Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / Sustainable certifications are expanding in popularity within the built environment as the construction industry is progressing towards sustainability, while benefits are becoming more valuable to the businesses that reside in sustainably certified spaces. These benefits, such as thermal comfort and natural daylighting, not only translate to enhancing employee’s health, but employers within sustainably certified buildings have found greater retention rates in employees, improved business recruitment, as well as higher productivity in employees. The range of this analysis is directed towards two businesses that reside in sustainably certified buildings, DPR Construction-Phoenix in Arizona and the Mosaic Centre for Conscious Community and Commerce in Edmonton, Canada. Both buildings will be assessed for the impact their sustainable space have on their business. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of holistic and specific components of sustainability certifications, exclusively LEED and Net Zero Energy, on businesses. The study was unique as it was conducted by interviewing an integral consultant/designer in the construction process that still currently works in the building. The interview revealed that DPR Construction found employees to be more comfortable in their workspace, thus suggesting that productivity would be improved however this cannot be measured. The Mosaic Centre found new business advantages such as utilizing the space for tours and community engagement opportunities that have given the businesses within the Mosaic Centre unique marketing opportunities to improve business. This analysis will help commercial building owners gain insight on the business impacts of implementing sustainable building components to achieve a LEED certification, Net-Zero Status or a Living Building Challenge certification.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / Sustainable certifications are expanding in popularity within the built environment as the construction industry is progressing towards sustainability, while benefits are becoming more valuable to the businesses that reside in sustainably certified spaces. These benefits, such as thermal comfort and natural daylighting, not only translate to enhancing employee’s health, but employers within sustainably certified buildings have found greater retention rates in employees, improved business recruitment, as well as higher productivity in employees. The range of this analysis is directed towards two businesses that reside in sustainably certified buildings, DPR Construction-Phoenix in Arizona and the Mosaic Centre for Conscious Community and Commerce in Edmonton, Canada. Both buildings will be assessed for the impact their sustainable space have on their business. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of holistic and specific components of sustainability certifications, exclusively LEED and Net Zero Energy, on businesses. The study was unique as it was conducted by interviewing an integral consultant/designer in the construction process that still currently works in the building. The interview revealed that DPR Construction found employees to be more comfortable in their workspace, thus suggesting that productivity would be improved however this cannot be measured. The Mosaic Centre found new business advantages such as utilizing the space for tours and community engagement opportunities that have given the businesses within the Mosaic Centre unique marketing opportunities to improve business. This analysis will help commercial building owners gain insight on the business impacts of implementing sustainable building components to achieve a LEED certification, Net-Zero Status or a Living Building Challenge certification.

The purpose of this study is to gain better understanding of the role of leadership in achieving sustainable business. I inquire how sustainability might be more embedded in the day-to-day operations of business beyond the rhetoric of strategic plans, vacuous mission statements and technological fixes. I am exploring how leadership might be embodied in behaviour to promote sustainable business practice. What approaches to leadership might we adopt that are more commensurate with the cyclical and relational nature of natural systems? How can we root discussions about leadership and sustainability in an understanding that both are socially constructed phenomena? This is the field to which my research aims to contribute an empirical study. What constitutes sustainable business practice remains unclear, and due to its very situated nature this is likely to remain the case. My research is prompted by reports in the literature suggesting that approaches taken to date to promote more sustainable ways of doing business have been limited and slow. Furthermore the mainly techno-centric approaches that have been applied in some cases are reputed to exacerbate the continued dualism between human activity and the environment. The leadership literature is swamped with books, conferences and workshops on the subject of sustainability. Despite this, a ‘how’ gap exists between the rhetorical ideals of sustainable business practice and their working application, which this situated inquiry addresses. This inquiry centres on a small to medium size service sector company comprising two hotels located in a small sea-side resort in the South West region of the UK. The philosophy of the company – known here for the purpose of anonymity as The Hotels – is to maintain a successful luxury hotel business whilst at the same time minimising its negative ecological impact. Undertaking a longitudinal ethnographic study, I witnessed first-hand the leadership challenges posed by working to uphold this philosophy. In conclusion, my findings do not highlight any one action, way of being or simple stepped approach. Instead they combine ways of thinking and behaviours, some of which run contrary to the dominant positivist paradigm; daring to do things differently enables a successful business to minimise its negative ecological impact.

