A crise de 2008 deflagrou uma onda de questionamentos em relação à contribuição social dos bancos dada às inovações financeiras que atendiam desejos gananciosos enquanto milhões de pessoas continuavam excluídas de crédito e de cidadania, tem-se aí um quadro de crise de legitimidade. O desafio da sustentabilidade se torna cada vez mais popular, fazendo com que a crescente preocupação com os impactos socioambientais das nossas ações seja incorporada ao conjunto de valores da sociedade com impacto, também, sobre a licença social para os bancos existirem, dado que por trás de muitos empreendimentos que devastam nossos capitais social e natural tem o financiamento bancário. O que fazer perante uma crise desta? Trabalhar para retornar ao estado anterior à eclosão do problema ou assumir a responsabilidade para a mudança? Esta tese visa a olhar como os bancos podem responder aos desafios deste cenário de convergências de crise (notadamente, uma econômica e outra ambiental). Mostramos que ao adotarem a transição para a sustentabilidade como negócio central implicando em práticas que não parecem economicamente atraentes (ou responsável), como o financiamento para atingir uma escala ótima de produção e consumo, o fomento ao decrescimento ou à estabilização para manter esta escala, o uso de moedas complementares junto a moedas convencionais e a organização de processos em rede, na verdade, estão desenvolvendo e explorando a nova fonte de vantagem competitiva e de manutenção dos bancos a longo prazo, trazendo diversos benefícios para a empresa e para a sociedade, numa verdadeira relação simbiótica. / The 2008 crisis triggered a wave of questions concerning the social contribution of banks given the financial innovations that met greedy desires while millions of people were still excluded from credit and citizenship, that brings us to a legitimacy crisis. The sustainability challenge becomes increasingly popular, that is, or growing concern about the social and environmental impacts of our actions becomes embedded in our societys set of values. That has a strong impact on the social license for banks to operate, given that many projects that devastate our social and natural capital are bank financed. What to do before such a crisis? Work hard to return to the state before the onset of the problem or take responsibility for change? This thesis aims to answer how banks can meet the challenges of this scenario of converging crises (notably, an economic and an environmental crisis). We show that by adopting the transition to sustainability as a core business resulting in practices that do not seem economically attractive (or responsible), as funding to achieve an optimal scale of production and consumption, and then promoting the decrease or stabilization to maintain this scale, the use of complementary currencies with conventional ones and creating network processes, in fact, are actually developing and exploring the new source of competitive advantage and maintenance of banks operations in the long term, bringing many benefits to companies and to society, in a true symbiotic relationship.

The transportation sector is a key carbon emitter, and e-mobility is becoming increasingly recognised around the globe to address climate change, biodiversity loss and societal challenges. In Sri Lanka, e-mobility is identified as a major alternative option that emerged while combating the economic crisis. This paper explores potential pathways to integrate e-mobility into the Colombo Metropolitan Area (CMA) through understanding 'What hinders this e-mobility transition?' and 'How to accelerate it?'. The study applied a combination of transition studies, including MLP, Path dependency and, lock-ins and transition management theories, followed by the mixed-methods approach to analysing the complexities created along the co-evolution of socio-technical systems and to suggest potential pathways. The findings show that historical influences and diverse configuration elements hinder the capabilities of emerging e-mobility novelties by locking society in a private vehicle-dominating regime. A holistic and integrated approach is necessary to overcome the identified challenges and to achieve a sustainable e-mobility transition.

