Large parts of Earth’s natural ecosystems have been converted into simplified production system. These production systems, named the Global Production Ecosystems (GPE) are characterised by homogenised and industrial production, that delivers predictable yields of biomass and is highly connected through global trade. The anthropogenic inputs required to keep this predictability is likely to cause environmental degradation and could cause novel risks in the long term. The rise of flex crops is a phenomenon that is likely to further promote this homogenisation and industrialisation. These are crops with multiple and flexible uses that are increasingly targeted by agribusinesses to feed the demands of food, feed, fuel and other industrial products. This study examines global flex crops production ecosystem through the lens of resilience thinking, by analysing production data over time, including the social and environmental impacts of inputs, and assess the national concentration of production. I find that flex crops have expanded and intensified more so than similar crops. Since 1961 flex crops harvested area have increased in more than 150% in size, while similar crops have increased 10%. At the same time yields for flex crops have almost tripled, while similar crops have doubled their yield. I also find that in some aspects flex crops are heavily reliant on anthropogenic inputs. On a global scale the use of inputs is generally concentrated to a small number of countries, but that the average use of inputs varies greatly between countries. These findings indicate that the development of flex crops is an important to research to understand the GPE and that using resilience thinking is key to understand this phenomenon.

Global industries are characterized by complex networks of organizations, which are often dominated by a few disproportionately large transnational corporations. While industry consolidation is not a new phenomenon, the scale and speed at which global industries now impact diverse social-ecological systems is unprecedented. In this thesis, I combine the interconnected perspective of business ecosystems with the sustainability focus of the social-ecological systems literature through the concept of keystone actors. Adopting a network perspective, I apply this framing to the global clothing industry, and specifically analyze the patterns of coordination and collaboration among actors working to address systemic sustainability challenges facing the industry. While keystone actors wield significant influence over both the industry’s biophysical and socio-economic impacts, I find it is the presence of key brokers – actors who mediate indirect connections between keystone actors in the clothing industry – that possess the potential to coordinate action around sustainability challenges into a collective industry-wide effort. I conclude the thesis by discussing how the empirical findings, and network perspective more generally, can advance the study of keystone actors in global business ecosystems.

Sustainable strategic management emerged from the coevolution of strategic thinking in today's sustainability challenging business environment. Business ecosystems, designed to create socially and ecologically responsible economic opportunities for their members, have emerged as excellent structures for implementing sustainable strategic management strategies along the whole pyramid of coevolving developed, developing, and undeveloped markets. Both the business ecosystem leaders and niche players in these whole pyramid business ecosystems have critical roles to play in formulating and implementing potentially profitable strategies that help reduce the human footprint and improve the quality of human life. Ecosystem leaders need to be responsible for creating and shepherding their business ecosystems' visions of a sustainable future, and niche players need to be responsible for providing the ecosystem with an innovation trajectory designed to make those visions a reality.

Sustainable strategic management emerged from the coevolution of strategic thinking in today's sustainability challenging business environment. Business ecosystems, designed to create socially and ecologically responsible economic opportunities for their members, have emerged as excellent structures for implementing sustainable strategic management strategies along the whole pyramid of coevolving developed, developing, and undeveloped markets. Both the business ecosystem leaders and niche players in these whole pyramid business ecosystems have critical roles to play in formulating and implementing potentially profitable strategies that help reduce the human footprint and improve the quality of human life. Ecosystem leaders need to be responsible for creating and shepherding their business ecosystems' visions of a sustainable future, and niche players need to be responsible for providing the ecosystem with an innovation trajectory designed to make those visions a reality.

