It is estimated that nearly 100 various environmental product certification rating tools are implemented in the United States construction and real estate industries. Choice of a certain building sustainability measurement tool depends on the specific need for reflection of buildings’ impact on the natural and urban environment as well as its tenants. Selection of the appropriate rating system is a decision-making process performed by the project client (landlord of the building, potential or current tenant) which can be affected by clients’ insufficient knowledge or otherwise be biased. The result of selection decision has significant consequences for the project design, construction process complexity and entire life-cycle of the building. In this work, an effort is made to facilitate decision-making process of best environmental rating alternative selection for a “green building” project. The analytic hierarchy process is used to perform unbiased decision making on the environmental rating selection. The decision process has been evaluated from the landlord and the tenant perspectives. The findings of this study show that for the landlord, it would be enough to be certified with a single-attribute rating that covers only one characteristic of building sustainability and, according to AHP analysis, satisfies all significant landlord’s requirements for the environmental rating system. The main conclusion of the study is that selection of environmental rating is a multicriteria problem that should take into consideration the requirements from landlord and tenant as well as the environmental ratings characteristics but not based on the distinct assessment of the mentioned factors.

Lack of energy access in developing countries remains a major barrier in the economic development of rural communities. Worldwide, about 1.3 billion people lack access to modern energy services, and there is a need to pursue ways other than grid extension due to the remoteness of most of these communities from national grids. Following the Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL) initiative of the United Nations, the role of decentralised solar generation systems has been acknowledged to meet rural energy objectives. The initiative has also resulted in growing participation of private sectors in the rural energy field for boosting project execution and delivery.   To evaluate the success of private entrepreneurs operating rural energy projects, the research has proposed a decision support sustainability assessment framework for evaluating performance of operational decentralized rural solar energy projects. A rural electrification project is said to be performing sustainably when it reliably ensures access to its services for productive uses, while engaging and gaining acceptance of the community and which operates within socio-ethical norms maintaining its financial gains as well as maintaining the local environment. Based on this definition and the multi-criteria Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), 15 energy indicators have been proposed to evaluate sustainability performance of existing projects.  These indicators are spread over the standard three pillar approach – capturing economic, social, environmental dimensions, along with the contribution of a fourth ethical dimension of sustainability. Multiple stakeholder groups including 16 project planners, evaluators, advisors and investors have been consulted in applying the multi criteria Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Organisations consulted include University of Oslo, Aalto University, Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), Multiconsult AS, Micro-energy International, African Solar Designs (ASD), SunErgy AS, RVE.SOL, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Foundation of Rural Energy Services (FRES), Alliance of Rural Electrification (ARE), and Fortum Corporation. The outcome from two rounds of consultation surveys have yielded highest priority to economic dimension (33,18%), followed by social (27,55%) and ethical (23,17%) dimensions, and lastly the environment (16,18) dimension. With these prioritisations, the framework has been used to evaluate the performance of  rural decentralised solar projects in Kenya and Malawi. Results of this framework yielded average performance of Kenya and Malawi in the economic dimension – in Kenya being driven by a competitive O&M cost and delivery of project services to businesses; and in Malawi through a low rate of payment defaults and ability to increase tariffs with inflation.  