Experiences from the authors' teaching indicate that students are becoming less focused on educational exploration and critical thinking. In parallel, Broo, Kaynak, and Sait (2022) highlight that future engineers must be fluent in different technologies, methods, and methodologies. Hence, the fast changes that take place require a highly dynamic capability among the workforce of tomorrow, which is opposite to many students' behavior in teaching and courses. This sheds light on Project Based Learning, in its essence, student-centred and with a dynamic approach to teaching where students study real-world problems and challenges (Kokotsaki, Menzies, et al. 2016). Similarities exist with Problem-based earning, where complex real-world problems are also at the centre to promote student learning. Bothhese concepts can promote the development of critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities,communication skills, and the possibility of working in groups (see, for example, De Graaf and Kolmos, 2003). This research report documented experiences involved in moving from a more traditional teaching approach into a more project-based approach regarding a course in construction management, undertaken four times with a new structure in which a problem-based approach was developed. One of the key issues at hand with the course was to develop it and stimulate students interest in the course subject, i.e., intrinsic motivation (Entwistle, 2009), motivation that comes from “interest in what is being learned and feelings of pleasure derived from it” (pp 20), and not from external rewards (extrinsic motivation). Based on previous experiences from project-based learning, course material has been developed in four rounds, where each course provided feedback to develop the course further. The course focused on an already conducted construction project, which was modified for each round so the students could create new frames for the project. Feedback was received during the course, and individually, students at the end of the course provided feedback to coming rounds. The results from this development show interesting challenges in teaching regarding the balance between showing results from the actual project vs. stimulation of creativity among students, with a clear conclusion that age, and work experience positively affect how the students execute the projects. It also directly shows the significance of the course framing and the variation of project set-ups in the course. Our findings also show values in PBL for students’ ability to handle changes in a world with many insecure influences. © 2024 inScience Press

This study aims to investigate focal firms' business sustainability relationships in connection with their stakeholders in supply chain networks. A questionnaire survey was sent to a sample consisting of large Swedish firms, with 107 usable questionnaires returned. The results reveal which stakeholders are of interest for firms in sustainability efforts. The results are compared with earlier findings from Norway and Spain in a triangular approach. The former is a similar country, while the latter is different to Sweden in several ways. In addition, the study uncovers which stakeholders in the supply chain network should be considered. The study also demonstrates how firms can implement business sustainability in their supply chain networks and shows the extent to which different stakeholders are considered in sustainability efforts. The study contributes to sustainability research and stakeholder theory in supply chain networks. Opposite to earlier findings, this study showed only minor influences from national culture and institutions on firms' sustainable business practices in supply chain networks. © 2022 The Authors. Business Strategy and The Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Online-learning has been of growing use in higher education to meet needs of more flexible ways of developing knowledge and skills. However, online modules require careful considerations regarding content and opportunities for participants to reflect and interact with the teacher and the course-material. Teachers also need to support students with high quality material, respond to students´ assignments and encourage deep reflection and discussion concerning course content. Online teaching provides opportunities for participants to access course content in a flexible way [1]. This study regards a higher education online course in gender mainstreaming aiming to support university teachers to integrate a gender perspective into the teaching content. Previous research has demonstrated teachers experiencing gender mainstreaming in higher education as a challenge [2], which is why we in this course used a reflective tool (CoRe) developed from science education research [3] to support participants´ reflection on how to integrate gender aspects. The content for teaching is formulated through Big Ideas and reflected in pedagogical prompts e.g., what is to be learnt and why, as well as possible difficulties in understanding the content. In the online module we developed a G-CoRe (Gender CoRe) where participants reflect on how to integrate gender aspects into the teaching content. The participants accessed the online material in a flexible way, enabling creation of their own learning journey. The course lacks discussion forum and/or online interaction with other participants, components often considered crucial for online learning in developing the students’ abilities to discuss and reflect [4]. However, in this course, the G-CoRe was used to promote critical thinking and reflection in other ways. The design of the G-CoRe includes individual thinking and reflection, feedback from at least one colleague and then a revision of the G-CoRe and a recorded oral reflection. Here, we report findings when five university teachers used the G-CoRe in the online course. The result indicates the G-CoRe as a valuable tool to stimulate reflection and student-centered learning in relation to the integration of gender aspects in the content and teaching. Even if the online course did not include “traditional” discussion forums, the G-CoRe design encouraged reflection among participants. As such, our findings suggest that a reflective tool such as G-CoRe has the potential to stimulate student-centered online learning to overcome some of the challenges that many teachers experience in their efforts to integrate a gender perspective in their higher education practice. © Copyright 2022, IATED Academy

