This qualitative research aims to explore what different faculty-member at different Swedish and British Universities think about the role of sustainability in the finance industry and education. The investigation is mainly focused on education part of finance. Majority of participants are actively involved in determining the course contents that they teach which influence the teaching environment for students and how they are prepared for their future career. As a whole, this thesis sheds a light on how faculty-members are involved in integrating sustainability in their teaching to be able to influence finance students. In order to justify the need for sustainability emphasis in the academic finance and the finance industry, relevant examples and explanations have been provided to support the idea. One of main highlights of this thesis is that personal values and ethics are the determinants of the understanding of the concept of sustainability. Hence, it has been observed that there is a lack of sustainability understanding and integration in the finance education system as well as a lack of emphasis on personal ethics in universities that are subject to this research.

Bakgrund: Hållbarhet har under de senaste åren blivit ett allt mer aktuellt diskussionsämne och 2016 infördes lagen om hållbarhetsrapportering i Sverige för att främja stora företags hållbarhetsarbete. Studier visar dock att många företag fortfarande pratar mer om hållbarhet än arbetar med det och frågan är därför hur hållbarhet kan bli en mer integrerad del av verksamheten. För att få medarbetare att arbeta i rätt riktning och uppfylla uppsatta mål används ekonomistyrning, så även vid integration av hållbarhet och hållbarhetsmål. Syfte: Studien syftar till att undersöka samt skapa förståelse för hur hållbarhetsrapportens mål och åtaganden, med hjälp av ekonomistyrning, kan integreras i verksamheten och på så sätt bidra till förbättrat hållbarhetsarbete. Genomförande: Studien är en kvalitativ flerfallsstudie med iterativ ansats. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in via semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex respondenter från sex olika fallföretag, som valdes ut med hjälp av ett målstyrt bekvämlighetsurval. Slutsats: Studien resulterar i att företag arbetar olika mycket med hållbarhetsfrågans tre ansvarsområden, beroende på kontext. Vidare har informella styrmedel en mer framträdande roll vid integration av hållbarhet och hållbarhetsmål än formella styrmedel. Slutligen kommuniceras hållbarhet och hållbarhetsmål till anställda via ett antal olika forum, dels indirekta kanaler som intranät men även direkta kanaler som obligatoriska diskussioner. / Background: Sustainability has in recent years become an increasingly present topic of discussion and in 2016 the Swedish law about Sustainability Reporting was introduced to promote sustainable development of large companies. However, studies show that many companies are still talking more about sustainability than working with it and the question is therefore how sustainability can become a more integrated part of the business. In order to get employees to work in the right direction and meet set goals, management control is used, it can also be used when integrating sustainability and sustainability goals. Purpose: The study aims to investigate and create an understanding of how the goals and commitments in the sustainability report, through management control, can be integrated into the business and thus contribute to improved sustainability. Completion: The study is a qualitative multi-case study with an iterative approach. The empirical material has been collected through semi-structured interviews with six respondents from six different case companies, which were selected through a goal- oriented convenience sample. Conclusion: The study concludes that companies has various focus on the three areas of sustainability, depending on their context. In addition, informal control instruments have a more prominent role in the integration of sustainability and sustainability goals than formal control instruments. Finally, sustainability and sustainability goals are communicated to employees through a number of different forums, indirect channels such as intranets as well as direct channels as mandatory discussions.

