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Climate change: A review and analysis of globally adopted ESG reporting, and rating methods applied to New Zealand organisations
No full textRESEARCH AIMS
The aim of this study is to undertake a review of three ESG reporting and six ESG rating systems. Specifically, the study‘s objectives will be to:
1. Identify the challenges involved in reporting on and rating the ESG performance of business organisations.
2. Explain what differences and/or similarities exist among a sample of the most widely used ESG reporting systems.
3. Consider the implications of there being competing methods for the reporting of business ESG performance.
4. Apply different reporting systems to two New Zealand companies and different rating systems to six New Zealand companies with big environmental impacts to determine how consistent the reporting and rating systems are.
ABSTRACT
The increasing demand for information about businesses’ environmental performance, especially with respect to climate change is reflected in the growth of investment in ethical/green funds. However, there are questions about the reliability of reporting and rating systems. Based on a review of three ESG reporting and six ESG rating systems, the report examines the capacity for divergence when applying different reporting/rating systems to the same organisation. The overall research design is a mixed method using both qualitative and quantitative data.
Two New Zealand companies were analysed using two ESG reporting methods: GRI and SciBeta’s carbon footprinting methods. Six New Zealand companies were also analysed using two ESG rating methods: Thomson Reuters Asset and FTSE 4Good methods. As these rating systems do not disclose their methods in detail, a personal judgment scoring method evaluates the rating systems. The results indicated that the two reporting methods provided different assessments of the environmental performance of the same organisation. The two rating systems also provided almost a 70% divergence in their assessment of the same company. The results confirmed a low convergence in ESG data and the unreliability of ESG data as a measure of environmental performance. The study recommended that organisations consider a range of ESG reporting methods when reporting ESG data to ensure the information captured is representative of their contributions to climate change. Regulators need to standardise ESG reporting as well as the measurement techniques for GHG emissions to allow more reliance on ESG data. Rating agencies also need to develop comparable ratings that can be applied to the same organisations
New Zealand house indoor microclimate and allergens
No full textThe most common indoor allergens and triggers for people with asthma and allergic rhinitis are dust-mites, moulds, pets and pollen. Allergens from dust mites and moulds are strongly associated with indoor microclimate. Indoor microclimate conditions are closely related to house thermal performance and R-value of its envelope. Based on the field studies of indoor microclimatic conditions, tests of allergen levels of dust mites and mould growth of a number of sample houses, this study provides physical evidence to identifies thresholds or ranges of indoor microclimatic conditions related to different levels of dust-mite allergen and mould growth, a correlation between dust-mite allergen levels and mould growth levels, the most common type of indoor mould and the minimum requirement of indoor microclimatic conditions to control indoor dust-mite allergens at an acceptable level and prevent indoor mould problem. The study evaluates indoor microclimatic conditions related to indoor allergens of the sample houses with different R-values in their envelopes in accordant to the requirement of the current building code for New Zealand Climate Zone 1 and 2 (New Zealand Standard 4218: 2009) and the previous building code (New Zealand Standard 4218:1996)
Exploring dairy farmers’ attitudes and perceptions towards water quality in Southland
No full textWater quality has been gaining attention in New Zealand, and dairy farming is in the spotlight as one of the contributors to water quality deterioration. This study provides insight into farmers’ attitudes and behaviour towards water quality and the influence of social factors on farmers’ decision-making. The Theory of Planned Behaviour and Social Capital Theory framed this study, and the combination of both theories contributed to exploring which social factors encourage farmers’ behavioural change and how they shape farmers’ attitudes. This qualitative study is based on an interpretive approach considering farmers’ thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Semistructured interviews with five dairy farmers from Southland were used to collect the data.
Farmers’ behavioural change is shaped by a range of connected social factors, including values and beliefs, financial resources, information, and education. Also, social networks and the engagement with community groups influence farmers’ decision-making, besides improving communication, problem-solving and creating a collective responsibility between local farmers. Trust combined with social networks plays a key role in knowledge exchange and acceptance of advice, as farmers need to trust the source of information to accept and share it with other farmers. This study identified some research areas for future studies, including extending the study to other areas and agriculture sectors in New Zealand. Also, this study suggested exploring further the role of informational and financial incentives on farmers’ behavioural change, besides investigating the influence of culture on farmers’ attitudes and decision-making
Communication and trust in a rapidly changing environment: Product Owners in the gaming industry
No full textThe gaming industry in New Zealand, and the world, is rapidly growing and changing. NZ’s Interactive media sector earned 121 million on the previous year (New Zealand Game Developers Association Survey, 2020). The gaming industry all around the world not only survived but showed extreme resilience amid a global pandemic - seeing increased demand from gamers as they stayed in their homes and enjoyed the products from this industry more than ever before. The research reported on in this thesis originally aimed to discover how the role of the Product Owner in game development projects could be improved. The environment in which this research journey took place was rapidly changing and volatile due to both ever-changing business needs, and because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I found, in the chaos, through extensive action research cycles and personal reflection that the role of the Product Owner in game development is poorly defined. I conclude that the ability to build trust and communication pathways to provide context and requirements were the most important factors discovered that contributed towards successful project outcomes for both the Product Owner and Team Members
Snack (re)formulation in the improvement of health effects of glycaemia and satiety responses : preliminary results
No full textBackground
Aim
Formulation
Nutrient profiling model
Glycaemic index and satiety responses
Consumer liking assessment
Conclusions
Reference
A qualitative analysis of success factors when adopting new software systems in the retail sector in New Zealand
No full textLiterature review - Trends in supply chain, Retail research, Gap: implementation, how and where you get the data
Adapting new software systems
This case: adapting SAP in grocery stores
Methodology
FIndings: User experience, migration implications, productivity impacts, overall impressions
Discussion
Future directio
What matters to me? Photovoice with people living with severe mental illness
No full textThis research aimed to engage with long term services users with severe or serious mental illness whose voices have traditionally been silenced to add to the growing body of knowledge as to how these identified gaps can be addressed.
