With the rise of a global economy and the growing importance of emerging markets, socioeconomic and environmental issues are becoming the main driving forces for many innovation practitioners. As a result of the recognition that traditional ways of managing innovation are not sustainable and that more inclusive and accessible efforts are needed, the exploration of frugal approaches to innovation has emerged. Startups that apply frugal innovation have the potential to stimulate sustainable growth and reduce development gaps between less developed and developed countries. Yet, given their specific context, many startups face difficulties to commercialize technologies and scale to new markets. There is a need to understand how to support startups and entrepreneurs to scale up in their early stages as a means to drive sustainable growth in emergent economies. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate what factors influence frugal innovation-based startups’ potential to accelerate (economic, environmental, and social) sustainable development. To understand the influencing factors, an investigation of the barriers and enablers to scale up as well as the entrepreneurial behaviors in relation to their social settings, is necessary. Literature within frugal innovation was reviewed and a study was performed in Cape Town, South Africa. South Africa is a relevant research area for frugal innovation since startups have the potential to leverage resources of the high-income market to solve large problems in lowincome communities (i.e. informal settings or townships). In-depth interviews were conducted with startup representatives and stakeholders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The study revealed that due to the entrepreneurs’ background, they have the ability to understand customer needs and influence mindset change. Meanwhile, the entrepreneurs are dependent on social support, because they often lack self-advocacy, skills, and resources required to scale up. The importance of democratizing digital technologies as well as leverage entrepreneurial ecosystems was highlighted. The author also suggests further discussions on how sustainable impact is assessed as well as the role of power dynamics within entrepreneurial ecosystems. / I linje med utvecklingen av att den globala ekonomin och den ökade vikten av tillväxtmarknader har socioekonomiska och miljörelaterade faktorer blivit en central drivkraft för många innovationsutövare. Från vetskapen att de traditionella sätten att hantera innovation inte är hållbara och att mer inkluderande och tillgängliga processer krävs, har appliceringen av frugala tillvägagångssätt av innovation uppkommit. Startups som tillämpar frugal innovation har potential att stimulera hållbar tillväxt och minska utvecklingsgapen mellan mindre utvecklade och utvecklade länder. Dock, givet deras unika kontext, har många startups svårt att kommersialisera teknik och skala upp till nya marknader. Följaktligen, finns det behov att förstå hur man kan stödja entreprenörer och startups att skala upp i tidigt skede för att driva hållbar utveckling i tillväxtmarknader. Därför är syftet med denna studie att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar frugala innovationsbaserade startups möjligheter att accelerera (ekonomisk, ekologisk och social) hållbar utveckling. För att förstå de influerande faktorerna är det nödvändigt att undersöka hinder och möjliggörare till att skala upp samt entreprenörernas beteende i förhållande till deras sociala kontext. Litteratur inom Frugal innovation granskades och en fältstudie utfördes i Kapstaden, Sydafrika. Sydafrika är ett relevant forskningsområde för frugal innovation eftersom startups har möjlighet att utnyttja höginkomstmarknadens resurser för att lösa stora problem inom låginkomstmarknaden. Fördjupade intervjuer genomfördes med startups representanter och intressenter inom entreprenöriella ekosystem. Studien avslöjade att på grund av entreprenörernas bakgrund har de en unik förmåga att förstå den informella marknadens behov och möjlighet att influera nya tänkesätt. Samtidigt är entreprenörerna beroende av socialt stöd på grund av brist på kompetenser, kunskaper och resurser nödvändiga för att skala upp. Därav belystes vikten av att demokratisera digital teknik samt utnyttja entreprenöriella ekosystem. Författaren föreslår också ytterligare diskussioner om hur hållbarhetskrav mäts samt maktdynamikens roll inom entreprenöriella ekosystem.

