Background: Today’s global social and environmental issues are impacting the way of doing business around the world with an increased pressure on organizations to implement sustainability practices in a more strategic manner. Many organizations lack the practical knowledge to integrate sustainability efficiently. Scholars argue for the importance of organizational learning for the transition towards sustainable corporations. While the problem is evident across industries, dealing with the problem effectively is particularly important within the property sector since property development is a fundamental part of building a sustainable society, hence crucial for Sweden’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Purpose: To analyze the management of organizational learning for the integration of corporate sustainability in organizations within the Swedish property sector. Method: By using a qualitative research methodology with a single-case study of a Swedish property management firm, in-depth empirics could be collected from semi-structured interviews conducted with members of the organization from various departments and positions, and across regions. An abductive approach was applied where we used and extended previous theory before presenting a final model where theory and findings were aligned. Conclusion: Our model showed how organizational learning can be managed for the integration of corporate sustainability across different levels of an organization – individual and group, organizational, and societal where various practices where identified on each level – see Figure 7. / Bakgrund: Företag runt om i världen står inför en utmaning att implementera hållbarhetsfrågor på ett mer strategiskt sätt för att hantera de globala sociala och miljömässiga aspekterna inom hållbarhet. Många organisationer saknar den praktiska kunskapen att integrera hållbarhet effektivt. Enligt forskning är organisatoriskt lärande viktigt för övergången till mer hållbara företag. Även om problemet är tydligt inom alla industrier, så är det speciellt viktigt för företag inom fastighetsbranschen att integrera hållbarhet då fastighetsutveckling är en grundpelare för att bygga ett hållbart samhälle. Följaktligen innebär detta att fastighetsbranschens hållbarhetsarbete är kritisk för Sveriges möjlighet att uppnå de 17 globala målen och utförandet av Handlingsplan Agenda 2030. Syfte: Att analysera hur organisatoriskt lärande kan hanteras för att integrera hållbarhet i organisationer inom den svenska fastighetsbranschen. Metod: Genom att använda oss av en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med en fallstudie av ett svenskt fastighetsbolag samlades djupgående empiri in från semi-strukturerade intervjuer som hölls med medlemmar ur organisationen från olika avdelningar, roller och regioner. Med ett abduktivt tillvägagångssätt till forskningsarbetet använde och utvecklade vi tidigare teori innan vi presenterade en slutlig modell där teori och empiri sammanställdes. Slutsats: Vår modell visar hur organisatoriskt lärande kan hanteras över olika organisatoriska nivåer av ett företag – individ och grupp, organisation, och samhälle – för att integrera hållbarhet genom olika tillämpningar, se figur 7.

Com a introdução de políticas estratégicas de sustentabilidade corporativas esperase que as empresas aprimorem várias questões, dentre as quais, aquelas relacionadas ao trabalho, propiciando maior bem estar para seus trabalhadores. Dentro do contexto da engenharia da produção foi buscado conectar a temática da sustentabilidade com a temática do trabalho, esta última contemplada pela disciplina da ergonomia. Através de estudos de caso desenvolvidos em quatro empresas consideradas de referência em sustentabilidade analisou-se como a introdução da temática da sustentabilidade influenciou as questões relacionadas ao trabalho, desde a divulgação no externo e no interno da organização, passando pela análise dos meios organizacionais de desdobramento, até a fase de projeto de trabalho. Esta última fase é o instante em que se prescreve o trabalho na organização. Espera-se que a empresa engajada na sustentabilidade dedique uma posição de relevância ao trabalhador e ao seu bem-estar nesta fase. Os estudos de caso foram essenciais para confirmar sete proposições as quais permitiram confirmar a tese de doutorado, a saber, \"Embora sejam divulgadas como incluídas, não existem evidências explicitas de que mudanças no trabalho sejam consideradas durante a introdução de políticas de sustentabilidade\". A partir desse resultado de pesquisa, são discutidas as contribuições que podem ser proporcionadas pela disciplina de ergonomia nas empresas para aumentar a efetividade da introdução das questões de trabalho em suas políticas de sustentabilidade sistêmicas, permitindo um alinhamento entre o que é divulgado e o que realmente é introduzido nas organizações. / With the introduction of strategic corporate sustainability policies, it is expected that companies improve several issues. Work is one of those issues, leading to provide greater well-being for workers. Within the context of production engineering, this research connects sustainability and work issues, the latter contemplated by the discipline of ergonomics. Through case studies developed in four companies considered benchmark in sustainability, it was examined how the introduction of the theme of sustainability has influenced the work-related issues. The elements analyzed were the corporate sustainability strategy, the organizational paths to deploy the strategy and the work design phase. The last element is the moment in which work is prescribed in the organization. It is expected that the company engaged in sustainability dedicates a position of relevance to workers and their well being at this stage. Case studies are essential to confirm seven propositions, which allowed confirming the thesis, namely: \"Although disseminate as included, there is no explicit evidence that changes in work are considered when introducing sustainability policies\". The thesis is the starting point for discussions about the contributions of the discipline of ergonomics to increase the effectiveness of the introduction of work issues in corporate sustainability policies. There is an opportunity to align what is disseminated and what really is introduced into organizations, about work issues.