The main diet of herbivorous waterfowl, such as swans, coots, and ducks, consists of submerged macrophytes. The grazing by waterfowl below the surface may affect the biomass and species composition of the submerged plants. The vegetations is, however, also affected by e.g. water turbidity, periphyton growing on the plants and water temperature. This literature study aimed to assess the impact of waterfowl on the biomass and production of submerged vegetation in shallow, eutrophic lakes and how this may vary with the season. The review showed that the density of submerged vegetation biomass varies during the seasons but tends to be highest in the summer. Waterfowl density is usually highest during autumn migration. According to experimental field studies in which waterfowl were excluded from protected areas, showed that protected plants had longer shoots and fewer stumps and, in several studies, also higher biomass, than in areas where waterfowl resided free. Although several studies have shown that waterfowl affect the biomass of macrophytes in different ways, is still uncertain to what degree and whether this has a negative or positive impact on the species composition of vegetation in a longer time perspective. However, alternative state shifts in shallow eutrophic lakes from a clear to a turbid water state have not been shown to be caused by waterfowl. With climate change, the time and place of waterfowl migration and wintering will most probably change. This could lead to altered pressure and seasonality of the grazing by waterfowl on submerged vegetation. / Växtätande sjöfåglars diet består huvudsakligen av undervattensvegetation. Fåglarna betar av växterna oftast under ytan, men undervattensvegetationens biomassa och artsammasättning påverkas inte bara av sjöfåglar, utan också av en rad andra faktorer, till exempel vattnets grumlighet, påväxtalger och vattentemperatur. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att undersöka under vilka förutsättningar betning från sjöfåglar har betydelse för undervattensvegetation. Växternas biomassa har visats minska i samband med sjöfåglars födointag, om den huvudsakligen består av vattenväxlighet. Vegetationens täthet varierar under året men uppnår störst täthet under sommaren. Sjöfåglar har visats vara i störst täthet under höstmånaderna, i samband med flyttning. Experimentella studier har genomförts genom att jämföra skyddade områden där sjöfåglar utestängts med öppna områden där sjöfåglar kunnat beta. I de skyddade områdena var växterna generellt längre och hade flera skott. Där fanns också färre stubbar än i de öppna områdena. Flera studier har visat att sjöfåglarna påverkar vegetationens biomassa på olika sätt men det är fortfarande osäkert i vilken grad och om detta över längre tid har en negativ eller positiv påverkan på vegetationens artsammansättning. I och med nutida klimatförändringar kan sjöfåglars tidpunkt och plats för migration och övervintring att förändras. Detta kan leda till att sjöfåglarna inte emigrerar från sjöar och kommer därav med största sannolikhet påverka undervattensvegetationen.

La formulación estratégica se enfrenta a nuevos retos, por lo cual resulta interesante analizar su influencia en la ejecución estratégica en la actualidad. Así, la presente investigación plantea como interrogante central: ¿Cómo influye la formulación en la ejecución estratégica? El propósito de este documento es presentar una investigación basada en la evolución de la gestión estratégica a través de los años de acuerdo con los pensamientos de diversos autores que contribuyeron al crecimiento de distinguidas organizaciones. Por esta razón, el objetivo general del presente trabajo es determinar si las estrategias tradicionales desarrolladas por los autores pioneros del siglo XX continúan teniendo vigencia en la formulación y ejecución estratégica de las empresas en la era digital. Para el presente artículo se utilizó un método de investigación cualitativa que permitió, específicamente, identificar los principales enfoques de distintos autores de los siglos XX y XXI. Del estudio se pudo concluir que las estrategias tradicionales están vigentes en esta nueva era digital, pero se considera que su enfoque se debe retroalimentar y evolucionar para ser susceptible de adaptación a las nuevas condiciones de mercado. / Strategic formulation faces new challenges, that is why it is interesting to analyze its influence on strategic execution. Thus, the current investigation states as its main question: How does formulation influence strategic execution? The purpose of this document is to present an investigation based on the evolution of strategic management throughout the years, considering different authors’ reflections which contributed to the growth of distinguished organizations. For that reason, the general objective of this work is to determine if the traditional strategies developed by the pioneering authors in the 20th century are still valid in the formulation and strategic execution of companies in the digital era. This article used a qualitative method of research that helps identify the different approaches of several authors of the 20th and 21st centuries. The study concluded that traditional strategies are still valid in the formulation and strategic execution of companies in the digital era. However, their perspective must be fed back and evolve, in order to be susceptible to adaptation in the new market conditions. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

