banking sector. Changes in the marketing environment have led to the development of new concepts such as relationship marketing. The fundamental concept of relationship marketing involves maximising the longterm benefits for the bank and the customer, resulting in a series of transactions, which allow a long-term relationship to be established and maintained. In short, it is a marketing concept that revolves around building and maintaining a long-term link or bond with one’s customers. The Zimbabwean banking sector has been affected by the country`s political and economic turmoil over the past decade. The collapse of the economy has affected the banking sector and its relationship with clients. During the economic crisis, Zimbabwean banks were unable to meet the basic international requirements of the Basel Accord, and as such, no profits were made. Borrowers had problems repaying existing loans; and banks also became reluctant to lend more, as a liquidity problem in the financial system was prominent. In 2009, a new government was formed which introduced the multi-currency system and the economy went on a recovery path. Given the nature of the economy of Zimbabwe, relationship marketing becomes an indispensible marketing tool that banks can use. The main purpose of the research was to investigate the relevance of relationship marketing on the sustainability of Zimbabwean banks. Five independent variables (customer relations, product attributes, promotion and service delivery and information technology) were identified and were tested against one dependent variable (sustainability of banks). A positivist research paradigm approach was used to conduct the research. The approach uses the quantitative method of research to establish causal relationships. Null (Ho) and alternative hypotheses (Ha) were formulated in x order to test the relationship between variables. A five point Likert scale questionnaire was developed and administered in five major commercial banks in Harare, Zimbabwe namey; Banc ABC, Barclays bank, Commercial Banks of Zimbabwe, Stanbic Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. The five major banks were selected in terms of market capitalisation as well as total deposit share among other things. The empirical results revealed that five of the independent variables positively correlated with the dependent variable implying that they all have an impact on bank sustainability. However, the current situation (2011) in Zimbabwe shows that only two independent variables (product variables and service delivery) have any impact on bank sustainability. In other words, there was a relationship between product attributes and sustainability of banks. Additionally, there was a relationship between service delivery and sustainability of Zimbabwean banks. Conclusions sited that product attributes and service delivery, as variables of relationship marketing, if implemented desirably could salvage the lost confidence and contribute to bank sustainability in Zimbabwe. Therefore, recommendations given by the researcher extensively focused on the two variables that have a relationship with Zimbabwean banks’ sustainability; briefly on the three variables (customer relations, promotion and information technology) that had no relationship.
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Modiba, Mantsha Emelda. "Examining the relationship between board of directors' gender and sustainability disclosure." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/2571.
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Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016This research examined whether an improved participation of women in the board of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) firms has any relationship with sustainability disclosure. Accordingly, the objective of this research was to examine the relationship between the number of women on the board and environmental, social and gender-employment disclosure in South African firms. The research applied a purposive sampling design to study the nine best socially responsible investing firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and secondary data were collected from the sustainability reports of the firms. Using a quantitative approach, the panel-data regression analysis was used to analyse the relationship between women on the board of directors, environmental, social and gender employment disclosure. Energy consumption disclosure, social investment and the number of women employment in the firms were the proxy for environmental disclosure, social investment and gender employment disclosures respectively. Findings show a positive relationship between the number of women on the board of directors and firm disclosure on energy consumption, disclosure on women employment and social investment disclosure. However, the number of women employed in the corporate is still very low in comparison with the male counterparts. The research recommends that, given the unique social and environmental sensitivity of women, the corporate should recruit more women onto the boards to enhance accelerated corporate sustainability performance and disclosures. Key words: sustainability disclosure, women in the board, sustainability performance, energy disclosure, sustainable development
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Raman, Shibu. "Social sustainability in the city : the relationship between density and social interaction." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.424588.
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Daniel, Oluwakemi. "The Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Sustainability, and Corporate Financial Performance." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5847.
