En el ámbito de las telecomunicaciones, contar con un teléfono celular es indispensable. Esta necesidad genera que los fabricantes de celulares cuenten con un plan que permita lanzar nuevos modelos de manera periódica, a fin de brindar a los operadores móviles (y, entonces, al usuario final) nuevas alternativas de celulares no solo al alcance de sus posibilidades económicas, sino que otorguen las funcionalidades esperadas. Para llevar a cabo estos lanzamientos, la empresa de diseño, fabricación, distribución, importación y comercialización de celulares (en adelante, empresa de celulares) cuenta con proyectos que buscan cumplir con los acuerdos comerciales firmados con operadores móviles de cada país para la entrega de modelos de celulares en un plazo determinado. Estos proyectos, al lanzar un teléfono celular de gama media, generan un ingreso aproximado de USD 1,800,000. El presente trabajo de investigación refiere a una fase del lanzamiento -cuya duración es 09 meses- que incluye la certificación, importación, gestión de marketing y venta de un primer lote de celulares, contemplando una inversión máxima de USD 385,000 para obtener una rentabilidad total del 40%, preparando al mercado para las siguientes dos órdenes de compra que se acuerdan con un operador telefónico en el acuerdo comercial. El éxito de estos proyectos requieren alinearse con los objetivos organizacionales, gestionar los interesados, conocer y cumplir los estándares de calidad necesarios para fabricar y distribuir celulares, cumplir con los requerimientos de costos establecidos, brindar capacitación al soporte de ventas, identificar y gestionar los riesgos involucrados y, gestionar el cronograma para los lanzamientos. / Nowadays, having a smartphone is essential. This necessity make that the manufacturers of these devices take in consideration a plan that allows them to launch several new models of smartphones periodically. Manufacturers offer mobile operators (and hence also to end-user) new affordable models with all the features they seek. In order to have succesuful launches, the company of design, manufacturing, distribution, import and sale of smartphones (from this point forward, smartphone company) have projects which main objective is to comply with the operators’ commercial agreements in each country. These projects, launch of a mid range smartphone, generate revenues of USD 1,800,000. This research cover the launching phase -which last nine months- and it includes the certification, import, management of marketing activites and sell of the first shipment. It considers a maximum investment of USD 385,000 to obtain a 40% profit and prepares the market for future purchase orders from the operator’s commercial agreements. The key to successful projects require to be aligned with the organization objectives, manage the stakeholers, know and comply with the quality standards needed to develop and manufacture smartphones, comply with the cost’s requirements defined, provide training to support the sales force, identify and manage the risks and the schedule stablished for the launch of the product.. / Trabajo de investigación

This thesis holistically examines the potential for tidal stream turbine (TST) integration to displace diesel generated electricity in remote coastal First Nations communities within the Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast region of British Columbia. This thesis utilizes a combination of spatial analysis (GIS Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis) to identify sites; stakeholder engagement to assess TST suitability, bridge knowledge gaps, and understand desired characteristics of community energy systems; and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) analyses for existing diesel and externality included scenarios along with potential TST costs in a candidate community. Results illustrate the need for information within these communities, from resource quantification to characteristics of renewable energy technologies and system feasibility; self-sufficiency as being the primary transition driver; and funding/human resource capacity as being substantial barriers. Within the study region ≈89.8 km2 of feasible resource was identified, with ≈22 km2 of potentially suitable tidal resource in proximity to nine communities. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in difficulties contacting and arranging interviews with the most suitable communities. Driven by the holistic research mandate requiring community stakeholder engagement to occur in tandem with the economic analyses, Queen Charlotte Village and Skidegate Landing on Haida Gwaii were chosen as the candidate communities, despite not being the most suitable identified communities. The community interviews revealed TSTs as being an acceptable renewable energy technology. Furthermore, the identified site in Skidegate Inlet (SI) was found to have favourable Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) for TST development. Existing diesel generation carries a LCOE of $0.63/kWh, being $0.08-0.14 more per kWh than the literature cited LCOE range for TSTs. The LCOE for CO2 equivalent externalities at current carbon tax prices was found to be an additional $0.02/kWh. Despite having a technically viable peak spring current speed, the SI site was financially unviable for 284 kW of rated capacity across all diesel LCOE scenarios driven by capacity factor (1.62%), high cabling costs (approximately one third of capital costs), and outdated data/assumptions within the Natural Resources Canada Tidal Project Cost Estimation tool used in the tidal LCOE calculations. This work contributes to the progression of tidal energy development on BCs coast along with demonstrating the utility of holistic assessment frameworks for RETs across environmental, social, and economic considerations. The results of this thesis can inform existing MSP efforts in the Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific region and the framework developed can be built upon and altered for global use in pursuit of sustainable energy transitions. / Graduate

