Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Corporate Social Sustainability Culture'
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CIOCCA, LEONARDO. "TUTE PULITE PER UN LAVORO SPORCO. CULTURE DELLA CORPORATE SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY NELLE FONDERIE ITALIANE." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/119857.
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Lo scritto approfondisce i costrutti di cultura della c.d. Corporate Social Sustainability (“CSS”) e sostenibilità della vita organizzativa nelle fonderie italiane, inquadrate nella letteratura di settore come organizzazioni ad alto rischio. Le fonderie sono comunemente percepite come “Industrie 3D: Dirty, Dusty and Dangerous”, poco attente alla sostenibilità ambientale, sociale ed economica. La nostra ipotesi è che in questi contesti sia possibile identificare elementi culturali in grado di “rendere pulito” un lavoro “sporco”, così da migliorare la sostenibilità della vita lavorativa e contribuire alla transizione da “Industrie 3D” a “Industrie 3P: Profit, Planet and People”. Gli obiettivi conoscitivi riguardano (i) la descrizione degli elementi culturali in cui si esprime la CSS, e (ii) lo studio delle relazioni esistenti tra la CSS e altri oggetti teorici, (iii) la ricognizione di conoscenze empiriche a sostegno di processi di trasformazione di contesti lavorativi in un’ottica di sostenibilità organizzativa. A tale proposito abbiamo articolato un progetto di ricerca etnografico in tre fasi, giungendo ai risultati di cui in seguito.
In particolare, la prima fase si è sostanziata in numerose osservazioni etnografiche su un campione di sei fonderie per descrivere la CSS, mostrando la sua espressione in diversi elementi culturali (pratiche, norme, valori, credenze, rituali, ruoli) legati ai seguenti oggetti teorici: pianificazione, comunicazione, team, sicurezza, contesto/contenuto, riconoscimento, identificazione, giustizia, management e conoscenza. Nella seconda fase, attraverso quattro focus group, sono state verificate le conoscenze sviluppate precedentemente e introdotto l’oggetto “tecnologia”. La relazione dell’oggetto “tecnologia” con la CSS è stata approfondita nella terza fase, mediante le c.d. “Visual Methodologies” e concludendo che le nuove tecnologie sono fondamentali per lo sviluppo di culture della CSS poiché agevolano la gestione di spazi e movimentazioni, di contesto e contenuto lavorativo, sicurezza, riconoscimento e identificazione, conoscenze, organizzazione del lavoro, impegno e innovazione.This dissertation explores the constructs of Corporate Social Sustainability (“CSS”) culture and sustainability of organizational life in Italian foundries, considered as high- risk organizations in the industry literature. Foundries are commonly perceived as “3D Industries: Dirty, Dusty and Dangerous”, with little attention to environmental, social and economic sustainability. We deem that in these contexts it is possible to identify cultural elements that can “make clean” a “dirty” job, so as to improve the quality of working life and contribute to the transition from “3D Industries” to “3P Industries: Profit, Planet and People”. The research goals concern (i) the description of cultural elements in which CSS is expressed, and (ii) the study of relations between CSS and other theoretical objects, and (iii) the recognition of empirical knowledge to support transformative processes of work contexts in an organizational sustainability perspective. We have developed a three- phase ethnographic research project, achieving the outcomes set out below. The first phase focused on ethnographic observations in a sample of six foundries to describe CSS, showing its expression in several cultural elements (practices, norms, values, beliefs, rituals, roles) related to the following theoretical objects: planning, communication, team, safety, context/content, rewarding, identification, justice, management and knowledge. During the second phase, through four focus groups, the previously developed knowledge was assessed and the object “Technologies” was introduced. The relation of the latter with CSS was studied in the third phase, through the so-called “Visual Methodologies” and it was concluded that new technologies are fundamental to the development of CSS cultures as they facilitate the management of space and movement, work context and content, safety, recognition and identification, knowledge, work organization commitment and innovation.
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Hall, David Edward. "Development and Validation of the Sustainability Climate Survey." PDXScholar, 2005. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2570.
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Motivated by an assumption of and concern about the unsustainable trajectory of modern human civilization, the purpose of this study was to develop a measurement tool to assist organizations striving to align their operations with principles of sustainability. The relevant context is established with consideration of the dimensions of environment, society and economy, as well as their interconnections, with an eye towards sustainability. Some of the challenges and opportunities presented to organizations by the current unsustainable trajectory are reviewed. The social constructs of culture and climate (organizational and psychological) are discussed as important to understand organizational life. I propose the notion of a sustainability climate to represent factors within the organization that are theorized as important for successfully integrating the principles of sustainability into organizational decision-making and routine behaviors.
Items were developed to tap the theorized constructs and were administered to a population of university employees (N = 252). The study explored construct validity of these measures through exploratory factor analysis, assessment of internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and criterion validity. Results provide preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the sustainability climate factors (perceived top-management support, shared vision, employee involvement, rewards, sustainability norms), and factors of sustainability beliefs (personal understanding, supportive attitude, and positive engagement). These factors' power predicting the criteria, sustainability role expectations, sustainability role behaviors, and environmental stewardship demonstrates the potential to improve upon the instrument. Limitations of the present study are discussed and appropriate application of the Sustainability Climate Survey is explored.
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Ambrosio, Natasja. "Identifying the root causes of tensions arising from business adoption of sustainability." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/97122.
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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: When business adopts sustainability, leaders, sustainability practitioners and employees experience tensions. Unless the root causes of such tensions are identified, understood and discussed, barriers that developed over time will significantly affect the rate of business transformation in building a sustainable future for both business and society at large. This thesis then aims to identify the root causes of tensions that arise in the process of sustainability adoption in business. The outcomes of the research highlight the process of organisational and systemic change required in business, and the need for organisational culture and values to align to the values of sustainability. The lack of adaptive leadership skills in business causes tension as a fundamental requirement of sustainability is transformation. Sustainability challenges the ethics of decisions made in business and thereby creates significant tension. Leaders and employees alike are faced with decisions that require careful consideration in order to ensure that the consequences of those decisions do not result in unintended consequences that impact negatively on society and the environment. Systemic complexity, where capitalism defines the rules within which businesses operate and are being measured, creates tension, as these rules often contradict the values of sustainability. Employees and leaders in business experience tension, as they have to face the dichotomy between values and profit imperatives. This results in an ethical dilemma for business. The current consumer culture, upon which retailers rely significantly for income, requires the extraction of raw materials and the use of energy, water, oil and chemicals for production purposes. This dependency is concerning, as price volatility as a result of the demand and supply fluctuations, affect the retailer price structures. If these resources were to be priced, based on the true cost to the environment, prices will increase, leaving retailers with no option but to increase sales prices. The scale and depth of change, as well as When business adopts sustainability, leaders, sustainability practitioners and employees experience tensions. Unless the root causes of such tensions are identified, understood and discussed, barriers that developed over time will significantly affect the rate of business transformation in building a sustainable future for both business and society at large. This thesis then aims to identify the root causes of tensions that arise in the process of sustainability adoption in business. The outcomes of the research highlight the process of organisational and systemic change required in business, and the need for organisational culture and values to align to the values of sustainability. The lack of adaptive leadership skills in business causes tension as a fundamental requirement of sustainability is transformation. Sustainability challenges the ethics of decisions made in business and thereby creates significant tension. Leaders and employees alike are faced with decisions that require careful consideration in order to ensure that the consequences of those decisions do not result in unintended consequences that impact negatively on society and the environment. Systemic complexity, where capitalism defines the rules within which businesses operate and are being measured, creates tension, as these rules often contradict the values of sustainability. Employees and leaders in business experience tension, as they have to face the dichotomy between values and profit imperatives. This results in an ethical dilemma for business. The current consumer culture, upon which retailers rely significantly for income, requires the extraction of raw materials and the use of energy, water, oil and chemicals for production purposes. This dependency is concerning, as price volatility as a result of the demand and supply fluctuations, affect the retailer price structures. If these resources were to be priced, based on the true cost to the environment, prices will increase, leaving retailers with no option but to increase sales prices. The scale and depth of change, as well asWhen business adopts sustainability, leaders, sustainability practitioners and employees experience tensions. Unless the root causes of such tensions are identified, understood and discussed, barriers that developed over time will significantly affect the rate of business transformation in building a sustainable future for both business and society at large. This thesis then aims to identify the root causes of tensions that arise in the process of sustainability adoption in business. The outcomes of the research highlight the process of organisational and systemic change required in business, and the need for organisational culture and values to align to the values of sustainability. The lack of adaptive leadership skills in business causes tension as a fundamental requirement of sustainability is transformation. Sustainability challenges the ethics of decisions made in business and thereby creates significant tension. Leaders and employees alike are faced with decisions that require careful consideration in order to ensure that the consequences of those decisions do not result in unintended consequences that impact negatively on society and the environment. Systemic complexity, where capitalism defines the rules within which businesses operate and are being measured, creates tension, as these rules often contradict the values of sustainability. Employees and leaders in business experience tension, as they have to face the dichotomy between values and profit imperatives. This results in an ethical dilemma for business. The current consumer culture, upon which retailers rely significantly for income, requires the extraction of raw materials and the use of energy, water, oil and chemicals for production purposes. This dependency is concerning, as price volatility as a result of the demand and supply fluctuations, affect the retailer price structures. If these resources were to be priced, based on the true cost to the environment, prices will increase, leaving retailers with no option but to increase sales prices. The scale and depth of change, as well as the uncertainties that exist within decisions that needs to be made, causes tensions for retailers. Other tensions that arise are the need for meaningful stakeholder engagement, transparency, and a common understanding of what sustainability aims to achieve. Meaningful conversations in business will help define new rules that can be applied to create long-term value for all in society. Employees are more committed to sustainability through intrinsic values as oppose to extrinsic values. Therefore, a values based approach to sustainability adoption will resonate with employees, thereby improving the effect of sustainability integration. Adaptive leaders who are prepared to interrogate current business models are required. This way, different models are developed, that delivers shared value and intergenerational equity to society and the environment.
