Refine
Document Type
- Doctoral thesis (7)
- Bachelor thesis (2)
- Master thesis (2)
Has Fulltext
- yes (11)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (11)
Keywords
- Sustainability (11) (remove)
Institute
- FG Umweltplanung (3)
- FG ABWL, insbesondere Planung, Innovation und Gründung (1)
- FG ABWL, insbesondere externes Rechnungswesen, Steuerlehre und Wirtschaftsprüfung (1)
- FG Abfallwirtschaft (ehemals) (1)
- FG Regelungssysteme und Netzleittechnik (1)
- FG Sozialwissenschaftliche Umweltfragen (1)
- FG Ökologie (1)
Die deutsche Wirtschaft und ihre international anerkannten Qualitätsstandards sind insbesondere von einer hohen Anzahl an kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU) geprägt. Diese Unternehmen sind gekennzeichnet von hoher Spezialisierung, traditionsreichen Unternehmensgeschichten mit familiärem Hintergrund und einer regionalen Verwurzelung, aber ebenso auch von begrenzten Ressourcen, limitierter Infrastrukturanbindung, Fachkräftemangel sowie Nachfolgeproblemen. Vor dem Hintergrund der stetig voranschreitenden internationalen Nachhaltigkeitstransformation, die sowohl auf gesellschaftlicher, finanzieller als auch regulatorischer Ebene stattfindet, wird diese Unternehmensgruppe vor große Herausforderungen gestellt. Dennoch liegen hinsichtlich der KMU-Unternehmensgruppe nur begrenzt wissenschaftliche Arbeiten vor, die sich empirisch mit der Integration von nachhaltigen Finanzierungsformen und -zwecken auseinandergesetzt haben. Der vorliegende wissenschaftliche Beitrag ging unter Durchführung einer theoretischen Literaturrecherche und einer empirischen Unternehmensbefragung von 100 deutschen KMU der Frage nach, inwiefern Hemmnisse hinsichtlich der Integration nachhaltiger Finanzierungsformen und -zwecke bestehen. Des Weiteren wurde untersucht inwiefern die Integrationsbereitschaft in Zusammenhang mit charakteristischen Unternehmensmerkmalen wie u. a. der Unternehmensgröße und dem Alter der Unternehmensführung bzw. Ausprägungsmerkmalen von nachhaltigen Finanzierungsformen wie u. a. deren Verständlichkeit und finanzielle Rentabilität stehen. Im Rahmen der empirischen Untersuchung wurden deskriptive Auswertungsformen, Korrelationsanalysen sowie die multiple lineare Regression angewendet. Es konnte festgestellt werden, dass hinsichtlich der Unternehmensmerkmale ausschließlich das Alter der Unternehmensführung und die Bedeutung des öffentlichen Unternehmensimages signifikant in einem Zusammenhang mit der Integrationsbereitschaft standen. Ausprägungsmerkmale nachhaltiger Finanzierungsformen konnten hingegen kaum in Zusammenhang mit der Integrationsbereitschaft gesetzt werden, was vermutlich auf den bisher eher gering ausgeprägten diesbezüglichen Kenntnis- und Erfahrungsstand in den Unternehmen zurückgeführt werden kann. Anhand dieser Ergebnissen kann abgeleitet werden, dass in der aktuellen Situation besonders niederschwellige Beratungs- und Informationsangebote sowie eine politische Dialogkultur, die sich an den individuellen Rahmenbedingungen von KMU orientieren, förderlich sein können, um den Wissensstand und die Integrationsbereitschaft auszubauen. Ebenso könnten die gezielte Ansprache durch Finanzpartner sowie wirtschaftliche Anreize in Verbindung mit nachhaltigen Finanzierungsformen und -zwecken dazu führen, dass das Thema stärker in den Unternehmensfokus gerückt werden kann.