Sustainability reporting today is an important tool for companies to show how they work with sustainable development. The design of the companies' sustainability reports can vary since the regulations can be seen as somewhat vague. GRI provides a framework and standards that create a common language for organizations and its reporting of current economic, environmental, and social aspects. However, GRI is voluntary to follow which creates a possibility for both similarities and differences in companies' sustainability reporting. The study was conducted with a qualitative research strategy and a comparative design. The purpose of this study is to investigate the sustainability work of selected companies based on sustainability reporting according to GRI based on stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and institutional theory. The aim of the study is to compare companies active in the trade and real estate industry to distinguish any similarities and differences. To shed light on the purpose of the study, an analysis of the companies' sustainability reports of four selected years has been carried out, as well as an interview from one of the real estate companies. A comparison has then been made between the companies to point out potential similarities or differences. The analysis of the empirical material indicates that there are some similarities and differences between the surveyed industries' reporting of GRI standards. The main differences are found in the social part of GRI reporting, while the financial and environmental reporting appears to be equally similar. Development over time of GRI reporting also differs between industries. These similarities and differences have been analyzed with the use of stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and institutional theory.

This master's thesis describes a tool supporting management stakeholders. Opening chapters of the thesis describe the theoretical background of the work. There are explained knowledge-based areas of the stakeholder management, human resource management and communications management. Following chapters of the work are devoted to the proposed system. At first there are specified the system requirements generally and then also from the perspective of several major users. Subsequently, the system is designed. The system consists of three main blocks - the identification of stakeholders, the stakeholder analysis using the questionnaire surveys and the setting of the communication strategy. The implementation environment (Java EE) is chosen and the system is implemented in it. Then its functionality is checked up on the pattern of data. In conclusion, the results achieved are evaluated and the outputs of processes in the field of management stakeholders are also discussed. At the end the future development of this master´s thesis is delineated.