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Al, Kaabi Ahmed Musabbeh. "Multi-dimensional sustainability framework for service organisations in the GCC countries." Thesis, Brunel University, 2014. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/10589.
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Sustainability in the business context seeks to create long-term value by seizing the opportunities and overcoming the challenges of simultaneously addressing the organization’s economic, environmental and social responsibilities. Several sustainability models and frameworks have been put forward over the past three decades, aiming at helping organizations embed sustainability at the core of their businesses. Their relevancy and applicability are significant, particularly for the manufacturing sector and the overall value chain, even though service organizations are equally important stakeholders in this process. The raising interest to promote sustainability-focused practices, processes and policies in organizations in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region, particularly across the service sector, have contributed to define the goal of this research, namely: to establish the main drivers and challenges faced by local service organizations to embed sustainability at the core of their business strategy and practice, in order to develop an innovative multi-dimensional sustainability framework specifically adapted to the service sector in the GCC countries’ socio-cultural and economic environment. For this purpose, a research path was followed which included: comparative critical analysis of the leading organizational sustainability frameworks and maturity models; an empirical evaluation of their relevancy in the particular context of GCC countries; and primary research to confirm the perceived applied research gap and to evaluate the feasibility and relevancy of putting forward a sector specific framework. The outcome of this research is an innovative multi-dimensional sustainability framework for service sector organizations in the GCC region, which will provide stronger guidance on how to select and implement the most relevant sustainability aspects within the local service sector businesses, thus allowing them to develop better sustainability-focused policies and practices in the workplace. This framework will also contribute to academic community by opening new views on how sustainability is perceived and what adjustments are needed for it to work in the service sector in the context of GCC countries. This framework can later on be extended to other countries of the MENA region, where existing sustainability models and frameworks would not be fit for purpose. The framework hereby proposed was validated by combining the quantitative research and qualitative data collection and analysis using a combined positivist and interpretive case study strategy based on carefully selected cases across the service sector in the GCC countries. The measurable success of this framework will be the time it will take to reach a significant number of service sector organizations in the GCC countries that achieve the ideal balance between their social, economic and environmental dimensions with few constraints, thus becoming potential leaders of change for a more sustainable and inclusive successful future.
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Anderson, Catrine, Francesca Schüldt, and Therese Åstrand. "Organisational culture’s influence on the integration of sustainability in SMEs : A multiple case study of the Jönköping region." Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Företagsekonomi, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-39757.
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Background: Existing literature suggests research about sustainability and Small- and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to be limited. SMEs tend to have less resources than large companies and as a result of this sustainability integration may be challenging. Despite these resource restrictions, some SMEs still succeed in integrating sustainability. Some literature suggests that organisational culture could influence the integration of sustainability. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how organisational culture attributes influence the integration of sustainability in Swedish SMEs. Method: To fulfil the purpose of this thesis, a multiple case study consisting of six SMEs in the Jönköping region is performed. Qualitative semi-structured interviews are conducted with the manager and/or head of sustainability. Furthermore, structured interviews are conducted with managers and employees, in an attempt to gain insights into the values and cultural attributes of the organisational culture of the SME. Main Findings: The results reveal that an organisational culture which emphasises internal relationships, stability and goal-setting and planning seem to facilitate the integration of sustainability. SMEs with the attribute of valuing internal relationships are aided in the integration of sustainability through the existence of tightly knit groups that work together toward the long-term goal of integrating sustainability. The positive influence of stability stems from the fact that the attribute provides structure, economic stability, and a stable employee base. A high focus on goal-setting and planning may enable the integration of sustainability through providing clear missions and objectives which the company strives toward. Managerial Implications: This study urges three implications for managers of SMEs; 1. It provide managers with some understanding of how their organisational culture may affect sustainability integration. 2. It provide insight into the challenges companies may face as the result of lacking certain cultural attributes. 3. It provide indications of which attributes that could be beneficial to develop or incorporate into the organisational culture in order to aid the integration of sustainability.
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Krenz, Susanne, and Ruiz Patricia Cristina Torets. "How do ecological, economic and social sustainability influence on employee motivation? : A case study of a German company in the solar energy sector." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Handelshögskolan vid Umeå universitet (USBE), 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-52249.
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This research has generated interesting findings from the inductive approach and the qualitative methods that were used in the inquiry process. Thanks to the literature review, the semi-structure interviews, a focus group and secondary data it was possible to obtain the necessary information to answer the research question: How do ecological, economic and social sustainability influence employee motivation? In order to answer this question, two sub-questions were considered first, namely What constitutes sustainability in the company-specific context of Wagner & Co Solartechnik? and Does sustainability motivate people? The answer to the latter question has to be yes, as the analysis revealed numerous linkages. From the data gathered, it is apparent that economic sustainability constitutes the most basic level of sustainability at Wagner Solar. Although the influence of money has its clear limitations, an increase in material orientation could be observed compared to previous. At the company level, ecological sustainability manifests itself as ‘striving for the energy turnaround’. The majority of employees show, as their most important source of motivation, an interest in solar technology as well as a concern for increased eco-efficiency. The information gathered has permitted an assessment of whether the company hires people that are already committed to the company’s vision and mission, or whether the company makes an effort to socialise employees. While this does not seem to be the case it is apparent that the company cultivates a communication and information policy that perpetuates its values. Wagner Solar also exhibits a strong and consistent corporate culture. In terms of social sustainability, democratic decision-making appears to exert the greater amount of influence on employee motivation, while the influence of employee ownership is comparatively diminished. The company appears to both attract and seek out employees who value the ability to work autonomously, partially explained by the German nationality but not exclusively. Positive work environment and good collaborations between colleagues were deemed another important motivational factor, both by the interviewees and the intra-company survey. However, working at Wagner Solar is not without its perceived negatives. These are mostly related to the company’s unique decision-making structures, the use of the language, and possible “island” mentality that some departments might suffer. The study also aimed to analyse the influence of different motivators on employees. When contemplating which pillars of sustainability motivate the most, the analysis of the main motivators revealed that the most important pillar is the social one, since most of the participants have one or more main motivators connected to it. Overall, the impression is that the social values of Wagner Solar are the most pervasive, affecting attitudes and behaviours such as autonomy and responsibility, and, therefore, constitute the main motivators for its employees. The ecological pillar also noticeably influences employee motivation, while the economic pillar is the least influential.MSPME - Masters in Strategic Project Management European
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Nalesso, Andréia Chaves. "Cultura organizacional e sustentabilidade: integração, diferenciação ou fragmentação?" Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 2014. https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/12000.
