Purpose: Environmental impact by humans has increased significantly, with the construction industry accounting for 40% of the world's energy consumption. In order to counteract this, the world's demands on sustainable buildings have increased. There are a number of environmental certification systems to help, where Miljöbyggnad is the most common in Sweden. The possibilities for influencing a project are greatest in the early stages, which also applies for environmental work. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate how a project classified according to the Miljöbyggnad Silver affects the bidding process for a construction project, in comparison with a similar project without environmental certification requirements. Method: A literature study which aims to form a theoretical framework, a document analysis of a reference project based on provided documents and semistructured interviews with calculation engineers at Serneke Bygg AB in Gothenburg. Findings: The results of the document analysis and interviews contradict each other to some extent. The document analysis shows several aspects that can be influenced by the calculators' work, while the respondents mention only a few differences between a project with or without certification according to Miljöbyggnad Silver. Respondents consider themselves lacking knowledge about environmental construction, while at the same time they are uncertain of how much that is needed. The document analysis, on the other hand, indicates that additional knowledge is required to ensure that the above mentioned aspects are taken into account in the calculation phase in order to ensure that the bid meets the requirements for Miljöbyggnad Silver. Implications: In order to ensure that the environmental building requirements are met in the tender phase, the recommendation is that the calculators, or one employee, will acquire knowledge about Miljöbyggnad. However it depends on the company's ambition regarding the accuracy of the tender if this will be implemented. Their attitude will have significance to how the work process and time aspect will be affected with the increased requirements of knowledge. Limitations: Only one type of environmental certification and one individual project have been selected. The study's goals are considered to be met, but the results and conclusions could have been further strengthened if more projects were studied and interviews had been conducted with the head of the department. / Syfte: Människans miljöpåverkan har ökat markant och bygg- och konstruktionsbranschen står för 40 % av världens energikonsumtion. För att motverka detta har omvärlden ökat kraven på hållbara byggnationer och det finns ett flertal miljöcertifieringssystem som hjälp, där Miljöbyggnad är det vanligast förekommande i Sverige. Möjligheterna att påverka ett projekt är störst i tidiga skeden, vilket även gäller miljöarbetet. Därför är målet med studien att undersöka hur ett projekt klassat enligt Miljöbyggnad Silver påverkar en byggentreprenads kalkylarbete, i jämförelse med ett likadant projekt utan miljöcertifieringskrav. Metod: Litteraturstudie för att bygga ett teoretiskt ramverk, dokumentanalys av ett referensprojekt utifrån tillhandahållna handlingar och semistrukturerade intervjuer med kalkylingenjörer på Serneke Bygg AB i Göteborg. Resultat: Resultatet från dokumentanalysen och intervjuerna motsäger varandra till viss del. Dokumentanalysen visar på flera aspekter som kan påverkas av kalkylingenjörernas arbete, medan respondenterna endast nämner ett fåtal skillnader mellan ett projekt med respektive utan certifiering enligt Miljöbyggnad Silver. Respondenterna anser sig sakna kunskap om Miljöbyggnad, samtidigt är de osäkra på om och vad som behövs. Dokumentanalysen indikerar däremot att ytterligare kunskap krävs för att säkerställa att aspekterna ovan beaktas redan i kalkylskedet. Detta för att kunna säkerställa att anbudet möter kraven för Miljöbyggnad Silver.   Konsekvenser: För att kunna säkerställa att kraven enligt Miljöbyggnad möts redan i anbudsskedet är rekommendationen att kalkylingenjörerna, alternativt en anställd, fördjupar sig inom Miljöbyggnad. Om det görs beror dock på företagets ambitionsnivå gällande noggrannheten i anbudet och deras inställning kommer ha betydelse för hur arbetsprocessen och tidsaspekten påverkas i och med ökat krav på kunskap. Begränsningar: Endast en typ av miljöcertifiering samt ett enskilt projekt har valts. Studiens mål anses vara uppfyllt, men resultatet och slutsatser hade kunnat stärkas ytterligare om fler projekt studerats samt om intervjuer förts med kalkylchefen.