Rural electrification serves as a tool to reach several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, challenges occur related to increased electricity access, involving financial, informational, technical and regulatory factors. Another issue concerning electrification is the potential climate effects that increased electricity production causes. To minimise emissions and energy losses, usage of renewable energy sources is a possible solution as well as increased decentralised electricity production. Microgrids enable both of these parts and therefore serve as a great solution to sustainably meet the increased demand of electricity. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the potential of microgrids to sustainably contribute to an increased access to electricity. The study focuses on the electrical power situation in Thailand. The literature study covers the political strategies regarding rural electrification and implementation of renewable energy sources in Thailand’s electrical power system, and how the country is currently developing according to these strategies. The case study consists of a cost and emission analysis related to a pilot microgrid project in northern Thailand. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) in Thailand initiated and built the microgrid project called Maesariang Microgrid, in MaeSariang District in the northern province Mae Hong Son. The purpose of the project was to improve reliability and quality of the power delivered to Mae Sariang District. The microgrid consists of a solar power plant, a hydro power station, diesel generators and a battery energy storage system (BESS). The results from the case study shows that implementation of the Maesariang Microgrid, in addition to power reliability and quality, resulted in both reduced cost of electricity generation (COEG) with 3 percent and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions with 11 percent. Furthermore, emissions per generated electricity unit has reduced from 380 kg CO2 per MWhto 340 kg CO2 per MWh. By using a system model covering the current microgrid in Mae Sariang, three alternative microgrid compositions with different shares of installed renewable energy capacity were simulated in three scenarios. In these scenarios, the amount of electricity generated from the solar power plant, diesel generators and BESS varied in order to analyse the effects on emissions and COEG. The analysis displayed that an increased capacity of solar power installed, both with the current size of the BESS capacity, and with an increased BESS capacity, resulted in lower COEG and emissions. It also showed that usage of less installed solar power capacity and increased usage of diesel generators would reduce CO2 emission sper year compared to using the local grid. However, with the current price of diesel fuel and electricity from the local grid, it would result in a higher COEG. / Elektrifiering av landsbygden fungerar som ett verktyg för att nå flera av FN:s mål för hållbarutveckling. Däremot uppstår utmaningar relaterade till ökad tillgång till elektricitet, som involverar både finansiella, informationsmässiga, tekniska och regulatoriska faktorer. Ett ytterligare problem som elektrifiering medför är de potentiella klimateffekter som ökad elproduktion orsakar. För att minimera utsläpp och energiförluster är användning av förnybara energikällor samt ökad decentraliserad elproduktion en möjlig lösning. Microgrids möjliggör båda dessa delar och fungerar därför som en utmärkt lösning för att på ett hållbart sätt möta den ökade efterfrågan på el. Huvudsyftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka microgrids potential att på ett hållbart sätt bidra till ökad tillgång till elektricitet. Studien fokuserar på elsituationen i Thailand. Litteraturstudien täcker landets politiska strategier för landsbygdens elektrifiering och implementering av förnybara energikällor i det thailändska elkraftsystemet, samt hur landet för närvarande utvecklas enligt dessa strategier. Fallstudien består av en kostnads- och utsläppsanalys relaterad till ett microgridpilotprojekt i norra Thailand. Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) i Thailand initierade och byggde microgridprojektet Maesariang Microgrid i Mae Sariang-distriktet, i den norra provinsen MaeHong Son. Syftet med microgridprojektet var att förbättra tillförlitligheten och kvaliteten på elektriciteten som levereras till Mae Sariang-distriktet. Microgridet består av en solpark, ett vattenkraftverk, dieselgeneratorer och ett batterienergilagringssystem. Resultaten från fallstudien visar att implementeringen av microgridet i Mae Sariang, förutom strömtillförlitlighet och kvalitet, har lett till både minskad kostnad för elproduktion med 3 procent och CO2-utsläpp med 11 procent. Vidare har utsläppen per genererad elenhet minskat från 380 kg CO2 per MWh till 340 kg CO2 per MWh. Genom att använda en systemmodell som omfattar det nuvarande microgridet i Mae Sariang, simulerades tre alternativa microgridsammansättningar med olika andelar installerad förnybar energikapacitet i tre scenarion. I dessa scenarion varierar mängden el som genereras från solparken, dieselgeneratorer och batteriet för att analysera hur utsläpp och kostnad förelproduktion påverkas. Analysen visade att en ökad kapacitet av installerad solenergi, både med nuvarande storlek på batteriet, och med en ökad batterikapacitet, resulterade i lägre kostnader för elektricitet och utsläpp. Den visade också att användning av mindre installerad solenergikapacitet och ökad användning av dieselgeneratorer skulle minska CO2-utsläppen per år jämfört med att använda det lokala nätet. Dock skulle det resultera i högre kostnader för elektricitet med det nuvarande priset på dieselbränsle och el från det lokala nätet.