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The Corporate Sustainability has been one of the organizations\' answers for new demands of actual context, which would stop being only economical and legal, envolving also social and ambiental responsabilities. The implementation of projects from this nature varies since answers to legal impositions until those who are vinculated to the own strategy and culture of the organization. Accordingly, stands out that the sustainable practices conducted by the organizations only make themselves viable from the moment that organizational culture starts being oriented for the Sustainability. The current study, of quantitative and qualitative nature and descriptive character, had as goal verify whether Sustainability is a value shared by the employees of RDX Telecom or by most part of them, or whether coexist different perceptions and performances related to the theme, from the existence of subcultures within the organization, according to parameters of analysis proposed by Martin (2002). The adopted method to lead this research was the case study, realized in RDX Telecom, a telecommunications company with national performance. The research was led in two moments, being the first of them a pilot study and the second, the final research. For the final research, the data were collected, considering internal and external documents published about the company, two in-depth interviews and 290 semistructured interviews, with one probability sample, making use of one guide topic already validated. For qualitative data, was performed the documental analysis and the classic content analysis. With regard to quantitative aspects, the descriptive statistic and the inferencial statistic were used. The results suggest that the sustainability is in the differentiation level and that it\'s still not a quality shared by members of the company, characterizing the existence of various subcultures and different positions and manifestations related to the theme.A sustentabilidade Corporativa tem sido uma das respostas das organizações para as novas demandas do contexto atual, que deixaram de ser somente econômicas e legais, envolvendo também responsabilidades sociais e ambientais. A implementação de projetos dessa natureza variam desde respostas às imposições legais até aqueles que estão vinculados à própria estratégia e cultura da organização. Nesse sentido, destaca-se que as práticas sustentáveis conduzidas pelas organizações só se viabilizam a partir do momento em que a cultura organizacional passa a estar orientada para a sustentabilidade. O presente estudo, de natureza quantitativa e qualitativa e de caráter descritivo, teve como objetivo verificar se a sustentabilidade é um valor compartilhado pelos funcionários da RDX Telecom ou pela maior parte deles, ou se coexistem diferentes percepções e atuações relacionadas ao tema, a partir da existência de subculturas dentro da organização, conforme parâmetros de análise propostos por Martin (2002). O método adotado para conduzir esta pesquisa foi o estudo de caso, realizado na RDX Telecom, uma empresa de telecomunicações com atuação nacional. A pesquisa foi conduzida em dois momentos, sendo o primeiro deles um estudo piloto e o segundo, a pesquisa final. Para a pesquisa final, os dados foram coletados, considerando-se documentos internos e externos publicados sobre a empresa, duas entrevistas em profundidade e 290 entrevistas semiestruturadas, com uma amostra probabilística, utilizando-se um tópico-guia já validado. Para os dados qualitativos, realizou-se a análise documental e a análise de conteúdo clássica. Com relação aos aspectos quantitativos, foram utilizadas a estatística descritiva e a estatística inferencial. Os resultados sugerem que a sustentabilidade está no nível de diferenciação e que ainda não é um valor compartilhado pelos membros da empresa, caracterizando a existências de diversas subculturas e diferentes posturas e manifestações com relação ao tema.
Mestre em Administração
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Ofori-Parku, Sylvester. "A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Risk Management, Corporate Sustainability Communication, and Risk Perception: The Case of Tullow Oil in Ghana." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/19315.
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In the West African country Ghana, which has a history of poor natural resource management, discovery of offshore petroleum resources in 2007 and subsequent commercial production in 2010 (with British multinational Tullow Oil as lead operator) is a potential source of potential wealth and inequality. Using the Cultural Theory of Risk, Social Amplification of Risk Framework, and the Corporate Sustainability Framework — a proposed model—as theoretical foundations, this dissertation examines corporate sustainability practices, communication, and their implications for local residents’ risk perceptions, corporate reputation, and risk management. The study also assesses how cultural worldviews and informational networks (e.g., an environmental group, opinion leaders, and media) amplify or attenuate residents’ risks perceptions.
Data were collected via interviews with key actors including a non-governmental organization (NGO), a survey of a representative sample of Half Assini residents in one of the six coastal districts that adjoin Ghana’s offshore petroleum region, and analyses of Tullow’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports and other communication texts. Extant worldview and corporate reputation measures were also developed/adapted and tested.
The study finds support for the view that cultural worldview and affect are associated with public risk perceptions. Thus, individuals who (a) do not subscribe to the worldview that government ought to regulate corporate behaviors, (b) show a relatively high sense of attachment to their communities, (c) rate the images associated with Ghana’s offshore oil production favorably, and (d) rate the images associated with Tullow Oil positively are more likely to be worried that Ghana’s offshore oil production poses significant risks for the country and their local communities. Regarding corporate sustainability communication, the study observes that Tullow uses a predominantly technical, expert-driven approach, which seeks to discursively position it as an aspirational, engaged, and responsible organization. While critiquing Tullow’s corporate sustainability and communication approach, the research also argues that corporate sustainability (CSR and risk) communication has the potential to constitute desirable corporate practices and could ultimately culminate in meaningful social change. Theoretical contributions to risk perception, risk management/communication, corporate reputation, and CSR communication are discussed. Practical implications for advocacy, corporate practices, and public participation in environmental decision-making are discussed.
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Gordon, Wayne Barry. "Corporate culture and strategy in environmental sustainability interventions." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/29655.
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The influence of corporate culture on the strategies used by firms to meet the environmental sustainability challenge has been explored in this dissertation. This was investigated through web-based questionnaires that were administered to employees in companies who would have knowledge of both their employer‟s corporate culture and corporate sustainability practices.To determine this, the respondents were requested to rate both the corporate strategies undertaken to meet the environmental challenge, as well as the corporate culture where they work. The corporate strategies were evaluated using a bespoke instrument which was constructed from various strategy instruments found in the literature. The corporate culture was evaluated using a well-known organisational culture instrument available in the literature. Potential contextual variables pertaining to the perceptions of the respondents, as well as to the business and industry sector characteristics, were evaluated as well.The findings indicated that the contextual variables had little or no effect on either the corporate culture or the corporate strategies undertaken by the firm, and that a strong comprehensive culture correlated strongly with positive corporate strategies. Corporate cultures that emphasise social coordination (or organic culture forms) exhibited stronger correlations with positive corporate strategies than those which emphasise formal control methods (or mechanistic forms). The focus of the firm, whether on internal dynamics or the external environment, did not show a significant effect on the corporate strategies that were undertaken by the firm.A sustainability culture was synthesised from the findings of the research, which concludes with recommendations regarding further research into this topic.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
unrestricted
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Daniel, Oluwakemi. "The Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Sustainability, and Corporate Financial Performance." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5847.
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Some business executives are reluctant to engage in social responsibility and sustainability practices because of the assumption that these projects are costly and impair profitability. The purpose of this correlation study was to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility, sustainability (as proxied by the 2016 Best Corporate Citizens index), and corporate financial performance (as measured by ROA and Tobin's Q). Stakeholder theory was the theoretical framework for the study. The results of linear regression analyses indicated an insignificant positive relationship between corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and financial performance. The yield of the linear regression analyses was as follows: F(1, 12) = .023, p = .881, R2 = .002 for ROA and F(1, 12) = .060, p = .811, R2 = .006 for Tobin's Q. The findings from the study revealed that the relationship between social and sustainable activities and financial performance is indifferent regardless of whether financial performance is assessed using accounting or market measures. The presence of a direct, though insignificant, association calls for business managers' attention. The reason is that with the positive association, it is arguably useful to suggest that the more social and sustainable projects are embarked on by firms, the greater the probability of an increased financial outcome.
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Lin, I.-HSIANG. "Users' and Preparers' Perception of Sustainability Reporting and Corporate Sustainability." NSUWorks, 2010. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/hsbe_etd/62.
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The purpose of this study was to explore users' and preparers' perception of sustainability reporting, especially for accountants and financial analysts who are involved with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines and GRI based sustainability or CSR reports in the United States. With the increasing trends to sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR), it is important to understand what level users and preparers currently hold towards the sustainability reporting. This study used samples from the following resources: all companies included in the GRI report list as a report preparer group and financial analysts as report users, whose companies' core business focused on social and environmental investing. This study examined four hypotheses concerning general corporate sustainability & reporting and sustainability performance indicators in environmental, economic and social aspects suggested by the GRI Guidelines.