M.Comm. / Microfinance refers to the provision of financial services, in particular small loans in the context of South Africa, to poor people with very small businesses. Commercial banks have largely considered poor people in remote areas unbankable, because they lack collateral and have no credit histories. Microfinance institutions emerged as unconventional institutions with innovative techniques, mechanisms and instruments to advance financial services to this segmented part of the population. This has, however, not been without challenges. Microfinance institutions face a number of challenges such as lack of competent human capital, unfavourable regulatory environment, and insufficient financing. The study examines if these challenges are applicable in the South African context and whether financial and operational inefficiency has hindered microfinance institutions in South Africa from sustainably increasing their outreach through the provision of microcredit. It surveys two microfinance institutions, characterised as non-governmental organisations using the group lending methodology to offer microloans to the very poor. The results indicate that microfinance institutions are not on a sound fiscal footing, and large operating expenses have resulted in some form of inefficiency. This has, however, not hindered the microfinance institutions from reaching a greater number of borrowers. The witnessed increased outreach in number of clients reached is considered unsustainable given the existence of inefficiency and financial weakness. The results suggest a number of policy options on the side of government and the institutions concerned. Increasing the funding sources available to microfinance institutions should be considered by both government and private institutions. This policy would succeed if microfinance institutions work at reducing their operational costs and become both efficient and sustainable so as to be seen as viable investment options.

Problem: Recently, the demand for more sustainable farming and production has increased due to climate changes and the decreasing biodiversity. Furthermore, in Sweden, more and more milk producers are facing bankruptcy because of the present situation in the dairy industry which also demands social responsibility towards them. Therefore, dairy companies need to embed sustainability into their business model. Previous literatures indicate that sustainable business models which integrate sustainability into organization could maintain and increase profitability and at the same time ensure social and environmental capital in the future. However, there is still a lack of information and empirical data on the scope of how sustainability is embedded into a business. Purpose: to increase understanding of sustainability in dairy company and what sustainability aspect might be important to embed into their business model. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework is developed for the purpose of this research. It discusses the definition of Business model and Sustainable business model. Also, two sustainable business model canvases that could be used as analyzing tools to investigate an organization and its operational activities which are presented and compared. This part focuses on presenting framework and explanation of Flourishing business canvas which will be implemented in the analysis. Methodology: The study approaches on a qualitative study of an extreme case where parts of empirical data has been collected from interviews with the case company, the rest of empirical data has been gathered from the case company’s CSR reports and their annual reports. The case company is working with sustainability in their business. Conclusion: As findings of purpose and research question, Arla have embedded sustainability into their business model, however they still need to develop further in their work with sustainability to benefit more from their business model. The case company has embedded all three main contexts of sustainability: economic, social and environmental contexts. However, the focus is more on the financial context. Limitation: The findings need more investigation of other dairy companies to be generalized. Furthermore, this thesis only investigated the current business model.

<p>This Master thesis investigates how values can drive value when creating sustainable business.Concepts like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development (SD) has in the last years become more and more accepted and therefore practiced in the business world. Due to alarms of the climate change, decreased biological diversity and alarming reports of child labour in the export industry, today’s society claims for more sustainable actions among global enterprises. Evidently, some organisations have a more proactive sustainable approach and therefore managed to use sustainable actions to grow and strengthen their market positions e.g. IKEA and Starbucks. Service research related to the above research area at CTF (Service Research Center) at Karlstad University pointed out that corporate values such as social responsibility and environmental responsibility (among others) can be used to create customer value, brand equity and help strategic decision-making for future growth. This thesis investigates in the specific context of Löfbergs Lila what can be learned if the above mentioned strategy is used in a medium-sized company with strong values. Which processes are required to create sustainable business and how far has Löfbergs Lila come according to selected concepts and theoretical framework in business research?</p><p>The purpose of the thesis is to investigate, in an explorative way, how values can drive value for sustainable business, both empirically through the Löfbergs in the coffee context as well as theoretically. The whole thesis can be seen as a mix of a descriptive case study and an interpretative case study where understanding of the thesis will be created in the interaction between the theoretical and empirical parts. The study has been developed using a combination of inductive and abductive methods whereby the interaction between the conceptual/theoretical framework and Löfbergs Lila, in the coffee context, have constructed a new meaning.</p><p>The explorative study of Löfbergs Lila (or AB Anders Löfberg) presents an understanding of how values have affected the strategy and operation of this organization and is still doing so to this very day. Every company can work with sustainability, but strong corporate values incorporated into the business model are an advantage. There is a fundamental basis for more “sustainable growth” when these values drive “true” environmental and social progress, including accountability. This thesis claims that true core values are deep-rooted in the company and drive value for Löfbergs’ customers in the name of sustainable business.</p><p>The theoretically- and conceptually-driven findings, built on five (re)-constructed thick descriptions from Löfbergs Lila in the coffee context, end up in five general concepts for valuesbased sustainable business</p><p>1. Service Logic</p><p>2. Values-based service</p><p>3. Values-based service quality for sustainable business</p><p>4. Managing Value chain responsibility</p><p>5. Creating the service experience</p>