The world is facing severe and complex issues and the sustainable development challenges are immense. In order to meet the challenges, social innovation is crucially needed. Developing social innovation is however challenging and collaboration among stakeholders is an important factor to overcome this. A way to collaborate with citizens is with citizen co-creation. The aim of this study was to investigate how citizen co-creation is used as a mean to achieve social innovation. This was done by investigating the research questions “Which factors have a positive impact on the citizen co-creation process to achieve social innovation?“ and “What are the challenges of using citizen co-creation to achieve social innovation and what are the potential solutions?”. Literature within social innovation and citizen co-creation was reviewed and a case study was performed. The case study was executed in Medellin, Colombia, together with a public entity working with the transformation of the city. A program for a citizen co-creation process called MiMedellin was studied. Interviews were performed with team members working with the program and stakeholders involved in a specific project. Secondary data regarding type of challenges and the citizens behaviour on the platform was also analysed in order to confirm information collected in the interviews. This master’s thesis revealed a strong link between citizen co-creation and social innovation. The ways to work in citizen co-creation align with key factors in the social innovation process and citizen co-creation is therefore a mean to achieve social innovation. Factors with a positive impact in the citizen co-creation process were found to be related to ways to work, methods for citizen participation and leadership. Challenges of achieving social innovation with citizen co-creation were found to be related to trust, engagement and the complexity of the process. This master’s thesis suggests ways to overcome the challenges as well as gives practical and theoretical implications and areas for future research. / Världen står inför stora svårigheter med enorma globala utmaningar. För att möta de utmaningarna är social innovation avgörande. Att utveckla sociala innovationer är däremot komplext och samarbete mellan intressenter ses som en viktig faktor för att övervinna detta. Ett sätt att involvera medborgare i samarbetet är genom citizen co-creation. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur citizen co-creation används som ett medel för att uppnå social innovation, genom att undersöka följande forskningsfrågor: “Vilka faktorer har en positiv inverkan på citizen co-creation processen för att uppnå sociala innovation?” och “Vilka utmaningar finns med att använda citizen co-creation för att uppnå social innovation och vilka är de potentiella lösningarna? Litteratur inom social innovation och citizen co-creation granskades och en fallstudie genomfördes. Studien genomfördes i Medellin i Colombia tillsammans med en statlig organisation som arbetar med transformation av staden. Ett program för en citizen co-creation process som kallas MiMedellin studerades. Intervjuer genomfördes med gruppmedlemmar inom programmet och intressenterna som deltog i ett specifikt projekt. Sekundärdata för tidigare utmaningar och medborgares beteende på plattformen analyserades även för att bekräfta information som samlats in i intervjuerna. Denna masteruppsats avslöjade en stark koppling mellan citizen co-creation och social innovation. Arbetssättet inom citizen co-creation går väl samman med nyckelfaktorer i processen att utveckla sociala innovationer. På det sättet är citizen co-creation ett medel för att uppnå sociala innovationer. Faktorer med en positiv inverkan på citizen co-creation processen var kopplade till sätt att arbeta, metoder att involvera medborgare och ledarskap. Utmaningar med att uppnå sociala innovation med citizen co-creation var kopplade till tillit, engagemang och processens komplexitet. Denna masterupssats föreslår sätt att möta utmaningarna och ger även praktiska och teoretiska implikationer samt områden för framtida forskning.

