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

This Master’s thesis argues for leadership for sustainability as a role consisting of skills that can be learned, and re-examines the notion that female leaders are better for sustainability. While gender socialisation may equip women and girls with competencies required for considerate and holistic problem solving and seeing beyond purely economical benefits, it hinders men and boys to develop the same skills. The world needs leaders with the necessary skills, regardless of gender. Through a survey, sustainability consciousness (SC) and leadership skills are established in working adults in Sweden. Regarding SC, the mean average of (N=218) is 3.9 on the Likert Scale, pointing towards decent awareness of sustainability in the sample. Gender did show to have an effect on SC, but gender had no effect on leadership skills. Regarding the correlation between leadership skills and SC, the human and conceptual skills correlate well with all the components of SC, but the technical skill correlate least with all. These results disprove many gender stereotypes and highlight issues with research claiming one gender over another as a better leader for sustainability.

Two phenomena form the basis for this thesis; bad lighting for children and our connection to nature. The former has somehow largely stayed unchanged through the years, the second one is rapidly changing for the worse. Lighting in spaces designed for children in Sweden often seem like an afterthought focusing on the quantitative aspects, ignoring the qualitative; following standards but often forgetting who the space is meant for. At the same time, cities are becoming denser, making nature something many people actively have to seek out to experience - children’s definition of nature is slowly changing.How can outdoor lighting for children become better? Using the Ringmuren preschool in Uppsala, Sweden, as a case study, this thesis proposes an alternative way of thinking when designing light for children and how it can encourage a connection to nature. The design proposal was made using interviews, site analysis, research and experiments inside a digital twin custom made for RIngmuren preschool. The direct result of this project is a digital twin and a lighting concept, but it also argues that the practicalities of analysing and designing lighting is one thing; getting the people in power to understand why good lighting is important is the first, and largest, hurdle. Producing good, affordable examples of good lighting design that can be applied to varying situations is a good place to start to at the least initiate a discussion.

The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development is approaching its end and it is important to investigate the effects of the efforts to implement education for sustainable development (ESD) nationally, before decisions on forthcoming efforts are made. There are few investigations of the effect of ESD implementation that take a broad approach. In order to measure the educational effects of ESD implementation broadly and inclusively, I introduce the concept of sustainability consciousness (SC), which will be operationalized into the research through a Likert scale questionnaire. This licentiate thesis contributes new knowledge on the implementation of ESD in the Swedish school system as reflected in young people’s SC. Two studies have been conducted. In the first study, I investigated the effects of ESD implementation by a comparison of SC between students in schools with an explicit ESD approach and control schools without an explicit approach. In the second study, I investigated whether the perceptual dip among adolescents found in the field of environmental education was also present in the economic and social dimensions of their SC in addition to the environmental one. The total sample included 2 413 students in 6th, 9th and 12th grades of the Swedish schools system. Results of the two studies indicate that the implementation of ESD in the Swedish compulsory school system does not seem to have been particularly successful as there are only small positive effects of an explicit ESD approach in 6th grade and even a small negative effect of an explicit ESD approach in the 9th grade. Furthermore, the dip in adolescent 9th graders’ SC is confirmed. This indicates that different age groups tackle the effects of the prevailing traditional sustainability teaching in different ways, which suggests that ESD in schools need to be adapted to different levels. / Baksidestext: The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development is drawing to an end and it is important to investigate the effects of implementing education for sustainable development (ESD) nationally. This thesis contributes new knowledge on the implementation of ESD in the Swedish school system. The concept of sustainability consciousness (SC) is introduced and operationalized to measure the educational effects of ESD by taking a broad and inclusive approach in two studies with a total of 2 413 students in 6th, 9th, and 12th grades. The first study investigated differences in students’ SC by comparing students in schools with an explicit ESD approach and control schools without an explicit approach. The second study investigated if there is a dip in 9th graders’ SC in comparison with younger and older age groups. Results reveal that the implementation of ESD in the Swedish schools does not seem to have been particularly successful as there are only small effects of an explicit ESD approach. A dip in adolescent 9th graders’ SC is also confirmed. Different age groups respond to the prevailing traditional sustainability teaching in different ways, which suggest that ESD in schools need to be adapted to different levels.

The central role of education for sustainable development (SD) has been emphasized since the 1990s. SD involves the three areas of environment, economy and society, with a focus on the relationships between environmental protection and human development. Education for sustainable development (ESD) takes a holistic view on the environmental, economic and social dimensions of SD and aims to empower students to engage in the democratic development of society in a more sustainable direction. Policy-level and research community discussions have addressed the ways in which ESD has been implemented internationally. This study focuses on upper secondary students, and investigates their views on sustainability and the ways they make decisions related to SD. The study aims to address the interdisciplinary and multidimensional content embraced in the concept of SD and the development of competences often associated with ESD. A survey investigating students’ (n=638) sustainability consciousness (SC) and their decision-making in a number of SD related contexts was conducted in 15 Swedish upper secondary schools. The results show that students attending schools with an ESD profile are characterized by stronger SC than students attending regular schools; however the difference is small and mostly related to the economic dimension of SD. Furthermore, students who prioritize environmental decisions in SD dilemmas show stronger SC than students giving priority to economic reasons. When environmental, economic and social dimensions are introduced separately, social aspects are given the highest priority by the students. In contrast, environmental aspects are up-graded when the dimensions are introduced in an integrated manner. However, different dimensions are prioritized in different contexts. The study provides empirical support for using multiple contexts and including both harmonious and conflict-based perspectives on SD in education. It also contributes knowledge to the discussion about the implementation of ESD in Sweden in terms of outcomes among students. / This study addresses the interdisciplinary and multidimensional content embraced in the concept of sustainable development (SD) and the development of competences often associated with education for sustainable development (ESD). A survey was conducted among 638 students from 15 upper secondary schools, investigating their sustainability consciousness (SC) and their decision-making in relation to a number of sustainability dilemmas. The results showed that students attending schools with an ESD profile were characterized by stronger SC than students attending regular schools; however the difference between the groups was small and mostly related to the economic dimension of SD. Students who prioritized environmental decisions in SD dilemmas showed stronger SC than students who prioritized economic reasons. The SD dimensions were given varying importance depending on the context and whether a harmony-based or a conflict-based perspective on environmental, economic and social dimensions was used. The study provides support for using multiple perspectives and including both harmonious- and conflict-based perspectives on SD in education. It also contributes knowledge of the implementation of ESD in Sweden in terms of the student sustainability consciousness in the two groups.

Sustainability has become an important topic in many parts of society. However, companies struggle to translate it into their processes. If an individual values sustainability but is not able to fulfill these values an individual may feel a discrepancy; it may force individuals to feel an (in)congruence in their identity, leading to the question, How does sustainability identity (dis)congruence affect commitment? To answer the question a theoretical model was developed from different nuances of identity theory and organizational commitment. A mixed-method was used to capture the data. The results indicate that dependent on commitment style, the organization may override their personal sustainability identities. Our observations indicate that affective committed individuals choose to justify both personal and organizational actions in order to mitigate value incongruent behaviors. The thesis ends with a chapter of managerial recommendations. / <p><strong>Grade</strong>: Pass with distinction (VG)</p>