Titel: Hållbarhetsstyrning med fokus på lönsamhet - En kvalitativ studie om hur företag gör ekonomiska överväganden i sitt hållbarhetsarbete Kurs: 17VT-2FE75E Ekonomistyrning, kandidatuppsats Författare: Amanda Fredriksson, Tina Palm, Mahdi Tounsi Handledare: Anders Jerreling   Bakgrund: I dagens samhälle ökar kunskapen kring samhället och flertalet människor uppmärksammar saker i vår omgivning. Det sker ständiga omvärldsförändringar med en ökad globalisering, urbanisering och även omfattande digitalisering omkring oss. Definitionen av hållbarhet är vag och det handlar om att finnas eller försvinna beroende på hur företag lever upp till alla miljöaspekter. Det handlar om att kunna hantera sina naturliga och sociala resurser framöver vilket kommer vara något som ger legitimitet för företag.   Syfte: Denna studie har som syfte att undersöka hur företag styr mot hållbarhet för att samtidigt bibehålla eller öka sin lönsamhet. Vi vill även se till vilka ekonomiska överväganden företag gör i sitt hållbarhetsarbete.   Metod: Studien har utgått från en forskningsmetod med kvalitativa drag och med en abduktiv ansats. Den empiriska materialinsamlingen består av fyra stycken kvalitativa intervjuer som har bidragit till en djupare förståelse kring det valda ämnet som studerats.   Teori: Vår teoretiska referensram innefattar beskrivning av ekonomistyrning, styrmedel, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Sustainability (CS), Carroll's CSR pyramid, Van Marrewijk’s three approaches, Van Marrewijk’s relationsmodell, lönsamhet, intressentteori och legitimitetsteori.   Empiri: Den empiriska delen består av granskning kring hållbarhetsarbete i fyra företag med helt olika verksamhetsområden belägna i Kalmar. Detta görs utifrån intervjuer med respektive företags verkställande direktör (vd).   Slutsats: Studien visar att företag gör både positiva och negativa ekonomiska överväganden i sitt hållbarhetsarbete. Vi kan även se att de styrmedel som främst används i hållbarhetsstyrning är informativa samt informella styrmedel. Vi kan även se att företag tar begrepp som ekonomisk-, ekologisk- och social hållbarhet i beaktning för att verka mot ett mer hållbart samhälle. Dock prioriteras inte delarna lika mycket hos varje enskilt företag. Studien har även visat på stor inverkan från vissa intressenter i företagets hållbarhetsstyrning.   Nyckelord: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Sustainability, Hållbarhet, Ekonomistyrning.

Title: The influence of culture on corporate sustainability Authors: Adriana Corral Alonso and Daphné Lapourré Supervisor: Jean-Charles Languilaire Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, Marketing Key words: Sustainability, sustainable development, corporate sustainability, Tetra Pak, culture, cultural influence, cultural dimensions, France, Spain, Sweden… Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how and to what extent cultural aspects can influence the corporate sustainability of a given company. Method: It is a qualitative case study enhancing on one hand primary research and on the other hand secondary data. The primary data based on three interviews of Tetra Pak key employees in France, Spain and Sweden are completed by the secondary research based on facts about Tetra Pak and on key authors’ books. Theoretical framework: The framework consists of theories and models about sustainability and its extensions and about cultural dimensions theories. Conclusion: Culture has an influence on corporate sustainability. However the extents are not easy to measure and vary according to the culture and the country’s means.