Cameroon’s forest is one of the richest ecosystems in the Congo Basin and in Africa as a whole in terms of its biodiversity. These forest types are currently subjected to multiple categories of threats. By enacting a new forestry law in 1994, the government of Cameroon intended to intensify efforts toward the protection and conservation of this rich biodiversity. This study aimed to compare two forest management systems, a state management system (the case of Takamanda National Park) and a community-based management system (the case of Bimbia- Bonadikombo Community Forest), to determine which management system better conserves and protects the forest against biodiversity loss. The study applied a methodological framework that made use of selected indicators and criteria to evaluate the extent of sustainability of the two forest management systems and challenges faced in implementing them. Both quantitative and qualitative results were realized through the administration of questionnaires, semi-structure interview and in-depth contents analysis of Law No.94-1 of 20th January 1994 that lays down forestry, wildlife and fisheries regulations and the 1996 Environmental Management Law that directs Cameroon’s compliance to the international standard of protecting the environment.Results indicated that community-based system of forest management is a much more sustainable approach of forest management than a state management system. Based on the criterion of cultural values attributed to natural resources in the community-based management zone (Bimbia- Bonadikombo Community Forest), 78.2% of the local communities were more willing to protect biodiversity as opposed to 48.3% from state management zone (Takamanda National Park). This study found that the level of participation in the community-based management system was much more inclusive and transparent. On the other hand, in the state management system, a high level of corruption, lack of transparency, delayed and irregular salaries of forest guards and minimal participation of local communities in forest management decision-making was noted and likely responsible for the ineffectiveness and unsustainable management efforts in this system. The study recommends the adoption and implementation of a more inclusive, transparent and accountable management in the state managed system (Takamada national park), particularly the full involvement of respected Elites, Chiefs and Traditional Councils.
Nachhaltig und Geschäftsprozesse sind häufig benutzte Schlagworte der heutigen Zeit, vor allem in Politik und Wissenschaft. Auch deren Verbindung nachhaltige Geschäftsprozesse hat Aufnahme in den allgemeinen Sprachgebrauch und Wortschatz gefunden. Das Ziel nachhaltiger Geschäftsprozesse ist es, die Effektivität und Effizienz des Unternehmens langfristig zu verbessern, ohne die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des Unternehmens zu beinträchtigen. Nachhaltige Geschäftsprozesse fokussieren dabei insbesondere auf drei unterschiedliche Aspekte: Ökonomie, Ökologie und Soziales. Diese Aspekte sind unter dem allgemeinen Grundsatz der Nachhaltigkeit zu betrachten und in das bestehende Management zu integrieren. Auch dieses funktionale Managen von Geschäftsprozessen oder der Nachhaltigkeit ist zwischenzeitlich wissenschaftlich bearbeitet worden. Dessen Umsetzung in der Wirtschaft lässt jedoch zu wünschen übrig. Diese Arbeit hatte sich daher zur Aufgabe gemacht, das funktionale Managen, d. h. das Planen, das Steuern und Kontrollieren von nachhaltigen Geschäftsprozessen in einen Kontext zu bringen. Dabei wurde unter den Gesichtspunkten der Effektivität und der Effizienz geprüft, ob für dieses komplexe Management ein separates Konzept notwendig wird. Es wurde daher untersucht, ob sich mit dem Geschäftsprozessmanagement die Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte planen, steuern und kontrollieren lassen. Zur Prüfung dieser These wurden die deutschen Automobilhersteller als Validierungsobjekte herangezogen.
Rural electrification has been one of the challenges faced by the government of Ghana due to extremely high cost of electricity extension to the rural areas. In order to meet up this challenge, the government of Ghana has been keen with the introduction of renewable energy programs as a solution for rural electrification. However, most of programs are also faced with the problem of being sustainable. After government and sponsors hand-over completed project to local users, they usually last only few years of their life span and are abandoned. This challenge has inspired this study to identify the potential barriers to the sustainability of rural electrification programs through technical and socio-economic evaluation of a solar PV rural electrification project in Ghana.
The approach of this study selected an on-going solar PV project (community solar system-CSS), that has been introduced on a pilot base across the whole of Ghana, which is to be adopted as a standard system for electrification solutions in rural areas in Ghana. This project was subjected to both technical and socio-economic evaluations covering 13 rural communities across the southern part of the country. Stakeholder interviews and review of literature were additional methodologies employed to gather information pertinent to the theme of the study.
The results of the study show that technically, the CSS project has simple design and operational technologies, which gives it high integration potential. However, the project faces the problem of technology misuse by the rural users and frequent failure of its components. The socio-economic barriers identified are: (1) ineffective management of the project due to a long chain of bureaucratic administrative management system, inadequate monitoring and supervision, and inconsistency in standardizing the cash flow of the project, and (2) low electricity capacity of the CSS project and other similar small scale renewable projects to meet the electricity requirements of the rural populates. These problems lead to gradual decline of users’ interest for such small scale renewable energy projects and subsequently result in project abandonment. It was concluded that small scale renewable energy programs lack the capacity to fully meet the energy requirement of rural populates; however, they are crucial as intervening solutions and play key role in rural development.