Master thesis, Master of Science in Business Administration with specialisation in Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Social Change  Field of research: Business Administration, School of Business & Economics  University: Linnæus University, Växjö, Sweden Course code: 5FE06ESemester: Spring 2023Author: Felix Bause & Sophie JungbauerExaminer: Viktorija KalonaityteSupervisor: Marina JogmarkTitle: Bridging Entrepreneurship and Sustainability EducationSubtitle: Perspectives and Approaches from Swedish University Educators Background: Human-made climate change and its impact on humanity is one of the most severe challenges of modern times. Due to its complexity and global interconnectedness, it requires significant change and collaboration between different decision-makers. Entrepreneurs are seen as agents of change who can contribute to the transformation. Therefore, the importance of integrating entrepreneurship education in universities is repeatedly emphasised to provide students with sustainable entrepreneurial knowledge. Sustainability education is also repeatedly mentioned, and the importance of combining sustainable and entrepreneurial aspects in education is underlined. Research questions: How do university educators in Sweden work with and talk about entrepreneurship and sustainability? How is entrepreneurship and sustainability taught and intertwined in higher education in Sweden? Purpose: The purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of how entrepreneurship and sustainability are taught and perceived at Swedish higher institutions. Moreover, this thesis aims at raising awareness of the importance of sustainability and entrepreneurship education and shows their connection. Method: This research follows a qualitative approach and utilises semi-structured interviews to explore sustainability and entrepreneurship education at Swedish universities. Since empirical material and theories evolved simultaneously throughout the study, an abductive approach was applied. Conclusion: This study found that sustainability and entrepreneurship education is very intertwined in Sweden and that both sustainability in entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship in sustainability education are taught. The findings show that sustainability is frequently addressed through ideas shared with the Planetary Boundary theory, and themes of Schumpeter's theory of innovation and entrepreneurship are regularly touched upon in entrepreneurship education. Although the teaching styles vary widely, reflective theory and constructivism are commonly used among Swedish university educators. Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, sustainability education, pedagogies, Sweden, higher education, entrepreneurship, sustainability, sustainable development, innovation, sustainable development goals

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects various industries worldwide. One of the most affected industries is the snow-based industry, which includes skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, winter sports, and related tourism and hospitality sectors. This industry relies heavily on snow and cold temperatures, which are becoming less predictable and more challenging to maintain due to climate change. The impacts of climate change on ski resorts are extensive, such as reduced snowfall, shorter ski seasons, and higher expenses for both the demand and supply sides. As the winter season is crucial for the industry's income, particularly in the Alps, developing sustainable strategies to reduce the ecological footprint is essential, which is not always straightforward for several reasons.   To address these challenges, this study aims to investigate the relationship between tourism and climate change using a case study approach focused on Obertauern, a ski resort in Austria. The study will explore the interdependence between tourism and climate change based on interview studies with key stakeholders from the study area. The study examines the challenges associated with guest transportation and the need for increased cooperation between different links and sectors in the destination. Additionally, the study explores the role of snowmaking in ski resorts and the potential for year-round or two-season destinations, as these are often seen as the major adaptations in literature. Finally, the study emphasizes the importance of balancing adaptation and mitigation for the tourism industry in Obertauern to achieve sustainable development, as the tourism sector generates the destination's only income during the around six-month-long winter season.