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Some business executives are reluctant to engage in social responsibility and sustainability practices because of the assumption that these projects are costly and impair profitability. The purpose of this correlation study was to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility, sustainability (as proxied by the 2016 Best Corporate Citizens index), and corporate financial performance (as measured by ROA and Tobin's Q). Stakeholder theory was the theoretical framework for the study. The results of linear regression analyses indicated an insignificant positive relationship between corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and financial performance. The yield of the linear regression analyses was as follows: F(1, 12) = .023, p = .881, R2 = .002 for ROA and F(1, 12) = .060, p = .811, R2 = .006 for Tobin's Q. The findings from the study revealed that the relationship between social and sustainable activities and financial performance is indifferent regardless of whether financial performance is assessed using accounting or market measures. The presence of a direct, though insignificant, association calls for business managers' attention. The reason is that with the positive association, it is arguably useful to suggest that the more social and sustainable projects are embarked on by firms, the greater the probability of an increased financial outcome.
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Cheung, Yan Ki Fiona. "Relationship management as a strategy for supply chain engagement in the civil engineering construction industry." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2011. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/46860/1/Yan_Ki_Cheung_Thesis.pdf.
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Many studies into construction procurement methods reveal evidence of a need to change the culture and attitude in the construction industry, transition from traditional adversarial relationships to cooperative and collaborative relationships. At the same time there is also increasing concern and discussion on alternative procurement methods, involving a movement away from traditional procurement systems. Relational contracting approaches, such as partnering and relationship management, are business strategies that align the objectives of clients, commercial participants and stakeholders. It provides a collaborative environment and a framework for all participants to adapt their behaviour to project objectives and allows for engagement of those subcontractors and suppliers down the supply chain. The efficacy of relationship management in the client and contractor groups is proven and well documented. However, the industry has a history of slow implementation of relational contracting down the supply chain. Furthermore, there exists little research on relationship management conducted in the supply chain context. This research aims to explore the association between relational contracting structures and processes and supply chain sustainability in the civil engineering construction industry. It endeavours to shed light on the practices and prerequisites for relationship management implementation success and for supply sustainability to develop. The research methodology is a triangulated approach based on Cheung.s (2006) earlier research where questionnaire survey, interviews and case studies were conducted. This new research includes a face-to-face questionnaire survey that was carried out with 100 professionals from 27 contracting organisations in Queensland from June 2008 to January 2009. A follow-up survey sub-questionnaire, further examining project participants. perspectives was sent to another group of professionals (as identified in the main questionnaire survey). Statistical analysis including multiple regression, correlation, principal component factor analysis and analysis of variance were used to identify the underlying dimensions and test the relationships among variables. Interviews and case studies were conducted to assist in providing a deeper understanding as well as explaining findings of the quantitative study. The qualitative approaches also gave the opportunity to critique and validate the research findings. This research presents the implementation of relationship management from the contractor.s perspective. Findings show that the adaption of relational contracting approach in the supply chain is found to be limited; contractors still prefer to keep the suppliers and subcontractors at arm.s length. This research shows that the degree of match and mismatch between organisational structuring and organisational process has an impact on staff.s commitment level and performance effectiveness. Key issues affecting performance effectiveness and relationship effectiveness include total influence between parties, access to information, personal acquaintance, communication process, risk identification, timely problem solving and commercial framework. Findings also indicate that alliance and Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) projects achieve higher performance effectiveness at both short-term and long-term levels compared to projects with either no or partial relationship management adopted.
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Nelson, Debra L. "Emotional Risk-taking and Poly Edgework| Edging Between Relationship Sustainability and Self-Actualization." Thesis, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10159234.
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The present study explores the emotion culture of polyamorists from 11 qualitative interviews. Drawing on the theories of Arlie Russell Hochschild (1979), I utilize the concept of emotion work to depict the ways individuals adhere to, and break from, monogamous relationship norms. Polyamory is a diverse practice that entails the conscious maintenance of multiple romantic and sexual relationships, under the terms of honesty and mutual respect. I utilize the concept of edgework, originally conceived by Stephen Lyng (1990), to illuminate the voluntary risk-taking behaviors of polyamorists as they enact counter-hegemonic relationship practices. Findings reveal the way polyamorists use emotional edgework (from Lois 2001), the intentional stretching of emotional boundaries, as they transition from mainstream emotion culture towards a polyamorous one. Motivations for emotional edgework are varied among the sample, and reveal two chief reasons individuals engage in this kind of emotion work: 1) to have or retain a specific partner, and 2) to reach goals of growth and self-actualization. Although the practice of polyamory challenges the dominant relationship culture, the narratives continue to reflect the lingering influence of a neoliberal capitalist economic structure.