Conflicts emerging through large-scale mining projects among government, industry and affected population are common all over the world. Especially the indigenous communities and their strong human-nature relation are threatened by the land transformation due to mining operations. Open pit gold mining performed by transnational companies TNCs and supported by the Philippine government aligning decisions on economic standards and market orientated legislative period, have been imposing tremendous damage on the Philippine indigenous communities and the national environmental resources for many decades, from colonial times, dictatorship, and new democracy . This thesis displays and discusses the interwoven web of socially and environmentally degrading impacts introduced to the small village of Didipio in the north of the Philippines by a planned gold and copper mining project. After describing influencing sectors of industry and government for decision making in mining projects and introducing interests and purposes of all stakeholders, assessment of changes in water quality and quantity, which are associated with technical requirements of open pit gold mining, is used to specifically relate the initiation of a punctual impact, on a natural good, and its provoked tremendous environmental and furthermore social degradation. A central assertion of this thesis is the call for recognizing human-rights based participation of all affected stakeholders via emphasizing indigenous people’s rights, balancing market-centred development aggression and foreign control over national markets, as well as implementing sustainable environmental awareness management by industry and government. Further recommendations are related to the resignation of defining nature merely according to its function under the utilization concept, to TNCs’ application of postmodern understanding of reason based on flexibility and versatility, and to the promoting of indigenous self-determination and individual initiative.
Yemen is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. The water deficit has been aggravated by the rapidly increasing demands for both surface and groundwater resources that are being unsustainably exploited. To address the country’s severe water scarcity, the government has adopted long-term intervention policies as stated in ‘Yemen's Strategic Vision 2025’. These policies are aimed at restoring the balance between water demand and availability, and at reducing the existing water deficit. Although 11 years have passed since this vision was adopted, the water deficit is still on the rise. The present situation raises questions about the efficiency of the intervention policies adopted by ‘Yemen's Strategic Vision 2025’ and about the effectiveness of implementing these policies. Another fundamental question pertains to the availability of a strategic assessment tool in the water resources sector that can be used to assess strategically future and current policies, strategies and plans, in order to ensure their efficiency in supporting water resources and in producing the positive impacts for which these strategic initiatives were developed in the first place. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is an assessment tool designed to function at a strategic level and help to bring aspects of environmental sustainability into the decisionmaking process. This research aims to demonstrate the potential of SEA in enhancing environmental sustainability in water policies for achieving sustainability of water resources in Yemen. In order to show the potential of SEA in the Yemeni water resources sector, this research has applied SEA methodologies and adopted a scenario-building approach for assessing the intervention policies adopted by ‘Yemen's Strategic Vision 2025’ to support augmentation of water resources. Qualitative and quantitative approaches have been used in this research. Quantitative historical data on water availability, water demand and water savings by interventions have been collected from the databases of national institutions and international organizations concerned. Statistical analyses have been used to project future trends until 2025. Qualitative analyses of relevant studies and reports covering the environmental, administrative, sociocultural and political-economic aspects of water resources management in Yemen have been implemented as well. In addition, 13 semi-structured key informant interviews have been conducted with decision-makers, managers and leading experts in the water and irrigation sectors. The research produced three future scenarios for the total water balance that may play out until 2025 in Yemen. These scenarios provide impact assessment and alternatives’ comparison of the existing intervention policies. The resulting scenarios are as follows: the ‘Business as Usual’ scenario, which forms an assessment of currently applied interventions and provides an image for the future, if current interventions are maintained at the same pace; the ‘Do-nothing’ scenario representing the situation if no interventions are implemented; and the ‘Sustainability’ scenario, which represents the potential future of the total water balance if existing interventions are to be scaled up and out. The findings confirm the significant potential of currently adopted intervention policies to support water resources. They also reveal that the current level of implementing the intervention policies has hindered the potential of these intervention policies in achieving the expected positive impact on the water balance by 2025. In order to achieve a significant decrease in the water deficit, the strategic quantitative targets that need to be implemented were identified. The methodology followed in implementing the research and achieving the findings demonstrates the potential of SEA in enhancing environmental sustainability in water policies for achieving integrated and sustainable water resources management in Yemen. The recommendations of the research covered improving the existing water balance as well as improving the assessment and planning context in the water resources sector. In order to improve the water balance situation, the research recommends implementing quantitative targets for water savings and augmentations, such as those developed by this research. These targets have been identified based on the capacities of sectors implementing these interventions. The research also recommends further decentralization of planning and management of water resources and the establishment of Water User Associations (WUAs) as the main vehicles for ensuring sustainable planning and management of water resources, including the scale out of interventions, subject to assessment in this research. In order to improve assessment and planning of water resources, the research recommends the adoption of SEA, the updating of water resources data and conducting regular assessments of policies, plans and programmes as part of monitoring their impact and providing a chance for amending these policies and strategies, if required, to achieve sustainability of water resources.