Climate change, global warming and anthropogenic disturbances are threatening freshwater ecosystems globally. The protection and preservation of freshwater environments, its biodiversity and all of its services for human well-being requires comprehensive knowledge of the impacts that climate change and anthropogenic disturbances have on freshwaters and freshwater species. In-depth knowledge needed for conservation strategies can be established through versatile assessments. Quantitative assessments and the investigation of prevailing environmental relationships within ecosystems constitute the basis for sustaining freshwater systems. However, it is a great challenge to quantify the multifaceted effects of climate change and to broaden the understanding of complex environmental relationships. This thesis aims at contributing to an extension of the understanding of climate change impacts on freshwater ecosystems and environmental relationships, which implies the provision of useful guidelines for the protection and preservation of freshwaters. For this, various statistical approaches based on comprehensive data sets are applied at different scales, ranging from local to global assessments. In particular, five research studies investigating the (1) water quality-nutrient and temperature relationships in European lakes, (2) drivers of freshwater fish species distributions across varying scales in the Danube River delta, (3) globally derived thermal response curves and thermal properties of native European freshwater species, (4) differences between thermal properties derived from native and global range data, and (5) thermal performances of freshwater fish species for different life stages and different global future dispersal scenarios are presented to address the effects of environmental change. Main results of this thesis comprise various aspects of conservation implications and planning. (i) The first study outlines drivers influencing water quality through studying multi-dimensional relationships and compares different modelling techniques in order to outline models that are suitable for the identification of complex driver interactions. (ii) The second study addresses scale effects on the performance of species distribution models, which are commonly used for assessments of climate change impacts, and identifies key predictors driving distributions for the varying scales and studied species. (iii) The third study parameterizes thermal responses of species from different taxonomic groups and assesses the potential resilience in terms of warming tolerance and additional thermal properties as well as the influence of future rising temperatures on current distributions. (iv) The fourth study quantifies the differences in thermal response curves and thermal properties for freshwater fishes derived from global and continental data in order to clarify the need for using global range data in studies making suggestions for conservation planning. (v) The last study estimates the impact of changing climatic conditions on species distribution ranges of two fish species for different time periods by including biotic information about thermal performances for various life stages. Overall, this thesis contributes to the broad field of studying consequences and impacts of climate change on freshwater ecosystems. By applying statistical methods tailored to the underlying investigations, useful implications for conservation planning are derived.

Bakgrund: Under de senaste tio åren har världen fått uppleva en våg av innovationer och teknologier som svept över produktionsanläggningar, detta fenomen kallas industri 4.0 eller den fjärde industriella revolutionen. En av de industrier som industri 4.0 har haft en stor påverkan på är stålindustrin. Hur kommer en högre grad av digitalisering påverka ekosystemet inom en industri där många av aktörerna är anpassade till traditionella och konventionella tillvägagångssätt? Syfte: Syftet med studien är att bidra med en ökad förståelse kring hur ett ekosystem inom den svenska stålindustrin kommer förändras i takt med utvecklingen och anpassningen till industri 4.0. Genomförande: Denna studie har utgångpunkt i en abduktiv ansats och med ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt. Intervjuer har utförts med sjuföretag med koppling till den svenska stålindustrin. Slutsats: Studien har bidragit till slutsatsen att SSAB:s ekosystem kommer röra sig mot att bli mer integrerat företagen emellan och samtliga aktörer kommer agera mer för ekosystemets hälsa och det gemensamt skapade värdet. Detta kommer karaktäriseras av ett större förmedlande av data och i sin tur värde genom hela ekosystemet. Det som ligger till grund för att detta ska ske är förändringen av företagens affärsmodeller. Tjänstefiering har blivit och kommer bli allt mer vanligt bland företag inom stålindustrin. Förändringen av ekosystemet kommer kräva att företag måste leverera mer än bara stålet; det är data och tjänster kopplat till produkten som kommer bli allt mer viktigt. För att detta ska realiseras krävs det dock specifika kompetenser inom respektive företag, vilka är intern kompetens, rättledarskap och ökad transparens. Dessa tre kompetenser blir således grundstenarna till att ekosystemet slutligen kommer att förändras. / Background: Over the past 10 years, the world has experienced a wave of innovations and technologies that has swept across production facilities, this phenomenon is known as Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution. One of the industries that Industry 4.0 has had a major impact on is the steel industry. How will a higher degree of digitalization affect the ecosystem of an industry where many of the players are adapted to traditional and conventional approaches? Purpose: The purpose with this study is to contribute with a higher knowledge about how an ecosystem within the Swedish steel industry will change along with the development of and adaption to industry 4.0. Completion: This study is based on an abductive perspective and with a qualitative approach. Interviews have been conducted with seven companies with links to the Swedish steel industry. Conclusion: The study has contributed to the conclusion that SSAB's ecosystem will move towards becoming more integrated between the companies and all players will act more for the health of the ecosystem and the jointly created value. This will be characterized by a greater dissemination of data and, in turn, value throughout the ecosystem. The basis for this to happen is the change in the companies' business models. Servitization have become and will become more and more common among companies in the steel industry. The change in the ecosystem will require companies to deliver more than just the steel; it is data and services linked to the product that will become increasingly important. However, in order to achieve this, specific competencies within each company are required, which are internal competence, the right leadership and increased transparency. These three competencies thus become the cornerstones for the ecosystem to eventually change.