Syfte:Syftet med denna studie är att genom en jämförelse mellan olika företag inom träförädlingsindustrin skapa en förståelse för hur arbetet med hållbar konsumtion och produktion går till. Metod:Uppsatsen bygger på en kvalitativ metod med en induktiv ansats. Genom ett hermeneutiskt synsätt har en systematisk tolkning och förståelse gjorts utav de fem intervjuade företagen för att kunna besvara frågeställningen. Intervjun följde en semistrukturerad metod med hjälp av en intervjuguide. Slutsats:För att bekämpa de ohållbara konsumtion och produktionsmönster som idag existerar kan vi konstatera att företag inom träförädlingsindustrin försöker att påverka detta genom sitt arbete. Arbetet är till största delen liknande, detta med tanke på de delmål som finns till det globala målet nummer 12 hållbar konsumtion och produktion. Viktiga komponenter i arbetet är hantering av avfall och kemikalier samt att minska avfallen. / Aim:The aim of this study is to create an understanding of how the work with sustainable consumption and production takes place through a comparison between different companies in the wood processing industry. Method:This bachelor’s thesis is based on a qualitative method with an inductive approach. Through a hermeneutic approach, a systematic interpretation and understanding has been made of the five companies interviewed in order to be able to answer the question. The interview followed a semi-structured method using an interview guide. Conclusion:In order to combat the unsustainable consumption and production patterns that exist today, we can state that companies in the wood processing industry are trying to influence this through their work. The work is similar, given the sub-goals that exist for the global goal number 12 sustainable consumption and production. Important components in the work are waste management and chemicals and reducing waste.

The emergence of covid-19 has been declared as an international public health emergency in January 2020 by the World Health Organization and has affected millions of people across the world ever since. Public health interventions focused on controlling person-to-person infections to mitigate the number of infections and possible severe or fatal health effects. The absence of meaningful connections and social interactions with others can have an indirect adverse impact on psychological health outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the consequences of the current pandemic, and its associated measures, on human social well-being and sustainability. A meta-analytical approach based on original results of scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals and written in English has been used. The findings reveal no consistent findings regarding the level of loneliness whereas the level of social support remained stable or even increased over time. For the levels of violence within the home environment (domestic violence, child abuse and intimate partner violence) both an increase and decrease have been reported, indicating a possible impact of covid-19 pandemic on the tension within the family. The pandemic has complicated the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and thus slowed down society's attempts to achieve sustainability at an international level. The results of this study provide policy makers and professionals with knowledge on the social consequences of the covid-19 pandemic to protect human health and well-being in line with the sustainability goals.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka attityder hos tillverkare av dentala material gentemot hållbarhetsarbete och implementering av mål för hållbar utveckling. Vår utgångspunkt i hållbarhetsarbete stammar från FN:s Agenda 2030, de globala målen för hållbar utveckling. Material och metod: Urvalsprocessen gav 8 företag av vilka 3 valdes ut att ingå i varsin semistrukturerad kvalitativ intervju. Resterande 5 företag tillfrågades att delta i en enkätundersökning och samtliga företags hemsidor inventerades utifrån de tre aspekterna ekonomisk, social och miljömässig hållbarhet samt informationens tillgänglighet. Resultat: Endast ett företag lät sig intervjuas. Svarsfrekvensen för enkäten var noll. Resultatet av hemsidegenomgången visar att 2 av företagen bedriver hållbarhetsarbete utifrån de tre aspekterna ekonomisk, social och miljömässig hållbarhet och att dessa 2 beaktar även vissa av de globala målen för hållbar utveckling, Agenda 2030. Slutsats: Majoriteten av de undersökta zirkoniaproducenterna har inte prioriterat att synliggöra sitt hållbarhetsarbete på sina hemsidor riktade till dentalbranschen och endast två av åtta företag bedriver synligt hållbarhetsarbete. Endast dessa företag visar att de beaktar de tre aspekterna av hållbarhet: ekonomisk, social och miljömässig. / Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate the attitudes of manufacturers of dental materials towards sustainability and their implementation of sustainable development based on the UN’s global goals for sustainable development, Agenda 2030. Material and methods: The selection process resulted in 8 companies and 3 of them were selected to participate in a semi-structured qualitative interview. The remaining 5 companies were asked to participate in a survey. All companies’ websites were inventoried for the three aspects of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) as well as their searchability. Result: Only one company was interviewed. No one participated in the survey. The result of the website review says that 2 of the companies conduct work with sustainability and these 2 companies also consider some of the global goals for sustainable development, Agenda 2030. Conclusion: The majority of the zirconia producers in the study have not given priority to making their sustainability work visible on their websites aimed at the dental industry, and only two out of eight companies carry out visible sustainability work. Only these two companies show that they consider the three aspects of sustainability: economic, social and environmental.