This thesis is about medical transfusion sphere, which has nowadays many deficits - as the other spheres in medical industry. Target of this thesis is a proposal of new equipment structure in transfusion service in the Czech Republic, which will be more effective then the existing one and which occurs a reduction of blood processing department. It includes not only calculation of basic expenses needed for installation new system and ensure operations for 5 years and comparison of both variants, but it includes also proposal of centralized managing and changes of staff secure of production process.

The thesis is focused on gastronomic services quality evaluation. The theoretical section characterizes gastronomy, its particularities and gives an overview of legal regulations covering this area. Furthermore, it explains the concept of quality, outlines the basic quality management systems, specifies the particularities of quality in gastronomic services and elucidates possible attitudes towards gastronomic services quality evaluation and recognition. The analytical section presents an analysis of the situation in the field of gastronomic services quality evaluation in Germany and in the Czech Republic and is focused on gastronomic guides, internet evaluation portals and restaurant databases. It also mentions the approach to the unified classification or quality standardization in this branch and introduces a short comparison of selected statistical indicators. The final part of the thesis proposes own simple system of catering establishment standardization and quality certification in the Czech Republic.

This diploma thesis deals with project management certifications. It focuses on project and program managers and explores their relationship with the certifications and possible links to quality management. The main objective is to make a cross-section area of certificates in the Czech market, create a a summary of available certifications and perform research, which chats certifications of companies carving out on bussines within the Czech ICT market. The thesis is divided into several parts. The first part is based on the theoretical foundations and was set up as an introduction to project management. Futher are particularly detailed project management competencies like an object of knowledge and skills, that are required to perform manager's work. The second part contains a list of available certificates, including requirements for obtaining. Contribution of this part is just the list created, which concentrates all the important details about particular certificates, including assignment of certificates for the recommended work positions. The last section describes the research implementing, which focuses on finfing out the plans of project and program managery for obtaining new certificates. Research deals with the analysis and synthesis of responses received and creates new knowledge, that reveal possible future trends. Research is unique in dealing with the Czech ICT market, which has not been studied on this topic yet. Diploma thesis presents a comprehensive view at the certifications, but also focuses on a narrow area of the ICT market, where possibilities of certificate usage are observed and confrontation of different views is offered.

The thesis is focused on product certification of fireplace insert. There is described process of combustion of solid fuel and construction of fireplace insert with hot-water exchanger. The compilation of legislative requirements is compiled and confirmed by authorized test laboratory, and declaration of performance with production label with CE sign are made. In the next part, the emission requirements of European market are described, including future coming European directive. The energy label for certified product is designed.

Following thesis deals with analysis about so called "green" administrative buildings and also tries to evaluate their efficiency under the conditions of sustainable development in Czech Republic. Theoretical part describes main reasons for construction such buildings that should lead to sustainable development as a result of reaching so called Triple Bottom Line. It means to ensure the balance among economic, environmental and social aspects. Practical part covers the analysis about efficiency on particular case study of green administrative building owned by CSOB bank.

The diploma paper, Evaluation of aplicability of Leading Quality Trails - Best of Europe criteria on a long-distance hiking trail in the Czech Republic, deals with the process of certification of long-distance hiking trails in accordance with the norm called Leading Quality Trails - Best of Europe. The norm is based on German norms for certificating long-distance hiking trails which brought remarkable success. So far, there are no such trails in the Czech Republic. The main purpose of this thesis is to provide answers to questions concerning the aplicability of European norms on Czech hiking trails. Specifically, it will focus on the aplication of the norms on the long-distance hiking trail Stezka podel Luznice and its evaluation.