This paper contributes to corporate social responsibility and sustainability reporting. This paper studied users' perception of sustainability reporting and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Prior research mainly focused on preparers' perception or attitudes toward sustainability reports (Guthrie & Parker, 1990; Kolk, 2004; Lindgreen et al., 2009; White, 2005). Also, this paper adds to the literature on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and its guidelines that have not been extensively studied in prior research.
The results revealed that users and preparers agreed on the important issues asked for the general corporate sustainability and reporting, and both groups held similar attitudes towards the environmental, economic and social performance indicators and felt most of them as important to be included in a sustainability report. In addition, both groups indicated the GRI as the preferred standard setting body for sustainability reporting and gave support to GRI for its effort to establish and promote the standards for sustainability reporting. Finally, a considerable number of users and preparers agreed that the GRI report can fairly measure a company's environmental, economic and social performance.
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Gustafsson, Anna, and Kinnunen Henrietta Lumme. "Corporate Social Responsibility i Fastighetsbranschen." Thesis, KTH, Bygg- och fastighetsekonomi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-77487.
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Today, more and more companies are taking their responsibility in different areas. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that companies can use to express their responsibilities in a number of areas. CSR, however, lacks a uniform definition. The view on what the responsibilities are for the companies in different areas are not consistent. The Swedish real estate industry has been working with an environmental focus for a number of years. Today, companies are aware of real estates’ environmental impact and how they can work with the environment in a responsible manner. Discussions have begun over what other responsibilities the real estate sector has and how companies should respond to them. The purpose of this thesis is to locate where the Swedish real estate sector is staged within CSR and how they are addressing this issue. To examine this, a literature review is conducted on the meaning of CSR. The public material from a number of leading companies in CSR has been examined to see what makes their CSR work unique. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with some of Sweden's leading commercial real estate companies and an online survey was sent out to see how companies work with CSR compared to each other and how they define CSR. The results show that the Swedish real estate sector has recently begun working within this field. So far, only a few companies present themselves as CSR. It is relatively unclear in the industry what CSR means and many companies are instead talking about sustainability. What is surprising is that although the environmental issue has been so central in the sector several companies fail to recognize this issue, which means that there is still a lot left to do. Another interesting aspect is that despite the fact that few companies choose to demonstrate a commitment to CSR, the survey shows that a number of companies have involvement in those elements covered by CSR. Why these companies chose not to express themselves as a company with CSR responsibilities may be due to ignorance of what is required in the field. Other companies choose to wait to put resources into developing a strategy and instead see how it develops in the industry. Since a number of companies already demonstrate a CSR commitment and some are currently working on developing strategies for this, it can be assumed that CSR will grow in this industry.
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Scandelius, Christina. "Strategic ambiguity in corporate sustainability communications." Thesis, Brunel University, 2014. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/12763.
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Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to develop a better understanding on how businesses should communicate their sustainability strategy to their stakeholders. Businesses are facing the challenge of designing sustainability communications strategies that appeal to stakeholders of various interest and knowledge on the topic, and stakeholders whose objectives might even be contradictory to that of the company. In order to facilitate the communications process to encourage a better uptake of sustainability initiatives by corporations and the public, it is essential to find solutions to these communications challenges. Methodology: The study focuses on the food and drink value chain in Western Europe and is based on empirical evidence from a multiple case study methodology involving in-depth interviews with 25 senior managers and directors from food and drink manufacturing companies, retailers, and some of their stakeholders. Findings: A framework for corporate sustainability communications is developed, depicting five communications strategies. The framework also offers an insight how stakeholders can be categorised into the most appropriate communications strategy through the application of certain segmentation attributes. It is further illustrated how the application of strategic ambiguity can add value to the communications process in order to stimulate interest, initiatives and innovation from stakeholders. Theoretical and practical implications/originality: Previous research on corporate communications strategies, has seen limited empirical validation, is primarily focussed on consumers, and more importantly is lacking in advice regarding how to craft communications that not only appeal to a multitude of stakeholders, but that also encourage collaboration. The findings therefore add confirmation and extension to the previous research and, importantly, it provides a link between theories of strategic ambiguity and the corporate communications literature. The framework also offers practical value as it provides managers with a clear guidance on how to design effective corporate sustainability communications, ensuring diverse appeal and/or engagement for collaboration. Thus it provides a tool that has the potential of facilitating holistic sustainability progress in a value chain.
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Karlsen, Olav Andrè. "Racing Towards Sustainability? : Formula 1 and Corporate Social Responsibility." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for sosiologi og statsvitenskap, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-13032.
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Heed, Emilia, and Hanna Törnbom. "Corporate Social Responsibility : Varför ska banker ta ett ansvar?" Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Sektionen för ekonomi och teknik (SET), 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-19123.
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The purpose of this thesis is to gain a deeper understanding about why Swedish banks choose to work and report CSR and also analyze differences and similarities between two banks. Research question: Why do Swedish companies within the financial sector choose to report and work with Corporate Social Responsibility? The major incentives to work and report CSR are because it benefits bank´s businesses, which is driven by stakeholders. Stakeholder pressure is also an important incentive, especially pressure from customers and employees. The incentives that differed between the two banks were morality of the business leader, society and the priority of stakeholders. The incentives that we could not support were guidelines and competitors-
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Corral, Alonso Adriana, and Daphné Lapourré. "EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY : The example of France, Spain and Sweden." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-13933.
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Title: The influence of culture on corporate sustainability Authors: Adriana Corral Alonso and Daphné Lapourré Supervisor: Jean-Charles Languilaire Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, Marketing Key words: Sustainability, sustainable development, corporate sustainability, Tetra Pak, culture, cultural influence, cultural dimensions, France, Spain, Sweden… Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how and to what extent cultural aspects can influence the corporate sustainability of a given company. Method: It is a qualitative case study enhancing on one hand primary research and on the other hand secondary data. The primary data based on three interviews of Tetra Pak key employees in France, Spain and Sweden are completed by the secondary research based on facts about Tetra Pak and on key authors’ books. Theoretical framework: The framework consists of theories and models about sustainability and its extensions and about cultural dimensions theories. Conclusion: Culture has an influence on corporate sustainability. However the extents are not easy to measure and vary according to the culture and the country’s means.
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Johannes, Jonathan. "Corporate social responsibility in South Africa : how corporate partnerships can advance the sustainability agenda." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5519.
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Magister Legum - LLMCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not a new issue. There has and will always be the need for organisations to make profits and the needs of society. CSR has been considered more strongly than ever since the early 1990's, building on a trend that had been growing since the start of the 20th century. CSR broadly refers to all of an organization's impacts on society and the need to deal responsibly with the impacts on each group of stakeholders. The King IV Report on Governance for South Africa 2016 encapsulates the idiosyncratic South African context of CSR. In the African context these moral duties are manifested in the concept of Ubuntu which is captured in the expression 'uMuntu ngumuntu ngabantu', 'I am because you are; you are because we are'. This model being the premise upon which the CSR partnership is researched herein. Ever since the publication of the King Reports on Corporate Governance, South African businesses have sharpened their focus on their commitment to the 'triple-bottom-line'. It is impossible for organizations to ignore the impact of social, ethical and environmental issues on their business and the economy and the cost of neglecting these issues will be high. CSR has gained increasing prominence as a result of increased stakeholder demands, limitations of government and civil society to address complex societal issues, and the realization by most businesses that their sustained success depends on their ability to address local sustainable development challenges. Corporate sustainable development, despite not being a business' core responsibility, is doubtful to be achieved without the support of other businesses as they represent the productive resources of the economy. Although there is consensus that businesses have a vital role to play in addressing sustainable development challenges, companies still have a responsibility to more traditional elements of what constitutes business success. In this regard companies have to meet somewhat conflicting expectations of markets and stakeholders, the economic bottom line being a dominant factor in decision making. Companies therefore may not be able to meet the level of resources essential to achieve the scale and impact so as to address the challenges of these competing priorities. For business to effectively move the sustainability agenda forward, there is a need for a systemic approach, as sustainability cannot succeed in an unsustainable system. In order to achieve the scale, speed and impact necessary, an integrated approach that leverages key role players is critical to drive change and support sustainability. It is in this regard that this research paper will explore, the wider definition of regulation 43(5) (a) (ii) (bb) published in relation to the Companies Act and whether it provides for corporate partnerships, if so, does it achieve contributions to community development and does this advance the corporate sustainability agenda.
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Crepaldi, Veronica <1989>. "Programmazione e controllo nella Reverse Logistics: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Sustainability e indicatori GRI." Master's Degree Thesis, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10579/5757.
