This study examines the environmental and economic effects of green information technology (IT). Green IT describes two sets of IT innovations: one set includes innovations that are implemented to reduce the environmental impact of IT services in organizations; and the other IT to reduce the environmental impact of other organizational processes. The two sets respond to the call for more environmentally friendly or “greener” organizational processes. I developed and tested a preliminary model. The model applied the resource based view (RBV) of the firm (Wernerfelt 1984) the stakeholder theory (Freeman 1984) and included four constructs: (1) BAS implementation; environmental value conceived in a novel way as the conservation of electric energy in buildings; economic value -- from energy cost savings; and BAS complements. These four constructs formed three propositions: (1) BAS implementation is positively associated with environmental value; (2) environmental value is positively associated with economic value; and BAS complements moderate the relationship BAS implementation and environmental value. The model was used to guide the investigation of three research questions: 1. What are the environmental and economic values of green IT? 2. How do green IT create the above values? 3. Are other dimensions of value created? If so, what are they? The focal IT investigated was the building automation system – a system designed to conserve electric energy and decrease operational costs. The unit of analysis of the study was the facilities management team – the implementers of the system. I collected data on a sample of six diverse cases of BAS implementations. The cases were diverse in terms of the BAS types, the building purposes, the building locations and the building occupancy and management. Two types of BAS were involved in the study, each with a different level of artificial intelligence: the more intelligent BAS self-reconfigured when changes in setpoints, for example, were necessary; the less intelligent BAS must be reconfigured by an engineer in similar circumstances. There was also diversity in terms of the buildings in which the systems were implemented and the occupancy and management of the buildings. The buildings include: the corporate headquarters of a global telecommunications firm; university classrooms; a residence hall in a university; and three multi-tenanted office complexes. The building occupancy and management differ in that some buildings are owner-occupied and are managed in-house, while the others are leased and their management outsourced. Data collection involved recorded semi-structured interviews of three sets of users in the organizations: building engineers; chief engineers; and property/facilities managers. The interviews were prearranged and were conducted onsite using an interview protocol. Each interview lasted approximately one hour and was conducted in one session. The data were transcribed and analyzed in Nvivo 10. The findings showed support for the presence of the four constructs within the preliminary model as well as for the three propositions in the preliminary model. The data also revealed contextual details of the BAS implementation and BAS complements constructs. There were also new dimensions value including: unanticipated types of economic value (including savings from reduced labor demand; social value (comfort and safety for building occupants); and strategic value (knowledge used to position the organizations for greater efficiency and effectiveness). Overall, the value outcomes of the implementations can be summarized as short term social, environmental and economic value as well as strategic value – consistent with the concept of sustainable value defined by Hart et al. (1995). Also, consistent with Zuboff’s (1985) description of the duality of intelligent IT systems -- the ability to informate and automate, the BAS implementation construct was found to include two distinct sources of value: equipment automation; and equipment information. The unanticipated value dimensions and types, as well as the sources of value were used to refine the research model. The study therefore a preliminary theoretical model – the resource based view of the sustainable organization (RBV-SO) -- as well as contextual implementation details that can be used to guide future investigations of the value created by intelligent green IT systems such as the BAS, as well as measurement items that can be used to inform quantitative studies of these systems. The study also adds to the practical body of knowledge concerning green IT implementations in general and implementations of the BAS in particular, concerning: details of the information value – for example, for measuring the environmental impact of the system and for substantiating claims in the application for green funds available to organizations; and details of some key complementary resources that enhance value creation within the context. Two major limitations of this study are: (1) a single coder was used in the analysis process and therefore no inter-coder reliability was established for the results; and (2) user perceptions rather than actual quantities were used to validate the findings. Some future research prospects include: use of these findings to conduct a quantitative study of an intelligent system extended with, for example, investigation of the impact of external forces such as government regulations, environmental issue salience, and market forces on the value created by green IT (such as the BAS); and investigation of the impact over time of the development of the strategic capabilities enabled by the BAS on creation of value.

