This essay critically analyzes the implementation of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative through a detailed descriptive case study as the methodological framework, employing the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) model as the theoretical basis. The essay delves into the alignment of Vision 2030 with TBL principles, particularly in its influence on economic diversification, social inclusivity, and environmental conservation.  The study incorporated the three dimensions, concluding that Vision 2030 has successfully taken substantial steps in steering the Saudi economy away from its conventional reliance on oil. Socially, Vision 2030 places a significant emphasis on enhancing the quality of life for all Saudi citizens by investing in education, healthcare, and social welfare programs. On the environmental front, Vision 2030 demonstrates a steadfast commitment to sustainability through initiatives that promote renewable energy and environmentally friendly practices. The TBL framework serves as a valuable perspective for assessing the intricate impact of Vision 2030. Through an evaluation of the initiative's advancements in economic diversification, social inclusivity, and environmental preservation, it becomes evident that Vision 2030 is facilitating a more balanced and sustainable developmental trajectory for Saudi Arabia. / <p>My deepest gratitude extends to the individuals who have played a pivotal role in the success of this essay, particularly my unwavering family and cherished friends. Their unwavering support, encouragement, and constructive feedback have been instrumental in shaping my thoughts and refining the essay's content. I am particularly indebted to my esteemed advisor, Abdulelah Al Mutairi, whose guidance, expertise, and unwavering belief in my potential have been invaluable. His insightful suggestions and meticulous attention to detail have elevated the essay to a level I could not have achieved on my own. I am truly grateful for the collective support and encouragement that has made this endeavor possible.</p>

Thinking sustainably is becoming increasingly important among companies. Today, there are demands from both stakeholders and the law to conduct sustainable operations. Companies have a social and ethical responsibility to achieve competitive advantage and a good corporate reputation. This is one reason why more and more companies today establish sustainability reports for their operations. It can be questioned whether the sustainability report is sufficient or if it is deficient. This study describes and explains the content of the sustainability report by analyzing the adequacy of the report and how it may develop in the near future. The essay is based on interviews with eleven respondents who are divided into four professional groups, accountants, companies, investors and academics. These professional groups have contributed an external and internal perspective to the sustainability report, which has provided a deeper understanding of the subject. The essay is based on a qualitative method with a deductive approach. There, the data material has been analyzed with the help of the theory section in order to be able to answer the essay's purpose and questions. The conclusion of the study is that the sustainability report is deficient, which is due to a lack of framework and regulation. The new regulation and framework of the future is well needed, but there is a clear doubt about the implementation.

This study aims to investigate current attitudes towards Sustainable Development among students and evaluate their correlation with two theories of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Namely, the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) theory, that emphasises the intersection of three pillars: Profit, People, and Planet; and the Four Components theory, which integrates Socio-economic, Environmental, Legal, and Moral &amp; Ethical dimensions.   The Four Component theory is a recently developed approach that builds upon similar concepts from the TBL model but also incorporates additional critical factors. The research seeks to explore the extent to which these theories influence students' attitudes towards Sustainable Development.   This study intends to provide insights into the role of educational theories in shaping students' attitudes towards Sustainable Development, highlighting potential gaps in current educational practices and the need for more comprehensive approaches to education for sustainable development, ESD. By performing a quantitative study using a self-completion questionnaire, data were collected and analysed with the programme IBM SPSS. The results showed a significant impact on the attitudes towards sustainable development among students from the factors of: People, Socio-economic, Environmental and Legal. The Legal factor yielded a negative impact on the attitudes towards sustainable development whereas the others yielded a positive impact.    The study concluded that neither one of the frameworks, Triple Bottom Line or The Components, offered a complete structure for education for sustainable development on their own. A discussion was brought up imploring the potential of a new framework incorporating the People dimension from Triple Bottom Line together with the Socio-economic-, and Environmental components from the Four Components theory. This framework shows a potential way forward for education for sustainable development and the need for it based on the positive attitudes attained during the study.