In assessing the Kenya case study, a higher score in the social dimension was attributed to the range of services on offer resulting in better involvement of the community in the project as compared to the Malawian case study. However, a limited number of services in Malawi have ensured a more transparent and accountable management structure resulting in a higher score in the ethical evaluation. For both projects, environmental performance has been average due to lack of solid policies for waste treatment, end-use recycling of batteries, and some recorded negative impacts on the local bio-diversity-  Outcomes of the framework suggest a applicability of the framework in addressing concerns of multiple stakeholder groups including project planners, evaluators, advisors and investors in understanding operational challenges of rural solar projects. Insights from the case studies point towards the strength of  solar electrification as a means rather than the ultimate goal of rural development, the necessity of economic and social sustainability synergies during project operation, and the importance of affordable energy pricing and payment methods. / Bristande tillgång energi i utvecklingsländerna fortfarande ett stort hinder för den ekonomiska utvecklingen av landsbygden. 1,3 miljarder människor saknar tillgång till moderna energitjänster, och det finns ett behov av att föra andra än grid förlängning sätt på grund av de stora avstånden för de flesta av dessa samhällen från nationella elnät. Efter hållbar energi för alla (SE4ALL) initiativ av UN, har betydelsen av decentraliserade sol generationens system erkänt att uppfylla målen på landsbygden energi. Initiativet har också resulterat i ökande deltagande privata sektorn på landsbygden energi fältet för att öka projektgenomförande och leverans. För att utvärdera framgången med privata entreprenörer som arbetar på landsbygden energiprojekt har forskning föreslagit en ramverk för att utvärdera prestanda för operativa decentraliserade landsbygden solenergiprojekt hållbarhetsbedömning beslutsstöd. En elektrifiering av landsbygden projekt sägs att utföra ett hållbart sätt när det på ett tillförlitligt sätt säkerställer tillgång till sina tjänster för produktiva ändamål, samtidigt bedriva och få acceptans i samhället och som arbetar inom socioetiska normer behålla sin ekonomiska vinster samt att upprätthålla den lokala miljön. Baserat på denna definition och flera kriterier Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), har 15 indikatorer energi föreslagits för att utvärdera hållbarhetsprestanda av befintliga projekt. Dessa indikatorer är spridda över tre pelare strategi standard - fånga ekonomiska, sociala, miljömässiga dimensioner, tillsammans med bidrag från en fjärde etisk dimension hållbarhet. grupper Flera intressenter inklusive 16 projektplanerare, utvärderare, rådgivare och investerare har hörts vid tillämpningen av flera kriterier Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Organisationer som rådfrågats inkluderar University of Oslo, Aalto-universitetet, Institutet för energiteknik (IFE), Multi-Consult AS, Micro-Energy International, African Solar Designs (ASD), Sunergy AS, RVE.SOL, Styrelsen för internationellt utvecklingssamarbete (Sida), Foundation of Rural Energy Services (FRES), Alliance of Rural Electrification (ARE), och Fortum Corporation. Utfallet från två omgångar av undersökningar samråds har gett högsta prioritet åt ekonomisk dimension (33,18%), följt av social (27,55%) och etisk (23,17%) dimensioner och slutligen miljön (16,18) dimensionera. Med dessa prioriteringar har ramverket använts för att utvärdera landsbygdens decentraliserade solenergiprojekt i Kenya och Malawi. Resultaten av denna ramverket gav genomsnittliga resultat i Kenya och Malawi i den ekonomiska dimensionen - i Kenya drivs av ett konkurrenskraftigt O & M kostnader och leverans av projekttjänster till företag; och i Malawi genom en låg betalnings och förmåga att höja tullarna med inflation. Vid bedömningen av Kenya fallstudie ades en högre poäng i den sociala dimensionen hänföras till utbudet av tjänster som erbjuds resulterar i bättre medverkan av samhället i projektet jämfört med den malawiska fallstudie. Emellertid har ett begränsat antal tjänster i Malawi säkerställt en mer öppen och ansvarsfull förvaltning struktur resulterar i en högre poäng i den etiska bedömningen. För båda projekten har miljöprestanda varit genomsnittliga grund av brist på fasta principer för avfallshantering, slutanvändning återvinning av batterier och några inspelade negativa effekter på de lokala bio-diversity- Resultat av ramverket föreslå en tillämpning av ramverket för att ta itu oro flera intressegrupper inklusive projektplanerare, utvärderare, rådgivare och investerare att förstå operativa utmaningar på landsbygden sol projekt. Insikter från fallstudierna pekar mot styrkan i solar elektrifiering som ett medel snarare än det yttersta målet för landsbygdsutveckling, behovet av synergier ekonomisk och social hållbarhet under projektets drift och vikten av överkomliga priser energi och betalningsmetoder.