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Il presente lavoro mira all'analisi della programmazione e controllo della Reverse Logistics in un'ottica di sostenibilità, con l'intento di evidenziare come le due tematiche siano strettamente legate. Nel primo capitolo viene definita la funzione di RL e descritta nelle sue diverse configurazioni, così come è stata trattata in letteratura. Poiché si tratta di una funzione piuttosto giovane, si trovano diverse definizioni tra cui spicca quella del Reverse Logistics Executive Council. Nel secondo capitolo vengono studiati quali sono gli strumenti a disposizione dei responsabili di programmazione e controllo individuati in letteratura. In particolare sono analizzati gli indicatori per la misurazione della performance, gli strumenti per la presa di decisioni e per la pianificazione della RL, soffermandosi anche sulla possibilità di affidare l'attività ad un provider esterno. Nel terzo capitolo è presentato il concetto di sostenibilità e delle derivate nozioni di Corporate Sustainability e Corporate Social Responsibility. Una trattazione particolare viene fatta anche sul Sustainability Reporting, la Global Reporting Initiative e l'applicazione della sostenibilità alla funzione della RL. Infine, nel quarto capitolo, viene presentato il social responsibility reverse logistics index, dello studio di Nikolaou e altri (2013), come misurazione della responsabilità sociale della RL ed indivuati gli possibili sviluppi e limiti della ricerca.
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Pureza, Alvaro, and Siti Mustapha. "Using a Strategic Sustainable Development Approach to Corporate Social Sustainability." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Sektionen för ingenjörsvetenskap, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-3468.
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The awareness of the unsustainable path we are heading and the pressing need to act has been growing for the last few decades. Organisations, in particular corporations, play an important role in the necessary changes and they are increasingly being obliged by a growing range of stakeholders to play a positive part in society as corporate citizens. This has led to the current proliferation of initiatives and standards on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and has created confusion and misunderstanding about what is a strategic corporate responsibility approach. We found that current CSR lacks principles of sustainability and a universal ethical guideline. This paper argues that current CSR can be made strategic by considering a scientifically relevant whole systems approach of sustainability as its fundamental objective. We present some implementation guidelines for CSR based on principles of sustainability and on the universal ethical principle of non-harm. Analysis of selected organisations in Brazil and Malaysia using the proposed guidelines provided recommendations and insights on how these organisations can contribute towards a sustainable society.
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Ward, Robert A. "Exploring Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting Practices in Multinational Corporations." Thesis, Baker College (Michigan), 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13425719.
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Companies experience a problem implementing corporate social responsibility reporting standards due to geographical differences, an over-abundance of guidelines, regulatory disparities, and varying levels of stakeholder requirements. These diverse conditions result in inadequate reporting of sustainability efforts and a lack of consistency of what actually gets reported. This exploratory, qualitative case study was based on a theoretical framework consisting of Freeman’s stakeholder theory, Suchman’s legitimacy theory, and Spence’s signaling theory. The sample consisted of six respondents from a research population of 100 multinational corporations (MNCs) with successful reporting practices. The instrument used was a researcher-developed questionnaire. The study addresses three research questions: How did leadership identify sustainability reporting standards, guidelines, or frameworks that would be appropriate for their company; how did the needs of the company’s stakeholders for reporting differ from the standards selected; and what CSR activities, indicators, or disclosures are not being included in the guideline that the company might want to report based on the needs of the stakeholders? Based on the results, nine themes emerged: (a) External motivational factors and stakeholders are critical to deciding which reporting guideline to use; (b) the CSR reporting method chosen is selected in order to meet the needs of the most influential actors; (c) companies augment reports with self-created KPIs based on influential actors and situational requirements; (d) the CSR reporting process requires greater internal collaboration within an organization; (e) changes to business strategy and resource allocation may be necessary; (f) both external and internal stakeholders are a source of valuable input and feedback regarding the produced reports; (g) collecting material and nonmaterial data is useful in producing reports and improving transparency; (h) companies want to see the impacts of their use competitors’ CSR activities and to use their reports to improve their own CSR activities and reports; and (i) standardization of reporting guidelines would benefit all stakeholders by allowing companies to become more transparent, improve comparisons between companies, and provide incentive to improve CSR processes. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on CSR reporting and allows companies to better understand CSR reporting process in their own environments.
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Alvesson, Due Billing Miha. "Small Scale Sustainability : A Qualitative Study of Corporate Sustainability in Swedish SMEs." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-295807.
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This qualitative study aims to contribute to the research field on corporate sustainability (CS) in small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs), in hopes of helping policymakers better understand the circumstances for Swedish SMEs and how they work with CS. Empirical data about motivations behind working with CS, implementation of CS activities, and effects of CS work were collected through in-depth interviews with 18 company representatives. The major reason for motivation was found to be personal interest and commitment to these kind of practices, followed by strengthening the competitiveness, marketing, initiative from management and board, and profitability aspects. The implementation process is often informal in nature with concrete measures and activities rather than formal policies and strategies, although a few of the companies make use of tools such as environmental management systems. How the companies communicate their CS work differs and the response from stakeholders varies too. Lastly, profitability was found to be an important effect for some, while others more heavily emphasize the personal satisfaction from doing the right thing and being sustainable. The social effects were mostly improved working conditions and more engagement from stakeholders, while the environmental impact was understood to mostly concern a decrease in consumption of finite resources, and a more efficient use of material and energy. Suggestions for improving CS work in Swedish SMEs are increased support and encouragement from the government, and more education and information about what companies can do and how they can do it with appropriate tools. Concluding, CS in Swedish SMEs must be studied further to gain a more comprehensive picture of how to support those SMEs already working with CS and those in the path of transitioning towards a more sustainable development.
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Bravo, Gonzalez Ramon. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Value in Luxury." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/78038.
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One of the most important assets that luxury firms have is brand value, an intangible asset influenced by consumer and company-led actions. CSR is a company-led action, which depending on how it is managed, can either increase or decrease brand value. This research explores the role of CSR within luxury and how it, together with other factors, contributes to brand value in luxury. To conduct this work, a mixed methods approach was selected. A theoretical framework was built with input from the literature and interviews with key interviewees from the luxury industry. Then, the theoretical framework was tested quantitatively. The quantitative analysis was conducted with a dataset based on consumer panels, and additional secondary data including Bloomberg, CSRHub, Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), Interbrand, and company reports. The results were subject to ‘credibility checks’ with interviewees from the industry. The results from this research suggest that despite the importance of brand value within luxury; brand value is not widely understood by the industry and it is not measured, managed or leveraged. This research also suggests that CSR, company size, having controlled distribution, country of origin, marketing and research and development (R&D)/design, energized differentiation, esteem, and relevance; are critical factors to brand value. Consequently, luxury brands need to manage all these determinants to be able to create and preserve brand value. Nevertheless, while all these determinants are important, their importance can vary by brand; depending on brand size, brand category, target market, and whether the brand is heritage or non-heritage.PhD in Management
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Fang, Yiwen. "Sustainability information network (SIN) and corporate financial distress." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2021. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/211478/1/Yiwen_Fang_Thesis.pdf.
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In this thesis I examine the relationship between corporate sustainability information networks (SIN) and financial distress. I propose that firms that are more central in the SIN have better access to key sustainability information which in turn results in lower financial distress. Using 5,521 in-network firms and their propensity scored matching (PSM) firms over the five-year period 2015-2019, I find strong support for my hypothesis. The findings suggest that SINs provide an important role in reducing financial distress.
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Law, Man-suet Michelle, and 羅文雪. "Achieving corporate sustainability through environmental education and training." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/206704.
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Education and training are recognized as the crux of developing green organizational cultures in the achievement of corporate sustainability. Should ecology training be linked with the practical work of corporate members? Should they “learn by doing” or “do by learning”? The present study covered the links between environmental education and training and its success in greening the employees and corporate cultures. It investigated the effectiveness of environmental training and models a suitable training approach in developing environmentally aware corporate cultures. The study first revealed the drivers and challenges of implementing environmental education and training in managerial perception. 13 environmental managers of sustainability leading corporations and governmental departments in Hong Kong were surveyed by either face-to-face interviews or mailed questionnaires survey.
The role of environmental education and training in raising employees’ awareness toward a more sustainable manner has been fully recognized by the surveyed mangers. However, engaging employees in environmental learning was found to be the single biggest challenge among the managers. Managers have faced a dilemma when designing training content and training approaches. A wide range of rationales and determining factors were identified in the study. They were employee interests and motivation, training practicability and applicability, justification of resources and continuity of training impacts.