Today, the automotive industry is facing a transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles due to demand changes and sustainability concerns. As a result, new actors have entered the automobile market and gained market shares in the EV sector. Further, this entails that pressure is put on the incumbents in terms of implementing new solutions of e-mobility. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to provide managerial recommendations concerning how the incumbents can manage the transition and at the same time stay competitive in the market. Moreover, as this transition is ongoing, the authors aim to contribute within the theoretical field of incumbent’s transition to EVs. In order to achieve this purpose, the authors have conducted a multiple embedded qualitative case study with an explorative approach, where four incumbents have been investigated and two researchers in the field have been interviewed. The research questions, results & analysis and discussion have been divided into three parts: Strategic Management, Transition Management and R&D Management. In terms of the first sub-research question, the incumbents must restructure its managerial levels, decision making processes and communication. Moreover, the incumbents should emphasize innovation and collaboration. Regarding the second sub-research question, the incumbents should identify niches in the supply chain, further developing expert systems and extend collaborations with authorities. In addition, the second-hand value of the EV and strategies of HRM should be considered. In terms of the last and third sub-research question, the incumbents should develop competence within batteries through collaborations with suppliers. Furthermore, investments should be made in collaborative R&D projects regarding recycling and waste processes, battery solutions and emerging technologies such as AI and3D printing. / Idag står bilindustrin inför en övergång från förbränningsmotorer till elektriska fordon på grund av den ökade efterfrågan på elbilar samt miljökrav. Detta har resulterat i att nya aktörer har trätt in på bilmarknaden och erhållit allt större marknadsandelar inom elbilssektorn. Detta har i sin tur pressat de etablerade aktörerna att implementera nya lösningar för e-mobilitet. Syftet med detta examensarbete är därför att ge företagsledningen rekommendationer gällande hur de etablerade företagen kan hantera övergången gentemot elbilar och samtidigt hålla sig konkurrenskraftiga på marknaden. Eftersom denna övergång är pågående, strävar författarna till att bidra till att utöka det teoretiska området gällande de etablerade företagens övergång till elbilar. För att uppnå detta syfte har författarna genomfört en kvalitetsstudie med flera inbäddade fall med en explorativ metod, där fyra etablerade företag har undersökts och två forskare inom området har intervjuats. Forskningsfrågorna, resultatet och analysen samt diskussionen har delats in i tre delar; Strategisk ledning, Transformations hantering och FoU- implementering. När det gäller den första forskningsfrågan, bör de etablerade företagen omstrukturera sina ledningsnivåer, beslutsprocesser och kommunikation. Dessutom bör de etablerade företagen betona innovation och samarbete. När det gäller den andra forskningsfrågan, bör de etablerade aktörerna identifiera nischer i försörjningskedjan, vidareutveckla expertsystem och utöka samarbetet med myndigheterna. Dessutom bör andrahandsvärdet av elbilar och strategier för HRM övervägas. När det gäller den tredje och sista forskningsfrågan, bör de etablerade företagen utveckla kompetens inom batterier genom samarbete med leverantörer. Dessutom bör investeringar göras i samarbetsvilliga FoU-projekt med avseende på återvinnings- och avfalls processer, batterilösningar och framväxande teknik som AI och 3D-printing.

This thesis identifies factors for success and un-success in European sustainable urban development projects and subsequently aims to correlate them with the characteristics and practices of an on-going project, concluding in a set of policy recommendations. Worldwide urbanisation brings a concentration of activities contributing to environmental degradation and social injustice, which implies the need for implementing sustainable development practices in urban planning. Several examples of sustainability-niched experiment districts are found in Europe and in this study four of them were examined through a structured literature review. Results showed that factors impacting the outcomes of the projects were clustered in five broad categories: political/policy, project governance, financial/economic, technical/design and resident/citizen factors. Recurring factors, also implied in the process of the on-going development of Sege Park in Malmö involved multi-scale knowledge transfer, unified leadership, continuity in communication and funding, reflexivity, market fluctuations, design and lifestyle/affluence. By applying a transition management perspective to these recurring factors and their implications for the Sege Park district, the results of this thesis lastly concluded in a set of policy recommendations. Potential transition actors may facilitate the process on a larger scale by partaking in long-term, multi-scalar networks for urban transitions, and on a smaller scale by creating and fostering arenas and policies promoting reflexivity in a city. Furthermore, a continued exploration of pathways and strategies towards a long-term sustainability vision shared by project actors, as well as ways to secure continuous funding for projects is encouraged. A slight shift from mainly relying on technology to solve sustainability issues, towards and integrated socio-technical systems model may be observed in the on-going project. Future challenges to take on may involve gentrification processes, insecure funding, institutional reflexivity and syncing legislation with the process towards sustainability transitions.

Deciding between sustainability or prosperity may be a false choice when the phenomena are appropriately defined and considered together (Stiglitz et al. 2009). With reference to existing indicator systems and frameworks, including the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) and the Community Capitals Framework (CCF), this research developed three novel indices (SMSI, SMSI+, and CCFI) using a Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) approach to measure and analyze the correlation between sustainability (SMSI, SMSI+) and prosperity (CCFI) in Swedish municipalities. The spearman rank-order coefficient values were 0.259 and 0.588 for SMSI and CFFI and SMSI+ and CCFI, respectively. Both were significantly correlated with a p-value of 0.05, where SMSI+ and CCFI were 0.329 more correlated than SMSI and CCFI. This showed that an index that more comprehensively considers an SSD approach correlates more with CCFI. Furthermore, only six out of 234 Swedish municipalities ranked in the top 10 percent of both SMSI+ and CCFI, showing that it is difficult to successfully pursue sustainability and prosperity together in practice. Importantly, this research also demonstrates that it is possible to create indices using an SSD approach while outlining the methods for how to do so.