Wassernutzung und Abbau der Frischwasser-Ressourcen sind heutzutage ein Thema, das als so wichtig wahrgenommen wird wie der Klimawandel. Wasser wird somit zunehmend Auswirkungen auf den ökonomischen Wert von Unternehmen haben. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, den monetären Wert des Wassers mithilfe des Wasser-Fußabdrucks zu bestimmen. Hierfür werden nach einer kurzen Einführung in Kapitel 2 der ökologische Fußabdruck, der CO2-Fußabdruck und der Wasser-Fußabdruck kurz vorgestellt und in Beziehung zueinander gesetzt. Anschließend wird der Wasser-Fußabdruck diskutiert und sowohl in die Ökobilanzierung als auch in das Instrumentarium der Umweltleistungsmessung eingeordnet. Danach werden die Zielgrößen des Unternehmenswertes beschrieben und der Zusammenhang von ökologischer und ökonomischer Leistungsmessung dargestellt. Auf dem Stufenmodell zum Wertbeitrag aufbauend werden verschiedene Ansätze zur Integration ökologischer Aspekte in den Unternehmenswert diskutiert. In Kapitel 3 wird dann die Methode entwickelt, um den Wasser-Fußabdruck zu bestimmen und auszuwerten und anschließend mithilfe der Werttreiberanalyse, des Water Value Added und der Kumulierten Wasserintensitäten den ökonomischen Beitrag des Wassers zu berechnen. In der Fallstudie wird die Methode angewendet und anschließend in Kapitel 5 anhand der zuvor vorgestellten Kriterien bewertet. Abschließend werden einige Handlungsempfehlungen zur Anwendung und Weiterentwicklung der Methode gegeben. Als Ergebnis der Arbeit kann die Frage beantwortet werden, wie ein Unternehmen den Einfluss des Wassers auf den eigenen Unternehmenswert und den ökonomischen Wert des Wassers bestimmen kann.

Wassernutzung und Abbau der Frischwasser-Ressourcen sind heutzutage ein Thema, das als so wichtig wahrgenommen wird wie der Klimawandel. Wasser wird somit zunehmend Auswirkungen auf den ökonomischen Wert von Unternehmen haben. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, den monetären Wert des Wassers mithilfe des Wasser-Fußabdrucks zu bestimmen. Hierfür werden nach einer kurzen Einführung in Kapitel 2 der ökologische Fußabdruck, der CO2-Fußabdruck und der Wasser-Fußabdruck kurz vorgestellt und in Beziehung zueinander gesetzt. Anschließend wird der Wasser-Fußabdruck diskutiert und sowohl in die Ökobilanzierung als auch in das Instrumentarium der Umweltleistungsmessung eingeordnet. Danach werden die Zielgrößen des Unternehmenswertes beschrieben und der Zusammenhang von ökologischer und ökonomischer Leistungsmessung dargestellt. Auf dem Stufenmodell zum Wertbeitrag aufbauend werden verschiedene Ansätze zur Integration ökologischer Aspekte in den Unternehmenswert diskutiert. In Kapitel 3 wird dann die Methode entwickelt, um den Wasser-Fußabdruck zu bestimmen und auszuwerten und anschließend mithilfe der Werttreiberanalyse, des Water Value Added und der Kumulierten Wasserintensitäten den ökonomischen Beitrag des Wassers zu berechnen. In der Fallstudie wird die Methode angewendet und anschließend in Kapitel 5 anhand der zuvor vorgestellten Kriterien bewertet. Abschließend werden einige Handlungsempfehlungen zur Anwendung und Weiterentwicklung der Methode gegeben. Als Ergebnis der Arbeit kann die Frage beantwortet werden, wie ein Unternehmen den Einfluss des Wassers auf den eigenen Unternehmenswert und den ökonomischen Wert des Wassers bestimmen kann.