In today’s digital and mobile world it is more important than ever that companies offer a mobile solution for their costumers. Deciding which mobile solution to implement can be difficult. The purpose of this study is therefore to make this decision easier. Two mobile solutions, web apps and native apps, were compared in order to identify the most important factors that differentiate the two. By assigning the two mobile solutions one score each for every factor, we created a multi-criteria decision-making model. The model was then evaluated, improved and implemented as a decision-making tool. The second evaluation showed that the majority of the respondents agreed with the decision-making tool, suggesting that it could be applied as a recommendation for companies choosing between developing a native app and a web app. / I dagens digitala och mobila värld är det viktigare än någonsin för företag att erbjuda en mobil lösning för sina kunder. Att bestämma vilken mobil lösning som ska implementeras kan vara svårt och därför har denna studie för avsikt att underlätta detta beslut. Två mobila lösningar, webb-appar och nativ-appar, jämfördes för att kunna identifiera de viktigaste faktorerna som skiljer dem emellan. Genom att ge de två mobila lösningarna ett betyg var för varje faktor så kunde en multikriteriebeslutsmodell skapas, utvärderas och implementeras som ett beslutsverktyg. En andra utvärdering visade att majoriteten av de tillfrågade höll med beslutsverktyget vilket tyder på att det kan användas som rekommendation åt företag som väljer mellan att utveckla en nativ-app och en webb-app.

In order to find the optimal placement for a nuclear power plant (NPP) many different factors have to be taken into consideration. Choosing the wrong location could result in higher construction costs and/or taking avoidable risks. GIS can be used to compare different spatial criteria efficiently. There are currently six nuclear reactors operating in Sweden, producing approximately 40% of the total electricity produced in the country every year. These reactors are divided over three nuclear power plants: Ringhals, Forsmark and Oskarshamn. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the suitability of existing NPPs location in Sweden according to the current standards and guidelines and find good potential sites for a new hypothetical NPP in Sweden. The thesis is limited to investigate the geographical aspects of siting an NPP, and therefore economic decisions and law restrictions will have less impact on the end result. The methodology of the thesis is in line with International Atomic Energy Agency’s step by step siting procedure that includes a site survey in which candidate areas are derived using a set of exclusionary and avoidance criteria. This is followed by the comparison and ranking of these sites by implementing a suitability analysis in the site selection process to derive potential sites. The site survey process result in a map layer containing the candidate areas that fulfills the spectre of exclusionary and avoidance criteria set by the analyst. The site selection process includes weighting criteria compared to each other using the analytic hierarchy process which is based on the perceived importance of each criterion. The criteria are found in an initial study of available literature. Based on the gathered information, data is collected to execute the analysis in ArcMap. Both vector operations and raster calculations are made to produce the end result map layers. The analysis shows that Forsmark is the most suitable location for an NPP among the existing sites. Neither of the existing sites is considered a candidate site, but that depends heavily on how strict the avoidance criteria is set. Three candidate areas were chosen to be further investigated; Sjötorp, Mariefred and Vanneberga. Between these three Sjötorp was determined to be the most suitable location to site an NPP. One conclusion that can be drawn is that more knowledge in the nuclear power industry and more insight in the weighting part would probably lead to more accurate results. It is hard to know how accurate the model is but it could definitely be used and modified for further studies, either with the same goal in mind or with a different goal and modified criteria. / För att hitta det optimala området för ett kärnkraftverk måste man ta hänsyn till flera kriterier. Fel val av område kan resultera i extra konstruktionskostnader och/eller onödiga säkerhetsrisker. GIS kan användas för att jämföra geografiska kriterier på ett effektivt sätt. Idag finns det sex stycken reaktorer i bruk i Sverige. Dessa producerar ungefär 40% av landets el. Reaktorerna är fördelade på tre stycken anläggningar: Ringhals, Forsmark och Oskarshamn. Syftet med detta arbete är att utvärdera lämpligheten av placeringen av de existerande kärnkraftverken i Sverige i enlighet med nutida standarder och riktlinjer och att hitta bra potentiella områden för ett nytt hypotetiskt kärnkraftverk i Sverige. Arbetet är begränsat till att undersöka de geografiska aspekterna av nyförläggningsprocessen och därmed har ekonomiska beslut och lagrestriktioner mindre påverkan på slutresultatet. Metodiken för arbetet är i linje med IAEAs steg för steg nyförläggningsprocedur som inkluderar en site survey där candidate areas tas fram genom att använda en rad med kriterier för områden