This Master thesis investigates how values can drive value when creating sustainable business.Concepts like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development (SD) has in the last years become more and more accepted and therefore practiced in the business world. Due to alarms of the climate change, decreased biological diversity and alarming reports of child labour in the export industry, today’s society claims for more sustainable actions among global enterprises. Evidently, some organisations have a more proactive sustainable approach and therefore managed to use sustainable actions to grow and strengthen their market positions e.g. IKEA and Starbucks. Service research related to the above research area at CTF (Service Research Center) at Karlstad University pointed out that corporate values such as social responsibility and environmental responsibility (among others) can be used to create customer value, brand equity and help strategic decision-making for future growth. This thesis investigates in the specific context of Löfbergs Lila what can be learned if the above mentioned strategy is used in a medium-sized company with strong values. Which processes are required to create sustainable business and how far has Löfbergs Lila come according to selected concepts and theoretical framework in business research? The purpose of the thesis is to investigate, in an explorative way, how values can drive value for sustainable business, both empirically through the Löfbergs in the coffee context as well as theoretically. The whole thesis can be seen as a mix of a descriptive case study and an interpretative case study where understanding of the thesis will be created in the interaction between the theoretical and empirical parts. The study has been developed using a combination of inductive and abductive methods whereby the interaction between the conceptual/theoretical framework and Löfbergs Lila, in the coffee context, have constructed a new meaning. The explorative study of Löfbergs Lila (or AB Anders Löfberg) presents an understanding of how values have affected the strategy and operation of this organization and is still doing so to this very day. Every company can work with sustainability, but strong corporate values incorporated into the business model are an advantage. There is a fundamental basis for more “sustainable growth” when these values drive “true” environmental and social progress, including accountability. This thesis claims that true core values are deep-rooted in the company and drive value for Löfbergs’ customers in the name of sustainable business. The theoretically- and conceptually-driven findings, built on five (re)-constructed thick descriptions from Löfbergs Lila in the coffee context, end up in five general concepts for valuesbased sustainable business 1. Service Logic 2. Values-based service 3. Values-based service quality for sustainable business 4. Managing Value chain responsibility 5. Creating the service experience

Today we find ourselves in limbo between the need to reduce usage of the world’s dwindling supply of natural resources and a stubborn resistance to change our consumption habits. The continuing scarcity of resources, coupled with an increase in demand for them from a growing population, is the largest challenge facing earth and its people. While many individual citizens, politicians, press sources and businesses are ignoring the current situation, some have recognized the need for a green revolution. Leaders have attempted to enact a cultural change, organizing events and initiatives to garner the attention of those in position to make a change, and people have taken responsibility for their own actions in choosing more sustainable options in their everyday lives. Very small starts have been made in the colossal struggle against the changing climate, mounting environmental problems and expansive social issues, but these will not be sufficient for sustaining out future. Some entity with power must stand up to lead change, and that entity should be business. While business is largely responsible for much of the world’s environmental problems today, the ability of the free market system to create positive change through sustainable business practices is far more powerful than public polic

Abstract   Purpose: The purpose of the study is to identify why the Tanzanian market for cement blocks have not adapted hollow blocks instead of solid ditto and, if possible, present recommendations for market activities.   Design/methodology/approach: Implemented by action research methodology, this minor field study financed by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency targets issues regarding the relatively poor housing standard in Tanzania through a business development perspective. Furthermore, the study covers what obstacles for new, more sustainable and price-efficient products are to identify in the Tanzanian market.   Findings: An implementation of hollow blocks in the concrete block market surrounding Dar es Salaam would be beneficial from several aspects (e.g. economical, environmental, societal), but there are also factors that hinder such an implementation. The market’s consumers tend to not get the information about new techniques and innovations; hence to this lack of knowledge and awareness of alternatives, they stick to more traditional ways that they know more of. The consumers that do know of the new materials often disbeliefs the producers’ ability to make the quantity or quality demanded. Unawareness and distrust results in that few ask for new alternatives. The producers who put their main focus on supplying what the customers specifically asks for will therefore not start to produce the new alternatives, in this case hollow blocks. Thus, new innovations and the knowledge of the production of it do not spread easily. To implement new innovations some actor(s) to bare the risk is needed - pioneers that either commence producing the material themselves or, at least, encourage/provide incitements for producers and consumers to gain knowledge of them. The ones who have the possibility to carry risks in the concrete market surrounding Dar es Salaam are the large cement producers and the governmental institutions. They are also stakeholders who will benefit the most from taking the pioneer approach.   Originality/value: The study offers insights into the Tanzanian market for cement blocks for building construction by focusing on adaption of a block innovation that can reduce the Co2 emissions due to less raw material use per block.   Keywords: Sustainable Business Development, Innovation, Housing standard, Tanzania.   Type of study: Bachelor Thesis in Enterprising and Business Development, Linnaeus University, Sweden. / Minor Field Study

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Waikato, 2009. / Title from PDF cover (viewed April 24, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 214-227)