A series of environmental education and awareness training programmes of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) were used as a case study. Evaluation of the training outcomes, in terms of changes in participants’ environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviour, was surveyed by using self-completion questionnaires with retrospective post- and then-test design. Across the 47 responses, the results show that employees gained knowledge and changed their values and behaviour towards the environment significantly. The acquisition of knowledge and attitude change leads to the development of green behaviour both in the workplace and at home.
Training design and approach, relevance and applicability of training content were found to have the greatest impact on the training outcomes. A combination of direct- and indirect- experiences in the training is also essential as the employees have direct contact with nature for affective-based attitudes while a proportion of indirect experience training is responsible for intellectual development. Training should be available for employees from each stratum in the company rather than only focusing on pinpointed management staff since it could promote a workable interface between employees and the corporation. Furthermore, organizational support including supervisory and peer support is vital to the training outcomes by encouraging employees to perform pro-environmental behaviour at work, in turn, greening the corporate culture. This study brings to the conclusion that, even though transition of sustainable corporate culture is a long process, it could be achievable in real-life businesses through utilizing an effective environmental education and training with properly designed strategies.published_or_final_version
Kadoorie Institute
Master
Master of Philosophy
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Dai, Wenjin. "The great vessel rarely completes : translating corporate sustainability." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/15027.
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This thesis contributes to our understanding of Corporate Sustainability (CS) in Multinational Corporations (MNCs) by offering a non-western perspective. A review of the extant literature reveals CS-related studies are mainly based on theories and implications in and for western contexts. It leads us to question the definitions of CS that have been taken for granted in current management and organisation studies. This thesis argues CS should be considered as a non-fixed, contextual and culturally-sensitive notion. When the ideas of CS travel from western scholarship to Chinese organisation practices, the meanings are forever constructed, altered, and mobilised. This is beyond linguistic translation, and functions as a continuous stream of temporary hermeneutic processes of translating. This research explores how CS has been translated in a Japanese MNC in China (the organisation is called ‘OMG’ in the research). The ethnographic enquiry provides a visual and narrative representation of corporate culture as promoted in OMG; ‘Communal Vessel’ evolves as a translational construct symbolising the culturally-derived meanings of CS. The intrinsically oxymoronic meanings of ‘Communal Vessel’ can be drawn from classical Chinese philosophies, which could have implications for understanding contemporary organising practices in China, and globally. In summary, this thesis problematises the construction of CS, and contributes an indigenous, non-western way of understanding CS via an ethnographic representation focusing on processes of translating. The implications are summarised through an analysis of the classical phrase ‘The Great Vessel Rarely Completes’.
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Nilsson, Klara. "Corporate Social Responsibility : How Corporate is the Responsibility?" Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för ekonomistyrning och logistik (ELO), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-75124.
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Bakgrund: Allt fler företag har idag erkänt betydelsen av att ta ett ökat samhällsansvar, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), samt att regelbundet kommunicera arbetet med deras intressenter. Då CSR saknar en enhetlig definition och därmed också en enhetlig modell att arbeta efter, skapar det emellertid oklarheter vad arbetet ska leda till. CSR kan då omfamnas av företag som enbart ser arbetet som ett PR-trick och gör symboliska handlingar för att utåt sett uppfattas som goda samhällsmedborgare. Det kan därför ifrågasättas hur väl CSR-arbetet integreras i kärnverksamheten. Det har dock kommit allt fler lagkrav och standarder inom området, vilket potentiellt kan skapa en tydligare ram men även ett annat synsätt. Syfte: Denna studie har som syfte att få en ökad förståelse över CSR som begrepp för att sedan se hur företagen arbetar för att integrera CSR i kärnverksamheten och varför. Studien ser även till påverkan av ökad reglering, för att se om företags syn på CSR har förändrats. Metod: Studien har huvudsakligen en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi med en deduktiv ansats då studien tar avstamp i tidigare studier. De företag som studerats är Lammhult Design Group AB och Electra AB. Som datainsamlingsmetod har det genomförts semistrukturerade intervjuer med ansvariga personer, men det har även skickats ut en medarbetarundersökning i form av en enkät. I studien har jag dessutom inhämtat information från fallföretagens hemsidor samt års- och hållbarhetsredovisningar. Resultat och slutsats: Det är inte lika viktigt att finna en enhetlig definition av CSR i dagens samhälle. CSR som begrepp har dessutom allt mer kommit att ersättas av hållbarhet som anses vara ett vidare begrepp. Vidare är det en långsam process att integrera CSR i kärnverksamheten, där intern CSR-röst, utbildning, rutiner och information är av särskild vikt. Genom att ha ett hållbarhetsarbete i framkant och se det som värdeskapande kan företag undvika påtryckning vid potentiella händelser såsom lagkrav.Background: Today, most companies have recognized the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and regularly communicating the work with stakeholders. Since CSR lacks a uniform definition and thus also a uniform model to work for, it creates uncertainties about the purpose of the work. Companies who only do symbolic actions to be perceived as good citizens of the community can then use CSR as PR. It can therefore be questioned how well CSR is integrated into the core business. However, it has been an increasing number of legal requirements and standards in the area, potentially creating a clearer framework but also another approach. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain a greater understanding of CSR as a concept and then see how companies work to integrate CSR into core business and why. The study also looks at the impact of increased regulation, to see if views on CSR have changed. Method: The study has primarily a qualitative research strategy with a deductive approach that stands on previous studies. The companies studied are Lammhult Design Group AB and Electra AB. As a data collection method, I have conducted semi-structured interviews with responsible managers, but also a staff survey. I have also used the homepages websites and annual and sustainability reports. Outcome and conclusion: It is not as important to find a unified definition of CSR in today's society. The concept of CSR has been replaced by sustainability, which is considered as a broader term. Furthermore, it is a slow process of integrating CSR into core business, where internal voice, education, routines and information are of particular importance. By maintaining sustainability at the forefront companies can avoid pressure such as legal requirements.
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Kerber, Chiara, and Lisa Glowinski. "Empowerment Through Social Media? : Examining Individual Communication Behaviour Towards Corporate Sustainability." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-298424.
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Purpose - The purpose of this master thesis is to examine individual social media behaviour in relation to corporate sustainability issues. Based on a model from environmental psychology, factors that influence this behaviour are identified. Methodology/approach - The study followed an explanatory and qualitative approach. Three focus groups, that consisted of 19 students in total, were conducted. Findings - Key findings are (1) the level of social media activity with regard to corporate sustainability issues is not directly connected to the students’ awareness and knowledge of sustainability issues; (2) responsibility and priorities have a weaker influence on social media than on offline behaviour; (3) the perceived locus of control can prevent students from communicating about corporate sustainability in social media; (4) students with high knowledge on sustainability are less inclined to trust corporate sustainability communication. Research limitations/implications - To further examine individual social media behaviour in relation to corporate sustainability issues, future research needs to apply long-term studies with bigger samples. Furthermore, participants with different socio-economic characteristics should be compared to see if key factors, relations, and barriers that have been the result of this study, are also true for other socio-economic groups. Practical implications - The study’s findings suggest that corporations need to consider three main issues if they want to inform and engage individuals in corporate sustainability activities via social media: (1) content has to be tailored for target groups with different levels of knowledge on sustainability issues; (2) third-party-endorsements significantly support the creation of confidence in the communication of corporate sustainability activities and are therefore crucial; (3) detailed replies to critical comments from individual users help to create trust and transparency. Originality/value - This study differs from previous research on social media in two ways: (1) it focuses on social media’s empowerment potential for sustainability instead of political issues; (2) it addresses the gap on individuals’ reasons to actively participate in social media.
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Koukouvetsios, Konstantinos, Putri Sari Suci, John Vimal Tej Kumar Velpula, and Johanna Maria Winterhalder. "Mapping Social Sustainability Tools." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för strategisk hållbar utveckling, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-16476.