Four participants who attend a day service were issued with cameras and asked to photograph ‘What Matters to Me?’ in their everyday life. The question was a deliberate attempt to usurp the medical dialogue ‘What is a Matter?’ Participants were issued with disposable cameras and the photographs formed the basis for individual interviews. Thematic analysis from a descriptive methodology identified themes which were discussed through the lens of the recovery framework CHIME (Connection, Hope and optimism, Identity Meaning, Empowerment).
Findings illustrate that participants identified home, and homemaking, the things they do and the people in their life as what matters. Contrary to much of the literature, participants articulated multiple positive identities viewing an illness identity as only a small part of self. Access to occupations and the importance of narrative and narrative continuity appear to be important aspects of recovery aligning well with the occupational therapy concepts of occupational justice and ‘doing with’
A comparative analysis of the E-Government Development Index (EGDI). July 20-23 (pp. 23-29). : IADIS Press
No full textDuring the past two decades, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) published series of reports. Each report presents global survey results that measure e-government development in the 193 UN Member States. The surveys are intended to periodically assess e-government development progress in each of the UN Member States. One of the critical e-government development indicators used in these reports is the E-Government Development Index (EGDI). This quantitative study compares and contrasts the EGDI results (and its principal components indicators) during the past ten years.
The study compares the recent two e-government survey results (2018 and 2020) with the (2008 and 2010) results using correlations analysis and cluster analysis. The comparison is performed to achieve two main objectives: first, to measure the degree of EGDI indicators association during the past ten years and detect any significant changes in the overall Member States ranking during the same period. Second, to measure the degree of variation in cluster memberships. The study results show that there is a strong correlation between EGDI scores during the study period. Also, the results show minor changes in cluster membership, indicating that despite the apparent EGDI overall improvements for almost every UN Member State, the situation remains as before. The finds of this study will be of interest to both e-government academics and practitioner
A layered conservation response to the layers of built history
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
How can differing conservation responses and approaches maintain and enhance those layers of history within a historical building?
ABSTRACT
The Conservation and Heritage Research stream in Unitec’s School of Architecture explores the theory and practice of heritage conservation and adapting historical places, as well as incorporating new design into heritage environments, both internationally and in Aotearoa New Zealand. Research addresses conservation, and the future use and development of historical and modern buildings, from preservation through to adaptive reuse.
Dedicated to design-led research, engaging design and its methodology as research, this paper proposes an approach to building conservation that recognises the value of utilising various conservation methods in accordance with the ICOMOS New Zealand Charter, based on a detailed investigative analysis of the varied layers of embodied history. The meticulous and meaningful analysis of applied conservation principles in the selected precedent – the Neues Museum in Berlin – critically inspired and influenced the design response for the 2010- and 2011-earthquake-damaged Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings in Christchurch, where the various conservation approaches were tested
EDFAB : design and building of a plywood research house
No full textINTRODUCTION:
EDFAB: Eco-digital Fabrication Research Project was a collaboration between researchers and students from the University of Auckland’s and Unitec Institute of Technology’s Schools of Architecture. The research sought to investigate and develop a new housing typology with off-the-shelf materials and simple digital fabrication machinery. EDFAB aims to radically challenge conventional construction processes and relationships by proposing an alternative fabrication process to address problems of affordability, personalisation, energy performance and indoor comfort. The research investigates how simple automated technology can enhance the design process, labour, productivity, organisation and quality in ways that avoid stigmatising construction professionals.
Over the past six years, there have been four major project iterations of EDFAB. As New Zealand’s construction sector is largely comprised of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs),1 design concepts were developed to provide a pathway for conventional building contractors to upskill and increase productivity. The purpose of EDFAB, therefore, was to investigate what possible added-value changes could be made to existing balloon-framing house methodologies with 3-axis CNC automated processes.
The original EDFAB prototype investigated the design and fabrication of a 10sqm ‘plywood centric’ proof of concept that was displayed at the 2014 Whau Arts Festival (Figure 1). In 2015, University of Auckland architecture students designed EDFAB 2.0, a 10sqm plywood and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) iteration on the original prototype. This prototype sought to reduce waste and simplify design complexities. The design worked on the premise of CNC milling plywood components to create modular boxes. The LVL was cut and assembled into portal frames to provide structure and flexibility to the construction system. In 2017, students furthered the research by producing the EDFAB 3.0: Living Pod for the ‘Prefab NZ Interactive Display, Brought to You by Unitec’ exhibit at the BuildNZ | Designex expo (Figure 2). The purpose of the iteration was to seek industry feedback and refine details from the previous iteration. In 2019, the 65sqm two-bedroom EDFAB 4.0: The Carter Holt Harvey Research House was built in a collaboration between students, researchers and building contractors. The development sought to resolve deficiencies in the assembly process, include building contractors in the construction process and reduce the dependency on CNC plywood components by discarding the portal frame