AB Smådelar är ett företag som tar hållbarhet på allvar. Man har nyligenpresenterat sin första hållbarhetsredovisning och vill inför framtiden förbättra sig ytterligare avseende logistiken mot underleverantörerna. Då det finns ett fokus på hållbarhet vill AB Smådelar inte att de logistiska förbättringarna ska påverka Triple bottom line negativt, varför en modell har konstruerats för att kunna testa förbättringsförslagens inverkan före implementering.Studien är kvalitativ med abduktiv ansats och har utgångspunkt i semistrukturerade intervjuer. Syftet är att göra en nulägesanalys för att hitta förbättringsområden och föreslå åtgärder som kan effektivisera logistiken med samtidig positiv effekt på både ekonomisk, miljömässigoch social hållbarhet. Syftet är också att ta fram en enkel matrismodell för att strukturera och testa de planerade logistiska förändringarnas effekt över hela Triple bottom line.Utifrån nulägesbeskrivningen har grundläggande strategi för logistiskt arbete avhandlats, liksom Paretos princip, totalkostnadsmodellen, komplexiteter och balanced scorecard. Detta inom ramen för den ekonomiska hållbarheten. Vidare har även den sociala och miljömässiga hållbarheten avhandlats för att skapa en komplett bild över hela Triple bottom line.Resultatet av mina undersökningar visar att AB Smådelar har fördel av attbörja räkna på de totala logistikkostnaderna. De bör också inleda strategiska förändringar med inventering av leverantörer, kunder och produkter. Detta ska leda till effektivare lagerstyrning och planering av transporterna mellan AB Smådelar och underleverantörerna, vilket ska följas upp med nyckeltal, gärna i ett balanced scorecard där de drivande processerna mäts och inte bara utfallen. Det kommer även att leda till ett förbättrat resultat över triple bottom line. / AB Smådelar is a company with a strong focus on sustainability andrecently they presented their first sustainability report. The company now wishes to further improve their logistics without jeopardizing the Triple Bottom Line results.The study is qualitative and based on semi structured interviews. The purpose is to do a current state analysis to visualize improvement areas and to propose actions to get a more effective supply chain. A second purpose is to create an easy to use model to evaluate the planned logistical improvements for the effects on the Triple Bottom Line.Based on the current state analysis of the company different fundamentaltheories have been discussed as for example the Pareto principle, the total cost model, complexities and the balanced scorecard this within the frame of economical sustainability. In order to create a complete picture of thetriple bottom line also the social and environmental sustainability have been discussed.The conclusion of this study shows that AB Smådelar should start calculating their total logistics costs. Another action that is proposed is classification of suppliers, customers and products. Based on the classification improvements in inventory control and transports can be calculated, and be measured by Key Performance Indicators (KPI), preferably with the context of the balanced scorecard philosophy wherefocus is on the underlying process. This will eventually lead to an overall improvement of AB Smådelars Triple bottom line.