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Considering the lack of clear guidance regarding the way business could include social sustainability into their operations, the objective of this research project was to study the functionality of social sustainability tools which are used worldwide by business practitioners and assess how useful these tools are to overcome barriers related with social aspects of sustainability as they are described in the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD): health, influence, competence, impartiality and meaning-making. A qualitative method analysis was selected, based upon direct content analysis. Elements from the 5 Level Framework (5LF) and the FSSD were used for designing two review processes to analyse selected social sustainability tools. The 5LF is useful for planning in complex systems, while the FSSD is designed to address complex challenges and recognize opportunities which aim to sustainability. The findings from the research show which tools, based on their functionality, can help a company move towards sustainability and illustrate how they address different social sustainability aspects. Based on these findings, recommendations were developed which included key features of the selected social sustainability tools. These recommendations could help business practitioners to choose the most appropriate tool for specific business context depending on the company’s needs.
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ROSATI, FRANCESCO. "Measuring corporate sustainability: models, methods and findings." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2108/203417.
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In recent decades there has been increasing attention to the social and environmental impacts of business. Stakeholders are ever more concerned and responsible about environmental and social issues and prefer to deal with companies that act sustainably. Accordingly, companies are called to continuously communicate with stakeholders about their corporate social responsibility (CSR), in order to improve stakeholder perceptions and meet their expectations. In this dissertation, I focus on the measurement of corporate sustainability, providing new methods for assessing, monitoring and improving corporate sustainability performance. These methods are mainly based on CSR reporting and stakeholder CSR perceptions and expectations.
This dissertation contains four articles, three of which propose and apply new models and methods for measuring corporate sustainability performance. In particular, one provides a two-dimensional CSR model for measuring the development of CSR programs and the CSR commitment disclosed by the company. The other two articles provide a method to compare company disclosed CSR commitment with stakeholder CSR perceptions and expectations, and a model to classify customers according to these comparisons. The last article of this dissertation explores the impact of individual characteristics (gender, education and age) on CSR perceptions and expectations.
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Li, Zhongtian. "Corporate sustainability in Australia: Performance, disclosure and governance." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2020. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202715/1/Zhongtian_Li_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis focuses on sustainability disclosure, sustainability performance, and sustainability committee. Analysing a sample of Australian firms, the thesis found that good performers disclose more information and communicate in optimistic, certain, and clear terms; they also present their information in a more readable way; the experience of sustainability disclosure improves the performance, and sustainability committee also contributes to the performance. The findings should of interest to investors, directors, managers, and regulators in Australia.
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Pouvreau, Baptiste, and Pierre Sonier. "Corporate social responsibility disclosure in corporate communication : A content analysis of the automotive industry’s sustainability reports." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-57063.
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Problems related to sustainable development such as environmental issues, human rights, orlabor conditions, are nowadays deeply integrated in our society. It became primordial forcompanies to take into consideration these problems in their business development. For morethan a decade now, car companies started to publish official documents summarizing theircommitments in favor of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions. Through thesesustainability reports, car producers disclose information concerning their sustainable policyand bring details to stakeholders on performed sustainable actions. Because publication of sustainability reports is a relatively new phenomenon, a lot of studies still have to be made in this sector. In this way, no main studies were made regarding howCSR actions performed and disclosed by car companies evolved in the past decade. Didcompanies keep focusing on the same type of sustainable actions or did some changes occuron the way they conduct their CSR policies? No trends were available to try to understandhow car companies CSR actions evolved. This thesis is an attempt to fulfill this gap and bringa first set of useful findings on this topic. Based on three different car producers which are BMW Group, Ford Motor Company andMitsubishi Motors Corporation, our study analyses these companies 2002, 2006 and 2010sustainability reports and looks at how CSR actions are disclosed. The purpose is firstly todescribe how companies’ CSR commitment disclosure is evolving between 2002 and 2010and secondly to find explanation to the key trends. In order to achieve this, we used six mainCSR categories (Economic, Environment, Human Rights, Labor Practices and Decent Work,Product Responsibility and Society) and classified disclosed information in relation with thesecategories to create trends. For each of these six categories, sub-categories were used in orderto be more precise in the analysis process of the documents. Results showed an important interest of car producers for the environment category whichrepresents, on average, more than 40% of disclosed information in sustainability reports.Society category trend shows an important increase between 2006 and 2010 which led it tobecome the second most represented category in reports. Other categories trends present amore stable evolution with time. As it is explained more in detail in our analysis part, thisattraction toward environmental issues for car producers can be explained by the badreputation given to car producers in terms of emissions, energy consumption and moreglobally environmental protection. Cultural background and business mindset are alsoinfluencing companies’ choices. Responsive behaviors resulting from stakeholder’s pressureas well as adaptation to a weak regulatory framework are additional elements to explain the key disclosure trends.
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Peters, Nils. "Inter-organisational design of voluntary sustainability initiatives increasing the legitimacy of sustainability strategies for supply chains." Wiesbaden Gabler, 2009. http://d-nb.info/998737534/04.
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Haniffa, Roszaini Mohamad. "Culture, corporate governance and disclosure in Malaysian corporations." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.267212.
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Venemyr, Henrik, and Per Johan Ericson. "Corporate Social Responsibility : whose responsibility is it?" Thesis, Jönköping University, JIBS, Business Administration, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-475.
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Introduction: The society is becoming more aware of the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) work. CSR has also be-come a competitive tool in order to reach out to potential cus-tomers. There are also many definitions of what CSR actually means. These are things that makes it interesting to find out how multinational corporations, who has a lot of power, per-ceive and work with CSR, as well as what can be done to make corporations work more with CSR.
Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe what CSR as a con-cept means, whose responsibility it is, as well as why corpora-tions work with it. We also intend to find out what it takes to make CSR a more prevailing and decisive instrument for cor-porations?
Method: We conducted six unstructed interviews with multinational corporations in Sweden.
Conclusion: Today the phenomena of CSR has no unified definition, this is why we believe that a definition that is precise in describing what CSR is can be useful. We think that transparency is something important since information provided to the pub-lic, provides consumers and stakeholders with power to make information based investment, and purchase decisions. We have also concluded that we think that the most important factor in driving the CSR work forward and making it grow in size, is to make consumers reward the corporations that per-form well in their CSR activities.
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Otis, Esther. "A stakeholder perspective of corporate social responsibility." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/7016.
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Master of ArtsDepartment of Communication Studies, Theatre, and Dance
Nicole M. Laster
The adoption of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy affords a company with the opportunity to engage with stakeholders in a manner that is not necessarily tied directly to a company’s business as usual. CSR research has burgeoned in the last several decades, keeping pace with companies worldwide and their steady incorporation of CSR policies into their business models. To that end, research has been primarily focused on CSR policy perception from external stakeholders or managers. This research project examines the sensemaking processes related to an environmental sustainability-related CSR policy among a diverse group of internal stakeholders at a mid-sized electric utility company. An analysis of the data suggests that hierarchical divisions of employees are non-existent when the CSR policy is enduring, consistent, and upholds company values. Moreover, employee enactment of CSR policies operates as a mechanism whereby employees internalize the promoted corporate values. Such environmental CSR policies tacitly reinforce an organization’s cultural values among its employees. Additionally, environmentally sustainable CSR policies supported by environmentally exhausting companies induce a minimal justification hypothesis when dissonance is present between the nature of a company’s industry and practices related to sustaining the environment.
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BARTOSIAK, MICHAL ARKADIUSZ. "Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Diamond Markets." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10281/131543.
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Sustainable development, broadly explained, encompasses firms’ desire to simultaneously sustain, enhance and promote environmental, societal and economic dimensions of corporate workability. In practice, however, striving towards sustainability in all these areas may trigger conflicts, mismanagements, wrong evaluations or even bad investments, making the corporate stability shatter. Generally speaking, SD is by its very nature a ‘corporate-centric’ concept in the sense that it deals with how firms interact with stakeholders in order to secure important resources provided by them and to them. In other words, SD is seen more as a tool rather then as an end state. In fact, corporations are still being accused of perusing the issue of sustainability with unclear strategies and rather opportunistic behavior, often in concordance with political agenda. The first premise for this study is that although companies are accustomed to setting up compliance mechanisms in relation to a whole raft of regulatory requirements, there are aspects of CSR that still lack a compliance framework. This regulatory function was assumed by voluntary codes of conduct, measured by inter-corporate evaluations and reported by non-financial disclosures. According to Frankental, ‘an indicator of the real value that companies attach to CSR is where they locate this function within the organizational structure’.
