Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate how companies address sustainability holistically and compare the practical results to theoretical findings. The holistic approach of sustainability includes four dimensions and five corporate system elements.   Methods: For creating the theoretical framework a literature review was executed. Empirical data was gathered from a multiple case study. In total five case companies have been selected and five interviews have been conducted. Furthermore the interview guideline included a small survey. Empirical data was complemented by information from sustainability reports and companies website.   Main findings: Sustainability is partly executed in differently in practical terms compared to theory research. The differences are mainly explained by the unique use of sustainability initiatives, which are adapted to companies circumstances.   Academic contributions: Previously, only a few researchers investigated the combination of initiatives to provide a holistic sustainability approach. Furthermore a lack of practical research in the field of sustainability has been identified. This thesis contributes to close this gap by investigating five case companies regarding the use of multiple initiatives.   Practical implications: Based on the findings a model was created by the authors. By applying this model and using recommended initiatives companies are able to establish a holistic sustainability approach, involving all sustainability dimensions and corporate system elements.   Limitations: The interviews have been translated from German or Dutch into English, which increases the risk of wrong interpretations. Further the interview involved only one representative per company. Additionally the number of small case study companies and case companies from the service sector might limit the generalization of the results.

This study aims to provide insights into the interplay between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores and financial outcomes by investigating whether it leads to enhanced financial performance and firm value, partly during the economic crisis constituted by the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and COVID-19 pandemic. The study uses the theoretical frameworks stakeholder theory, resource-based view (RBV) theory, as well as customer and investor preference theory as an explanatory model for the results conducted by the panel data regression on a dataset of 248 companies derived from the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 index from 2006 to 2023. The study found that ESG performance significantly enhances both return on capital employed (ROCE) and Tobin's Q. A one-unit increase in ESG score leads to a 0.59860 percentage increase in ROCE and a 0.5329 percentage increase in Tobin's Q. It can be established that larger companies exhibit lower financial performance and market valuations, while companies in the lowest ESG score quartile benefit more from ESG improvements. The impact of ESG scores on firm value is more pronounced during the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical findings from this study provide robust evidence supporting the theoretical framework and the growing body of literature suggesting a positive relationship between ESG performance and corporate financial outcomes. The findings offer valuable insights for business leaders, policymakers, and investors on the strategic importance of sustainability initiatives in today's complex business environment.

Purpose – As sustainability gains prominence and digitalization advances, new ways of conducting business have emerged. Embracing sustainability initiatives has become imperative for manufacturing firms seeking to enhance growth and maintain global competitiveness. Digital technologies, particularly in the development process, have demonstrated significant potential in this regard. Yet, their novelty leaves firms uncertain about their optimal utilization in supporting the transition towards a more sustainable manufacturing industry. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore the usage of digital technologies in the development process of manufacturing firms from a sustainability perspective. Method – This study employs qualitative research with an exploratory multiple case study approach. It clarifies manufacturing firm's viewpoint on digital technologies for sustainability, conducting 13 interviews from 12 distinct firms (10 within discrete manufacturing and two in the process industry), all analyzed via a thematic analysis. Findings – The analysis resulted in an overview of manufacturing firms' perception of sustainable development and digital technologies as well as five main dilemmas that manufacturing firms encounter in this regard, whereas three of them had a specific emphasis on digital technologies within the development process. These three dilemmas then formed the foundation of a framework that shows an agile process for manufacturing firms to consider when adopting digital technologies. Theoretical and managerial contributions – This study contributes to the sustainable manufacturing and development process literature from a holistic perspective, with an emphasis on digital technologies. Furthermore, it provides a managerial framework for manufacturing firms that aim to advance their utilization of digital technologies for sustainability while emphasizing crucial considerations.  Limitations and future research – This study has focused on how digital technologies can be utilized within manufacturing firms' development process for increasing sustainability. Future research advocates for a broader representation, especially from the process industry, and further exploration how particular digital technologies can assist manufacturing firms in specific stages of their development process. Keywords: Manufacturing industry, Sustainability initiatives, Digital technologies, Development process / Syfte - I och med att hållbarhet blir allt viktigare och digitaliseringen utvecklas har nya sätt att bedriva företagsverksamhet vuxit fram. Att omfamna hållbarhetsinitiativ har blivit en nödvändighet för tillverkande företag som vill öka sin tillväxt och upprätthålla sin globala konkurrenskraft. Digitala verktyg, i synnerhet i utvecklingsprocessen, har visat sig ha stor potential i detta avseende. Däremot, anses användningen av digitala verktyg vara något relativt nytt och således är företag osäkra på hur de kan nyttjas optimalt för att stödja övergången till en mer hållbar tillverkningsindustri. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka användningen av digitala verktyg i tillverkande företags utvecklingsprocess ur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv. Metod - I denna studie tillämpas kvalitativ forskning med en explorativ flerfallsstudie av företag inom tillverkningsindustrin. Studien klargör tillverkande företags syn på digitala verktyg för hållbarhet genom att genomföra 13 intervjuer med 12 olika företag (10 inom diskret tillverkning och två inom processindustrin), som alla analyserades via en tematisk analys.   Resultat - Analysen resulterade i en översikt över tillverkande företags uppfattning om hållbar utveckling och digitala verktyg samt fem huvudsakliga dilemman som tillverkande företag stöter på i detta avseende, varav tre av dem hade en särskild betoning på digitala verktyg inom utvecklingsprocessen. Dessa tre dilemman utgjorde sedan grunden för ett ramverk som visar en agil process som tillverkande företag kan använda sig av om de vill införa digitala verktyg.  Teoretisk och praktiskt bidrag - Denna studie bidrar till litteraturen om hållbara tillverknings- och utvecklingsprocesser utifrån ett helhetsperspektiv, med betoning på digitala verktyg. Dessutom bidrar den med ett ramverk för tillverkande företag som vill utveckla sin användning av digitala verktyg för hållbarhet samtidigt som den betonar viktiga beaktanden.   Begränsningar och framtida forskning - Denna studie har fokuserat på hur digitala verktyg kan användas hos tillverkande företag i deras utvecklingsprocess för att öka bidraget till hållbarhet. Framtida forskning uppmuntras att ha en bredare representation, särskilt från processindustrin, och titta på hur specifika digitala verktyg kan assistera tillverkande företag i specifika stadier av deras utvecklingsprocess.  Nyckelord: Tillverkningsindustri, Hållbarhetsinitiativ, Digitala vekrtyg, Utvecklingsprocess