This paper explores institutional forces in sustainability reporting (SR) practice, adopting an institutional field approach to an emerging field of sustainable real estate reporting of sustainable investments through the EU taxonomy, over-layering the mature exchange field of the real estate business. We study 29 listed real estate companies in Sweden and their process towards the first taxonomy reporting spring 2022. Three companies are obliged to report their future coverage of the legislation, while 14 report voluntary and 3 choose to report their degree of sustainability, thus showing clear elements of an emerging institutional field, and its active dynamics even where law is not obligatory. Similarly, the companies’ status of sustainability was evaluated from 2022 and previous years’ annual reports, shows that 16 appear to follow each other closely, 9 companies attempt to take a leading position while only 2 appear to attempt to downplay sustainability. Annual reports tend to have a character of mechanical compliance where new insight produced by taxonomy reporting is merely juxtaposed to other reporting standards, such as Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Only one company appear to attempt to establish crosscutting learning from the many sources of evaluation the different standards and legislation represent. Moreover, legislation is likely to have limited effect as the real estate companies are only limited dependent of Bank loans, having a series of other financial means at their disposal. Many companies also had their strongest financial year in 2021 and the timing of the arrival of a financial control instrument is less opportune. 

This study investigates the direct and indirect effects between economic, social and environmental dimensions of triple bottom line (TBL), based on a questionnaire survey and cross-industrial sample in Sweden. The analyses apply partial least squares structural equation models. The study tests the direct and indirect effects between economic, social, and environmental dimensions of TBL and offers additional validity and reliability to establish the measurement and structural properties between the dimensions of TBL. The study extends earlier findings by explicitly discussing how the three TBL goals relate to each other and shows how the dynamic capability view can be a fruitful lens to investigate business sustainability. Some differences in sustainability business practices caused by differences in national cultures are identified. Sustainability reporting in a strong uncertainty avoidance (UA) country happens in accordance with regulations and laws. Conversely, for weak UA cultures, reporting and compliance with regulations are ways to build trust with stakeholders. That is, reporting is more transparent and widespread in weak UA countries. The study also provides a foundation to guide companies' actions of business sustainability. The model shows companies how to establish the order of actions undertaken across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. In addition, it clarifies that the economic dimension exerts an effect on the social and environmental dimensions. The model also grasps long-term economic performance by including competitiveness and brand value, while earlier research mainly has focused on more short-term measurements as return on assets. © 2022 The Authors. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Industrialised Housebuilding (IH) in Sweden have grown within Multi-Storey Housing made of Timber (MSHT) and most of the producers rely on this approach. Business models for Industrialised Housebuilding, often start with prefabrication. With the rapid growth of sustainability demands and circular construction as an uprising theme, a central question is, what is the sustainability element in Swedish industrialized housebuilders business models regarding MSHT? Sustainable transition theory is adopted. The method is a desk study of existing research, websites, annual reports and other material. The sustainability element in the business models of industrialized house builders is explored, with focus on circular construction. MSHT is described as reducing environmental impact compared to concrete and provides social values, enabling its diffusion, however with less apparent cost advantages. However, with the growth of circular thinking, IH may have potential to further develop. The findings show that sustainability is overall present in the development of IH within MSHT, where the companies show a homogenous picture with varying challenges and contribute to sustainable transition. Regarding circular construction, the study shows potential in additional steps needed from a life-cycle perspective. © 2021 Proceedings of the 37th Annual ARCOM Conference, ARCOM 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Aims of the contribution

The aim of this contribution is to present and further explore a pedagogical tool aiming to enhance gender mainstreaming in teaching and content in higher education.