Bakgrund och problemdiskussion: Mellan åren 2015-2020 har Nordea, Svenska Handelsbanken, SEB och Swedbank vid flertalet tillfällen delgivits sanktionsavgifter för brister i arbetet mot korruption och penningtvätt. Penningtvätt är en del av korruption och beskrivs av flertalet forskare som ett globalt problem där banker spelar en stor roll när det kommer till att dölja olagliga pengar. Banker som tidigare varit inblandade i skandaler tenderar att ha bristande förtroende bland intressenter vilket bland annat påverkar bankernas legitimitet negativt.  Syfte: Syftet med denna undersökning är att redogöra för vilken information som Nordea, Svenska Handelsbanken, SEB och Swedbank avslöjar i sina hållbarhetsredovisningar om korruption och penningtvätt utifrån indikatorerna i GRI 205: Anti-corruption. Studien syftar till att analysera innehållet i de skriftliga hållbarhetsredovisningarna för att således kunna dra slutsatser kring eventuella likheter och skillnader gällande bankernas avslöjande om korruption och penningtvätt.  Metod: För att besvara studiens forskningsfråga har en kvalitativ innehållsanalys som datainsamlingsmetod tillämpats. Den kvalitativa innehållsanalysen har legat till grund för analysen av Nordeas, Svenska Handelsbankens, SEB:s och Swedbanks hållbarhetsredovisningar för åren 2017 till 2020.  Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar på att samtliga banker avslöjar mest information om affärshändelser avseende risk för korruption samt kommunikation och utbildning om politik och procedurer mot korruption. Denna studie konstaterar även att det avslöjas minst information gällande åtgärder som vidtagits på grund av korruptionincidenter. Dock utmärker sig Svenska Handelsbanken i detta då de avslöjar inträffade händelser kring korruption och penningtvätt som de varit involverade i, vilket resterande banker inte gör. Detta samtidigt som Svenska Handelsbanken är den bank som varit minst involverade i korruptionsskandaler de senaste åren, i jämförelse med Nordea, SEB och Swedbank. Studien visade även på att samtliga banker enbart redovisar kring några utvalda punkter inom varje indikator. Bankerna avslöjar endast information som berör en eller få av alla de punkter inom GRI 205: Anti-corruption. / Background and problem: Between the years 2015-2020, the banks Nordea, Svenska Handelsbanken, SEB and Swedbank have on most occasions been notified of penalty fees for shortcomings in the work against corruption and money laundering. Money laundering is a part of corruption and is described by most researchers as a global problem where banks play a major role when it comes to hiding illegal money. Banks that have previously been involved in scandals tend to have a lack of trust among stakeholders, which among other things, has a negative effect on banks’ legitimacy.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to report on Nordea´s, Svenska Handelsbanken´s, SEB´s and Swedbank´s corruption and money laundering disclosure, based on the indicators in GRI 205: Anti-corruption, in their sustainability reports. The study aims to analyze the content of the sustainability reports of the four banks in order to draw conclusions about possible similarities and differences regarding the banks’ corruption and money laundering disclosure.  Method: In order to answer the study's research question, a qualitative content analysis has been applied. The qualitative content analysis has formed the basis for the analysis of the four major Swedish banks´sustainability reports for the years 2017 to 2020.  Findings: The results of the study shows that all banks reveal most information about business activities regarding the risk of corruption as well as communication and education about policies and procedures against corruption. This study also ensures that it reveals the least information regarding measures taken due to corruption incidents. However, Svenska Handelsbanken excels in this as they reveal incidents of corruption and money laundering that they have been involved in, which the remaining banks do not. This at the same time as Svenska Handelsbanken is the bank that has been least involved in corruption scandals in recent years, in comparison with Nordea, SEB and Swedbank. The study also showed that all banks only report on a few selected parts within each indicator. Banks only disclose information that affects or receives all points within GRI 205: Anti-Corruption.

The Professional Project addressed here is an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for a project proposed by the staff of the Del Mar Fairgrounds pursuant to legal mandate by the State of California Horse Racing Board. The “Project” subject to documentation under CEQA consisted of removal of the top seven inches of the existing dirt surface on the Del Mar Fairgrounds horse racing track and temporary storage of the material on the practice track infield; installation of a new drainage system, rock filtration system, permeable asphalt layers, and seven inches of engineered surface material; widening of the track in the northeast and southeast curve area; and removal and replacement of existing retaining wall, fence, and landscaping improvements. This Project Report summarizes the stakeholder involvement concepts utilized to obtain project support and approval in an environmentally sensitive area, subject to a long history of political contention, in the midst of other long-term planning efforts such as the San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration Project, and an Updated Master Plan and Master Plan Environmental Impact Report for the fairgrounds property. Ultimately, the Project and CEQA documentation were approved by the Lead agency’s decision-making body, the Board of Directors of the State of California’s 22nd District Agricultural Association.

Sustainability assurance is on the uprising. Nowadays, more and more companies are thinking about sustainability which resulted in a growing market for sustainability assurance. The global reporting initiative (2013, p.6) defines sustainability assurance as “the use of external, independent reviews of sustainability management processes and final disclosures is intended to increase the robustness, accuracy and trustworthiness of disclosed information.”. Unlike financial auditing, sustainability assurance ismostly unregulated and there are various guidelines and frameworks issued to help the assurance provider. The lack of mandatory regulations has resulted in a fragmented assurance environment where different approaches is used by different assurance providers. This in turn has contributed to the sustainability assurance process being unknown. The uncertainty around sustainability assurance affect the usersof the assurance report, for example stakeholders’, which can find it difficult to identify, interpretand compare the results of the sustainability assurance.The purpose of this study is to contribute to the limited knowledge on sustainability assurance, by investigating the sustainability assurance from both auditors’ and non-auditors’ perspectives.To assist in fulfilling the purpose, four main themes were developed; assurance team, assurance process, assurance report and the future of sustainability assurance. To fulfill the purpose of this study, the research questions are;“What is the audit process of sustainability reports?”“What does the sustainability assurance team look like?”“What does the sustainability assurance report look like?”The result in this study suggests that the process of sustainability assurance looks different depending on the assurance provider. The findings also suggest that the assurance team almost looks the same, regardless who is the assurance provider. When it comes to the results regarding the assurance report, it is evident that there are many ways to improve theusefulness and informativeness of the report. Furthermore, the findings of this study contribute to the limited knowledge of sustainability assurance by thoroughly exploring the assurance process.