This thesis is aimed at an importace of company internal communication concretely among initiatives in the field of sustainable development. It adverts to not only an importance of an individual company connection with the sustainable initiatives but especially adverts to high-quality internal communication related to these initiatives mentioned above. There is a concrete example of a transnation company and its strategy of internal communication in the framework of voluntary initiatives depicted in this thesis, which was realized through two periods of an employee's research. The comparison of results and hypotheses defined is also envolved in data analysis of this research, as well as sustainable improvement in company internal communication within sustainable initiatives is proposed.

Due to various ongoing environmental crises, there is an urgent need for sustainable solutions and initiatives, as it has become an imperative criterion for businesses to include in their operations. Further, the hospitality sector is a multibillion-dollar industry and has a great impact on not only the economy, but the environment as well. Therefore, the industry is transitioning increasingly fast, and incorporating greater actions to operate sustainably. It should be imperative for businesses to operationalise all facets (environmental, economic, and social) of sustainability within the organisation. However, previous literature has indicated that over the last decade, one solution has been presented to achieve this goal: the creation and implementation of the Sustainable Business Model. It is a concept, which would allow for the planning and organising, delivering, and obtaining value of a business in a sustainable structure. Whilst this concept has been adopted and applied in the business sector, there are still some uncertainties about how Sustainable Business Models are practised, and what makes them successful or not. In addition, there also still appears to be a lack of application in the hotel industry, and whether the implementation of this concept is viable and efficient towards operating sustainably. Therefore, this study addresses the lack of research by investigating the processes and implementation of a Sustainable Business Model in the context of a small luxury hotel group, through the perspective of Strategy-as-Practice as the main theory. The theoretical framework is this study, includes three theories (Strategy-as-Practice, Supply Chain Management and Green Supply Chain Management), however, Strategy-as-Practice is considered the main theory that serves as a foundation, and is also a branch of Practice Theory. With this theoretical framework, studying how individuals perceive Sustainable Business Models, and the activities performed within the industry, allows for this research to reveal the significance, skills, and competencies that enable the implementation of a Sustainable Business Model. This study was conducted through a qualitative approach, and gathered empirical data from three semi-structured interviews and a non-participant observation conducted in the hotel. The findings and analysis, backed by one case study, uncovered six themes, indicating that passion and personal interest along with the involvement of the practitioners (managers), time and allocation of financial investments are all key elements towards the practices related to the implementation of Sustainable Business Models in the context of a luxury hotel.