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King, Caroline. "The relationship between corporate sustainability and innovation in the South African banking sector." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24249.
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The role of banks in sustainable development has been growing with prominence internationally. Therefore, research was undertaken to ascertain the approach of South African banking sector in respect of corporate sustainability or sustainable banking. The purpose of this research was to further explore the business case thereof in the SA context and specifically where it pertains to product and market innovation. A qualitative research methodology comprising an exploratory research design was applied, consisting of in-depth interviews and secondary data research of a sample of SA banking organisations. Findings indicated that SA banks primarily view corporate sustainability from an integrated approach. The South African macro-environment and national priorities play an important role in determining corporate sustainability initiatives. Accordingly, risks and opportunities are manifest (as part of a regulated and compliance-driven industry). Considering the national context and unique needs of stakeholders, there was evidence of a relationship between corporate sustainability and product and market innovation. However, not all opportunities from a business case perspective and in product and market types have been exhausted in this space. CopyrightDissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
Unrestricted
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Ferhanoğlu, Berivan Mine, Claude Tremblay, Marine Deplante, and Paweł Porowski. "A Relational View into Sustainability : Change-Agent Experiences in Large Companies." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för strategisk hållbar utveckling, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-2551.
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Navigating complexity for change toward sustainability in large companies is best done using a systems perspective, a principled vision of success and a step-wise planning process, as espoused for instance by the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Many large companies have a significant contribution to un-sustainability and stand to benefit from such a transition. However, the human factor of the undertaking is as of yet underdeveloped in extant literature. Seeking insights into experiences of sustainability change-agents in large companies, the authors conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with sustainability change- agents in large companies. Using a relational view as an analytical lens, they examined the dynamics of social interactions involving these change-agents and thereby gained a greater understanding of the place held by these individuals in the broader company system. The 11 relational categories that emerged permitted to draw links between structural, behavioural and personal facets of advancing sustainability in large companies and highlighted the human aspect of strategic planning as well as the strategic nature of building relationships, teams and coalitions. Overall, the authors believe that consideration by the change-agents of relational aspects may help foster commitment and collaboration in the transition toward sustainability
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Araujo, Naíla Arraes de. "RELAÇÕES ECOLÓGICAS ENTRE A FAUNA ICTIOLÓGICA E A VEGETAÇÃO CILIAR DA REGIÃO LACUSTRE DO BAIXO PINDARÉ NA BAIXADA MARANHENSE E SUAS IMPLICAÇÕES NA SUSTENTABILIDADE DA PESCA REGIONAL." Universidade Federal do Maranhão, 2008. http://tedebc.ufma.br:8080/jspui/handle/tede/1204.
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The lacustrine area of Penalva, in the Baixada Maranhense region, is formed by the lakes Cajari, Capivari, Lontra and Formoso, which encompass a diversified ciliary vegetation. Those environments, subject to the influence of seasonal floods, provide a variety of habitats for shelter, reproduction and feeding of fish species. Some of the fish species, as they feed from fruits and seeds from ciliary plant species they help in the process of seed dispersion, contributing to the reproductive success of the plants. This research aimed at studying the relationship between the ichthyologic fauna of the lacustrine area of Penalva and the ciliary vegetation and its implications in the sustainability of the regional fishing. More specifically, to analyze the relationship among the different plant species and the reproductive period, feeding habits and shelter of the fish species, investigating which species are dependent on the ciliary vegetation and which species function as seed dispersers. The methodology included, in a first phase, interviews with fishermen (key informants), by using semi-structured questionnaires, to record the traditional knowledge on fish and vegetation. In a second phase, monthly collections of fish specimens from the lakes Cajari and Capivari were carried out in the period April, 2007 to June, 2008; following the collections, the specimens were taken to laboratory analyses. The results showed that fishermen possess a vast knowledge on the relationship between the ichthyofauna and the regional ciliary vegetation, making clear the dependence between fish and plants. In this study eleven fish species were identified as seed dispersers of eleven ciliary plant species. In the rainy season, when extensive vegetation areas are flooded, the biggest number of fish specimens was recorded with full stomachs, as well as the biggest number of males and females in the maturation phase, confirming the importance of the ciliary forests for the ichthyofauna. The ciliary forests of the lacustrine area of Penalva have been suffering along the years from deforestation and burning that also affect fishing and local man. The effects from vegetation suppression can be already felt with the decrease of the size and quantity of fish species and individuals, according to local people. It is clear, therefore, the relationship between the reduction of the ciliary vegetation and the signs of fishing decline in the region. If control measures and conservation actions are not taken, sustainability of regional fishing can be seriously compromised.
