The engagement of stakeholders in a dialogue on the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the retrieval and treatment of nuclear waste in the UK has proved challenging. The action orientated research presented here has used a mixed methodological approach to examine participants’ perceptions regarding the nature of dialogue being carried out by the NDA National Stakeholder Group (NSG), with the emancipatory aim of raising participant awareness regarding their role and the nature of the dialogue used. Exploration of the emergent theme of fairness has enabled the researcher to provide a contribution to stakeholder theory. This research adds to the theory of the deliberative institution (Reed, 2008), providing evidence for why the effective influence of stakeholders on decision making, communication about this influence, and the institutionalization of stakeholder participation is as important as the engagement itself. The work also provides an important epistemological contribution regarding the role of dialogue within the concept of social sustainability.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore a new perspective within the sustainability of project management theoretical area. The research focuses on verifying the existence of  interconnections between Agile Project Management and Social Sustainability, and on understanding how Agile Project Management impacts organisational social dynamics from a Social Sustainability point of view. Research Methodology/ Approach/ Design: Through an in-depth single-holistic case study,  the research investigates the social dynamics taking place amongst the members of an international IT company, applying an agile project management framework since more than two years. A total of six extensive semi-structured interviews have been carried out with people covering different positions within the company. By working on qualitative data from the interviews, the researchers obtained an in-vivo set of interconnected concepts. The analysis work consisted in qualitatively analysing these concepts and relations in order to build a network diagram reproducing graphically the interconnections existing between Agile Project Management elements and the Social Sustainability factors proposed by Missimer et al. (2016a, 2016b). Research Findings: The findings - obtained through the analysis of the network diagram - have been analysed with the lenses of the five factors, that have not to be degraded in order to ensure the social sustainability of a social system. It has been found that implementation of Agile Project Management, within the company’s environment, has impacted the organisation’s social dynamics in several ways. These impacts influenced in a direct or indirect way individual’s “Health”, their “Capacity to Influence”, their “Capacity to Acquire New Competences”, and their “Capacity of Meaning-Making”. By analysing the type of influence APM has on these four aforementioned factors, it has been found that it influences positively all of them. This allowed us to conclude that, according to Missimer et al. definition of Social Sustainability, Agile Project Management shows several interconnections to Social Sustainability and that it seems to benefit organisational internal social dynamics making them more socially sustainable. Research limitations: Because of the exploratory nature of the research, the empirical study has been based on a single in-depth case study. However, generalisability of the findings are limited by the inherent limitations of this inquiry strategy. Further researches will allow to verify and eventually expand or complete the proposed model. Originality/value: This research contributes to a detailed understanding of the existing relations between Agile Project Management and Social Sustainability theory. This represents a completely new point of view in the studies of Sustainability of Project Management, suggesting the validity of a new stream of research focusing on Agile Project Management as a new project management process through which promote corporate sustainability.

The organizational structure of Holacracy has been gaining popularity in recent years, but a lack of academic research on Holacracy called for a systematic approach to assessing its merits and shortcomings. The need Holacracy fills, is that of organizations dealing with a complex world and rapidly evolving technology. While Holacracy is not tailored to address sustainability issues, there are many components that made it a candidate for the researchers to examine it through a social sustainability lens. This study examines the effect of specific components of Holacracy with elements of adaptive capacity – a theory from which the research definition of social sustainability was built. With the goal of determining the effect of Holacracy on social sustainability, a questionnaire directed at employees and practitioners of holacratic organizations was utilized. The findings implied that Holacracy does positively influence the experience of the elements of adaptive capacity; with the relationship to the adaptive capacity element of self-organization being a standout. The importance of trust is also identified. The link to the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development can be elucidated through adaptive capacity’s influence to the social sustainability principles. Because of the importance of social sustainability and social capital to organizational performance and longevity, this research is of value to any business using, or considering using Holacracy.