The rise of global challenges, such as climate change, is pushing global governance to evolve. In result thereof, the traditionally state-centric diplomatic sphere is experiencing an increasing number of non-state actors entering the arena. Geoffrey Wiseman (1999) describes this phenomenon as the shift from traditionally bilateral and multilateral diplomacy to polylateral diplomacy. This study looks at how non-state actors can be fitted in frontline diplomacy in relation to sustainable development. By means of a qualitative, inductive case study of the Dutch embassy in the Philippines, it looks at how state actors perceive this non-state actor inclusion by means of data triangulation: a document analysis, semi-structured interviews and participant-observation. In particular, it zooms in on a specific example of multi-stakeholder partnership, which Sustainable Development Goals 17.16 and 17.17 hail as a tool for sustainability: the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan. Through the theoretical lenses of collaborative governance and the function-sensitive approach, this thesis concludes that the functions non-state actors can fulfil in the diplomatic activities of global governance vary depending on the three contingencies of time, trust and interdependence.

M.Tech (Public Relations Management, Faculty of Human Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / It is of utmost importance for non-governmental organisations not only to use social media when it suits them but also learn to incorporate social media into their communication strategy. This study is focused on the use of social media as a dialogue tool by an NGO in Gauteng province in South Africa, namely, The Teddy Bear Clinic/Foundation (TTBC/F). Data was collected through ten semi-structured interviews with the participants being six full time employees and four volunteers who work in the marketing, public relations and fundraising department and manage the online communication for the organisation. The results of the study revealed that the NGO’s social ties are of primary importance for assuring active donor and stakeholder commitment whilst guaranteeing continued stakeholder engagement, therefore social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter should be treated as an invaluable communication tool. Therefore, an NGO that incorporates social media in its communication strategy influences the participation of the stakeholders in the various support, fundraising and activities that promote its cause. The results of the study also revealed that although the NGO operates several social media platforms, (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for dialogue and relationship building and nurturing with the stakeholders. It is significantly dependent on Facebook and Twitter. The majority of its employees also believed that the NGO was using social media strategically by sending key messages to the public thereby prioritising and greatly facilitating the exchange of ideas as well as understanding the position of others, so focusing on mutuality and relationships rather than on self-interest.

The transport sector is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. A current solution to this problem is the introduction of electric vehicles into our transport fleets. However, this solution comes with its challenges; for instance, the environmental impact of batteries once they reach their end-of-life. The circular economy is an approach to manage ecological electromobility issues while providing economic and societal wellbeing. A starting point for the implementation of a circular economy can be found in the implementation of circular business models. Because the circular economy requires its actors to think in systems, the collaboration between multiple stakeholders is essential. However, most circular business model frameworks are focusing on the focal firm, which is not sufficient to encourage cross-collaboration between organizations. Therefore, this study outlines the development of a new framework that focuses on a multi-stakeholder perspective. I propose the “framework for multi-stakeholder circular business model innovation” to explore win-win-win scenarios for the management of 2LB. I conducted a study in collaboration with Svealandstrafiken, Mälarenergi and Västerås Stad. The organizations were involved in data collection via a series of interviews and the validation of the framework through a workshop. The proposed framework consists of a process of four phases subdivided into eight steps that meant to address key challenges organizations are facing to achieve circularity. Within these four phases, the framework encourages discussions on shared values and visions between all stakeholders at an early stage. As a consequence, better collaborations and relationships are formed, which positively benefits the development of circular business models.