Thesis (MCOM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Responsible investment combines shareholder’s objective of financial performance with environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when making investment decisions. Responsible investment has become necessary because most companies neglect the impact of their operation on the environment; society while focusing on short-term profits. Moreover, the collapse of big companies due to poor governance also demand that they focus on the need to strengthen good corporate governance. This study examines whether SA mutual funds companies listed on the JSE incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in making investment decisions. The study further examines the relationship between selected ESG factors and financial performance measured using ROE. A total of 28 companies where SA mutual fund companies have invested their funds were sampled and studied between 2007 and 2017. Secondary data was used whereby raw data was collected from the annual, integrated and sustainability reports of the selected companies’ websites and the IRESS database. Although many ESG factors could influence responsible investment such as climate change, waste and pollution, deforestation, working conditions, local community, bribery and corruption, however, some of these factors cannot be easily quantified. Hence, this study focused on one component per ESG factor that can be quantified. All these factors are required to have a deeper understanding of responsible investment. This study adopts the quantitative research method and adds to the growing number of studies by examining the relationship between independent variables represented by water usage (environmental), employee health and safety cost (social) and gender diversity (governance) and dependent variable which is financial performance measured by ROE. The Stata statistical software utilising the panel data method was used to analyse the data. The iii | Page study results show a positive and insignificant relationship between water usage and ROE, a positive an insignificant relationship between employee health and safety cost (number of work-related fatalities) and ROE and negative and insignificant relationship between the percentage of women on corporate boards and ROE. The results show that UN PRI guideline that encourages responsible investments is not followed by South African (SA) mutual fund companies. This study recommends that SA mutual funds companies follow the UN PRI educate different stakeholders as to the importance of incorporating ESG factors in business operations and the benefits thereof. Future studies can consider incorporating ESG indicators other the ones presented in this study.

Ces travaux s’intéressent au choix des tratégies de création de valeur dans des pays pétroliers. Ils cherchent à offrir des outils à un décideur pour améliorer la compréhension du problème et procéder au choix de stratégies sous des contraintes de coûts. La thèse s’articule autour d’un processus d’aide à la décision adapté au contexte pétrolier et de trois questions de recherche : 1. Comment modéliser les valeurs durables apportées par des projets complexes dans un pays hôte ? 2. Comment outiller une entreprise d’une méthode d’estimation des valeurs créées localement en tenant compte des effets indirects et induits ? 3. Comment aider à la décision pour la sélection de stratégies agissant sur de multiples systèmes ? Pour y répondre, nous avons pris en compte les spécificités du contexte du contenu local dans le domaine pétrolier. Nous y avons apporté des méthodes de génie industriel et d’aide à la décision multicritère. Nous aboutissons à une proposition de modélisation de la valeur apportée à un pays hôte. Celle-ci nous permet d’introduire une méthodologie d’estimation des impacts d’une stratégie. Enfin, nous proposons une procédure pour réaliser des recommandations à un décideur. / Our research focus on the problem of choosing among value-creation strategies in the context of Oil and Gas development project. The objective is to offer tools to a decision maker to improve his understanding of the problem and to aid to decision. The thesis is structured around a decision-making process adapted to the Oil and Gas context and three research questions: 1. How to model the sustainable values brought by complex projects in a hostcountry? 2. How to furnish to a company a method to estimate local values brought, taking into account indirect and induced effects? 3. How to aid to select among strategies that impact multiple systems? To answer, we took into account the specificities of local content in the Oil and Gas. We brought metholodologies from industrial engineering and multicriteria decision aid. We propose a modeling of the value-added brought to a host country. This allows us to introduce an estimation methodology for the impacts of a strategy. Finally, we suggest a procedure for making recommendations to a decision maker.