This thesis aims to contribute new understandings of community sustainability through a detailed case study of public sector and community relations within Cornwall. The Look Group Network is a multi-layered public sector and community adult informal learning partnership project which sought to connect Tate St Ives, a national art gallery operating in the far west of the UK, with new audiences. The case study situates together informal learning, community and sustainability and explores their interdependence. The study comprised participant observation with the Look Group members, semi-structured partner interviews, contextual research including a review of the social and political theory of community and an evaluation of relevant sustainable community and informal learning policy. The research aims to identify the underlying conditions which contributed to the sustainability of the Look Groups over a four year period and to assess to what extent these conditions could be transferred to other communities. The original contribution of this project to the existing research literature is in the application of Complexity Theory to empirical data to enable an understanding of the systemic dynamics that contribute to sustainability and in the development of method in the consideration of community and group dynamics.

Syftet med detta examensarbete är att ge en fördjupad bild över hur man kan öka kontinuiteten i arbete med sociala aspekter under byggprocessen för husbyggnadsprojekt samt vilka konsekvenser på social hållbarhet det skulle ge. Vidare undersöks möjligheten för att inkludera och beakta sociala aspekter under byggprocessen för husbyggnadsprojekt. Arbetet innehåller även förslag till hur en sådan modell skulle kunna utformas. Ämnet valdes på grund av personligt intresse samt att få studier tidigare genomförts inom området. Det angreppssätt som valts för att undersöka det identifierade problemet är en iterativ metod med intervjuer, fokusgrupp och litteraturgenomgång om vartannat för att utveckla ett framväxande förslag av en modell som kan tillämpas. De empiriska resultaten visar tillsammans med teorin att positiva och negativa sociala konsekvenser inte beaktas utifrån ett processomfattande perspektiv i byggprocessen utan mer stötvis under byggprocessens gång. Det framtagna modellförslaget efterliknar därför metoden för sociala konsekvensbeskrivningar under planprocessen men har anpassats efter byggprocessen. Syftet med modellförslaget är att öka delaktigheten såväl internt som externt, öka flexibiliteten inom sociala frågor samt generera kontinuitet i frågor som berör social hållbarhet i projekten. För att modellförslaget ska skapa incitament för ett ökat beaktande av sociala värden i byggprocessen krävs att den utvecklas till en mer användbar och verklighetsförankarrad produkt. Här skulle förslagsvis ett pilotprojekt vara relevant. Förutom ett verktyg för identifiering av sociala konsekvenser krävs även en förändring av arbetsprocesser. Likt utvecklingen inom den miljömässiga hållbarheten bör den sociala hållbarheten bli en självklar komponent inom samhällsplanering. / The aim of this master´s thesis is to provide an in-depth view of how to increase the continuity of the work of social aspects during the construction process and the impact on social sustainability. Moreover, it will include and take in to account the social aspects of the construction process for house building projects. The thesis also provides suggestions of how such a model can be designed. The topic was chosen partly due to personal interest but also because a lack of empirical studies within the field. The approach selected to investigate the identified problem is an iterative method with interviews, workshops and literature reviews, this in order to develop an emerging draft of a model that could be applied. The empirical results along with the theoretical shows that the positive and negative aspects of social sustainability are not taken into account in the extensive perspective in the building process. The model proposed mimics the method for social impact assessment of the planning process but has been adapted for the building process. The purpose with the proposed model is to increase the participation both internally and externally, increase the flexibility and continuity in building projects and contribute to a greater inclusion and consideration of social issues within the projects. In order for the proposed model to create incentives to increase a greater consideration of social values in the building process, the model need to develop into a more useful and reality-based product. One relevant example could be a pilot-project. Beside a tool for identifying social impact, a change in the working process is also required. Like the development within the environmental sustainability, the social sustainability must become an integral component within urban planning.

With the rise of popularity of technological devices, less children engage in reading books. This paper investigates the influence of technology on young children and points out the advantages and disadvantages of being in contact with digital media on a regular basis. In contrast to that, this project reveals benefits that come from reading and being read to in early childhood. Through designerly research in forms of collaboration and a cultural probe, the essence of children’s books is getting ex- plored. Furthermore, the importance of illustration in combination to text in picture book is being discussed. By exploring the practice of creating an own illustrated children’s book, I evaluate assumptions and findings of my research.