som antingen ska exkluderas eller undvikas. Dessa områden jämförs och rankas sedan genom att implementera en suitability analysis i site selection processen för att framhäva potentiella områden. Site survey processen resulterar i ett kartlager med de kandidatområdena som uppfyller spektrumet av kriterier som analytikern har bestämt antingen ska exkluderas eller undvikas. Site selection processen inkluderar att vikta kriterier i förhållande till varandra med hjälp av den så kallade analytic hierarchy process som baseras på den uppfattade vikten av varje kriterium. Kriterierna formuleras efter en initial litteraturstudie. Baserat på den samlade informationen hämtas data för att kunna utföra analysen i ArcMap. Både vektoroperationer och rasterberäkningar utförs för att producera de kartlager som sedan återfinns i slutresultatet. Analysen visar att Forsmark är den bäst lämpade platsen för ett kärnkraftverk utav de områdena där existerande kärnkraft är placerade. Inget av de existerande områdena anses vara ett kandidatområde, men det beror till stor del på hur strikt de kriterier som ska undvikas är satta. Tre kandidatområden valdes för vidare undersökning; Sjötorp, Mariefred och Vanneberga. Av dessa tre ansågs Sjötorp vara det bäst lämpade området för ett kärnkraftverk. En slutsats som kan dras är att djupare kunskap inom kärnkraftsindustrin och mer insikt i viktningen skulle leda till mer exakt resultat. Det är svårt att veta hur exakt modellen är men den skulle definitivt kunna modifieras och användas för framtida studier, antingen med samma slutmål eller med ett annat mål och modifierade kriterier.

Sustainability is a fairly new emerging business concept for manufacturing industry and this thesis will focus on smartphone manufacturing industry. In 2015 there were 1.86 billion smartphone users and it is estimated to increase to 2.87 billion in 2020. Currently the average lifetime of a smartphone is 21 months and According to Consumer Technology Association the technical life expectancy of a smartphone is 4.7 years. The European Commission approximated that from 17–20 kg of electronic waste is produced per person per year and that smartphones are contributors for increase of electronic waste. Also the smartphone manufacturing process has an impact on the people who are involved with manufacturing and resource extraction process.  Related social problems include conflict minerals, issues in manufacturing campuses, health problems and excessive worktimes. There has been suspicion that large manufacturing companies use labour market in areas that have a high risk of poverty or lack of national authority that can protect labour rights. To investigate these emerging issues that has an impact on smartphone manufacturing sustainability, a sustainability ranking criteria for individual smartphones devices and their manufactures was developed. Furthermore, the aim of the research is to develop a ranking system using life cycle perspective and to evaluate sustainability of a smartphones upcycling, recycling, and social aspects. This aim will be accomplished by the following objectives: Develop evaluation system for smartphones using Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) to evaluate sustainability; Comparing sustainability of smartphones Fairphone 2, iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, using developed Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA); Conducting general sustainability- focused survey about consumer demand for sustainable and ethical electronics. The method used in this research to assess smartphone sustainability was Multi-Criteria Analysis(MCA), based on eco-design trends and three pillars of sustainability, – economic, environmental and social. Eco-design will be supported using EcoDesing Roadmap by Conrad Luttropp and Göran Brohammer. In parallel with MCA method a survey was developed to briefly assess consumer’s behaviour in terms of choosing sustainable electronics. For better understanding about the consumer value on purchase decision, a survey was made considering the technical and sustainable aspects. The results of this survey will be used as indicator. Furthermore, results from this research (Table 1 MCA evaluation results) revealed that majority of chosen smartphones where lacking sustainable products aspects. This MCA ranking system also confirm that for sustainable designed smartphone it is equally important to have well established environmental management system for overall manufacturing process and afterlife of smartphone. Continuing, after conducting deeper analysis with combined results from MCA, survey revealed that general public are willing to pay more for sustainable products, but consumers lack information about the overall manufacturers` sustainability, as well Indicating that communication between manufacturers and consumers are very weak or even one way. The conclusion of the study about Smartphone sustainability assessment using multi-criteria analysis and the consumer survey has provided better understanding about the lack of transparency and complex logistics manufacturing process of smartphone. The lack of qualitative data and transparency from the manufactures side is a major issue that creates lot of uncertainties about smartphone manufacturing process and social issues for workforce that is involved in this manufacturing process.