Businesses have historically had a negative impact on the environment by contributing to pollution, the increase of greenhouse emissions, neglection of responsible waste disposal, and deforestation among other things. Governments around the globe have been trying to align to goals and principles to decrease the negative impacts of humans, and it is now time for companies to step up and contribute to a more sustainable society. The research question for this study is “what can be the challenges when working with sustainability frameworks as an IT consultant firm?”. To answer this, research within Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), green ICT, and sustainable business have been conducted. In addition to this, the relation of two sustainability frameworks within IT consultant strategies have been assessed. Other than that, a case study have been carried out at an IT consultant firm. A result of this case study is a mapping of processes and their work with digital sustainability and sustainability frameworks. Two of the greatest challenges discussed in this study are about measuring and communicating the sustainability impact of projects. / Historiskt har företag haft en negativ påverkan på miljön genom att bland annat bidra till föroreningar, ökade växthusgasutsläpp, försummelse av ansvarsfull avfallshantering och avskogning. Regeringar runt om i världen har försökt att justera sina mål och principer för att minska människans negativa påverkan på klimatet, och det är nu hög tid för företag att börja bidra till ett mer hållbart samhälle. Forskningsfrågan för denna studie är “vilka utmaningar kan uppstå när en IT-konstulfirma arbetar med hållbarhetsramverk?. För att besvara denna fråga har forskning inom Informations- och kommunikationsteknik (IKT), grön IKT, hållbart företagande kombinerats och redovisats. Utöver detta har integrationen av två hållbarhetsramverk i en IT-konsultfirmas arbetsprocess undersökts. Studien har genomförts hos en IT-konsultfirma, och deras processer och arbete med digital hållbarhet och hållbarhetsramverk har kartlagts genom efterforskningar och intervjuer. De två största utmaningarna som diskuteras i denna studie är att mäta och kommunicera projekts hållbarhetseffekter.

Sustainability, a multidimensional concept, consist of various environmental, social, and economic factors. Its fundamental principle is to fulfill the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. One popular approach to measure sustainability is the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) measurement. However, a global standardized ESG rating system is currently lacking, leading to variations in scores and methodologies used by different agencies to evaluate a companies' ESG performance. Recognizing the need for a standardized approach, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has emerged as a framework for evaluating sustainability. By adopting the SDGs as a standardized framework, investors, companies, and financial institutions can align their effort and process towards a sustainable future.  Although previous research has explored the relationship between ESG and financial performances, little research has been conducted on the standardized framework of SDGs and its relationship with biodiversity impact. This while it has been proven that biodiversity is the primary driver of sustainability. The objective of the study is to fill the research gap by examining the relationship between SDG commitments and their impact on biodiversity. To achieve this, eight equity funds with varying commitments to SDGs were selected as a sample. The sample comprises 396 companies allocated to 42 countries and 87 industries, with data collected of the year 2022. To align with biodiversity data availability, the time frame was adjusted to match the biodiversity data from the year of 2011.  The study focuses on assessing the annual species loss as an indicator of biodiversity impact for four different levels of SDG commitments. The primary findings indicates that there is no significant relationship between the amount of SDG commitments and the annual species loss. Furthermore, a weak relationship was observed between the cost of goods sold (excluding depreciation) and annual species loss. The secondary findings suggests that the factors of country of operation and industries contributes to biodiversity impact, this while it revealed a high variation of the effecting ecosystem. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the relationship between SDG commitments and biodiversity impact, providing insights into the complex dynamics between sustainability efforts and their environmental consequences.