The rapid increase in the adoption of global sourcing practices that took place in 1980’s led to significant transformations in traditional value chains, which were encompassed by single, vertically integrated organizations, and became globally dispersed networks of independent buyers and suppliers, where each of these firms performs specific value-adding activities that will ultimately result in that value chain’s final output. As concerns over the negative social and environmental impacts caused by industrial activity continue their rise to prominence, stakeholders are starting to realize that the changes through which value chain structures underwent have shifted the locus of corporate sustainability from individual focal firms to entire supply networks. This wider scope of stakeholder expectations has, thus, created a necessity for corporate sustainability initiatives to be diffused to all members of the supply network. Chapter one constitutes a theoretical investigation of the strategic relevance of corporate sustainability diffusion in global supply networks for both focal and non-focal firms within global supply networks, as well as the determining factors of a firm’s capacity to diffuse and performance in diffusing corporate sustainability within its supply network? The theoretical contributions of this study are divided into two parts. The first part seeks to establish a more solid cause and effect relationship to explain why firms that are more highly exposed to stakeholder scrutiny (i.e. focal firms) should necessarily face a higher risk of being held responsible for the sustainability-related misconducts of lesser exposed members of the network (i.e. supplier sustainability risk). The first part also proposes an expansion of the dichotomous categorization of corporate sustainability initiatives as either mandatory or voluntary, to add what we termed: semi-voluntary corporate sustainability initiatives. This addition serves to explain why certain firms adopt non-mandatory corporate sustainability initiatives, which apparently destroy shareholder value. We argue that this distinction is important because cases concerning semi-voluntary initiatives are likely to involve higher levels of supplier sustainability risk. In part two of the theoretical development we introduce a theoretical framework to explain the existing heterogeneity among different firms within a supply network in regards to their ability to implement the diffusion of corporate sustainability initiatives in the network (i.e. network dominance) and propose that it results from the interaction among three network-related firm characteristics: relative resource value, resource substitutability, and relative network position. Lastly, we discuss why higher levels of network dominance increase the likelihood that firms will be able to ensure a high level of corporate sustainability diffusion in the network. Chapter two aims at empirically testing a set of hypotheses derived from the propositions put forth in the second part of chapter one’s theoretical development Therefore, it seeks to answer questions, such as, who is responsible for ensuring that all network members meet the necessary corporate sustainability standards in order to adequately fulfill the demands of stakeholders? Why do some firms engage in corporate sustainability and others do not? What contributes to the effective diffusion of corporate sustainability in a supply network? These hypotheses are tested on a sample of 10,728 firms in the automotive sector, linked by 45,044 inter-firm relationships. Strong support for our hypotheses provides both researchers and managers with an interesting discussion of how this emerging business paradigm, where corporate sustainability is becoming the norm and no longer the exception, may have significant implications on how value chains are structured within this sector. / Business Administration/International Business Administration

Master of Science / Department of Communications and Agricultural Education / Jason D. Ellis / Agricultural sustainability is a growing concern for the general public because of agriculture’s considerable use of land, water, and other natural resources. In response to this growing concern, companies have started to publish sustainability reports to highlight sustainable practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of sustainability reporting from companies in the agri-food supply chain. The research objectives of this study were (1) determine the prevalence of sustainability reporting among food system companies, (2) identify, to what extent, the three components of the triple bottom line model are represented in sustainability reports, (3) determine if/how sustainability reporting differs among sectors of the agriculture supply chain, (4) assess how companies describe stakeholder engagement in sustainability reports, and (5) explore which aspects of reputation are included in sustainability reports. In total, 66 agribusinesses were included in this study of which 16 had published sustainability reports. Data for the quantitative content analysis were collected using a scorecard based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. Results indicated that sustainability reporting is limited among companies involved in the agriculture and food supply chain. Though better than sectors studied in previous research, agribusinesses also struggle to explain stakeholder engagement and need to focus sustainability report content to align more closely with the three components of the triple bottom line model – environment, economic, and social.