The move towards addressing two pertinent energy challenges that is access to electricity and climate change has seen the transition towards sustainable forms of energy including Ocean Based Renewable Energy (OBRE). However, much work remains to be done in understanding the critical success factors that could enable such potential transition, especially in the area of OBRE electricity generation. This research addresses this concern by drawing on transition theory and frameworks to critically evaluate the prospects towards OBRE development in Nigeria. The rationale for the study stems from issues around the inadequate supply of electricity, which has become a profound concern and, where its absence is mostly observed in rural and remote areas including coastal communities. Based on an interpretative philosophical stance, the study adopted a qualitative approach for conducting the research. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from twenty-seven research participants. The research findings revealed that there is scope for transitioning towards OBRE electricity generation. However, this potential may be hindered by key features of the incumbent socio-technical regime: inconsistency of statements in formal policy documents; unclear institutional arrangements to foster renewable energy development; and lack of regulatory and market support mechanisms, which keep renewable energy development at the margins. Nevertheless, the study found certain perceived critical success factors that when considered could aid in facilitating OBRE development in Nigeria. These included, in particular, meaningful stakeholder engagement that aimed to harmonise the diverse interests of key actors’ and the role of adequate political governance to facilitate OBRE design and implementation. The research concludes by developing a conceptual intervention model called the OBRE Transition Model. This model argues that through more meaningful engagement with pertinent stakeholders’ and stronger political commitment, the prospect for a transition towards OBRE development in Nigeria could be accomplished. This thesis is the first of its kind to study the prospects for a transition towards OBRE innovation in West Africa. Additionally, the model that has been developed is now going to be corroborated in an OBRE project in Nigeria, thus, forming the evidence on the model’s potential applicability for future study.

This thesis puts forth the means of a strategic approach to address a persistent problem in the energy system and in this way, to transition the built environment to a future state that is more exergy-aware to curb CO2 emissions. Such a vision is made possible by the six-fold contributions of the research work: I) An analytical model is developed, which for the first time, formulates the CO2 emissions that are compounded in the energy system as a function of the systematic failures to match the supply and demand of exergy. This model is namely the Rational Exergy Management Model or REMM. II) REMM is then applied to analyze the pathways in which it is possible to lead the built environment into addressing structural overshoots in its exergy supply to curb CO2 emissions. The cases that embody these pathways are also analyzed over a base case, including cases for sustainable heating and cooling. III) New tools are designed to augment decision-making and exemplify a paradigm shift in the more rational usage of exergy to curb CO2 emissions. These include a scenario-based analysis tool, new options for CO2 wedges, and a multi-fold solution space for CO2 mitigation strategies based on REMM. IV) The concept of a net-zero exergy building (NZEXB) is developed and related to REMM strategies as the building block of an exergy-aware energy system. The target of a NZEXB is further supported by key design principles, which address shortcomings in state-of-the-art net-zero design. V) A premier building that deployed the key design principles to integrate building technology in an innovative, exergy-aware design and received LEED Platinum is analyzed on the basis of the NZEXB target. The results validate that this building boosts net self-sufficiency and curbs compound CO2 emissions, which are then presented in a proposed scheme to benchmark and/or label future NZEXBs. VI) Based on the scalability of the best-practices of the NZEXB ready building, the means to realize a smarter energy system that has exergy-aware relations in each aspect of the value chain to curb CO2 emissions are discussed. This includes a target for such a network at the community level, namely a net-zero exergy community (NZEXC). As a whole, the results of the thesis indicate that the strategic approach as provided by REMM and the NZEXB target of the research work has the potential to steer the speed and direction of societal action to curb CO2 emissions. The thesis concludes with a roadmap that represents a cyclical series of actions that may be scaled-up at various levels of the built environment in a transition to be in better balance with the Planet. / QC 20111014