A região lacustre de Penalva, na Baixada Maranhense, é formada pelos lagos Cajari, Capivari, da Lontra e Formoso, que dão base em seus entornos, a uma diversificada vegetação ciliar. Esses ambientes, sujeitos às influências de inundações sazonais, propiciam uma variedade de habitats para abrigo, reprodução e alimentação de peixes. Algumas espécies de peixes ao se alimentarem de frutos e sementes das espécies vegetais ciliares ajudam no processo de dispersão das sementes, contribuindo para o sucesso reprodutivo das plantas. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo estudar a relação da fauna ictiológica da região lacustre de Penalva com a vegetação ciliar e suas implicações na sustentabilidade da pesca regional. Mais especificamente, analisar a relação entre as diferentes espécies vegetais e o período reprodutivo, alimentação e abrigo dos peixes, investigando quais as espécies de peixes dependentes da vegetação ciliar e quais as espécies dispersoras de sementes. A metodologia incluiu, em uma primeira fase, entrevistas com pescadores informantes-chaves, utilizando-se questionários semi-estruturados, para resgate e uso do conhecimento tradicional sobre peixes e vegetação. Em uma segunda fase, foram realizadas coletas mensais de peixes nos lagos Cajari e Capivari, no período de abril de 2007 a junho de 2008, seguidas de análises laboratoriais. Os resultados mostraram que os pescadores possuem conhecimentos apurados sobre a relação da ictiofauna e a vegetação ciliar regional e evidenciaram a dependência entre peixes e plantas. Neste estudo foram identificadas onze espécies de peixes dispersoras de sementes de onze espécies vegetais ciliares. Na estação chuvosa, quando grandes áreas de vegetação encontram-se inundadas, foi registrado o maior número de peixes com estômagos cheios e o maior número de machos e fêmeas em estágio de maturação, confirmando a importância da mata ciliar para a ictiofauna. As áreas de vegetação ciliar da região lacustre de Penalva vêm sofrendo ao longo dos anos, com desmatamentos e queimadas que afetam também a pesca e o homem local. Os efeitos da supressão da vegetação já se fazem sentir com a diminuição do tamanho e quantidade de peixes, segundo o conhecimento local. É clara, pois, a relação entre a redução da vegetação ciliar e os sinais de declínio da pesca na região. Se medidas de controle e conservação não forem adotadas, a tendência é a de comprometimento da sustentabilidade da pesca regional.
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Wouda, Elske, and Khang Le. "Clean Fallacy : A quantitative study about the price-sustainability relationship within the garment industry." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-324871.
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Corporate colonial behaviour of fashion companies has left the Rana Plaza in ruins and paved the garment industry with catastrophic deaths, casualties, and hypocrisies. As a consequence, the industry is being scrutinized, especially the cheap brands. This paper is an examination of the sustainability of clothes in relation to price and an exploration of the differences between price segments. Quantitative data in the form of price and country of manufacture of 173 t-shirts from different brands were collected and analysed by using the Sustainable Society Index. The results indicate that the social sustainability level of the country of manufacture accounts for roughly 20% of the differences in t-shirt prices. Clothes made in more socially sustainable countries indeed tend to have higher prices. However, the difference in social sustainability is not significant between the high-priced and the luxury segments. Environmental and economic sustainability have little influence on clothing prices. The limitations and implications of assessing product sustainability through the lens of the country of manufacture are addressed.
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Kelly, Orla. "TheSilver Bullet?: A Cross-National Investigation of the Relationship Between Educational Attainment and Sustainability." Thesis, Boston College, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108817.