The imminent consequences of the deteriorating state of the socio-ecological systems pose significant challenges to the well-being of society and societal functioning. The financial sector, specifically banks, plays a crucial role in the transition toward sustainable development because they hold the financial resources and the power to allocate these resources. For banks to contribute to this transition, credit risk assessment (CRA) can serve as an impactful process for sustainability integration. However, as CRA is a well-incorporated process within banks, it is unclear if it is strategic enough to support a transition toward sustainability. This research, therefore, aims to analyse the key gaps, opportunities, and limitations for integrating sustainability considerations into the credit risk assessment process using a strategic sustainable development (SSD) lens. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) was used as a conceptual framework to give a better understanding of the sustainability challenge and to analyse how credit risk assessment can contribute to sustainable development. Data were collected through document review and semi-structured interviews with practitioners from Nordic banks who have relevant experience to explain how banks incorporate sustainability into their credit risk assessment practices within corporate lending and credit. A semi-systematic literature review was also done to determine the views and methods of integrating sustainability considerations into the credit risk assessment process according to academic literature. The findings were structured using the FSSD’s 5-Level Model (5LM) to identify the key gaps, limitations, and opportunities in literature and practice. The results suggest that the key gaps in integrating sustainability into the credit risk assessment process are sustainability data inadequacy, inaccessibility, incomparability, trustworthiness, and storage, and the qualitative manner of sustainability data. Further to these limitations is a competence gap where crucial skillsets needed include systems and sector-specific sustainability knowledge.

This research highlights the different coping strategies used by African immigrant parents to surmount social exclusion and marginalization from a professional's point of view. On this note, the authors' objective of this study is to identify the different coping strategies used by African immigrant parents in the face of exclusion and marginalization in Sweden. The study also has an objective to examine the measures taken by professionals in helping immigrant parents to cope with social exclusion and marginalization in Sweden. Following this trend, the study is conducted using a qualitative research approach. An interview guide was drafted, and four professionals who deal with African immigrant parents were interviewed. The authors used social exclusion theory to explain the phenomenon in the study. Finally, the findings from the study reveal that most African immigrant parents face the same problem of the language barrier, which makes them prone to social exclusion. The four professionals interviewed, however, believe that these African immigrant parents have developed coping strategies innately, from good counsel, by creating networks and carving a niche in the labor market whether skilled or not. This makes them better integrated into the Swedish system.

Background: Sustainability is realized by companies to different extends as plenty of pressures operate on projects which influence the outcome. One specific influence are the actors who make sense of the pressures based on organizational and personal experiences. By the combination of institutional logics and organizational sensemaking theory, organizational influences in form of pressures and logics (forming the macro-level) and personal views based on individual sense making (micro-level) are combined to a micro-macro connection. The integration of the both theories leads to a deeper understanding on ‘sustainability integration’. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to understand how individuals handle sustainability in a project in a multinational company with has a focus in sustainability. It is of most interest how the influences, represented by the concept of institutional logics, are constructed by the sensemaking of the actors. Research question: How do employees make sense of a project with a sustainability purpose based on institutional logics? Method: The research design of this thesis is an exploratory case study with data collection by the hands of semi-structured interviews. Abductive reasoning was applied. An epistemological position of constructivism and interpretivism was taken. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that organizational pressures are not explicitly noted by each individual. A collective sensemaking is found in the fact that a sustainable project must be affordable for the customers to meet their needs. This finding however, can be traced back to the organizational level which is coined by a strong value culture.

[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver recomendações para que a Penco Móveis SA possa integrar a sustentabilidade de forma estratégica nos seus negócios. As empresas não apenas enfrentam pressões crescentes para se engajar com os desafios socioambientais atuais, mas também têm a oportunidade de criar valor atendendo às necessidades da sociedade. Este estudo de caso investigou o contexto competitivo, os temas relevantes para o setor da companhia e o posicionamento de seus concorrentes. Além disso, as práticas da companhia foram mapeadas e analisadas por meio de diferentes metodologias para compor um diagnóstico que orientou as recomendações. Concluiu-se que é relevante para a Penco desenvolver um plano de ação abrangendo três pilares: desenvolvimento de competências internas e cultura para a inovação, engajamento externo e atendimento de demandas atuais da sociedade. / [en] The objective of this work was to develop recommendations for Penco Móveis SA to strategically integrate sustainability into its business. Companies not only face increasing pressures to deal with current socio-environmental challenges but also have the opportunity to create value by addressing societal needs. This business case study investigated the competitive context, relevant topics for the company s sector, and its competitors. Furthermore, the company s practices were mapped and analyzed through different methodologies to build a diagnosis that guided the recommendations. It was concluded that it is relevant for Penco to develop an action plan encompassing three pillars: the development of internal competencies and a culture for innovation, external engagement, and meeting current societal demands.