The increasing pressures on the global eco-system have reached a critical stage. Cities are the center of most pressures on the biosphere and the contribution to unsustainability. Examined critically, the Sustainable Initiatives addressing urban challenges tend to act independently from each other. This situation is called the Silo-Effect, which is the state of isolation of Sustainability Initiatives in the city arena. The Silo-Effect results in a situation where the Initiatives‘ use of time, energy, and resources is not optimal, therefore creating less effective impact towards urban sustainability. The purpose of this research is to suggest solutions to the Silo-Effect by asking the question, What are the components needed to support the cohesion of Sustainable Initiatives across silos in the city? The methodology of grounded theory inspired the data collection and analysis process of thirteen interviews with professionals from the field. Results confirmed the existence of the Silo-Effect and revealed the main components supporting Cohesion Across Silos. Emerging insights include the need to 1) create Supportive Structures that will maximize the abundant social, human, cultural and economic capitals of practitioners, provide a shared space, and support collaboration, coordination and communications efforts between Initiatives, 2) create new models of local governance and funding systems that support cohesion, and 3) focus experimentation on the neighborhood scale to minimize complexity.

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The thesis aims to qualitatively understand the way in which motivational drivers facilitating sustainability initiatives (within firms engaged in energy intensive industries in Australia and Sweden) interact to influence an organisation’s committed sustainability initiatives. A cross case study between firms operating in Australia and firms operating in Sweden has been conducted to support the isolation and identification of relevant motivational drivers and their impact upon sustainable initiatives.  The following list of motivational drivers facilitating organisational committed energy sustainability initiatives in Australia and Sweden have been identified as being particularly relevant in context of this study; these motivational drivers are encompassed by the aggregate themes of public interest, self-interest, public commitment and self-commitment.  Boundaries associated with each aggregate theme were also identified which frame a safe operating space within which firms can continue to function and evolve: Profit driven motivation Competitiveness driven motivation Supply chain security driven motivation Stakeholder driven motivation  Reputation driven motivation Governance driven motivation A conceptual framework of committed sustainability has subsequently been developed to present the interrelation of the aggregate themes (and associated motivational drivers) based upon the findings from the literature review and interviews. Finding an appropriate trade-off balance between the self-interest serving motivators of profit, competition, stakeholder pressure and supply chain security, and the public interest serving motivators of governance and stakeholder pressure is effective in positively influencing an organisation’s committed sustainability initiatives in the short and medium term. Failing to act in the interests of the public risks a firm crossing a boundary typified by a lack of social license to continue to operate; failing to act in the firm’s own interests risks a firm crossing a boundary typified by a lack of profitability.  As the public, stakeholders and customers’ expectations from firms continue to increase in the longer term, an appropriate balance between the public commitment motivators of reputation and stakeholder and the primary self-commitment motivator of reputation is needed to continue to effectively influence an organisation’s committed sustainability initiatives. Failing to make public commitments risks a firm crossing a boundary typified by a lack of creditability; failing to balance public commitments with complimentary self-commitments risks a firm crossing a boundary typified by a lack of target ownership. The conceptual framework of committed sustainability is further intended to provide a practical basis against which the current and potential contributions by firms, organisations and other entities toward sustainable development can be analysed and interpretated, and potential trade-offs or dilemmas identified. Game theory as well as simplified push and pull effects are fundamental perspectives adopted within this framework to illustrate the dynamics affecting economic, societal and environmental dilemmas. The framework is intended to allow for more effective development and implementation of sustainability initiatives

<p>  </p> <p>Although airports of all sizes have incorporated sustainability practices into planning, there is a gap in literature concerning the impacts of sustainability initiatives on airport operations and stakeholders. This multiple case study sought to explore the impact assessment methods used by six small hub airports (cases) that received the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airport sustainability Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants to prepare airport sustainability planning documents.</p> <p>The objective of the study was twofold. The first objective was to gain in-depth understanding of sustainability metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and sustainability impact assessment methods and tools used by small hub airports. The second objective was to develop a preliminary framework for assessing the impacts of sustainability initiatives in airports. Three types of data were collected airport sustainability planning documents, archival records, and interviews with 14 airport executives and two airport planning consultants. Sustainability planning processes, sustainability assessment methods and tools, and sustainability metrics and KPIs were identified from data for each case and compared to one of the most comprehensive industry-specific airport sustainability rating systems, the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) <em>Report 119: Protype Airport Sustainability Rating System: Characteristics, Viability, and Implementation Options</em>. Interview responses from airport executives and consultants were used to corroborate information in the sustainability planning documents.</p> <p>The findings of this study showed more commonalities than differences in the approaches to sustainability impact assessment by the six small hub airports in this study. Commonalities were evident in the criteria for selecting sustainability initiatives, indicating that cost and return on investment were the major factors. In addition, small hub airports in this study reported similar challenges on tracking sustainability metrics and KPIs, indicating that more work is needed in this area. The differences noted were driven by airport operating conditions such as geographical location and local community goals. </p>