Com a introdução de políticas estratégicas de sustentabilidade corporativas esperase que as empresas aprimorem várias questões, dentre as quais, aquelas relacionadas ao trabalho, propiciando maior bem estar para seus trabalhadores. Dentro do contexto da engenharia da produção foi buscado conectar a temática da sustentabilidade com a temática do trabalho, esta última contemplada pela disciplina da ergonomia. Através de estudos de caso desenvolvidos em quatro empresas consideradas de referência em sustentabilidade analisou-se como a introdução da temática da sustentabilidade influenciou as questões relacionadas ao trabalho, desde a divulgação no externo e no interno da organização, passando pela análise dos meios organizacionais de desdobramento, até a fase de projeto de trabalho. Esta última fase é o instante em que se prescreve o trabalho na organização. Espera-se que a empresa engajada na sustentabilidade dedique uma posição de relevância ao trabalhador e ao seu bem-estar nesta fase. Os estudos de caso foram essenciais para confirmar sete proposições as quais permitiram confirmar a tese de doutorado, a saber, \"Embora sejam divulgadas como incluídas, não existem evidências explicitas de que mudanças no trabalho sejam consideradas durante a introdução de políticas de sustentabilidade\". A partir desse resultado de pesquisa, são discutidas as contribuições que podem ser proporcionadas pela disciplina de ergonomia nas empresas para aumentar a efetividade da introdução das questões de trabalho em suas políticas de sustentabilidade sistêmicas, permitindo um alinhamento entre o que é divulgado e o que realmente é introduzido nas organizações. / With the introduction of strategic corporate sustainability policies, it is expected that companies improve several issues. Work is one of those issues, leading to provide greater well-being for workers. Within the context of production engineering, this research connects sustainability and work issues, the latter contemplated by the discipline of ergonomics. Through case studies developed in four companies considered benchmark in sustainability, it was examined how the introduction of the theme of sustainability has influenced the work-related issues. The elements analyzed were the corporate sustainability strategy, the organizational paths to deploy the strategy and the work design phase. The last element is the moment in which work is prescribed in the organization. It is expected that the company engaged in sustainability dedicates a position of relevance to workers and their well being at this stage. Case studies are essential to confirm seven propositions, which allowed confirming the thesis, namely: \"Although disseminate as included, there is no explicit evidence that changes in work are considered when introducing sustainability policies\". The thesis is the starting point for discussions about the contributions of the discipline of ergonomics to increase the effectiveness of the introduction of work issues in corporate sustainability policies. There is an opportunity to align what is disseminated and what really is introduced into organizations, about work issues.

This thesis is a critical evaluation of the theory and practice of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM). It seeks to understand why SSCM theory has so little to say about environmental sustainability and to explore how SSCM practice is contributing towards the transition towards sustainable development. I conjecture that SSCM scholars have not engaged sufficiently with the broader sustainability literature and other constructions of sustainability, which has led to a lack of theory development within SSCM. The sustainability paradigms framework that forms the core of the thesis was developed in order to broaden the discussion around sustainability within SSCM. Specifically, it embraces the contested nature of the concept of sustainability and uses multiple sustainability paradigms to construct future directions for theory development. In order to put the concept of environmental sustainability at the centre of SSCM theory, the concept of ‘environmental effectiveness’ was developed which seeks to differentiate between environmentally sustainable strategies and those that merely seek to achieve reductions in unsustainability. In order to evaluate the practice of SSCM, a case study was conducted. The concept of ‘environmental effectiveness’ is operationalized through the use of non-perceptual measures related to carbon emissions and evaluates the extent to which SSCM practices contribute towards climate stabilization, a key sustainability objective. It is found that those SSCM practices that have been shown to improve ‘environmental performance’ within the extant SSCM literature did not deliver ‘environmentally effective performance’ within the case study. This raises the possibility that the literature has mistaken reductions in unsustainability for sustainability proper and that we may need to go back to basics. The findings are discussed with reference to the sustainability paradigms framework and multiple opportunities for theory development within SSCM are explored.

