Purpose: This paper aims to conceptualize impacts of higher education institutions (HEIs) on sustainable development (SD), complementing previous literature reviews by broadening the perspective from what HEIs do in pursuit of SD to how these activities impact society, the environment and the economy. Design/methodology/Approach: The paper provides a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2005 and 2017. Inductive content analysis was applied to identify major themes and impact areas addressed in the literature to develop a conceptual framework detailing the relationship between HEIs- activities and their impacts on SD. Findings: The paper identi fi es six impact areas where direct and indirect impacts of HEIs on SD may occur. The fi ndings indicate a strong focus on case studies dealing with speci fi c projects and a lack of studies analyzing impacts from a more holistic perspective. Practical implications: This systematic literature review enables decision-makers in HEIs, researchers and educators to better understand how their activities may affect society, the environment and the economy, and it provides a solid foundation to tackle these impacts. Social implications: The review highlights that HEIs have an inherent responsibility to make societies more sustainable. HEIs must embed SD into their systems while considering their impacts on society. Originality/value: This paper provides a holistic conceptualization of HEIs- impacts on SD. The conceptual framework can be useful for future research that attempts to analyze HEIs- impacts on SD from a holistic perspective.

This research focuses on effective decision-making for sustainable manufacturing design and management. The research contributes to the decision-making tools that can enable sustainability analysts to capture the aspects of the economic, environmental and social dimensions into a common framework. The framework will enable the practitioners to conduct a sustainability impact analysis of a real or proposed manufacturing system and use the outcome to support sustainability decision. In the past, the industries had focused more on the economic aspects in gaining and sustaining their competitive positions; this has changed in the recent years following the Brundtland report which centred on incorporating the sustainability of the future generations into our decision for meeting today's needs (Brundtland, 1987). The government regulations and legislation, coupled with the changes in consumers' preference for ethical and environmentally friendly products are other factors that are challenging and changing the way companies, and organisations perceive and drive their competitive goals (Gu et al., 2015). Another challenge is the lack of adequate tools to address the dynamism of the manufacturing environment and the need to balance the business' competitive goal with sustainability requirements. The launch of the Life Cycle Sustainability Analysis (LCSA) framework further emphasised the needs for the integration and analysis of the interdependencies of the three dimensions for effective decision-making and the control of unintended consequences (UNEP, 2011). Various studies have also demonstrated the importance of interdependence impact analysis and integration of the three sustainability dimensions of the product, process and system levels of sustainability (Jayal et al., 2010; Valdivia et al., 2013; Eastwood and Haapala, 2015). Although there are tools capable of assessing the performance of either one or two of the three sustainability dimensions, the tools have not adequately integrated the three dimensions or address the holistic sustainability issues. Hence, this research proposes an approach to provide a solution for successful interdependence impact analysis and trade-off amongst the three sustainability dimensions and enable support for effective decision-making in a manufacturing environment. This novel approach explores and integrates the concepts and principles of the existing sustainability methodologies and frameworks and the simulation modelling construction process into a common descriptive framework for process level assessment. The thesis deploys Delphi study to verify and validate the descriptive framework and demonstrates its applicability in a case study of a real manufacturing system. The results of the research demonstrate the completeness, conciseness, correctness, clarity and applicability of the descriptive framework. Thus, the outcome of this research is a simulation-based impact analysis framework which provides a new way for sustainability practitioners to build an integrated and holistic computer simulation model of a real system, capable of assessing both production and sustainability performance of a dynamic manufacturing system.