This thesis work addresses two research questions regarding sustainability that may be of interest to the planning profession, namely, is it useful and meaningful to measure the sustainability of residential neighborhoods in terms of their long-term viability? And if it is, is it then feasible to design an instrument for measuring neighborhood sustainability that can be used to inform neighborhood-scale planning and decision making? Interpreting from a review of planning literature regarding sustainability at the neighborhood scale that efforts to measure neighborhood sustainability provide insight and knowledge to planners about neighborhood conditions, I followed a step wise process to construct an instrument. This process involved defining sustainability as is relevant at neighborhood scale, identifying forces that influence it, defining the unit of analysis for the measurement instrument, and operationalizing the instrument. It is my conclusion that while it is feasible to construct an instrument for measuring sustainability, it is through additional research work outside of the graduate thesis that such an instrument can successfully be constructed. Due to time and resource constraints, I have only been able to develop an instrument of measurement that may be useful to planners chiefly as a heuristic tool rather than a policy making analytic tool. / Thesis / Master

Submitted by MONICA DE ALBUQUERQUE MALDONADO null (monica.a.maldonado@gmail.com) on 2017-02-20T13:10:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação 2017_Monica Maldonado (2).pdf: 5292728 bytes, checksum: 79bbdabdb677de9e607fa930132e2f04 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-02-22T19:30:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 maldonado_ma_me_bauru.pdf: 5292728 bytes, checksum: 79bbdabdb677de9e607fa930132e2f04 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-22T19:30:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 maldonado_ma_me_bauru.pdf: 5292728 bytes, checksum: 79bbdabdb677de9e607fa930132e2f04 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-06 / O aspecto social é possivelmente o menos desenvolvido dos três pilares da sustentabilidade. Pesquisas realizadas anteriormente priorizam os assuntos ambientais e econômicos. O interesse ao desenvolvimento de embalagens tem aumentado recentemente, com vários programas e iniciativas que instigam o aprimoramento da sustentabilidade das embalagens. O desenvolvimento de embalagem sustentável deveria considerar indicadores e critérios de embalagens considerando o ciclo de vida do produto e da embalagem. Poucos trabalhos, no entanto, discutem a questão de embalagens e sustentabilidade considerando o ponto de vista da cadeia de suprimentos, mas as decisões tomadas no início do ciclo-de-vida da embalagem e do produto afetam diretamente a sustentabilidade e seu impacto sobre desempenho e custos na cadeia de suprimentos pode ser devastador. Nesse contexto, essa pesquisa busca contribuir com o entendimento dos aspectos de sustentabilidade social em embalagens. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é propor uma ferramenta para análise da sustentabilidade social em embalagens, com base na relação entre 20 critérios de embalagens e 3 princípios de sustentabilidade social (justiça, igualdade/equidade e transparência) considerados no design/desenvolvimento de embalagens. A ferramenta proposta é um questionário, que foi respondido por associados da Associação Brasileira de Embalagens, com o intuito de exemplificar a aplicação da ferramenta. Os resultados foram analisados e apresentados em gráficos do tipo radar, que permitem uma melhor visualização das questões abordadas em cada princípio. No entanto, devido à diversidade de questões e abrangência do tema, a maioria das embalagens analisadas, deve possuir, eventualmente, elementos de sustentabilidade social. Contudo, uma embalagem socialmente sustentável deve considerar, nos processos de design e desenvolvimento, uma justa distribuição dos recursos na sociedade, igualdade de diereitos estabelecidos e acesso à informação e oportunidade para participação. Além disso, como a sociedade está “inserida” no meio ambiente, a discussão de práticas de sustentabilidade ambiental é importante para a sustentabilidade social. / The social aspect is possibly the least developed of the three pillars of sustainability. Previous research prioritizes environmental and economic issues. The interest in packaging development has increased recently, with several programs and initiatives that instigate the improvement of packaging sustainability. The development of sustainable packaging should consider indicators and packaging criteria considering the product’s and packaging’s life cycle. Few papers, however, discuss packaging and sustainability from a supply chain perspective, but decisions taken early in the packaging and product life cycle affect directly sustainability and its impact on performance and costs in the supply chain can be devastating. In this context, this research seeks to contribute to the understanding of social sustainability aspects in packaging. The main objective of this work is to propose a tool for the analysis of social sustainability in packaging, based on the relationship between 20 packaging criteria and 3 principles of social sustainability (fairness, equality/equity and transparency) on packaging design / development. The proposed tool is a questionnaire, which was answered by members of the Brazilian Association of Packaging, with the purpose of exemplifying the application of the tool. The results were analyzed and presented in radar type charts, which allow a better visualization of the issues addressed in each principle. However, due to the diversity of issues and scope of the theme, most of the packages analyzed should have, possibly, elements of social sustainability. However, a socially sustainable package should consider, in design and development processes, a fair distribution of resources in society, equality of established rights and access to information and opportunity for participation. In addition, as society is "inserted" in the environment, the discussion of environmental sustainability practices is important for social sustainability.