The manufacturing industry is accountable for a significant amount of carbon emissions released, and manufacturers experience pressure from stakeholders to address the sustainability issues and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, the lack of verified frameworks to achieve a sustainable supply chain makes it difficult to revisit their supply chain strategies. This study benchmarks how manufacturing companies in Sweden achieve sustainability in their supply chains by examining the a priori and post-implementation factors required, as well as how the sustainability initiatives are structured. The study is a multiple case study, which started with a literature review to gain a relevant understanding of the research problem. Semi-structured interviews were held with seven case companies in different sectors in the manufacturing industry and with two environmental consultants. The findings prove that manufacturing companies achieve sustainability in their supply chains by combining a priori and post-implementation factors with aspects regarding the structure of the initiatives. Top management commitment and management providing the necessary means to drive the initiative are crucial a priori factors. Moreover, the findings demonstrate to define ownership of the tasks in the initiative and that top management should integrate sustainability in the business model and have a budget for sustainability initiatives. Prioritizing the activities with the largest value creation is important, where a materiality analysis facilitates. Training employees and management on sustainability, and encouraging the employees to find green improvements are necessary. Post implementation, adopting a circular process is critical, while also ensuring sufficient resources throughout the initiatives. Moreover, the findings highlight strict governance with clearly defined ownership over time, the more decentralized the better. A cross-functional organization is advantageous for achieving the above-mentioned factors. The reason for pursuing an initiative must be defined to enable clear goals. Backcasting and a materiality analysis are useful tools to create measurable goals accordingly, and the goals should be scientifically approved by the Science Based Target initiative. In the execution, using previous experiences on internal and external platforms aid the case companies with their goal conflict prioritization. Lastly, frequent follow ups are critical, where the follow-up process should follow international standards. It is necessary to have a defined process for follow ups and have traceable follow ups to view the progress. / Tillverkningsindustrin står för en betydande mängd av världens koldioxidutsläpp, och tillverkningsbolag blir alltmer pressade av intressenter att ta itu med hållbarhetsfrågorna och bidra till FN:s globala mål för hållbar utveckling. Bristen på verifierade ramverk för att uppnå en hållbar försörjningskedja försvårar för företag att se över deras hållbarhetsstrategier. Denna benchmarkingstudie om hur tillverkningsföretag i Sverige uppnår hållbarhet i sina försörjningskedjor undersöker de faktorer som krävs innan och efter en implementering av ett hållbarhetsinitiativ, samt hur initiativen är strukturerade. Fallstudien började med en litteraturundersökning för att få relevant förståelse och kunskap om forskningsproblemet. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med sju fallföretag inom olika sektorer i tillverkningsindustrin och med två miljökonsulter. Resultaten visar att tillverkningsföretag uppnår hållbarhet genom att kombinera kritiska faktorer innan och efter utförandet, samt att följa aspekter som rör initiativens struktur. Engagemang från högsta ledningen som ger nödvändiga medel för att driva initiativet är avgörande innan implementeringen. Dessutom visar resultaten att fallföretagen och högsta ledningen bör integrera hållbarhet i affärsmodellen och ha en budget för hållbarhetsinitiativ. Att prioritera aktiviteter med störst värdeskapande är viktigt, där en väsentlighetsanalys underlättar. Det är nödvändigt att utbilda medarbetarna och ledningen inom hållbarhet och uppmuntra de anställda att hitta miljöförbättringar. Efter implementeringen är det avgörande att arbeta i en cirkulär process, samtidigt som det säkerställs tillräckligt med resurser genom hela initiativet. Dessutom visar resultaten att en strikt styrning med tydligt definierat ägarskap över tid är essentiellt, och ju mer decentraliserat desto bättre. En tvärfunktionell organisation är fördelaktig för att uppnå ovan nämnda faktorer. Anledningen till att driva ett initiativ måste definieras för att möjliggöra tydliga mål. Backcasting och väsentlighetsanalyser är användbara verktyg för att skapa mätbara mål utifrån, samt att målen bör vara vetenskapligt godkända i enlighet med Science Based Target initiative. Under genomförandet anser fallföretagen att det är viktigt att beakta tidigare erfarenheter av att driva hållbarhetsinitiativ, då det underlättar målkonfliktprioriteringen. Slutligen är frekventa uppföljningar kritiska, där uppföljningsprocessen bör följa en internationell standard. Det är även nödvändigt att ha en definierad och spårbar process för uppföljningen för att tydligt se framstegen.