Innovation outside the company’s core business is essential for any company in a fast-changing environment. Companies that want to engage in strategic innovation in order to embrace emerging opportunities need ways of managing the innovation process. There is currently limited research on how to select among and evaluate innovation proposals for emerging opportunities in the context of intrapreneurship. This master thesis investigates how an incumbent high-tech company that promote intrapreneurship uses criteria in the selection process of innovation proposals. The study conducts an embedded single-case study of the case company, referred to as Company A, by collecting qualitative data through archival documents and 19 semi-structured interviews. The study uses Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation to analyse the results. Findings show that an incumbent high-tech company uses a set of criteria that is a mix of the previous findings in the context of new product development and external investors. The criteria utilized in the selection process are within the dimensions market and value, product and technology, operations and financials, corporate alignment, and team. The conducted interviews exposed that personal considerations constitute additional informal criteria for the evaluators, and much emphasis is put on the intrapreneur’s characteristics and presentation. Findings from the interviews suggest that criteria should be utilized less strict in the beginning of the process, which is supported by previous researchers. Criteria also contribute with transparency to the innovation process and can be used as guidelines for the innovator. Christensen’s theory contradicts the use of the criteria market size, corporate alignment and to validate the innovation with a customer because of the nature of emerging markets and technologies. / Innovation utanför företagets kärnverksamhet är viktigt för alla företag på en snabbt föränderlig marknad. Företag som vill satsa på strategisk innovation för att kunna ta tillvara på nya möjligheter behöver metoder för att kunna hantera innovationsprocessen. Detta examensarbete undersöker hur ett etablerat högteknologiskt företag som främjar intraprenörskap använder kriterier i urvalsprocessen att välja mellan olika innovationsförslag. Studien genomför en fallstudie genom att studera ett bolag, benämnt företag A, och samlar in kvalitativa data genom arkivdokument och 19 semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studien använder Christensens teori om disruptiv innovation för att analysera resultaten. Resultaten visar att det studerade högteknologiska företaget använder ett antal kriterier som stöds av tidigare forskares resultat inom området produktutveckling och externa investerare. Kriterierna som identifieras i studien är inom dimensionerna marknad och värdeskapande, produkt och teknik, företagsverksamhet och ekonomi, hur väl innovationen passar företaget och team. Intervjuerna avslöjade att personliga överväganden utgör ytterligare informella kriterier för de som utvärderar, som lägger stor vikt på intraprenörens egenskaper och presentation. Resultaten tyder på att kriterierna bör användas mindre strikt i början av processen, vilket stöds av tidigare forskning. Kriterier bidrar också till insyn i innovationsprocessen och kan användas som riktlinjer för innovatören. Christensens teori stödjer inte användningen av kriterierna marknadsstorlek, hur väl innovationen passar företaget och att verifiera innovationen med en kund på grund av osäkerhet kring framväxande marknader och nya teknologier.

