The Swedish Initiative on Sustainable Palm Oil in food and cosmetic and detergent industries hasemerged in 2014 following other EU national initiatives. This thesis project aims to explore thecondition of the initiative by examining who the key important stakeholders are and how these palmoil key stakeholders in Swedish market develop and implement their Sustainable Palm OilInitiatives. A qualitative approach using case study technique is used to guide the study andsupported by a combination of several theoretical frameworks, such as stakeholders’ theory and thevalue chain concept to address the research questions. Rooted from six organizations as study cases,the study found that the key important stakeholders for these organizations in developing andimplementing the initiatives are retailers, suppliers, consumers, trade associations, and Non-Governmental Organizations. Furthermore, the study also found that these six organizations useethical sourcing tool based on Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification scheme toimplement the Initiative in their respective member companies. As authorisers, the Swedish FoodFederation and the Swedish Cosmetics, Detergents and Toiletries Association developed Palm OilWorking Group and a simple platform for their member companies both in Swedish food andcosmetic and detergent industries in order to spread and manage the initiative. Världsnaturfonden,on the other hand serves as an external influencer that conducts lobbying and facilitations to supportSwedish companies to use certified segregated palm oil products to drive responsible palm oilproduction. The results show that Kicks, Croda, and Fazer facilitate the operationalization of ethicalsourcing initiative throughout their primary and supporting value chain activities. In addition,intertwined relationship between upstream and downstream parts of palm oil supply chain networksinfluences the outcome of the Swedish Initiative on Sustainable Palm Oil in spreading the initiativetoward market transformation in Sweden.

The improvement of SISP practices has rapidly become one of the most critical issues facing many organisations, including banks. Globally, the banking sectors, including the Saudi one, have developed and implemented many IS strategies. Several systems have been executed to support the countries’ economies which have benefited from the increased trading resulting from the greater flexibility in time and costs associated with banking transactions. To continue these achievements and to improve SISP processes, several factors require careful investigation based on their relationship to SISP success; which include SISP objectives, SISP internal factors, external consultant functions, SISP external factors, measurements of SISP success, key stakeholders’ roles, and triggers. Therefore this study investigates the impact of these factors on SISP success. Data were collected in three phases. Phase 1 was an initial study with one or two interviews with the IT directors of each bank in the Saudi banking sector comprising the central bank and 11 commercial banks. The outcomes informed the development of a survey that was used in Phase 2; to investigate a sample containing a central bank, a domestic commercial bank and a domestic-foreign commercial bank to determine their SISP processes. 157 completed questionnaires were returned from the bank executives, business and IT directors and consultants. In Phase 3, 57 interviews confirmed and explained the quantitative results from Phase 2. Therefore, an in-depth case study was made in the three banks during Phases 2 and 3. The research results support previous findings on the SISP’s seventeen objectives collected by several researchers across different industries and in various countries. Furthermore, the research condenses these seventeen objectives into five more practical and achievable objectives for the banking sector. These are: 1) planning and deployment of information systems; 2) leading organisation changes; 3) improving stakeholders’ involvement and communication; 4) achieving the strategic priorities; and 5) alignment of organisational policies and architecture for business and IS. In addition, the findings identify the factors according to their relationship with SISP success and therefore explore several elements with positive, negative or no impact on SISP success in the banking sector. The thesis presents conclusions and suggests areas for further research.

This study examines the integration of urban agriculture into smart cities in the Netherlands, with an emphasis on stakeholder roles and the institutional environment. The study investigates the complex interaction between local governments, businesses, academic institutions, community groups, and residents using the theoretical frameworks of Scott's institutional theory, stakeholder salience theory, and Moore's business ecosystem theory. The study uses semi-structured interviews with important stakeholders to identify each group's power, legitimacy, and urgency, as well as to investigate their relationships and collaboration. Key findings show that local governments play an important role in regulatory support, land use facilitation, and financial incentives, whereas businesses promote technological innovation and economic viability. Academic institutions make significant contributions to research and technological developments, while community groups promote social sustainability and local participation. Residents, as end users, affect urban agriculture by their engagement and demand. Institutional barriers such as regulatory hurdles, financial constraints, and cultural resistance hinder the integration of urban agriculture. Supportive policies, financial incentives, community engagement, and educational initiatives have been stated as crucial facilitators. To address these barriers, the study underlines the importance of streamlining regulatory processes, developing comprehensive food strategies, and increasing public awareness. Urban agriculture can be successfully integrated into smart city frameworks by leveraging the collaborative potential of varying stakeholders and building a supportive institutional environment. This integration fosters sustainable urban development, improves community well-being, and addresses food security, environmental management, and social cohesion issues. The study offers practical recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to build resilient, innovative, and inclusive urban ecosystems, adding valuable insights to the field of sustainable urban development.

This paper focuses on the local additive manufacturing AM for life science ecosystem. It aims to study the roles of the different stakeholders, and the strengths and weaknesses of the local AM ecosystem through the lens of the research on Innovation ecosystems (IE), Innovation Systems (IS), and Innovation clusters (IC). The main framework used in this study is technological innovation systems (TIS). The methodology of this research relies on a mixed-methods approach that involved surveys administered through structured interviews and self-completion questionnaire. The stakeholders involved in the study include organizations from the industrial sector, healthcare providers, academia, public agencies, and innovation support. Data collected from twenty-two participants was compiled and used to determine response frequencies on nine multiple response questions, and mean scores for thirty-two Likert scale questions. The frequency response tables were used to determine the stakeholder roles, while mean scores were used to determine the TIS functional components ratings and overall standings.  The roles of the stakeholders were determined through the lens of the existing literature on IE. The stakeholders have mixed involvement across the ecosystem, sometimes occupying multiple role categories within the ecosystem. It was found that healthcare stakeholders, and industry stakeholders fill direct value creation and value support roles due to their active participation in defining medical needs and supporting the ecosystem. Next, Public agency stakeholders fill leadership roles, due to their regulatory and actor integration roles. Finally Academic stakeholders fill leadership roles by providing research and knowledge to the ecosystem.   In terms of strengths and weaknesses, the TIS framework was used to evaluate the seven original functional components, and an additional component that was added based on the IE research. It was found that Function 3 Knowledge Diffusion was the strongest function, due to the noncompetitive environment that the local AM ecosystem has established. Meanwhile, Function 2 Knowledge Development scored lowest and was determined to be the weakest functional component due to a lack in the number of patents within the innovation ecosystem. In addition, individual strengths and weaknesses within the functional components were highlighted for a more nuanced look into the strengths and weaknesses of individual functional components. The highest rated strength of the ecosystem was determined to be collaboration, and its weakest area was the noncompetitive environment.