Sustainability Reporting amongst corporates has been growing in prominence with, amongst others, the Principles for Responsible Investment outlined in 2005, the King III Report published in 2010 and International Integrated Reporting framework published in late 2011. The need for analysing the business case for sustainability reporting underpins the motivation for this research which undertook to ascertain the link between certain organisational attributes, sustainability reporting and financial performance. The literature review identified conflicting results in similar studies, and given that this is a fast evolving field of study, this study was deemed necessary. A quantitative research method was used utilising financial and operational data for 200 South African organisations, in an attempt to study the correlation between key organisational attributes, sustainability reporting frameworks, and financial performance. This research adds to the ongoing and dynamic ‘business case for sustainability’ discussion, by studying the links and correlations between the quality of sustainability reporting, specific organisational attributes and key financial performance ratios. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Climate change is increasingly acknowledged as one of the greatest threats facing humanity in the 21st century. Given the enormity of the potential impact of global warming, worldwide collective action from all sectors of society appears to be the only appropriate way to address the problem. Within the corporate sector companies appear to be responding to the threat through the introduction of climate change mitigation strategies. Understanding the motivations driving such action could provide insights into how best to engage companies to ensure a sustainable future. The purpose of this study was to determine the motivation for corporate investment in sustainability projects, with a focus on the voluntary climate change mitigation actions of South African companies. The first phase of the study focused on conceptual research through a literature review which investigated sustainability in a corporate context with a view to understanding motivational drivers. The second phase of the study empirically tested the insights obtained from the literature. The literature review led to the development of a proposed conceptual framework which illustrated proposed linkages between business and the natural environment. The key motivational drivers supporting these linkages appeared to be legitimacy concerns, the financial business case and moral responsibility. The empirical phase took the form of an exploratory case study focused on six South African companies across three industries. An interpretive research process was followed using pattern models to analyse the data. To enhance transparency and rigour, qualitative data analysis software was used in the analytical process. Three key areas were investigated and the main findings were as follows: <ul> <li>Overview of sustainability values: The sustainability values of the companies reflected top management commitment to environmental issues and a shift away from a purely technocentric view of the business relationship with the natural environment however, these sentiments were not necessarily translated into actions.</li> <li>Motivations for sustainability initiatives: As suggested by the proposed conceptual framework, company motivations were driven by legitimacy concerns, the financial business case and moral responsibility. In addition, the study revealed a number of sub-drivers which provided additional information regarding motivations.</li> <li>Impact of voluntary action on company value: From a value perspective there was limited disclosure regarding the financial implications of climate change mitigation, however there was general agreement that the financial impact of mitigation action would be either neutral or positive as current strategies focus predominantly on energy and operational efficiencies.</li> </ul> Therefore, while companies appear to be motivated by a range of factors, the key consideration in decisions taken focus predominantly on aspects linked to the current paradigm dominated by financial concerns. There is little evidence of an evolution of sustainability consciousness which could potentially lead to a new sustainable business paradigm. In light of these findings, it would appear that current solutions to climate change issues need to send financial signals to companies to ensure adoption of mitigation actions. Further work is required to understand what will drive a fundamental value shift in the way companies operate to ensure a sustainable future. Copyright / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Financial Management / unrestricted

As the impacts of climate change intensify, businesses are increasingly committing to ambitious sustainable development goals, yet an enduring disconnect remains between corporate sustainability activities and declining global environment and society. This study adopts a complexity view that reductionism associated with Newtonian thinking has played a key role in creating many of the sustainability issues now faced by humanity. This dissertation departs from the premise that sustainability needs to be integrated into an organisation and uses a complexity view to argue that corporate sustainability is a co-evolutionary process of emergence. Whilst many studies have examined how sustainability can be integrated into a business, less is known about corporate sustainability as an emergent process. To address the knowledge gap, this research answered three questions: (1) How does sustainability emerge in financial institutions? (2) What is the role of coherence in the emergence of sustainability? and (3) What conditions enable the emergence of sustainability? A mixed method sequential design was used. In the initial quantitative strand of the research, a holistic business assessment survey based on integral theory was implemented in two financial services organisations in Southern Africa. The results were analysed using self-organising maps and explored in narrative interviews in the subsequent qualitative strand of the research. The study makes three contributions to our understanding of emergence in corporate sustainability. First, by proposing four modes by which corporate sustainability is enacted; these elucidate how integral domains are enacted in corporate sustainability. Second, by clarifying the process of emergence by articulating how zones of coherence emerge between embodied and embedded dimensions. Third, by explaining how the shift to corporate sustainability occurs by means of four conditions. These contributions serve to advance our understanding of corporate sustainability as a fundamental shift in the functioning of an organisation towards coevolutionary self-organisation. It is recommended that corporate sustainability is holistically cultivated to support emergence and self-organisation, rather than being integrated through a linear process of change.

Several studies have examined the business case of corporate sustainability and responsibility (CSR) but there is less evidence which demonstrates the lasting positive impact of CSR on society. This exploratory study examines the perceptions of business responsibility in the wine industry from the social perspective. Bound by the legacies of slavery, the Cape wine industry has been shaped by unequal social, racial and cultural dynamics of power since the 1600s. The qualitative research approach adopted was designed so as to draw out insights from key decision-makers via nine semi-structured interviews. Positioned within a holistic framework, and drawing upon systems thinking, this research produced a number of key findings. Firstly, there is some evidence of systemic CSR in the dataset; firms placed explicit emphasis on the training and upskilling of previously marginalised groups, and took collective responsibility for solving social problems. There were examples of business creativity in establishing share schemes, although the success of these in remedying deep structural inequalities remains unclear. Secondly, the findings provide evidence of paternalistic behaviours on wine estates operating within existing hegemonic power structures. The participants’ experiences of social initiatives largely equates to the empowerment of community groups via specific benevolent projects. The main conclusion drawn is that CSR in the Winelands commonly manifests as a mutation of entrenched paternalism, and thus is not a substitute for broader structural reform.