Background: Estimations from the Joint Monitoring program for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP, 2012) reveal that “less than five percent of water and sanitation interventions are revisited once they have been completed and less than one percent are monitored over the long term”. Since 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) has been working with the American Red Cross (ARC) to evaluate the long-term sustainability of post-disaster water, sanitation and hygiene interventions (WASH) provided in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Sustainability assessments were conducted in 2006, 2009 and most recently in 2012. In the 2012 evaluation, a qualitative approached was included to extent the results obtained from quantitative surveys through an exploration of individual perceptions and current practices. Methodology: Key-informant interviews were conducted with the heads of household in 15 communities purposively selected. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded and analyzed using the computer assisted qualitative data analysis software MAXQDA10 Results: Interviewees discussed issues related to the quality, safety and adequacy of the water and sanitation infrastructure and hygiene education sessions received. Issues of corruption in the water committees and delayed repair of damaged infrastructure resulting in erratic service were frequently reported. In addition, lack of financial support, community engagement, and equity were identified by heads of household as major limitations to sustain and improve WASH interventions. Conclusions: This exploration provides valuable information to further examine the factors driving people’s adoption of hygienic practices and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities in the Central American region.

<p>This thesis aims to investigate perceptions of sustainability in relation to business</p><p>strategy within the Swedish chemical industry. To this end, a survey was</p><p>distributed with the assistance of industry organization Plast- och Kemiföretagen</p><p>to companies that are part of the Responsible Care® program.</p><p>A second purpose of the study is to explore critical factors when implementing an</p><p>integration of sustainability with business strategy. To do this as well as dig deeper</p><p>into a couple of questions raised in the survey, a qualitative study was carried out</p><p>at Akzo Nobel business unit Pulp and Paper Chemicals (operating under the brand</p><p>name of Eka Chemicals). Semi-structured interviews were performed with seven</p><p>company representatives from different organizational levels, to explore critical</p><p>factors identified in a literary study.</p><p>From the survey, it could be concluded that the studied companies considered</p><p>sustainability as an important issue today and with growing importance for the</p><p>future. It was also observed that sustainability is currently not an issue at the core</p><p>of business strategy, as 35% of respondent companies did not think that top</p><p>management handled issues related to sustainability. Enhanced reputation and</p><p>cost reduction/resource efficiency were seen as the primary creators of business</p><p>value when addressing sustainability. Additional top motivating forces to consider</p><p>sustainability were legislative demands and company core values.</p><p>From the literary study a model of critical factors when implementing changes in</p><p>strategy was developed. Four different aspects identified were explored in the</p><p>semi-structured interviews at Eka Chemicals: change leadership, shared vision,</p><p>sense of urgency and aligning goals. In that specific setting, the critical factors of</p><p>having a shared vision and aligning individual, organizational unit and corporate</p><p>goals were found to exist to a high degree, while the critical factor of change</p><p>leadership was only partially existent, and a sense of urgency not existent.</p>

This thesis aims to investigate perceptions of sustainability in relation to business strategy within the Swedish chemical industry. To this end, a survey was distributed with the assistance of industry organization Plast- och Kemiföretagen to companies that are part of the Responsible Care® program. A second purpose of the study is to explore critical factors when implementing an integration of sustainability with business strategy. To do this as well as dig deeper into a couple of questions raised in the survey, a qualitative study was carried out at Akzo Nobel business unit Pulp and Paper Chemicals (operating under the brand name of Eka Chemicals). Semi-structured interviews were performed with seven company representatives from different organizational levels, to explore critical factors identified in a literary study. From the survey, it could be concluded that the studied companies considered sustainability as an important issue today and with growing importance for the future. It was also observed that sustainability is currently not an issue at the core of business strategy, as 35% of respondent companies did not think that top management handled issues related to sustainability. Enhanced reputation and cost reduction/resource efficiency were seen as the primary creators of business value when addressing sustainability. Additional top motivating forces to consider sustainability were legislative demands and company core values. From the literary study a model of critical factors when implementing changes in strategy was developed. Four different aspects identified were explored in the semi-structured interviews at Eka Chemicals: change leadership, shared vision, sense of urgency and aligning goals. In that specific setting, the critical factors of having a shared vision and aligning individual, organizational unit and corporate goals were found to exist to a high degree, while the critical factor of change leadership was only partially existent, and a sense of urgency not existent.

As more owners seek to develop sustainable buildings, the construction industry is adapting to new requirements in order to meet owner's concerns. Material selection has been identified as an area where designers and contractors can have a significant impact on the sustainable performance of a building. Objective factors such as design considerations and cost constraints can play a role in the selection of materials. However, there may be subjective factors that could also impact the selection of materials. Building upon the potential impact of sustainability perceptions in an optimization model that can be used to help decision makers to select materials, this study defines and tests an instrument to identify and measure such perceptions. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a conceptual instrument that measures the user-based assessment of product sustainability and validates decision-maker's perceptions in order to evaluate the contribution of subjective characteristics in materials selection. A survey of design and construction students and practitioners is carried out to capture the subjective factors included in the instrument. A Factor Analysis approach is used to refine and validate the measurement instrument and predict decision-makers' sustainability appraisal due to the factors considered.