Product labelling schemes have become one of the most prominently used instruments to facilitate more Sustainable Consumption and Production. But with a plethora of labelling schemes having been implemented, many now accuse them of being confusing rather than facilitating. As a result, governments in France, UK and Germany, as well as businesses, such as Walmart, and non-governmental organisations, like WWF, have begun to consider seriously the implementation of some form of ‘Sustainability Meta Label’ that condenses existing product-labels and other communication measures into a more coherent overarching scheme. Yet so far, in depth studies on the potential institutionalisation of a Sustainability Meta Labelling Scheme are missing.Based on case study research of four existing product labelling schemes (EU eco, EU energy, Fairtrade and MSC label), this study addresses this gap by developing a novel theoretical framework to study the causalities behind product labelling institutionalisation processes. Combining theoretical arguments of constructivist institutionalism and institutional entrepreneurship with concepts of legitimacy from the governance and organisational studies literature, this framework establishes the institutionalisation of product labelling schemes as contingent on an interactive legitimacy construction between actors involved in the initiation and organisational structures of a labelling scheme and other actors within the production and consumption system. This construction tends to cluster around aspects of tradition, regulation, charisma, knowledge, consequences, and procedures.By concretizing this framework in the context of the studied cases, it is shown how legitimacy constructions are highly complex and how in particular procedural and consequential legitimacy can give rise to fundamental conflicts. The potentially large scope, focus and area of application of a Sustainability Meta Label with the need to find agreements in regard to the very contested notion of Sustainable Development, seems to make the task of managing such conflicts even more difficult. While the mobilisation of knowledge, traditional, regulatory and charismatic logics can circumvent some of these conflicts, they have also demonstrated to be anything but a silver bullet. In a sense, this study shows that the very issue that is claimed to drive the establishment of a Sustainability Meta Labelling Scheme-the different interpretations of the Sustainable Development concept through different product labels-might in fact pose one of the main challenges for its institutionalisation and effectiveness in facilitating more Sustainable Consumption and Production.With these findings this study makes important contributions not only to an increasingly prominent policy making discussion but also to the wider product labelling and new institutional literature. After further empirical testing, the developed theoretical framework could guide future research into the institutionalisation of product labelling schemes and potentially also other ordering mechanisms. While the focus of this study is on commonalities across product labelling schemes such further research could especially expand on how micro, meso, and macro level factors can shape institutionalisation processes in diverse ways.