Description of the research

Introduction

Previous research has demonstrated how teachers often experience gender mainstreaming in higher education (content, design and implementation) as a challenge (Heikkilä and Häyrén Weineståhl, 2009; Lindroth and Bondestam, 2014). In Sweden however, requirements for gender mainstreaming are high both in the Higher Education Act and the evaluations of the quality of higher education undertaken by the Swedish Higher Education Authority. Gender equality and gender mainstreaming are also key quality factors in the universities’ own quality assurance systems.

Today, there are few methods that support teachers in their efforts with integrating a gender perspective into the teaching content. Hence, the need for scientifically based tools is widespread. In this study we investigate a pedagogical tool (Gender CoRe) that aim to help teachers integrate gender aspects both in the content and the teaching of that content. The main research question for the study is “How do teachers experience Gender CoRe (G- CoRe) as a way to enhance gender mainstreaming in teaching and content in higher education?

Materials and methods

Within the subject didactic research, a didactic reflection tool called Content Representations (CoRe) has been developed to support teachers in planning and teaching the content in a way that promotes student learning. Research demonstrates that CoRe is an effective tool for teachers to develop their ability to communicate content in a way that provides successful learning situations for students. When using CoRe, the teacher formulates a number of Big Ideas, important phenomena or concepts, within a specific subject area. Each of these Big Ideas is reflected on a number of pedagogical prompts e.g. what students need to learn and why, as well as students' possible difficulties in understanding the concepts (e.g. Nilsson and Karlsson, 2019; Nilsson and Elm, 2017; Hume and Berry, 2010, 2013; Loughran et. al., 2006). Based on this didactic research, researchers at Halmstad University, Sweden, have developed a so-called G-CoRe (Gender CoRe) where teachers are supposed to formulate Big Ideas and reflect on how it may be possible to integrate gender equality into the content.

During 2019-2020, five teachers at Halmstad University, Sweden, used the Gender CoRe for planning content where a gender perspective was included. In this presentation we present a case of how one of the five teachers (a teacher within the Construction Engineering programme) experienced the use of G-CoRe to integrate gender aspects, both in the content of and the actual teaching performance; What were perceived as possibilities and challenges with the G-CoRe? How could the G-CoRe be further developed to enable teachers in their work with gender mainstreaming?

Results

In the data collected on teachers ́ experience of using G-CoRe there were several examples of how the G-CoRe was experienced as valuable as a reflective tool to integrate gender aspects in the content and teaching. In the particular case presented here the teacher in Construction Engineering highlighted the strength of the G-CoRe as it focuses on and describes their abilities and also their challenges in the classroom while working with gender mainstreaming in the classroom. Further, with the help of the G-CoRe, the teachers can reason together and think about what different gender aspects within the content they need to identify and implement within their teaching. It appeared that using a G-CoRe design encouraged collaborative discussion and reflection about integrating gender aspects when teaching certain big ideas linked to a topic. As such, our findings suggest that the G-CoRe has potential to overcome some of the challenges that many teachers experience in their efforts to integrate a gender perspective in their higher education practice.

Purpose – This study aims to focus on a reinforcement supplier’s efforts to diffuse solutions, more or less innovative, in the construction sector to gain understanding of what facilitates and complicates innovation diffusion from a supplier perspective.

Design/Methodology/Approach – The interpretative research presented builds on 28 semi-structured interviews with the supplier and its customers and document studies. The research emphasizes dynamics in the diffusion process and rests on the assumption that the innovation content, innovation context and the innovation process interacts in the diffusion process.

Findings – The findings and the contribution from the study provide significant details concerning how the dimensions interact and how the diffusion process may unfold over time, but also that different solutions interact to push diffusion forward.

Research Limitations/Implications – The study relates to one supplier’s work and the interplay implies uniqueness in different cases. Studies in other contexts could, therefore, also be suitable to develop findings and their transferability.

Practical Implications – The study provides understanding for suppliers diffusing innovations in construction on how to act.

Originality/Value – A major contribution from the study is that it puts emphasis on how the diffusion process proceeds in interaction with its content and context and problematizes this dimension. Furthermore, the importance of nuancing sub-contexts to display decisive factors in the diffusion process is emphasized. © John Lindgren and Kristian Widén.