Submitted by Elesbão Santiago Neto (neto10uepb@cche.uepb.edu.br) on 2018-07-18T15:35:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Renata de Lima Mendonca.pdf: 1160725 bytes, checksum: 3b223676f3ac7f74cff68765f8e85ec6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-18T15:35:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Renata de Lima Mendonca.pdf: 1160725 bytes, checksum: 3b223676f3ac7f74cff68765f8e85ec6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-30 / CAPES / This study aims to analyze the management of migration caused by environmental change, trying to understand if certain actions are effective for the promotion, protection and defense of environmentally displaced person. First, it was developed a significant conceptual and scientific debate, addressing the progression of the concepts, the classification criteria, the theoretical debate and estimates based on survey of multi-causal factors linked to environmental migration. Also, it was observed the contextualization of the thematic transformations inserted in the beginning of the century, with globalization and the strengthening of networks and the emergence of environmental problems globally. From there, it was up to the theoretical survey on about ways to manage the new international realities, adopting governance as the most effective means in order to provide and improve the protection of this new category of migrants. / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a gestão do processo migratório provocado pelas alterações ambientais, buscando compreender se determinadas ações são eficazes para a promoção, proteção e defesa da pessoa ambientalmente deslocada. Assim, primeiramente, se fez necessário um debate científico e conceitual significativo, abordando o desenvolvimento dos conceitos, os critérios de classificação, o debate teórico fundamentado em estimativas e o levantamento dos fatores multicausais vinculados à migração ambiental. Igualmente, observou-se a contextualização da temática inserida nas transformações no início do século XXI, com o fortalecimento da globalização e das redes e o surgimento dos problemas ambientais em âmbito global. A partir daí coube fazer os levantamento teóricos sobre as sobre as formas de administrar as novas realidades internacionais, adotando a governança como o meio mais eficaz, a fim de fornecer e melhorar a capacidade de proteção dessa nova categoria de migrante.

Submitted by Elesbão Santiago Neto (neto10uepb@cche.uepb.edu.br) on 2018-07-19T13:26:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Renata de Lima Mendonça.pdf: 46741665 bytes, checksum: 430dce07a14344e31458786709501d11 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-19T13:26:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Renata de Lima Mendonça.pdf: 46741665 bytes, checksum: 430dce07a14344e31458786709501d11 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-30 / CAPES / This study aims to analyze the management of migration caused by environmental change, trying to understand if certain actions are effective for the promotion, protection and defense of environmentally displaced person. First, it was developed a significant conceptual and scientific debate, addressing the progression of the concepts, the classification criteria, the theoretical debate and estimates based on survey of multi-causal factors linked to environmental migration. Also, it was observed the contextualization of the thematic transformations inserted in the beginning of the century, with globalization and the strengthening of networks and the emergence of environmental problems globally. From there, it was up to the theoretical survey on about ways to manage the new international realities, adopting governance as the most effective means in order to provide and improve the protection of this new category of migrants. / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a gestão do processo migratório provocado pelas alterações ambientais, buscando compreender se determinadas ações são eficazes para a promoção, proteção e defesa da pessoa ambientalmente deslocada. Assim, primeiramente, se fez necessário um debate científico e conceitual significativo, abordando o desenvolvimento dos conceitos, os critérios de classificação, o debate teórico fundamentado em estimativas e o levantamento dos fatores multicausais vinculados à migração ambiental. Igualmente, observou-se a contextualização da temática inserida nas transformações no início do século XXI, com o fortalecimento da globalização e das redes e o surgimento dos problemas ambientais em âmbito global. A partir daí coube fazer os levantamento teóricos sobre as sobre as formas de administrar as novas realidades internacionais, adotando a governança como o meio mais eficaz, a fim de fornecer e melhorar a capacidade de proteção dessa nova categoria de migrante.

Climate change is already having a powerful effect on many areas through superstorms and flooding events. The flooding from tropical storm Irene in 2011 took Vermont by surprise, sparking momentum for change. While adaptive capacity as a response to climate change is vital, in many cases it may not be enough. This thesis developed an analytical framework for assessing transformative capacities from a linked social-ecological system perspective. By combining the literatures of transition management and resilience transformations, a cohesive framework emerged, with a scope incorporating multiple interacting scales and phases of transformation.  The findings suggest a multiplicity of capacities are activated in a post-disaster setting, with networks, bridging organizations, and leaders as primary for restorative, adaptive, and transformative capacity activation, while innovation and obstacle negotiating as primary foci for informal networks and experimentation. Broadly, the framework when applied spatially (multi-scale) and temporally (multi-phase) was effective in uncovering dynamics of change processes. Additionally, a foundation of social, economic, and cultural aspects was shown to be influential in the development and mobilization of capacities, including community resilience, place attachment, and the long-term viability of the economic sector. This study makes a theoretical contribution by linking transitions and transformations literatures in a single framework, which can be tested in further studies.