Title: Integration of Sustainability Factors in Property Valuation - A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Sustainability Factors on the Valuation Process of Commercial Properties in Sweden   Subject: Bachelor's Thesis in Business Administration, 15 Credits   Authors: Sebastian Åkerlund & Wilmer Grunditz   Supervisor: Peter Palm Research Questions: How are sustainability factors managed in the process of valuing a commercial property? How do sustainability aspects impact risk assessment in property valuation?   Purpose: The study aims to investigate how sustainability aspects are managed in the valuation process of a commercial property. It also seeks to explore how sustainability aspects influence the risk assessment of a property during valuation. The study intends to collect empirical data from expert actors within the Swedish property valuation industry. This includes external consultants from independent entities, internal appraisers, and appraisers from credit institutions.   Method: The study was conducted using a qualitative research approach and involved semi-structured interviews with property valuers from various segments and geographical areas in Sweden.   Conclusion: The conclusion is that property valuers handle sustainability factors differently due to the lack of an industry standard. Furthermore, sustainability aspects impact risk assessment differently due to the nature of property valuation and the lack of transparency in the commercial property market. It is evident that the valuation industry is undergoing significant changes with sustainability integration.   Keywords: Property Valuation, Sustainability, Risk Assessment, Commercial Properties, Sustainability Integration

Bakgrund: Allt fler företag har idag erkänt betydelsen av att ta ett ökat samhällsansvar, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), samt att regelbundet kommunicera arbetet med deras intressenter. Då CSR saknar en enhetlig definition och därmed också en enhetlig modell att arbeta efter, skapar det emellertid oklarheter vad arbetet ska leda till. CSR kan då omfamnas av företag som enbart ser arbetet som ett PR-trick och gör symboliska handlingar för att utåt sett uppfattas som goda samhällsmedborgare. Det kan därför ifrågasättas hur väl CSR-arbetet integreras i kärnverksamheten. Det har dock kommit allt fler lagkrav och standarder inom området, vilket potentiellt kan skapa en tydligare ram men även ett annat synsätt. Syfte: Denna studie har som syfte att få en ökad förståelse över CSR som begrepp för att sedan se hur företagen arbetar för att integrera CSR i kärnverksamheten och varför. Studien ser även till påverkan av ökad reglering, för att se om företags syn på CSR har förändrats.    Metod: Studien har huvudsakligen en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi med en deduktiv ansats då studien tar avstamp i tidigare studier. De företag som studerats är Lammhult Design Group AB och Electra AB. Som datainsamlingsmetod har det genomförts semistrukturerade intervjuer med ansvariga personer, men det har även skickats ut en medarbetarundersökning i form av en enkät. I studien har jag dessutom inhämtat information från fallföretagens hemsidor samt års- och hållbarhetsredovisningar.   Resultat och slutsats: Det är inte lika viktigt att finna en enhetlig definition av CSR i dagens samhälle. CSR som begrepp har dessutom allt mer kommit att ersättas av hållbarhet som anses vara ett vidare begrepp. Vidare är det en långsam process att integrera CSR i kärnverksamheten, där intern CSR-röst, utbildning, rutiner och information är av särskild vikt. Genom att ha ett hållbarhetsarbete i framkant och se det som värdeskapande kan företag undvika påtryckning vid potentiella händelser såsom lagkrav. / Background: Today, most companies have recognized the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and regularly communicating the work with stakeholders. Since CSR lacks a uniform definition and thus also a uniform model to work for, it creates uncertainties about the purpose of the work. Companies who only do symbolic actions to be perceived as good citizens of the community can then use CSR as PR. It can therefore be questioned how well CSR is integrated into the core business. However, it has been an increasing number of legal requirements and standards in the area, potentially creating a clearer framework but also another approach.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain a greater understanding of CSR as a concept and then see how companies work to integrate CSR into core business and why. The study also looks at the impact of increased regulation, to see if views on CSR have changed.   Method: The study has primarily a qualitative research strategy with a deductive approach that stands on previous studies. The companies studied are Lammhult Design Group AB and Electra AB. As a data collection method, I have conducted semi-structured interviews with responsible managers, but also a staff survey. I have also used the homepages websites and annual and sustainability reports.   Outcome and conclusion: It is not as important to find a unified definition of CSR in today's society. The concept of CSR has been replaced by sustainability, which is considered as a broader term. Furthermore, it is a slow process of integrating CSR into core business, where internal voice, education, routines and information are of particular importance. By maintaining sustainability at the forefront companies can avoid pressure such as legal requirements.