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Thesis advisor: Andrew K. JorgensonThe United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda (2015-2030) urges nation-states to engage in concerted efforts toward building an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for people and the planet. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets offer a roadmap for policymakers to achieve this complex agenda. An essential component of the quest for global sustainability is to understand the synergies and potential tradeoffs between these economic, social, and environmental targets. The theoretical and empirical tools developed in the sub-discipline of environmental sociology are particularly helpful in this regard because it is dedicated to unpacking the connections among people, institutions, technologies, and ecosystems. The first portion of this dissertation considers some of the theoretical and empirical contributions of social scientists — and in particular environmental sociologists — to our understanding of sustainability. I also highlight the origins and value of the socio-ecological measure of sustainability used in this project, namely, the carbon intensity of wellbeing (CIWB). CIWB is a ratio of CO2 per capita/life expectancy. In the second portion of the dissertation, I engage development frameworks and macro-comparative sociological theories in two cross-national empirical investigations into the relationship between education and sustainability. Education is a social institution widely regarded as a useful mechanism for enhancing human wellbeing. However, much remains unknown about its relationship with global sustainability. To address this gap in our understanding, I assess the relationship between per capita rates of educational attainment and nations’ CIWB by estimating Prais-Winsten regression models using cross-national panel data from 1960 to 2010. In the first empirical investigation presented in chapter two, I hypothesize that gains in education may be associated with more sustainable societies, drawing on the ecological modernization perspective and Amartya Sen’s conceptualization of education as the expansion of human capabilities. In this analysis, I find that education played an important historical role in reducing nations’ CIWB. However, this relationship has mostly disappeared over time for nations located in most regions. Chapter three builds on the findings of chapter two by assessing how economic factors affect the interplay between education and CIWB. Two theoretical traditions concerning global integration inform this chapter: world society and world-systems perspectives. In my analyses, I find that the magnitude of the relationship between education and CIWB varies by nations’ levels of economic development. I also find that the relationship between per capita educational attainment and CIWB is moderated by national integration into the global economy, as measured by exports as a percentage of GDP. Notably, the nature of this relationship depends on nations’ level of economic development, in that further integration into the global economy enhances the beneficial relationship between education and CIWB for high-income nations. The opposite trend can be observed in the middle- and low-income nations, whereby further integration into the global economy ameliorates the predicted beneficial relationship between education and CIWB. In all, my research contributes to sociological understandings of sustainability and if — and under what conditions — population gains in educational attainment can strengthen both human and ecological wellbeing
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Sociology
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Wagner, vom Berg Benjamin [Verfasser]. "Konzeption eines Sustainability Customer Relationship Managements (SusCRM) für Anbieter nachhaltiger Mobilität / Benjamin Wagner vom Berg." Aachen : Shaker, 2015. http://d-nb.info/107408764X/34.
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Carpenter, Abigail Joy. "Methods of programming increased milk production and its relationship with sustainability of the dairy industry." Diss., Kansas State University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/32510.
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Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Animal Sciences and Industry
Barry Bradford
High levels of milk production has been and will continue to be a priority for the global dairy industry. Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs administered to dairy cattle following calving can be an effective way of programming higher milk production for the entirety of lactation. When dairy cattle on a commercial dairy received either sodium salicylate or meloxicam following calving, they responded with increased whole-lactation milk production, which was driven by higher daily milk yields following the seventh week of lactation. When dairy cattle at a research dairy received sodium salicylate following calving, they did not show the same increase in milk production but feed intake, feeding behavior, and blood parameters were altered for an extended period of time. The response to treatment was largely dependent on the parity of the animal. In an effort to determine whether re-programming of the rumen environment could explain these findings, sodium salicylate was administered to batch cultures of rumen fluid, and as a result, fermentation was inhibited. When substrate was fermented in rumen fluid from heifers who had been dosed with sodium salicylate, fermentation was inhibited for an extended period of time following sodium salicylate administration. Beyond the use of compounds such as these, other factors can program lactation for higher milk production, including the gender of the calf. Analysis of lactation records from the US has indicated that cows produce more milk following the birth of a heifer calf compared to a bull. With further research, findings such as these can provide farmers with more tools for improving productivity and lead to the sustainability of the dairy industry as a whole.