The study evaluates sustainability aspects of small scale biogas production in Yogyakarta Province of Indonesia. Growing number of livestock (i.e. cows, sheep, chicken, pigs, and other domestic animals) in the region brings opportunity to produce biogas from livestock manure, leading to improve energy security especially in household, while contributing to renewable energy target which is 31% from Total Primary Energy Demand (TPES) in all sectors by 2050. Biogas potential from cattle, horse, buffalo, pig, sheep, goat, chicken and duck which own by household in all regencies within the province of Yogyakarta (i.e. Bantul, Gunung Kidul, Kulon Progo, Sleman, and City of Yogyakarta) are calculated. Biogas digesters types and options for biogas utilization are evaluated by set of indicators in terms of technical, economic and environmental dimensions. Performance of the four types of digesters (i.e. fixed dome, floating drum, polyethylene tubular and concrete tubular digester) are examined based on the dimensions. For digester assessment, the dimensions are divided into several indicators, such as the lifetime, process efficiency, capital cost, operation and maintenance cost, feed-to-water ratio. The assessment would ensure that installation of biogas have optimum technical performance, attractive investment for the owner, and does not exploit too much natural resources. Equal weighted sum method is used to compare the digesters performance. The second assessment is to evaluate options for off-grid electricity use and cooking based on several indicators which are levelized cost of energy (LCOE), Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Benefit-to-Cost Ratio (BCR), Payback period and emissions saving. The production of biofertilizer, which is not part of the current system, is taken into account for additional income for biodigester’s user. The study estimates 1,211.35 TJ/year of biogas energy can be produced from livestock manure or equals to 44.72% of the total energy consumption in the household sector in Yogyakarta province in 2013. Gunung Kidul Regency has the most potential biogas from livestock, followed by Kulon Progo, Sleman, Bantul, then City of Yogyakarta. Utilization of biogas for household cooking could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province up to 1,260.66 MtCO2e per year while biogas for electricity reduce 1,562.144 3   MtCO2e annually. The fixed dome digester obtains the highest score in the most of indicators assessed. For biogas utilization, biogas for cooking shows better performance in economic and environmental aspects. Biogas for cooking requires lower capital cost (US$ 850 less) and get higher NPV (US$ 2,000 more) than biogas for electricity. Yet, biogas for electricity save 301.48 MtCO2e more GHG emission than biogas for cooking. From digester and biogas utilization assessments, household biogas in Yogyakarta has been used the sustainable option for digester, which is fixed dome digester, and biogas utilization, which is biogas for cooking. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is done to know parameters that affect NPV for biogas for cooking and biogas for electricity. Biogas yields, fertilizer price, and LPG price are shown as the top three parameters that affect NPV for biogas for cooking utilization. While for biogas for electricity, the affecting parameter are electricity price, biogas yields, fertilizer price, and generator efficiency. From the sensitivity analysis, several recommendations were developed to maximize the current project. The recommendations are improvement of biogas stove efficiency, recommendation for biogas installation system, creating market demand for biogas by diminishing LPG subsidy, suggestion for progress monitoring and institutional recommendation for the program. Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resource done several monitoring to check whether the digester is still operating. However, there is no follow-up action for digester that is not operating anymore. On the other hand, Yayasan Rumah Energi (YRE), the main provider of biogas installation and service in Yogyakarta Province, conduct annual user survey. This survey focuses on satisfaction level of digester’s user after installation. Investigation regarding the impact of biogas project, such as energy shift from LPG to biogas and digestate utilization, is missing. Besides biogas for cooking, there are opportunity to develop biogas for electricity since several regencies in Yogyakarta does not have 100% electrification ratio, such as Gunung Kidul (82%) and City of Yogyakarta (69%). Due to available biogas potential, development of biogas for electricity in Gunung Kidul is more promising than in City of Yogyakarta. Additionally, research of biogas in Indonesia should be integrated with industries and private sector. For instance, by mass production of low cost generator which had been developed by Indonesian Institute for Sciences (LIPI) and by developing mini grid installation for biogas.

Detta examensarbete behandlar det mål- och kriterierelaterade betygssystemet som används i svenska skolor idag. Vi har valt att undersöka hur lärare uppfattar det nuvarande betygssystemet och vilka utmaningar de möter när de betygssätter i det engelska ämnet. Intresset för ämnet fördjupades under vår slutpraktik, och efter att ha haft diskussioner tog vi beslutet att djupare granska det nuvarande betygssystemet. Ett skäl för detta var att vi ville känna oss tryggare när vi väl lämnar lärarhögskolan. Eftersom det nuvarande betygssystemet är ett redskap för lärare att arbeta med debatteras detta dagligen i skolan. Även om lärarna ger intryck av att fortfarande ha problem med det nuvarande betygssystemet, visar resultaten att majoriteten av de intervjuade har förstått systemet. Det verkar som om svårigheterna snarare är hur man ska tolka de olika styrdokumenten eftersom målen och kriterierna ofta är väldigt öppna. En allmän åsikt hos lärarna är att de inte har några svårigheter med betygssättandet i sig i det nuvarande betygssystemet, men de efterfrågar dock fler betygssteg för att bättre kunna förklara var eleverna befinner sig på betygsskalan. Vi kom slutligen fram till att lärarna anser att systemet gynnar elever såväl som lärare. Dessutom är det även nödvändigt att ständigt diskutera det nuvarande betygssystemet så att man bättre förstår vad det innebär. / This dissertation deals with the goal- and criterion-referenced grading system in use in Swedish schools today. We have chosen to investigate how teachers perceive the current grading system and what challenges they are faced with when grading in the English subject. The interest for this topic was deepened during our final in-school-practices after which we discussed the issue with each other and came to the conclusion that the grading system would be useful to delve into in order to feel more secure when leaving the teacher training college. The current grading system is debated in schools on a daily basis since it is a tool for teachers to work with. Although the teachers give the impression of still having difficulties with the current grading system, the results show that the majority of the interviewees have grasped the system. It rather seems as if the difficulty is how to interpret different policy documents due to the fact that the goals and the criteria are of a general nature at times. A general opinion among most of the teachers is that they do not have difficulties with the grading itself in the current grading system. But they do, however, request further grading steps in order to be better able to explain where the students are on the grading scale. Moreover, we concluded that the teachers believe the system to benefit the students as well as themselves. Also, that it is necessary to continuously have discussions concerning the current grading system so as to better understand what it entails.