The attention to sustainability impacts arising during the lifecycle of products is growing as industry wants to increase its contribution to a sustainable society. To do so, companies must find ways to navigate the complexity of the needs within the socio-ecological system in which they operate. In engineering design projects, the interpretation of needs into requirements is essential, as they represent the collective understanding of the design problem to be solved. Ideally, requirements are possible to verify and validate, which makes it challenging for industry to integrate socio-ecological considerations, often based on qualitative models, into requirements. Sustainability then tends not to be prioritized in trade-offs with traditionally identified requirements for engineering design. A qualitative research approach within design research methodology framed a sequence of studies guided by the research question ‘How can requirements be utilized to support Sustainable Product Development?’ First, a research gap was identified from a literature review which indicated a lack of socio-ecological systems contextualization in the identification, as well as the traceability of sustainability criteria to integrate into requirements. Secondly, a conceptual model was established for how management of requirements can be improved to facilitate traceability, as well as how contextual socio-ecological systems perspective can be introduced in the selection, of sustainability criteria for engineering design projects. For this purpose, the results from a multiple-case study based on semi-structured interviews with seven design and manufacturing companies was triangulated with findings of an in-depth literature analysis. Five key elements of management of sustainability in requirements were proposed in a profile model corresponding to different levels of sustainability maturity. A third study explored, based on literature and prototype causal loop diagramming, the potential of a group model building approach to enhance contextual understanding of strategically identified, i.e., company-tailored, sustainability criteria in relation to traditional requirements in early phases of the product innovation process. A final study investigated how a strategic sustainability perspective can be integrated with engineering design methods and value modelling to create a decision support for concept selection. The studies together indicate that key constituents of good requirements, traceability and systems contextualization, can be achieved also for socio-ecological sustainability considerations. This requires organizational commitment and will be reflected in the design of the operational management system for their product innovation process. Following the proposed five key elements of sustainability integration in requirements, a company is expected to increase the organizational sustainability maturity, and hence its capability to contribute to a sustainability transition. This research also shows that there is a gap in current methods and tools for enhanced socio-ecological systems contextualization. The two last studies of this thesis give promising approaches of tools and methods to be further developed and analyzed, namely group model building, system analysis and value modelling.

For society to move towards sustainability, competent engineers able to tackle systemic socioecological challenges are needed. To ensure this, integrating sustainability in engineering education is instrumental. This research aims to examine the current state of sustainability integration within Swedish engineering programs, as well as identifying challenges, needs, and drivers for integrating sustainability from the perspective of educators. Using a survey (P=55)and interviews (E=7) with educators of engineering master’s programmes in Sweden, the findings showed that: - Sustainability is not being strategically integrated. Tools as the framework of Sustainability Competencies have potential to help with the integration. - The main challenges inhibiting integration include a lack of resources, time, relevant sustainability teaching materials, and perceived relevance of sustainability to engineering courses. - The main drivers of integration are management directives, funding, educator’s personal convictions, and the increase of sustainability as a topic in common discourse. - Some main needs include building competence in educators, increased collaboration with sustainability experts, and learning from other universities regarding the process of integration. Whilst all educators show sustainability awareness, most educators lack knowledge and right conditions for integrating sustainability into engineering education. Considering the interconnectedness of all factors, adopting a systemic approach is necessary in order tostrategically integrate sustainability in engineering education.