To reduce carbon emissions and lead the organization in a certain direction, companies can work with internal carbon pricing (ICP). There are many large companies that work with an ICP, which, among other things, have helped them to identify opportunities and led to decisions that generated higher revenues. Working with sustainability with an ICP serves as a management function and stimulates value creation in the organization. Digital platforms have become a common and resource-efficient tool used by companies to collect and analyze data and information to create value and make the organization more sustainable. Most studies have been done on large companies that work with ICP, and small and medium-sized companies have ended up in the shadows even though they as a group have a very large climate impact. This essay studies small and medium-sized enterprises, and thus examines how companies work with ICP in resource-limited conditions. ICP relies on employees and their ability to make decisions and implement new solutions and ways of working. The study therefore examines how competence-based capabilities form how companies create value with their ICP. Furthermore, the study also examines how the digital platform is used in sustainability work. The study is qualitative and examines two medium-sized companies and one small company through semi-structured interviews. The result shows that competence-based capabilities are at least as important as tangible resources and that cooperation, developing knowledge, leadership and commitment are important for value creation processes. According to the study's results, the digital platform acts as a resource that supports and stimulates value creation processes and can give rise to knowledge, information and working methods. To create value within the organization, further expertise and knowledge is required, which develops with time and practice. For SMEs, value creation is not mainly about efficiency in production or efficiency in the short term, but more long-term change in internal processes, adaptation of strategies and understanding of actors in the value chain. / För att minska företagets utsläpp och styra organisationen i en viss riktning kan företag arbeta med ett internt koldioxidpris (IKP). Det finns många stora företag som arbetar med ett IKP, vilket bland annat hjälpt dem identifierat möjligheter och lett till beslut som genererat högre intäkter. Att arbeta med hållbarhet med ett IKP fungerar som en ledningsfunktion och stimulerar värdeskapande i organisationen. Digitala plattformar har blivit ett vanligt och resurseffektivt verktyg som används av företag för att samla in och analysera data och information för att skapa värde och göra organisationen mer hållbar. Studier har i stort sett endast gjorts på stora företag som arbetar med IKP, och små och medelstora företag har hamnat i skymundan trots att de som grupp har en mycket stor klimatpåverkan. Denna uppsats studerar små och medelstora företag som arbetar med IKP, och undersöker således hur metoden fungerar i resursbegränsade förhållanden. IKP förlitar sig på medarbetare och deras förmåga att ta beslut och implementera nya lösningar och arbetssätt. Studiens undersöker därför hur mjuka egenskaper formar hur företagen skapar värde med sitt IKP. Vidare undersöker studien även hur den digitala plattformen används i hållbarhetsarbetet. Studien är kvalitativ och undersöker två medelstora företag och ett litet företag genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet visar att mjuka egenskaper är minst lika viktiga som påtagliga resurser och att samarbete, att utveckla kunskap, ledarskap och engagemang är viktigt för värdeskapandeprocesser. Enligt studiens resultat agerar den digitala plattformen som en resurs som stödjer och stimulerar värdeskapandeprocesser och kan ge upphov till kunskap, information och arbetssätt.  För att skapa värde inom organisationen krävs vidare expertis och kunskap som utvecklas med tid och praktik. För små och medelstora företag handlar värdeskapandet inte i huvudsak om effektivitet i produktion eller effektivitet på kort sikt, utan mer långsiktig förändring i interna processer, anpassning av strategier och förståelse av aktörer i värdekedjan.

To create throughout circular product-service systems (PSS), Circular Design needs to combine methods from life-cycle-thinking, planetary stakeholder analysis as well as user-centric business design. To oversee this complexity ‘zooming in’ (micro level) on specific attributes of a PSS has to alternate with ‘zooming out’ (macro level) to understand the systemic effects of envisioned changes – e. g. undesired consequences or the interdependencies between network partners. In two consecutive projects (www.ecodesigncircle.eu) TU Berlin, Fraunhofer IZM and Design Centres in the Baltic Sea Region developed circular design processes and methods that integrate above mentioned requirements (www.circu-lardesign.tools). Those methods evolved into three formats which support companies in developing sustainable products and services by de-sign: EcoDesign Audit assesses the circular maturity and strategic goals of organizations, EcoDesign Sprint helps companies develop a sustainable product or service concept and EcoDesign Learning Factory interactively teaches how to eco-design. The methods were tested in an iterative pro-cess in over 30 interdisciplinary trainings with designers, engineers and business managers. They are already applied with industry clients. In approximately 35 (online) design trainings we trained more than 350 international professionals working at SMEs, industry, design agencies and consultancies.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till efterfrågat empiriskt material gällande hur intressentengagemang implementeras i företag, hur detta påverkar arbetet med hållbara värdekedjor och vilka möjligheter och utmaningar som detta medför. Studien är baserad på sex intervjuer med svenska verkstadsindustriföretag, vilka belyser hur intressentengagemang används i organisationen för att främja hållbarhet i dess värdekedjor. Studien indikerar att intressentengagemang är en del av företags hållbarhetsstrategier och utgör en del i hållbarhetsarbetet i stort. Resultaten ger argument för att intressentengagemang i värdekedjan drivs på en lägre nivå där kommunikation är den gemensamma nämnaren, med direkt hänvisning till brist på tid och resurser, olika prioriteringar och kompetensbrist. Trots detta ges belägg för att intressentengagemang skapar drivkraft till innovation, ökad kunskapsspridning och gemensamt värdeskapande.