Climate change has become an important concern for most governments in the current day. The impact of global warming on economic productivity, human welfare and environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly apparent to most people on the planet, resulting in a rapid evolution of policy instruments which are capable of addressing the issue of climate change. The ultimate aim of these policy instruments is to influence corporate activity to environmentally sustainable behaviour. The two most common policy instruments to effect change to most environmentally sustainable behaviour is carbon taxation and cap-and-trade schemes. Linked to climate change and environmental sustainability is the concept of sustainable development which encompasses environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. These principles are formalized and made relevant for companies in the form of the triple bottom line. In South Africa, National Treasury implemented a carbon excise tax in 2010 for the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in response to the problem of global warming, and published a discussion document in support of their decision to implement carbon tax. The document highlighted reasons for the choice of carbon tax over other policy instruments such as cap-and-trade schemes and penalties. Even though the choice for carbon tax was assessed from an environmental perspective, the concept of sustainable development encompasses environmental, economic and social sustainability. The subject matter for the 1st article was to compare the two most widely used climate change instruments, known as cap-and-trade schemes and carbon tax, from the broader perspective of sustainable development. This included an analysis of the effects of both instruments on both greenhouse gases as well as economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) and fiscal revenue. Linked to the implementation of any instrument designed to address carbon emissions is the concept of the social cost of carbon (SCC). The SCC is an estimate of the associated monetary cost of the damage cause by emitting one additional ton of carbon into the atmosphere. In a perfect world the SCC would be equal to, or lower than, the carbon tax price. National Treasury‟s carbon tax price has never been assessed from an economic perspective and in particular whether the price equates to the SCC from a feasibility viewpoint. The testing of the carbon tax price against the SCC from an economic perspective was the subject of the 2nd article, which then also evaluated the impact of carbon tax on motor vehicle manufacturer‟s production techniques and vehicle fuel efficiency. Under the assumption that the carbon tax price approximates the SCC it is arguable that companies are effectively paying for the damage cost to the environment in the form of the carbon excise tax implemented. If the argument holds true, then the corporate social investment expenditure may well be adjusted since corporate responsibilities to the environment have been partially addressed by the payment of carbon tax. The impact of carbon tax on CSI expenditure by motor vehicle manufacturers in South Africa was the subject of the 3rd article in the thesis. Furthermore, also linked to the implementation of carbon taxation for the motor vehicle industry is the financial and sustainability reporting of the motor vehicle manufacturers‟ tax in the sustainability report and financial statements. Since carbon tax was designed to promote behaviour toward a lower carbon footprint, evidence that such behaviour is being affected can be observed in a company‟s sustainability report, which specifies the company‟s planned path to carbon reduction in accordance with the disclosure standards set in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In terms of financial accounting there is no specific International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) statement dealing with carbon tax, and the correct treatment thereof will have to be interpreted in accordance with existing accounting standards on revenue (IAS 18) and provisions (IAS 37). The subject matter of 4th article assessed motor vehicle manufacturers reporting compliance of carbon tax transactions in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. In summary, the implementation of carbon tax in South Africa is seen as a significant move in the fight against climate change. If the instrument is to be considered effective it must prove to be sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective. The effectiveness of the instrument can only be measured if it was accurately reported in the financial statements and sustainability reports in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. Furthermore, the instrument should not be seen as an opportunity by motor vehicle manufacturers to forego corporate responsibility to environment and thus should not impact CSI expenditure which is a significant part of the welfare contribution by South African businesses to the people of South Africa. / PhD (Tax), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Climate change has become an important concern for most governments in the current day. The impact of global warming on economic productivity, human welfare and environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly apparent to most people on the planet, resulting in a rapid evolution of policy instruments which are capable of addressing the issue of climate change. The ultimate aim of these policy instruments is to influence corporate activity to environmentally sustainable behaviour. The two most common policy instruments to effect change to most environmentally sustainable behaviour is carbon taxation and cap-and-trade schemes. Linked to climate change and environmental sustainability is the concept of sustainable development which encompasses environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. These principles are formalized and made relevant for companies in the form of the triple bottom line. In South Africa, National Treasury implemented a carbon excise tax in 2010 for the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in response to the problem of global warming, and published a discussion document in support of their decision to implement carbon tax. The document highlighted reasons for the choice of carbon tax over other policy instruments such as cap-and-trade schemes and penalties. Even though the choice for carbon tax was assessed from an environmental perspective, the concept of sustainable development encompasses environmental, economic and social sustainability. The subject matter for the 1st article was to compare the two most widely used climate change instruments, known as cap-and-trade schemes and carbon tax, from the broader perspective of sustainable development. This included an analysis of the effects of both instruments on both greenhouse gases as well as economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) and