In the remarkable developments that have occurred recently in all sectors of society, e.g. environmental, social, and governance (ESG) integration, responsible investing, social entrepreneurship, and strategic philanthropy, the measurement of extra-financial (or non- financial or external) information remains a key issue. While 'making a difference' is the goal of such developments, no integrated externality measurement framework (IEMF) has been proposed, recognized as a reasonable candidate, or adopted by practitioners. The overall objective of this thesis is to develop such an IEMF which would facilitate meaningful measurements and interpretations of the 'quantum of difference' (e.g. in the context of ESG information) and applications thereof towards resource allocation strategies. The aim is not so much to develop some putative 'perfectly accurate model of reality' but an epistemic framework which would serve as a communicative and organizational anchor. The overall objective derives to five research imperatives, which are responded to by five core chapters in the thesis. The following key findings emerge: Finding 1. The ESG metric landscape exists in a patchwork. In particular, while social impact metrics have proliferated recently, they constitute an incoherent domain of its own, separate from the environmental and governance metric literatures. In devising an IEMF, the key challenges include aggregating disparate metrics and disaggregating causalities. Once such a framework has been devised and adopted by practitioners, one can innovate various resource allocation strategies. Finding 2. The attitudes and approaches toward measurement and metrics can broadly be typologized as being fetishistic, positivistic, cynical, and pragmatic. Taking the pragmatic stance allows us to ascribe an appropriate epistemic status to metrics and calibrates the philosophical proclivity of the culminating IEMF. Finding 3. A geography of philanthropic governance exists. In particular, there are variegated similarities and differences in the perceptions and usage of ecosocial metrics. Significant overlaps in the domain and geographic foci of giving signify the feasibility of meaningful comparison, competition and collaboration among such organizations with metrics at the centrepiece. Finding 4. While best practice benchmarks in the usage of metrics in driving positive tangible changes are rare, a highly innovative integrated rural development program known as Saemaul Undong serves as a solid example. It is possible to maximize the efficiency in resource-deployment, induce participation and competition, and scale a parochial initiative to a national level through the usage of performance metrics. Finding 5. Calibrating appropriate philosophical stance, aggregating widely disparate measuranda, disaggregating casual attribution are among the key challenges towards developing an IEMF. Identifying and adopting appropriate formalisms facilitate addressing such challenges. For adoption in practice, however, one must factor in human expertise and judgements when making resource deployment decisions along with the numbers calculated through such a framework. The findings above constitute a series of 'firsts' of the kind in each relevant bodies of literature, paving the way for further explorations.

Transportation in densely populated areas is becoming increasingly problematic. Congestion, air pollution, accident-related fatalities and time wasted in traffic are only a few of issues associated urban transportation. Personal transportation is expected to increase by 63% total, where car traffic is expected to increase by 67% and railway traffic – by 80% during the period from 2006 to 2050. With that kind of dynamic, reaching the currently set sustainability goals is impossible. This raises the need for introducing sustainable public transportation solutions. Defining sustainability in the context of public transportation and taking into account the case-specific differences that affect the definition is an important step in this process. Quantification and the use of calculation tools for sustainability impact assessment are important for discussing the subject in concretized terms. Public transportation involves a multitude of stakeholders that each have their own responsibility areas. Since public transportation systems are ultimately a collective effort, every stakeholder has to partake in this endeavor on their corresponding level of responsibility. Socioeconomic criteria are an integral part of sustainability impact analysis, since it puts technical transport-related calculations into a broader context that goes beyond the transport sector. This is a qualitative applied study of Scania’s efforts in developing calculation models to facilitate leading the dialogue by providing quantitative evidence during the early stages of their solution sales process. In this report, the methodology for sustainability impact assessment, traffic planning and socioeconomic calculations are studied and applied on the case of Scania, where a holistic calculation tool is developed for the company. Bus Rapid Transit systems have been proven to be effective, sustainable solutions of public transportation in several regions. The vehicle fleet is an important component within the BRT system, which is why calculation tools for analysis of sustainability impacts of BRT systems have high strategic significance for Scania. By providing quantitative evidence of the benefits of sustainable public transportation, the company is going to be able to gain additional market shares while simultaneously promoting sustainable urban public transportation. / Transport i tätbefolkade områden blir alltmer problematiskt. Trängsel, luftföroreningar, olycksrelaterade dödsfall och tid bortslösad i trafiken är bara några av de typiska problemen som medföljer modern stadstrafik. Personlig transporter förväntas öka med 63% totalt, där biltrafiken förväntas öka med 67% och järnvägstrafiken - med 80% under perioden från 2006 till 2050. Om den typen av dynamik fortsätter, är det omöjligt att nå de i dagsläget satta hållbarhetsmålen. Detta skapar ett behov av att införa hållbara kollektivtrafiklösningar. Att definiera hållbarhet inom kollektivtrafiksammanhanget med hänsyn till fallspecifika aspekter som påverkar definitionen är ett viktigt steg i denna process. Kvantifiering och användning av beräkningsverktyg för att göra hållbarhetsbedömningar är viktiga för att diskutera ämnet i konkretiserade termer. Transportsektorn involverar en mängd aktörer som var och en har sina egna ansvarsområden. Eftersom kollektivtrafiksystem i slutändan definieras av samtliga aktörernas kollektiva insats, är det upp till varje aktör att engagera sig i processen på deras motsvarande ansvarsnivå. Samhällsekonomiska kriterier är en viktig del av hållbarhetskonsekvensbeskrivning, eftersom det sätter tekniska transportrelaterade beräkningar i ett bredare sammanhang som sträcker sig utöver transportsektorn. Detta är en kvalitativ tillämpad studie av Scanias arbete inom utveckling av beräkningsmodeller som ska underlätta att föra dialogen genom att tillhandahålla kvantitativa bevis i ett tidigt skede i försäljningsprocessen av kollektivtrafiklösningar. I denna rapport, är metodiken för hållbarhetskonsekvensbeskrivning, trafikplanering och samhällskonomiska beräkningar studerad och tillämpad på fallet Scania, där ett helhetsberäkningsverktyg har utvecklats för företaget. Bus Rapid Transit-system har visat sig vara effektiva och hållbara lösningar för kollektivtrafiken i flera regioner. Fordonsparken är en viktig komponent i BRT-systemet, vilket är anledningen till att beräkningsverktyg för analys av hållbarhetseffekterna av BRT-system har hög strategisk betydelse för Scania. Genom att uttrycka fördelarna med hållbar kollektivtrafik i kvantifierade termer kommer företaget att kunna få ytterligare marknadsandelar och samtidigt främja hållbar storstadskollektivtrafik.