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Purpose – The purpose of this thesis is twofold: first to understand the various sustainable values open data (OD) can create, and second is to maximize the sustainable values created through a process a firm can follow.  Method – For this study, I used a single case study design on a Swedish firm within the power sector with an inductive and exploratory approach. Data has been collected in three waves with respondents in different roles having different experiences with OD. First five exploratory interviews, then nine semi-structured interviews to gain depth. At last, to validate the study’s findings I conducted an online seminar with six respondents. To analyze these interviews, the method of thematic analysis was utilized. Findings – The results indicate there are four dimensions of value, Economic, Social, Environmental, and Internal. In total, there are 11 first order codes describing which values can be expected when working with OD. Regarding the process the respondents emphasize on three dimensions: Preparation and pre-study, Implementation, and Usage and restrictions, each with two business practices related to them. Within these business practices a total of 14 activities has been identified to help implement an OD initiative within an organization. Theoretical contribution – This study contributes to the OD literature by highlighting different types of sustainable values connected to working with OD, and a process to do so. This study also contributes to the sustainable value creation literature by highlighting how sustainable value creation can be maximized through OD. At last, a framework has been devised to interlink all findings for a comprehensive understanding. Practical implications – This study provides both managers and employees with guidance into how an OD initiative can be implemented and how it positively can affect their organization leading them to creating sustainable values. The focal point being organizations who are not obliged to share by any directive, law, or regulation. Limitations and future research – This study, being a single case study, focused on details and depth, which can affect the generalizability of the study. Hence, future research in other industries is suggested to validate and extend my findings in another context. / Syfte – Syftet med denna uppsats är tvåfaldigt: dels att förstå de olika hållbara värden som öppna data (ÖD) kan skapa, dels att maximera de hållbara värden som skapas genom en process som företag kan följa.  Metod – För denna studie använde jag mig av en enfallsstudie på ett svenskt företag inom kraftsektorn med en induktiv och explorativ ansats. Data har samlats in i tre faser med respondenter som har olika roller och erfarenheter. Först genomfördes fem explorativa intervjuer, sedan nio semistrukturerade intervjuer och slutligen, för att validera studiens resultat, genomförde jag ett online-seminarium med sex respondenter. För att analysera dessa intervjuer användes tematisk analys. Resultat – Resultaten indikerar att det finns fyra dimensioner av värde, ekonomisk, social, miljömässig och intern. Totalt finns det 11 första orderns koder vilka beskriver värden som kan förväntas när man arbetar med ÖD. När det gäller processen betonar respondenterna tre dimensioner: Förberedelse och förstudie, Implementering samt Användning och restriktioner, var och en med två affärsmetoder relaterade till dem. Inom dessa affärsmetoder har 14 aktiviteter identifierats hjälpsamma för att implementera ett ÖD-initiativ inom en organisation. Teoretiskt bidrag – Denna studie bidrar till ÖD litteraturen genom att belysa olika typer av hållbara värden kopplade till att arbeta med ÖD, och en process för att realisera detta initiativ och fånga dessa värden. Denna studie bidrar även till litteraturen om hållbart värdeskapande genom att belysa hur hållbart värdeskapande kan maximeras genom ÖD. Slutligen har ett ramverk utarbetats för att koppla samman alla resultat för en heltäckande förståelse. Praktiska implikationer – Denna studie ger både chefer och medarbetare vägledning i hur ett OD-initiativ kan implementeras och hur det positivt kan påverka deras organisation och leda dem till att skapa hållbara värden. Där fokuset ligger på organisationer som inte är skyldiga att dela med sig av något direktiv, lag eller förordning. Begränsningar och framtida forskning – Denna studie, som är en fallstudie, fokuserade på detaljer och djup, vilket kan påverka studiens generaliserbarhet. Därför föreslås framtida forskning i andra branscher för att validera och utvidga mina resultat i ett annat sammanhang.