På vilket sätt vi tar till vara barn i behov av särskilt stöds perspektiv i våra verksamheter är en väsentlig fråga för att kunna skapa inkludeerande lek och lärmiljöer för varje barn. I denna studie har en aktionsforskningsansats använts tillsammans med skattningsmaterialet Early childhood enviroment rating scale - ECERS-metoden under fem samtal med ett arbetslag för att möjliggöra ovanstående arbete.

Inequality is a complex issue and an integral part of the sustainability challenge. This research examines how social entrepreneurs (SE) can be catalysts to increase equality in South Africa. In order to navigate through the complexity of inequality within this context, the authors designed a conceptual model. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), based on Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) concepts, such as backcasting and systems thinking, was incorporated into the research to ensure a systematic and comprehensive link to sustainability. The FSSD and the conceptual model assisted in exploring how social entrepreneurship could be a strategic approach to increase equality in South Africa, and in turn, help to open the social trap and contribute towards creating a more sustainable society. During the research process, the researchers identified nine high impact areas that could be addressed by SE and other stakeholders. These include: awareness; attitude and mind-set; a shared understanding; government support; education and training; economic environment; financial sustainability; social and physical infrastructure; and collaboration and asset sharing. The aim of these high impact areas is to help foster social entrepreneurial development and guide SE in strategically increasing equality in South Africa.

Focus on municipal level planning has increased in the recent years. Municipal governments are primarily responsible for such planning and they do have the biggest responsibility of driving the entire municipality towards sustainability. In this research project we provide a study on some of the gaps and challenges in the current procedures faced by a few municipalities within Southeast Sweden with respect to Energy and climate change planning and implementation. It was observed that the current engagement practices, communication, and alignment of goals could potentially hinder the municipality from achieving the overall goals of sustainability. Furthermore, a complementing facilitating platform was suggested that would give municipal governments an opportunity to intervene and address some of these gaps and challenges to establish structure and control on activities, towards a sustainable municipality.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att se ifall hållbarhetsarbetet skiljer sig åt mellan de båda bankerna Nordea och Swedbank baserat på lagstiftad respektive frivillig redovisning. Utifrån Carroll’s trefaldiga modell kommer vi att undersöka inom vilket av områdena ekonomiskt, etiskt och legalt ansvar som den största faktiska förändringen har skett. Vi kommer även att undersöka om det skett en förbättring i det faktiska hållbarhetsarbetet utifrån legitimitetsteorin. Med utgångspunkt i vår problemformulering och frågeställning har vi tittat på bankernas hållbarhetsredovisningar och gjort sammanställningar utifrån ett antal indikatorer, sedan har vi kompletterat denna information genom att intervjua en anställd i en av bankerna som arbetar med just hållbarhetsfrågor. Den information som samlats in har analyseras och tolkats med hjälp av de teorier vi anser vara relevanta i ämnet, bl.a. Carroll’s pyramid och dennes trefaldiga modell samt legitimitetsteorin. Utifrån denna analys presenterar vi vår slutsats angående bankernas hållbarhetsarbete och diskuterar huruvida vår frågeställning blivit besvarad och vad vi upptäckt under arbetets gång. Vi kan utifrån vår undersökning kunnat konstatera att redovisningen av hållbarhetsarbetet enligt GRI genomgått en positiv utveckling de senaste åren, för både Nordea och Swedbank, även om vägen dit sett annorlunda ut för respektive bank. Vi har sett vissa faktiska förbättringar av hållbarhetsarbetet, framför allt när det gäller utbildning, både intern och extern. Båda bankerna har dock en bra bit kvar innan man lyckats förankra hållbarhetsarbetet helt och hållet. Skillnaderna mellan lagstiftad och frivillig redovisning syns enbart i själva rapporterna, inte i det faktiska hållbarhetsarbetet.

Sustainable building issue plays a key role in world sustainable development as the building industry converge major sectors of energy, water and material consumption that have huge affect on social and environment. Modern China is under the process of sifting from agriculture society to industrialized society, experiencing a fast economic growth and urbanization, facing big amount of environment and energy problems. Large amount of migration swam from rural area to urban area, which bring up with huge construction work. Low-efficiency of energy use and short life-cycle causes big amounts of waste on energy and materials in China. Developing sustainable building is an emergency and essential issue. There are lots of problems in Chinese sustainable development. The research is try to find out some of the most important factors in Chinese building construction sectors in order to explore new and better methods for a more sustainable development. As a limitation, the research is focused on technical aspects. The research is discussing the problems on three aspects: Regulation standard, Stimulate support system and transfer of technology. Each of the part is discussed the question of ―what is it means to sustainable building?‖ and ―how to improve it?‖ To get the answer, several different approaches are used to analyze the problems. A comparison of Design standard of Energy Efficiency and Denmark housing regulation in order to find the inadequacies of Chinese current regulation, an exploration of Chinese rating system of green building certification tries to find how to make an improvement for green building assessment. and two cases study is help to understand a proper approach of technical transferring. / 0736136147