The unprecedented population growth, rising in community living standard and urbanization have left most municipalities in African Countries grappling to find viable solutions to their waste management problems. Improper waste management is attributed to systemic failure of policy makers and municipal authorities to identify the most sustainable approach to dealing with it so as to meet environmental and socio-economic aspirations. This study aims to find a new approach involving people of different social, ethnic, gender and religious groups in the reconstruction of local waste management systems creating typical win-win situations. The main objectives of this research are as follows: • Investigates how gender affects solid waste planning and the influence of different social status of the community especially the role of households. • Examines the level of community involvement in solid waste management in terms of policy formulation, implementation and evaluation. The case study area Cameroon “Africa in miniature” is used to highlight waste management burdens and challenges which are characteristic of most African cities. This research sought to answer one principal question: Can top-down approaches in municipal solid waste management be successful without sufficient community engagement and sense of ownership? Top-down approaches where considered in terms of policies and technology transfer. An integrated methodology was used involving a desk study, field survey for situation analysis, household questionnaire survey, habitat scale, “waste to cash seminar” for stakeholders’ analysis and focus group discussion. The outcome of this holistic investigation reveals a strong concern for a clean environment thus citizens’ participation and awareness creation is so vital to take the message to grass roots level. Municipal waste collection services are more effective when they work in collaboration with community led primary collection from households. It is clear that where a reliable service can be guaranteed communities are willing to pay for it. Building the capacity of communities implies empowering community to sustainably manage their waste. An integration of several factors is vital to increase sustainability. However, this does not undermine the fact that the best implementation in some situations is some sort of a middle ground between Top-down and Bottom-up.
Cameroon has vast renewable energy resource potentials, with a hydropower potential of about 55,200MW, second only to the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. So far, its energy needs are met by 4.8% hydropower (which accounts for less than 5% of its total hydropower potential), 0% wind and 0% solar. Cameroons’ energy sector still goes through insufficient electrical energy production, especially during the heart of the dry season, which runs from December through March. Coincidentally, the wind and solar power potentials for Cameroon are at their peak during these months and could conveniently supplement for the shortfalls in generation during these periods. In this research, technical analysis were carried out to determine the wind and solar energy resource potentials for Cameroon using the RETScreen software tool provided by CANMET Canada. These analysis revealed that the northern regions of Cameroon had higher wind and solar resource potentials than any other location in Cameroon. A 2MW installed wind energy capacity would be capable of generating well over 1.5GWh electrical energy per year, while a 2KW installed solar energy capacity will be capable of generating well over 3MWh electrical energy per year. In the final sections, financial analysis were carried out to determine the economic viability of such projects and the possibility for self-financing. Emission analyses were also done based on the ability for such projects to offset greenhouse gas emissions and ensure sustainability in the energy sector. The analysis for Maroua revealed that 78.6tCO2/yr for wind and 0.1tCO2/yr for solar could be reduced by those installations. Finally, the legislations and legal frameworks governing the energy sector in Cameroon were dissected to determine possible weaknesses and constraints limiting the use, promotion and development of the full potential of Cameroon’s renewable energy resources.