O sistema de certificação florestal FSC, cujo objetivo institucional é reduzir os impactos negativos da exploração predatória de florestas, é um mecanismo criado e governado por atores da sociedade civil. Sem dispor de poder governamental para regulamentar a forma de atuação do setor privado, o FSC define regras socioambientais de produção que são seguidas por milhares de empresas em centenas de países, representando cerca de 20% das áreas florestais produtivas. Atualmente o FSC reúne entre seus afiliados as principais organizações ambientalistas, movimentos sociais e empresas florestais do mundo. Estudar os mecanismos internos de funcionamento do FSC, utilizados para manter o apoio desta densa rede de organizações, cada qual com seus interesses específicos e muitas vezes antagônicos, de modo que consiga ser, ao mesmo tempo, uma oportunidade de ganhos para empresas privadas e uma estratégia de redução de impactos socioambientais para organizações ambientais e sociais, é o objetivo central desta dissertação de mestrado. Para isso foi analisado o desenho institucional do FSC e os mecanismos utilizados no processo de tomada de decisões, por meio de um estudo das últimas duas Assembléias Gerais do FSC (2005 e 2008), instância máxima de decisão do sistema. Este estudo foi realizado a partir de análises dos resultados das decisões tomadas nestas ocasiões, e de interpretações factuais do processo de negociação que existe entre os diferentes setores envolvidos. Estas assembléias constituem reais arenas de negociação entre os diversos atores interessados no setor florestal, sejam empresas privadas, organizações ambientalistas ou movimentos sociais, ambos com poder igualitário de voto em todas as decisões que definem o funcionamento do sistema. As análises realizadas nesta dissertação demonstraram que este desenho institucional de tomada de decisões é fundamental para a legitimação do sistema, e é em grande parte responsável por manter o apoio dos diversos setores. Ao compartilharem as decisões, prevalece um ambiente de confiança e cooperação entre os atores, que resulta em uma percepção de co-responsabilidade sobre a configuração do sistema. Esta situação não apresenta nenhum sinal de estabilidade, pelo contrário, é através das freqüentes contestações por parte dos atores que a legitimidade do sistema se reafirma periodicamente nos resultados obtidos nas Assembléias Gerais. Os resultados desta dissertação contribuem para o entendimento dos novos mecanismos de governança, onde a sociedade civil passa a ter um papel fundamental no enfrentamento dos grandes desafios globais. / The FSC forest certification system, which institutional goal is to reduce the negative impacts of predatory use of forests, is a mechanism created and managed by civil society actors. Without the governmental power to regulate the behavior of the private sector, the FSC has defined social and environmental standards that are followed by thousands of companies in hundreds of countries, representing around 20% of the world productive forest area. Currently FSC has the support of the major environmentalist organizations, social movements and private companies in the world. The central objective of this dissertation is to study the internal FSC mechanisms, applied to maintain the support of this dense network of organizations, each of those with its specific and most of the time opposed interests, able to be, at the same time, an opportunity of benefits for private companies, and a strategy to reduce the social and environmental impacts of harvesting activities for the civil society organizations. In order to achieve this, the FSC institutional design and decision making process were assessed, through an analysis of two FSC General Assemblies (2005 and 2008). The study has evaluated the results of the decisions that were taken by the FSC members in these two occasions, and the negotiation processes between the different stakeholders that were in place for the approval of such decisions. The FSC General Assembly configures a real negotiation arena, where private companies, environmentalists and social organizations have equal voting power in all decisions that affect the functioning of the system. The analyses demonstrates that the institutional design that defines the decision making process in FSC is crucial for the legitimacy of the system, and is in great part responsible to maintain the support of such diverse stakeholders group. Once the decisions are taken collectively, there´s a prevailing environment of trust and cooperation among stakeholders, resulting in a perception of co-responsibility over the general configuration of the system. This is far away from a stable situation, but rather it´s due to the frequent conflicts among stakeholders that the system´s legitimacy is periodically reaffirmed in the FSC General Assemblies. The result of this dissertation is a contribution for the general understanding of the new governance mechanisms, where civil society plays a fundamental role in addressing the major global challenges.