Although there are many studies focusing on the environmental impacts of alternative vehicle options, social and economic dimensions and trade-off relationships among all of these impacts were not investigated sufficiently. Moreover, most economic analyses are limited to life cycle cost analyses and do not consider macro-level economic impacts. Therefore, this thesis aims to advance the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment literature and electric vehicle sustainability research by presenting a novel combined application of Multi Criteria Decision Making techniques with Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for decision analysis. With this motivation in mind, this research will construct a compromise-programming model (multi-objective optimization method) in order to calculate the optimum vehicle distribution in the U.S. passenger car fleet while considering the trade-offs between environmental, economic, and social dimensions of the sustainability. The findings of this research provide important insights for policy makers when developing strategies to estimate optimum vehicle distribution strategies based on various environmental and socio-economic priorities. For instance, compromise programming results can present practical policy conclusions for different states which might have different priorities for environmental impact mitigation and socio-economic development. Therefore, the conceptual framework presented in this work can be applicable for different regions in U.S. and decision makers can generate balanced policy conclusions and recommendations based on their environmental, economic and social constraints. The compromise programming results provide vital guidance for policy makers when optimizing the use of alternative vehicle technologies based on different environmental and socio-economic priorities. This research also effort aims to increase awareness of the inherent benefits of Input-Output based a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and multi-criteria optimization.

Due to increasing concerns for global climate change, onshore and offshore wind energy technologies have stimulated a tremendous interest worldwide, and are considered as a viable solution to mitigate the environmental impacts related to electricity generation. Although wind energy technologies have been considered as one of the cleanest energy sources, they have a wide range of direct and indirect environmental impacts when the whole supply chain is considered. This study aims to quantify the direct and indirect environmental impacts of onshore and offshore wind power technologies by tracing all of the economy-wide supply chain requirements. To accomplish this goal, we developed a comprehensive hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) model in which process-based LCA model is combined with the economic input-output (EIO) analysis. The analysis results show that on average, concrete and steel and their supply chains are responsible for 37% and 24% of carbon footprint, consequently. On average, offshore wind turbines produce 48% less greenhouse gas emissions per kWh produced electricity than onshore wind turbines. For the onshore wind turbines, concrete, aggregates, and crushed stone approximately consume 95% of total water in this construction phase. On the other hand, concrete, lead, copper, and aggregate are responsible for around 90% of total water for the offshore wind turbines. It is also found that the more capacity the wind turbine has, the less environmental impact the wind turbine generates per kWh electricity. Moreover, based on the economic and environmental impacts of studied wind turbines and also three more nonrenewable energy sources, this study develops a decision making framework to understand the best energy source mix for a building in the state of Florida. This framework accounts for the uncertainty in the input material by deploying a Monte Carlo iii simulation approach. The results of decision making framework show that natural gas is a better option among nonrenewable sources. On the other hand, V90-3.0 MW offshore wind turbine is the best source of energy among renewable energy sources for a building. The findings of this research are critical for policy makers to understand the direct and indirect environmental impacts of different onshore and offshore wind energy systems. Also this study furnishes the decision maker with a range of possible energy mixes based on different economic and environmental weights.