Being one of Ukraine’s major sources of economic revenue, the country’s agro-industrial sector proved, at the same time, to be perhaps the most vulnerable branch of economy in the times of political and social turbulence. While the state is searching for the ways of strengthening its positions at the global market, its agricultural potential to a considerable extent remains both under- and misused. Based on comprehensive historic analysis, this research establishes the origins of the current situation and assesses the possibilities of positive change. Utilizing the experience of other European countries’ with regards to making agriculture more sustainable and competitive in the modern world, the author describes the ways of applying these practices against the background of Ukrainian socio-political system. Drawing knowledge from the experience of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) worldwide, this research aims at harmonizing their methods with evaluation demands in Ukrainian agriculture. It discusses and criticizes the existing assessment approach and suggests measures necessary for making it more comprehensive. The author offers profound analysis of Ukrainian agricultural policies to date, reviews national regulating directives and outlines country-specific challenges as to improving agricultural sustainability. In order to provide Ukrainian decision-makers with a clear and all-round tool for assessing the advances and failures of the acting state policies in the AIS, a set of reliable indices for evaluating agricultural performance has been developed by the author, which is largely based on the widely-acknowledged Driving Force – State – Response framework offered by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Human Development Index (HDI) from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) methodology. At the same time, the newly developed set takes into consideration the peculiarities of Ukrainian socio-political setting. Three major categories of indicators were chosen as a backbone for further elaboration, namely economic, social and political. Therefrom results a list of twelve relevant indices. At the concluding stage of the research, they were processed and transformed to three top-level indices: Economic Development Index, Environmental Situation Index and Social Development Index. These three indices are intended for clear and illustrative presentation of the current situation for high level decision-makers and governmental bodies. Methodology utilized for the purposes of this research with necessary adaptation and fine tuning can also be used with other set of initial data, indicators and indices. Application field can also be downscaled from the highest (national) to the lowest (regional) level by adapting the indicator-indices system to the initial input data. This will considerably simplify the compilation and presentation of regional reports and will provide transparency for interregional comparison within the country.
Recycling and material recovery are gaining more grounds in applicability as viable options to sustainable solid waste management especially in Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) schemes. In this dissertation a critical analyzes is made of the MSWM problem in Cameroon and an assessment of the role Small- and Medium-Size Enterprises have been playing in the area of recycling and material recovery. The main research methods applied in this research include: fieldwork, administration of questionnaires, interview and literature review. Using two case study localities (Limbe and Buea municipalities), the various practices in MSWM are elaborated, the constraints and challenges faced by management discussed and proposals for either expanding/upgrading existing schemes to be more sustainable as well as strategies to initiate new systems presented. Innovations within collection systems such as the introduction of household bins and specialized collection of specific waste could be quite beneficial to existing schemes. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) which constitute one of the fastest growing waste streams presents greater management challenges. Two case study localities (Buea and Kumba) are used to analyze the problem of WEEE in Cameroon. An overview of the handling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) at end-of-life (EoL) in Cameroon is made with special focus on households and repair units. At household level, WEEE is disposed of alongside other waste arisings in the available disposal facilities for given household. Repair units represent a very vital connection between dysfunctional EEE and EoL forms as all users of EEE tend to bring these devices to these units for repairs. An inventory of the various EEE at repair units for these two localities shows that above 40% percent of such equipments are totally out of use. In Kumba, Classes 1 and 4 EEE (according to EU WEEE directive classification) dominate while class 3 is almost absent. In Buea, Class 3 and 4 are dominant. These results show that socio-cultural, economic and even climatic factors influence the choice of EEE that people in this area acquire. The intense level of repair activities and recovery of useful parts by repair units show that there exist adaptable options to handle WEEE in especially economically and environmentally beneficial ways. The recycling of aluminum for production of household utensils represents a very basic and adaptive industrial set-up, which can easily be operated and run at very cheap cost and with a little manpower. While this venture seems apparently successful in economic terms as an option to poverty alleviation through income generation, it is plagued by some problems which, if given due consideration will render it a prospective option for poverty alleviation (through small enterprise business development) and environmental sustainability (as an option to sustainable MSWM). In this dissertation, a model is thus presented, which can be utilized by stakeholders to improve on the sector. An assessment of efforts and constraints to implementing comprehensive recycling and recovery schemes in Cameroon was also carried out. Results show that there are existing practices on which comprehensive recycling and recovery can be built upon that would be beneficial to both councils and engaged schemes – mostly SMEs and NGOs. The challenges faced and likely to be faced and the way forward to implementing any broad scale recovery and recycling are presented. If municipal councils choose to operate existing MSWM schemes without significant changes, then collective collaboration will be highly required. Such collaboration will present benefits to both waste collection and disposal. On the other hand, if they wish to expand schemes or create new schemes, adaptive innovation would be highly recommended. Such adaptive innovation would have to incorporate local practices and approaches of MSWM as well as socio-economic considerations so as to ensure new or expanded schemes survive within local socio-economic context. A greater challenge in enhancing recycling and material recovery in particular and MSWM in general, in Cameroon is on the role the government takes on designing appropriate policies and legislative frameworks to cover such activities in economically and ecological beneficial ways. In the absence of these, SMEs, councils and NGOs (working in partnership with other specialized groups) concerned with activities related to recycling and material recovery may be left with the option of regulating activities within their sectors as such activities stand to alleviate poverty and also present ecological benefits.