fiscal revenue. Linked to the implementation of any instrument designed to address carbon emissions is the concept of the social cost of carbon (SCC). The SCC is an estimate of the associated monetary cost of the damage cause by emitting one additional ton of carbon into the atmosphere. In a perfect world the SCC would be equal to, or lower than, the carbon tax price. National Treasury‟s carbon tax price has never been assessed from an economic perspective and in particular whether the price equates to the SCC from a feasibility viewpoint. The testing of the carbon tax price against the SCC from an economic perspective was the subject of the 2nd article, which then also evaluated the impact of carbon tax on motor vehicle manufacturer‟s production techniques and vehicle fuel efficiency. Under the assumption that the carbon tax price approximates the SCC it is arguable that companies are effectively paying for the damage cost to the environment in the form of the carbon excise tax implemented. If the argument holds true, then the corporate social investment expenditure may well be adjusted since corporate responsibilities to the environment have been partially addressed by the payment of carbon tax. The impact of carbon tax on CSI expenditure by motor vehicle manufacturers in South Africa was the subject of the 3rd article in the thesis. Furthermore, also linked to the implementation of carbon taxation for the motor vehicle industry is the financial and sustainability reporting of the motor vehicle manufacturers‟ tax in the sustainability report and financial statements. Since carbon tax was designed to promote behaviour toward a lower carbon footprint, evidence that such behaviour is being affected can be observed in a company‟s sustainability report, which specifies the company‟s planned path to carbon reduction in accordance with the disclosure standards set in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In terms of financial accounting there is no specific International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) statement dealing with carbon tax, and the correct treatment thereof will have to be interpreted in accordance with existing accounting standards on revenue (IAS 18) and provisions (IAS 37). The subject matter of 4th article assessed motor vehicle manufacturers reporting compliance of carbon tax transactions in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. In summary, the implementation of carbon tax in South Africa is seen as a significant move in the fight against climate change. If the instrument is to be considered effective it must prove to be sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective. The effectiveness of the instrument can only be measured if it was accurately reported in the financial statements and sustainability reports in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. Furthermore, the instrument should not be seen as an opportunity by motor vehicle manufacturers to forego corporate responsibility to environment and thus should not impact CSI expenditure which is a significant part of the welfare contribution by South African businesses to the people of South Africa. / PhD (Tax), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The focus of this thesis was to develop a simplified framework for future sustainability reports. The traditional approach to corporate reporting is limited in its ability to meet expectations of stakeholders for what drives value creation in a business. Sustainability performance reports are aimed at providing stakeholders information regarding a company’s non-financial performance and to provide stakeholders some information regarding the future performance that can be expected. The idea behind sustainability and the triple bottom line is that a company’s ultimate success can and should be measured not just by the financial bottom line, but also by its social, environmental and economic success. Sustainability reporting, also known as triple bottom line reporting incorporates the economic, social and environmental performance of a company, but there is no universally accepted definition of the subject. Sustainability is a contested subject and defined differently by different groups to suit their purposes. This places the phenomenon in a situation where its future is threatened. / D.B.L.

This paper explores the extent to which corporations currently increase the voluntary disclosures in triple bottom line (TBL) reports. Although research already has provided substantial contributions as to why and how firms apply TBL reporting, there remains limited understanding of the motivations for and against making voluntary disclosures. Drawing from literature in environmental management and accounting as well as international auditing, this work focuses on guidance, boundarysetting and external assurance for TBL reports. An inductive case study approach is applied to investigate the credibility of TBL reporting by contrasting the competing predictions from legitimacy theory and voluntary disclosure theory on voluntary disclosures. A set of firm and industry specific factors are identified that are expected to determine a firm’s level and extent of reporting. The sample comprises nine US and EU red biotechnology corporations which aligned their TBL reporting to the GRI reporting standards in at least part of their TBL reports that were published between 2000 and 2009. An initial attempt is made to systematically investigate the credibility of TBL reporting to develop the model of voluntary disclosures. The empirical findings of this case study suggest that current guidance, boundary-setting and assurance for TBL reports are not sufficient to increase the credibility, comparability and reliability of reporting. Voluntary disclosure theory can serve to provide economic motivations, while legitimacy theory is helpful to provide a legitimating motivation. The findings support the notion that the economics-based factors better explain the secrecy strategy of providing mainly soft disclosures. The increase of disclosure levels maybe is considered sufficient to respond to public pressure. This work concludes by suggesting some directions of research in the areas of boundary-setting and assurance that have academic and practical implications.