Les interactions entre aquaculture et pêche captive, et la viabilité comme approche de gestion du risque dans l'exploitation des écosystèmes. / The world of fisheries is complex, dynamic and contested. At the core of fishery management lie technical challenges but also fundamental socioeconomic issues such as valuation and ownership. So far, as for other natural resources, fisheries resources have been largely over exploited and alarms from the scientific community on rapidly declining stocks and species disappearance have been repeatedly published. In what follows, I first strive to explain the repeated failures to manage fisheries in a sustainable way. In this perspective, I overview existing management instruments and the weaknesses of fisheries governance. Next, I raise the main challenges faced by the aquaculture industry to take over on capture fisheries, as a sustainable source of food security. This leads us to an introduction to the two first chapters of this dissertation, which focuses on the economic and ecological impacts of the expansion of aquaculture, and its implications for the capture fishery sector. Finally, I expose the complexity of managing harvested ecosystems under uncertainty, in practice. Thus, I present the third chapter of this dissertation which puts forward a theoretical management framework grounded in viability theory to deals with risk, ecosystem dynamics and conflicting sustainability objectives. In particular, I examine the different analytical possibilities provided by this framework to handle uncertain dynamics.

The health of freshwater aquatic systems, particularly stream networks, is mainly influenced by water temperature, which controls biological processes and influences species distributions and aquatic biodiversity. Thermal regimes of rivers are likely to change in the future, due to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts, and our ability to predict stream temperatures will be critical in understanding distribution shifts of aquatic biota. Spatial statistical network models take into account spatial relationships but have drawbacks, including high computation times and data pre-processing requirements. Machine learning techniques and generalized additive models (GAM) are promising alternatives to the SSN model. Two machine learning methods, gradient boosting machines (GBM) and Random Forests (RF), are computationally efficient and can automatically model complex data structures. However, a study comparing the predictive accuracy among a variety of widely-used statistical modeling techniques has not yet been conducted. My objectives for this study were to 1) compare the accuracy among linear models (LM), SSN, GAM, RF, and GBM in predicting stream temperature over two stream networks and 2) provide guidelines in choosing a prediction method for practitioners and ecologists. Stream temperature prediction accuracies were compared with the test-set root mean square error (RMSE) for all methods. For the actual data, SSN had the highest predictive accuracy overall, which was followed closely by GBM and GAM. LM had the poorest performance overall. This study shows that although SSN appears to be the most accurate method for stream temperature prediction, machine learning methods and GAM may be suitable alternatives.