This thesis is concerned with the contribution of practising planners, working in town or urban planning departments, to social wellbeing. It is concerned with what planners do, how they conceptualise the application of town or urban planning practice to social issues, and what they think about their role in achieving social outcomes in a place. The general question is initially addressed through an introductory story and then via a content analysis of recent regional strategic plans. This is followed by a review of town planning literature on social issues, particularly literature concerned with small areas such as villages and neighbourhoods and which treat urban areas as a series of villages or neighbourhoods. The work is further advanced by a discourse analysis of the use of the word community, as a noun and as an adjective, in a series of planning reports. Recent literature on community development, community consultation and sustainability principles is also reviewed for its contribution to the way in which planners address social issues. On the basis of findings from this work, five research propositions are developed. These are explored through a survey of practising planners. The research propositions are explored in a number of questions so as to search for consistency and establish the reliability of the results. The same questionnaire is also administered to a class of fourth year student planners as a control. Four of the five research propositions are demonstrated by the survey results. The results suggest that practising planners have a knowledge and skill shortfall in the area of applying planning practice to achieving social outcomes. However, the results also demonstrate that most planners think that community building is part of their role, they have a realistic appreciation of their skills and are open to new ideas and learning opportunities. The concluding section of the thesis makes a series of suggestions for responding to the shortfall and developing planners� knowledge and skills relevant to community building.

This mainly deductive study examines what factors explain the variation of e-democracy and if, why a causal pathway exists. The deductive feature is carried out through examining the predictions of the modernization theory, testing hypotheses concerning the link between economic development and wealth in relation to e-democracy. Deriving from a theoretical point of departure where e-democracy is conceptualized with the help of democratic theory, this phenomenon is studied in three different but linked empirical parts. A cross-sectional global study did establish a relationship between some of the indicators derived from the theory; however, the magnitude of the explanatory power was lower at the level of e-democracy than at the level of democracy. A cross-sectional national study of all Sweden’s municipalities did show that especially high levels of education were clearly related to high levels of e-democracy. Approaching the questions of causal mechanisms and deviations from the found pattern, case studies did emphasize that the linkage between the structural conditions and actor’s-orientated explanations largely could verify what is deducted from theory. However, the importance of economic possibilities and internal prioritizations inside the political organization was essential for the development of e-democracy and was found through more inductive approaches. The main contribution of this thesis is the results that, both on an aggregated and a micro level, verify the theory but also add other important explanations. Another important conclusion is the creation of a model for e-democracy where a complete e-democracy is linked to democratic theory and not only maintains information, discussion, and decision-making processes through information and communication technology but also does this while strengthening political participation and political equality. / PECOI