Detta examensarbete avhandlar hållbarhetsprojekten och målsättningar av Sveriges 10 största byggföretag samt deras ställningstaganden gentemot Agenda 2030. Faktum att begreppet hållbarhet kan uppfattas och definieras på olika sätt har skapat en viss otydlighet i världen kring begreppet. De största byggföretagen i Sverige presenterar en hållbarhetsredovisning som redogör för de framgångsrika hållbarhetsprojekten inom verksamheten samt företagets framtida planer. Byggföretagens tillvägagångssätt i deras arbete för att uppnå målen i Agenda 2030 är i stort sätt densamma, med undantag för vissa bolag som har unik taktik. Flera av de utvalda byggföretagen har även antalet mål uppsatta som sträcker sig längre fram än år 2030; vilket delvis beror på regeringens klimatlag för att uppnå ett klimatneutralt Sverige år 2045. I denna studie har fyra mål från Agenda 2030 blivit utvalda för granskning; sedan har byggföretagens hållbarhetsredovisningar undersökts i syfte att utläsa företagens ställningstaganden i förhållande till målen. Teorin om svag och stark hållbarhet tillämpad i en organisation har applicerats på respektive byggföretags hållbarhet vilket resulterade i ett tydligt mönster. Resultaten pekar mot att styrkan av hållbarhet i ett företag beror på dess omsättning, vilket var relativt klart eftersom hållbarhetsredovisningarna hos de företag som hade större omsättning var mer omfattande samtidigt som målsättningen var mer preciserad och antalet hållbarhetsprojekt högre. Härvid bör nämnas att signaleringsteorin till viss del motsäger antagandet om att hållbarhetsstyrkan av ett företag är beroende på dess omsättning. Signaleringsteorin menar att företag kan öka sitt värde och popularitet via frivillig redovisning samt betoning och upplyftning av de ’finare’ delarna ur verksamheten. Framtida studier kan finna denna studie som hjälpsam för bedrivandet av forskning inom samma fält. Ytterligare fördjupande rapporter inom samma område kan framtas med denna studie som grund, vilket möjligtvis kan ljusna förutsättningarna av djupdykande hållbarhetsresearch av alla typer av företag, bygg- eller inte. Hållbarhetsarbete är ett relevant ämne i världen just nu, varför ytterligare studier av denna karaktär fordras i syfte att uppnå en bättre förståelse för hållbarhetskonceptet och utvecklingen av effektiva strategier för en ännu mer hållbar värld / This thesis deals with the sustainability programmes and goals of Sweden's 10 largest constructioncompanies as well as their position on Agenda 2030. The fact that the concept of sustainability canbe perceived and defined in different ways around the world has created a certain ambiguity aroundthe notion. The largest construction companies in Sweden present sustainability reports that accountfor successful sustainability projects as well as future planning. The work of construction companiesin achieving the goals of Agenda 2030 is much the same, with the difference of some companieshaving unique approaches to achieving them. Several of the selected construction companies in thisthesis also have a number of goals set up that extend beyond the scope of 2030, partly because of theSwedish government's climate legislation for creating a climate-neutral Sweden by 2045.In this study, four goals from Agenda 2030 have been selected for analysis within the frame of thechosen construction companies' sustainability reports. The reports have been analyzed in order todecipher the companies’ different positions in regard to the chosen goals. The theory of weak andstrong sustainability applied in an organization has been applied to the sustainability of eachconstruction company, which produced a clear pattern as a result. The degree of strength within thesustainability efforts depends on the individual company’s turnover. This was relatively clear sincethe sustainability reports of the companies with a higher turnover were more comprehensive,contained more clearly presented progress, all while the number of Agenda 2030-goals was greater.Herein must be noted that the Signal Theory contradicts, to some extent, the assumption that thestrength of a company's sustainability is dependent on turnover, since companies can increase theirvalue and popularity through voluntary accounting and emphasize and highlight the ‘finer’ parts ofthe business.Future studies can find this study helpful in carrying out research within the same field. Even morein-depth investigational reports can be done using this study as a foundation, which could possiblybrighten prospects for deep-digging sustainability research into any type of company, constructionor non-construction. Sustainable work is a relevant topic in the world right now, which is whyfurther studies of this character will be needed in order to achieve a better understanding of thesustainability concept and development of effective strategies to make the world even moresustainable.