As transformações observadas nos últimos vinte anos no mercado cafeeiro para diferenciar o produto com base em parâmetros de qualidade atendem a novos valores associados ao consumo. Mais do que uma estratégia de concorrência para agregar valor, a diferenciação de cafés reorganiza as relações sociais em todo sistema produtivo, desde a produção e o comércio dos grãos até a torrefação e a distribuição para os consumidores, por meio de ações cooperativas que viabilizam a coexistência das novas formas de organização com os mercados tradicionais. A qualidade do café pode assumir uma ampla gama de conceitos, sendo os mais tradicionais relacionados a fatores como clima, solo, altitude, sistema de produção e beneficiamento. Os novos parâmetros dos cafés diferenciados, chamados de especiais, apresentam tanto dimensões materiais - que incorporam atributos de natureza física e sensorial, e geralmente se traduzem em qualidade superior da bebida quanto dimensões simbólicas, relacionadas a uma nova ética associada a características ambientais e sociais da produção, como no caso dos cafés orgânicos, sombreados e do comércio solidário, definidos como cafés sustentáveis. Tendo em vista a forte associação entre a qualidade dos cafés e a dos vinhos, esta pesquisa investiga a organização social do mercado de cafés sustentáveis, para responder porque, em meio a uma proliferação de selos de qualidade, os mecanismos de certificação sustentável de café se estruturam de tal modo que não consideram a origem dos plantios. O eixo temático está nos processos de padronização e de certificação de qualidade. Estes novos mercados vêm sendo construídos para expressar novas relações de poder no segmento de cafés especiais, e transformam o mercado com atores anônimos em mercados onde eles têm identidades. A valorização material e simbólica de parâmetros ambientais e sociais da produção e comércio é capaz de formar redes de cooperação que funcionam dentro de uma lógica distinta da estrutura vigente, e proporciona maiores ganhos a atores sociais que estavam em alguma desvantagem no mercado de commodities por não terem a qualidade e identidade de seus produtos devidamente recompensada e reconhecida. Estudos desta natureza exigem uma análise que inclua a sociologia dos mercados para avaliar o emaranhado de relações sociais na vida econômica. A abordagem teórica da sociologia econômica fornece elementos para avaliar o processo de construção social dos mercados, especialmente os novos, por meio de quatro pilares que lhes dão sustentação: os direitos de propriedade, as estruturas de governança, as regras de troca e as concepções de controle. O enfoque político-cultural enfatiza a perspectiva histórica dos mercados para compreender o papel dos grupos dominantes e desafiantes em arenas de ação, considerando a participação de atores sociais como governos, firmas e consumidores, entre outros, e seus incentivos para ações cooperativas a partir dos laços cognitivos que os unem. O estudo empírico focalizou duas regiões geograficamente delimitadas, pioneiras no cultivo, comércio e certificação de cafés sustentáveis: a Serra de Baturité, no Ceará, onde se cultiva o café em sistema sombreado e os municípios de Machado e Poço Fundo situados no Sul de Minas, no estado de Minas Gerais, onde se encontram cafés orgânicos e do comércio solidário. Estes casos foram escolhidos pois, ao contrário de outras regiões produtoras de cafés especiais, os cafeicultores destas regiões mostram evidências informais de valorização da origem dos plantios e estão submetidos a um conjunto de regras e de controles específicos que os diferenciam como sustentáveis. / Over the last twenty years, the coffee market has been transformed by moves to differentiate products through the construction of quality standards that embrace new values associated with consumption. More than a value-adding competitive strategy, coffee differentiation reorganizes social relations across the production system, from grain production and trade to roasting and consumer distribution by means of cooperative actions that enable the coexistence of new organizational forms with traditional markets. Coffee quality is a function of a wide array of concepts, with those related to climate, soil, altitude, production systems and processing being the most traditional. The new parameters for differentiated coffees, called special or specialty, present not only material dimensions - incorporating physical and sensory attributes generally translated into a superior kind of beverage - but also symbolic dimensions, concerning a new ethic which is allied to social and environmental production characteristics, such as the case with organic, shade-grown and fair-trade coffees, defined as sustainable coffees. Taking into account the strong association between quality of coffee and quality of wine, this research investigates the social organization of the sustainable coffee market in order to answer the question of why, amidst a profusion of quality seals, the mechanisms for certifying sustainable coffee are structured so as not to consider the origin of the crops. This work focuses on the quality standardization and certification processes as its pivotal theme. These refer to emerging markets being built to express new power relations in the segment of specialty coffees that transform markets populated with anonymous agents into markets where these agents have identities. The material and symbolic valuation of social and environmental parameters of production and trade not only form cooperative networks operating on a logic different from that currently in force, but also provide higher gains to social actors who were disadvantaged in the commodities market for not having the quality and identity of their products duly rewarded and recognized. Studies of this nature require an analysis that includes the sociology of markets in order to assess the mesh of social relations within economic life. The theoretical approach of economic sociology, which provides elements to evaluate the process of, particularly new, social market construction, is dependent upon four essential factors: property rights, governance structures, rules of exchange and conceptions of control. The political-cultural approach emphasizes the historic perspective of the markets to understand the role of dominant groups and challengers in action arenas and considers the participation of social actors like governments, firms and consumers, among others, and their incentives for cooperative actions based on the cognitive ties that bind them. The empiric study focused on two geographically-delimited regions which pioneered the cultivation, trade and certification of sustainable coffees: the Baturité Mountain Range in the state of Ceará where shade-grown coffee is cultivated and the municipalities of Machado and Poço Fundo, located in southern Minas Gerais state, where organic and fair trade coffees are found. These cases were chosen because, unlike other locales producing specialty coffee, these are regions where coffee growers display informal evidence of adding value to the origin of the coffee crop, submitting as they must to a set of specific rules and controls that differentiates them as sustainable.