Investment decision-making processes within the Venture Capital (VC) industry are increasingly including sustainability impact aspects, particularly when investing in start-ups. However, the lack of a common understanding and standard for measuring sustainability presents a significant challenge. This thesis explores the current state of sustainability impact assessment within the VC industry, highlighting the gap between academic literature and practical reality. Through a literature review, desk research, and expert interviews, the frameworks and measures used in practice, and the extent to which they align with academic suggestions, are examined. In addition, the impact of the new EU regulation, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), on the development of sustainability assessment within VC investment processes is briefly examined. The findings reveal a need for a unified, holistic framework for assessing the sustainability impact of start-ups, emphasizing the potential of existing research streams and the importance of collaboration between academic and practical experts. This work serves as a steppingstone for practitioners, policy makers, and future research in the field of sustainability assessment and in particular of start-ups. / Beslutsprocesser för investeringar inom riskkapitalbranschen inkluderar i ökande omfattning hållbarhetsaspekter, särskilt vid investeringar i nystartade företag. Avsaknaden av en gemensam förståelse och standard för att mäta hållbarhet utgör dock en betydande utmaning. Denna avhandling undersöker det aktuella läget för hållbarhetsbedömning inom VC-industrin och belyser klyftan mellan akademisk litteratur och praktisk verklighet. Genom en litteraturstudie, skrivbordsundersökningar och expertintervjuer undersöks de ramverk och mått som används i praktiken och i vilken utsträckning de överensstämmer med akademiska förslag. Dessutom undersöks kortfattat hur den nya EU-förordningen, Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), påverkar utvecklingen av hållbarhetsbedömningar inom riskkapitalinvesteringsprocesser. Resultaten visar att det finns ett behov av ett enhetligt, holistiskt ramverk för att bedöma hållbarhetseffekterna av nystartade företag, vilket betonar potentialen i befintliga forskningsströmmar och vikten av samarbete mellan akademiska och praktiska experter. Detta avhandling fungerar som en utgångspunkt för praktiker, beslutsfattare och framtida forskning inom området hållbarhetsbedömning och i synnerhet nystartade företag.

Denna studie har genomförts inom området för industriell teknik och tillhandahåller vidare förslag på en hållbar förbättring för ett svenskt företag som tillverkar glass, Gute Glass, beläget i Visby Gotland. Hållbarhetsutveckling utgör ett fundamentalt område och ligger vidare till grund för arbetet med att ta fram förbättringsförslaget för studien och företaget ifråga, i vilket hållbar utveckling är ett antaget globalt mål som alla länder ska arbeta för och som vidare kan definieras som ”Utveckling som möter nutidens behov utan att riskera möjligheten för kommande generationer att möta sina behov” (Gröndahl och Svanström, 2010, s. 32). Växtbaserade dieter är något som gynnar den hållbara utvecklingen i förhållande till animaliskt baserade dieter och dessa områden samt vilken påverkan de har på miljön ligger till grund för förbättringsförslaget. / This study has been carried out within the field of industrial technology and further provides suggestions for sustainable improvement for a Swedish company that produces ice cream, Gute Glass, located in Visby Gotland. Sustainability development is a fundamental area and also forms the basis for the work of developing the improvement proposal for the study and the company in question, in which sustainable development is an assumed global goal that all countries must work for and which can further be defined as "Development that meets today's needs without risking the opportunity for future generations to meet their needs'' (Gröndahl and Svanström, 2010, p. 32). Plant-based diets are something that benefits the sustainable development in relation to animal-based diets and these areas and the impact they have on the environment is the basis for the improvement proposal.