For sustainable development of Blekinge to be carved out in a strategic manner,steps taken need to be coordinated in the right direction(i.e. towards meeting basic principles of socio-ecological sustainability).One part of this project looks into the various steps that could be taken to reach sustainability at a principle level.The other part looks at the importance of mutual cooperation among various stakeholders within the region.We look at current steps been taken and the potential for cooperation in the region. Our study reveals that many opportunities exist, both for strategic steps towards sustainability and for ways Blekinge organizations could cooperate to achieve them.We found that opportunities exist in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency,transportation and regional cooperation.In particular,this study identified significant opportunities to expand networks of cooperation in Blekinge.For instance, expansion of advocacy groups, expansion of railway and cooperation for alternative fuels among organizations and municipalities are all opportunities.

Current, unsustainable practices are negatively impacting the socio-ecological systems on which humanity depends. This paper argues that social enterprise, as a market-based approach is an effective tool to help developing countries to transition toward sustainability. To gain an understanding as to how broader participation in social enterprise could be encouraged, this research investigates the motivations, enablers, challenges and incentives for professionals in developing countries to participate in social enterprise. In addition, the role of social enterprise and its limitations in moving society toward sustainability were investigated. A qualitative research design was used. The framework for strategic sustainable development (FSSD) was employed to ensure a systems perspective of sustainability was captured in this study. Findings include seven motivational factors, eight enabling factors, and twelve challenges facing social entrepreneurs; as well as seven categories of suggested incentives to increase participation. Strategic recommendations targeted toward government agencies, non-governmental and multilateral development organizations, and social enterprise incubators, were provided as guidelines to encourage participation and ensure sustainability.

The aim of this research is to examine how Africa can become a socially sustainable society by the year 2030 using a strategic leadership approach with Cameroon as a case study. Using a generic and whole systems view, the study would examine the possibility of a transition from a socially un-sustainable society to sustainable society. The study analyses the current political, economic, social and environmental operations that undermines people’s ability to meet their basic needs. It also highlights some of the strengths and opportunities of the Cameroonian society that can help accelerate this transition. Threats and weaknesses are also identified and corrective measures are proposed. Agriculture and social capacity building amongst others stand out as prominent opportunities which could be use to further strategic progress towards sustainability. The study concludes that, with a well defined vision, it is possible for Cameroon to strategically progress towards a socially sustainable society.

This qualitative action research explores integration of Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) at Inova business incubator (Karlstad, Sweden). Researchers and incubator agreed that planning with sustainability in mind at a very early stage of company development may have important impacts on future business success and societal welfare. The objective was to answer how SSD could be integrated into the processes at Inova and how Inova staff’s and entrepreneurs’ understanding of sustainability demonstrably evolve after exposure to SSD. Apart from general research methods, SSD methods and tools were used with three entrepreneurs and business incubator staff. The Five Level Framework for Planning and Decision-making in complex systems and the Templates for Sustainable Product Development approach were central to the study. Inova staff and entrepreneurs began to develop; an understanding of business’ dependence on and relationship to broader societal and ecological systems; and an ability to use backcasting from the basic socio-ecological principles of sustainability in business planning. In turn they experienced an increased capacity to identify sustainability related business risks and opportunities. A new incubation process integrating SSD was created. Although the outcome is specific to Inova, it is general enough for other assistance organizations to gain insight from. In conclusion, SSD should be integrated as early as possible in the business planning of start up companies. Organizations with a mission of assisting entrepreneurs have an important role to play In further research it is recommended that visionary sustainability leaders are identified and tracked from start up.

Much has been written on the subject of sustainable development and the urgent need for society to understand and address human impacts on socio-ecological systems. Emerging from this broad context, the concept of sustainable product development (SPD) represents an important strategy to steer human society towards sustainability. This thesis investigates strategies for integrating sustainability concepts, through organisational learning and stakeholder management, into a new product development tool entitled ‘Touchpoint’. Built on prior research, specifically Methods for Sustainable Product Development(MSPD) and Templates for Sustainable Product Development (TSPD), this could help to eliminate product development approaches that lead to reductionism and ensure that SPD is adopted rapidly and widely.