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San Joaquin wooly-threads (Monolopia congdonii; Asteraceae) is a federally-listed, endangered annual plant species from the desert areas of the San Joaquin Valley. Its limited range puts it at risk of extinction if the climate changes in such a way as to hinder its growth and reproduction. The primary aims of the study were to 1) determine how long-lived the seeds of the M. congdonii are, a key determinant of survival of desert annual plant populations through long droughts and 2) determine how severely hotter, drier conditions impact the ability of emerged plants to grow and reproduce. Secondarily, I aimed to test two hypotheses 1) is seed longevity within the genus Monolopia correlated with habitat aridity? 2) do species’ geographic range limits represent their climatic tolerances? In testing the viability of seeds of Monolopia species collected from herbarium specimens and old field collections, I did not find evidence for the predicted pattern of seed longevity. Though, idiosyncrasies in the data suggest possible issues with the longevity of M. congdonii seeds that are collected prematurely and warrant further investigation to develop best practices for seed collections of this species. To test the climatic tolerance of M. congdonii and the relationship between geographic range and climatic tolerance, I grew several desert annual species under three manipulated water treatments. And while, M. congdonii failed to germinate, the other species showed variable tolerance for the drought treatments but this variability was seemingly unrelated to the species’ geographic range. Importantly, Monolopia lanceolata, a close relative of M. congdonii did not show exceptional vulnerability to the drought-stress conditions relative to other co-occuring species. Taken together, the results of this study enable better informed population viability analyses with the end goal of allowing recovery efforts to succeed.

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This study examines the intellectual capital (IC) disclosure practices in the annual reports of 100 listed UK firms selected from sectors considered to be IC-intensive. It also investigates the possible determinants of such disclosure practices from the three perspectives of corporate governance structure, company characteristics and market factors. IC disclosures were captured using content analysis, and were measured by a disclosure index, supported by word count and percentage of word count metrics to assess the variety, volume and focus of IC disclosure respectively, at both overall and subcategory levels. The presentational formats and locations of IC disclosures were also recorded. The results indicate that the UK firms sampled provide considerable IC information in their annual reports, mainly in text form, with popular use of numerical information, while the use of graphs and pictures for many IC elements remains low. The distribution of IC disclosures, captured in three categories, varies by the three measures of disclosure applied. IC information was found in virtually all sections of the annual report and was most concentrated in the Operating and Financial Review section. IC terms typically used in the academic literature do not feature in the sampled annual reports. The results of the statistical analyses based on the three measures of IC disclosure indicate significant associations with a number of corporate governance factors (i.e. board composition, share concentration, audit committee size and frequency of meeting, board directors¿ shareholding, audit committee directors¿ shareholding, and board directors with cross-directorships), company characteristics (i.e. firm size, profitability, and listing age), and market factors (i.e. `hidden value¿, share price volatility, share turnover, and multiple listing). These findings offer support for a number of theories, such as information asymmetry, agency and signalling theory. The influence of these explanatory factors on human, structural and relational capital disclosures, based on all three disclosure measure metrics, as well as on the format of IC disclosure, was also explored. The study also finds that its IC framework is more effective than a less detailed framework used in prior studies for the purpose of examining IC disclosure practice and its determinants. The study contributes to the further advancement of the state of knowledge in relation to IC disclosure both empirically and methodologically. It provides information users, preparers, regulatory bodies and academics with a state-of-the-art understanding of IC disclosure practices in the annual report. The transparent content analysis process enables future replication and comparison of results. The rigorous measurements of IC disclosure, the greater specificity of disclosure about the location and presentational format, and the more detailed IC research framework can be usefully applied by other studies. By examining the relationship between explanatory factors and IC disclosure, it helps shareholders and other groups of information users as well as the regulatory bodies to identify factors that may encourage IC disclosure in the annual report.

Golf courses can expand hundreds of acres, making scouting for both pests and beneficial insect populations a time-consuming task. Scouting for insects is labor-intensive, potentially damaging, but is an integral part of an integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM) plan. Virginia golf courses are currently using remote sensing and light reflectance to detect non-insect pests in turfgrass. This thesis aims to develop remote sensing and light reflectance methods to aid in a turfgrass IPPM plan, to document the phenology of ABW weevil (Listronotus maculicollis Kirby, Coleoptera: Curculionidae, ABW), and to catalogue pollinator-friendly out-of-play areas. Light reflectance, the measurement of the amount of light reflected, of plants can be used as a proxy for the health of a plant. The light reflectance of turfgrass affected by ABW stress and plants in the out-of-play areas of golf courses was collected proximally and remotely, using a backpack spectrometer and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), respectively. Mathematical light reflectance indices were applied and compared to insect populations in both areas to determine the correlation. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which uses red and near-infrared wavelengths to indicate stress, was found to highlight ABW stressed turfgrass. The Structure Intensive Vegetation Pigment Index (SIPI), which uses red and green wavelengths to highlight flowering plants, was found to highlight potential pollinator- friendly habitats in out-of-play areas. When applied to flights, NDVI could help in the targeted application of insecticides to combat the annual bluegrass weevil, therefore reducing their presence in the environment. The use of SIPI could highlight potential pollinator friendly habitats and therefore assist superintendents in the development of their IPPM plan. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Scouting, such as completing visual monitoring or taking soil core samples, is an important part in the development of an integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM) plan for Virginia golf courses; an IPPM plan focuses on control of a pest, while considering the needs of pollinators. The size of golf courses makes scouting for insect pests and beneficial insects a time-consuming task. Golf courses are currently using remote sensing, the use of drones in combination with other technology, to scout for other pests or disease. Light reflectance, the measurement of the amount of light reflected, is often used in combination with remote sensing as a proxy for the health of plants. This thesis developed remote sensing and light reflectance techniques not only to detect a common turfgrass pest, the annual bluegrass weevil (Listronotus maculicollis Kirby, Coleoptera: Curculionidae, ABW), but to also predict the presence of potential pollinator habitats in the out-of-play areas of Virginia golf courses. Instruments such as a spectrometer and a drone were used to collect light reflectance at the ground level and aerially, respectively. Ground data was collected through soap water flushes to detect adult ABW, and visual monitoring of potentially pollinating bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies. The light reflectance and ground data were compared using mathematical indices to determine if there was a relationship between the presence of insects and a particular index. Indices could be applied to drone flights that golf course superintendents are already performing, and they can use this information to highlight potential areas of insect presence. This will help them to take care not to apply insecticides in areas with pollinators or to only apply necessary insecticides where there is likely a presence of ABW. This will reduce the labor, other costs, and the environmental impact of insecticides.

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The “Great Recession” of 2008 decimated many facets of the U.S. economy in the short-term but the long-term effect of the recession on the retirement security of millions of Americans is a story in progress. This study investigates the impact of the 2008 recession on the public pensions of state and local government employees. Prior to the recession, the 19 million current state and local government employees enjoyed the prospect of a retirement built on the tradition FDR’s three “legs”: a private pension from their employer, personal savings, and Social Security. Although the “first leg” of retirement, the private pension, disappeared in the late 20th century for the majority of American workers, state and local public sector employees were the exception-with about 90% eligible for a defined benefit pension at the beginning of the 21st century (GAO 2008). The 2008 recession, effected all U.S. states, however the response to reduced investment earnings for state-administered public pensions varied. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) noted in one year, 44 states enacted 269 pension bills (NCSL 2013). The changes enacted in state legislation, all involved a reduction in benefits. The retrenchment actions ranged from suspended cost-of-living allowance (COLA) increases and increased employee contributions to the loss of the defined pension benefit. Several states, after the 2008 recession, terminated the defined pension benefit for future employees, one state (Rhode Island) changed to a hybrid plan for current employees. Scholars seeking to understand retrenchment of benefits argue the lack of a “public outcry” permit elected officials to act without fear of a backlash (Pierson 1994). Conversely, conditions that prevent political opponents to transfer costs to a losing coalition and instead compromise on a long-term sharing of costs, is considered policy investment (Jacobs 2011). This study seeks to use retrenchment and investment theories to explain the public pension actions U.S. states took following the 2008 recession. The quantitative analysis confirms several expectations of retrenchment theory, such as the importance of interest groups, represented by the number of public sector employees in a state and the level of unionization within a state’s public sector. Investment theory predictions are not confirmed in the quantitative analysis, however a case study analysis of Delaware does find conditions of political compromise resulting in long-term stability for the pension plans. The quantitative analysis expected to find a strong “mirror” relationship between a pension plan’s funded ratio (assets to liabilities) and the state’s annual required contribution (ARC). The relationship between the two key measures, while positive and significant, is small. The unexpected finding led to a focus on ARC payments and the political conditions surrounding the decision to fund or not fund a state’s annual contribution. Delaware and Oklahoma are examples of states with adequate ARC payments yet contradictory public pension actions. Rhode Island and New Jersey are states with inadequate ARC payments, yet also contradictory public pension actions. Understanding the conditions that led to a state’s decision to pay or not pay the ARC also uncovers a host of actions states take to manipulate their required contributions. Regardless of similar institutions and budget processes across the 50 states, not every political institution gets the same results. Politics and state norms will change the outcome. / Political Science