A second premise for this dissertation is that regulatory tools should be constantly redefined to serve changing needs of the society and the sector. In order to capture this dynamicity, some organizations started applying algorithmic principles to make constant adjustments to their business models, strategies and structures, bringing together capabilities and assets to create advantageous positions. From CSR perspective, it entails deploying a nested set of strategic processes, to which the organization gives more visibility and transparency, engaging, for example, NGO’s into social/environmental investments’ evaluation. Consequently, we postulate that building organizational capacity to invest the time and the energy to explore sustainability trends and emerging issues may anticipate future expectations and, at the business level, move CSR from reactive to a proactive dimension.
A third premise for this dissertation is that defining the value proposition for stakeholders is a starting point for the organizations’ value creation architecture and the very first step in creating complex exchange relations with actors operating along the supply chain. Generally, the complexity of these relations stands in the network component, strategic alliance system, new ethical investments’ patterns as also in the product stewardship concept. On the flipside, the overly frequent use of mediated power, excessive information asymmetries and lack of transparency may damage normative commitment between the parties and cause increased channel conflict with immediate negative effects on the value creation process.
The study contributes to the understanding of the Corporate Social Responsibility in the diamond mining industry in multiple ways. First, it provides an interesting insight into the industry, which till the late 60’s had been forcefully driven by one-supplier choices, de-legitimizing efforts of smaller producers. Secondly, it provides in-depth empirical evidence of the current implementation status of CSR, highlighting the problem of poor reporting practices and historically ‘defensive’ character of its communication patterns. Thirdly, with means of a new conceptual framework (Pro-Active CSR Model), calls the businesses to provide extensive commitments to CSR, recognizing its competitive dimension and its role as a differentiation factor. Finally, with means of quantitative analysis we verify if the ethical investments’ optimization policies change in hypothesis of booming earnings and substantial growth.
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Traies, Samantha Jane, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "Corporate sustainability: Greenwash or a path to sustainable capitalism?" Deakin University. School of History, Heritage and Society, 2005. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20050902.105421.
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The problems of unsustainable development and the increased-awareness of corporate power in the global era have contributed to an agenda of corporate citizenship. This thesis explores the meanings and practices that fall under the banner of the triple bottom line of corporate citizenship through forty-two in-depth interviews with representatives from the corporate sector and NGO sector (including trade unions) in Australia. This purposive sample includes a specific range of corporate industries and NGO types, all of which have involvement with various areas of sustainability. Interviewees described their feelings and experiences in relation to the concept of the triple bottom line, the potential and limitations of this type of sustainability and the purpose and impacts of partnerships between NGOs and the corporate sector.
On the basis of this research, this thesis argues that corporate citizenship is at best, a set of initiatives for making minor adjustments to the way companies perform their day-to-day operations and at worst, a program for improving corporate image rather than performance and for shifting the agenda of sustainable development toward corporate interests. While radical steps are required to achieve a sustainable society and environment, the terms of corporate citizenship offer very limited opportunities for change. The self-regulatory and market based model of citizenship does not challenge the impact of consumerism or the legitimacy of particular industry types and their products, except where threats are perceived to the longevity of the companies involved. Furthermore, while the exploitation of the environment and society has occurred as a result of corporate self-interest, corporate citizenship is justified on the same basis. The self-interest rationale and the tyranny of the economic bottom line in particular, substantially limit the fields of responsibility that can be included in the citizenship paradigm. While there are undoubtedly some well-intentioned corporate representatives who are working toward attaining a more
sustainable corporate culture, the discourse is primarily used to shift the sustainable development agenda toward corporate paradigms and interests.
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Vlyalko, Ganna, and Rummenigge Wilson. "Corporate Social Contract: An Analysis of Corporate Perspectives on the Concept." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-64360.
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Abstract The purpose of our thesis was to comprehend how organizations approach the Corporate Social Contract that exists between them and society. The empirical data was gathered to reflect a comprehension of the Corporate Social Contract as a whole and as the product of its components, i.e.: Corporate Social Responsibility and Reciprocity. Other concepts interconnected with our main topic were also used in order to better comprehend the concept of Corporate Social Contract as well as our interpretations of the collected empirical data. These interconnected concepts were Corporate Sustainability, Corporate Citizenship, Shared Value, and Willingness to Pay. The research work was approached from the qualitative standpoint. Considering that the perspective of our thesis was an organizational one, we approached 5 organizations within which to conduct interviews on the stated topic. Our aim was merely to understand the organizational perspective and approach to the concept of Corporate Social Contract, not to compare these perspectives and approaches. Each of the chosen organizations met certain basic criteria mentioned in our work that permitted us to include them in our sample. The thesis’ conclusion reflected various organizational approaches towards Corporate Social Contract from the angle of Corporate Social Responsibility as well as varying perspectives on, and expectations of, society’s reciprocity. The study has shown that our view of the equal importance of the concepts of CSR and Reciprocity, within the framework of CSC fulfillment, is an under investigated area in both academics and in the practical business world. This has also been supported by our interviewees’ view on expectations, placed on society, as an implicit area in their organizations’ policies. Through our study we have uncovered practical reasons as to why CSC cannot be fulfilled all the time, how expectations between both organizations and society differ from project to project, and the importance of societal reciprocity in the aim of CSC fulfillment. And thus, through our study, we endeavor to comprehend how organizations fulfill the CSC and how they view society’s attempts to fulfill its end of the contract. As a result of our work, future students and researchers stand to gain insights into the mentalities of organizations that hail from different industries and are based in different parts of the world. Future students and researchers could also derive their own interpretations of our respondents words based on the culture prevalent in the country in which the respondents are based. Apart from this, one can note that the respondents were also from a range of departments and their professionally skewed perspective on our topic makes for an interesting contribution to those seeking insights into our topic and those interlinked. Key Words: Corporate Social Contract, Corporate Social Responsibility, Reciprocity, Corporate Sustainability, Corporate Citizenship, Shared Value, and Willingness to Pay.
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Mengel, Niklas. "Drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Family Businesses." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2016. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-264545.
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This thesis analyzed the Drivers and Implementation Approaches of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Family Businesses. Qualitative Analysis based on Semi-Structured Interviews was conducted in the region of Southern Lower Saxony and later on quantified through category-based Content Analysis. The results suggest that Drivers of CSR can be divided into value-based and strategic, and Implementation Approaches into informal and formal. Family Businesses are more likely to be driven by values and implement an informal approach. Further, a model to define CSR, called Four-Peak Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility, was developed. It consists of two fundamental stones of CSR, Compliance and Profitability, and four peaks called Marketplace, Workplace, Community and Environment.
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Pinto, Karen Esteves Fernandes. "Corporate social responsibility in Brazilian multinationals." Universidade de São Paulo, 2017. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/12/12139/tde-19062017-153522/.
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The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between Brazilian multinationals and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The theoretical framework provides relevant information on CSR and on Sustainability-Oriented Innovation (SOI), which are the basis for the development of hypotheses. In order to collect data, an e-survey was conducted with Brazilian multinationals operating in different industries and segments; as result, we obtained 60 valid questionnaires. In order to analyze the data, a multivariate analysis was accomplished, which involved the procedures of canonical correlation and multiple linear regression. The descriptive analysis indicates that most Brazilian multinationals are headquartered in the Southeast region, especially in the State of São Paulo. The outcomes of the multivariate analysis provided empirical support for five hypothesis: there is a positive correlation between the constructs: i) guidelines for multinationals (defined by OECD and emphasized by several scholars) and the compliance with social and environmental regulation; ii) guidelines for multinationals and CSR as differentiation strategy; iii) compliance with social and environmental regulation and CSR as differentiation strategy; iv) SOI practices and guidelines for multinationals; and v) SOI practices and the compliance with social and environmental regulation. The results did not support the hypothesis that predicted a positive correlation between SOI practices and CSR as differentiation strategy.O objetivo deste estudo é analisar a relação existente entre multinacionais brasileiras e Responsabilidade Socioambiental Corporativa (RSC). A fundamentação teórica proporciona informações relevantes sobre RSC e inovação para sustentabilidade, ambos os temas são a base para o desenvolvimento de hipóteses. Para a coleta de dados, uma survey eletrônica foi enviada para multinacionais brasileiras que atuam em diversos segmentos e indústrias; 60 questionários válidos foram obtidos. Para analisar os dados, o procedimento de análise multivariada foi aplicado, o qual envolveu os procedimentos de correlação canônica e regressão linear múltipla. A análise descritiva indica que a maior parte das multinacionais brasileiras está sediada na região sudeste, especialmente no Estado de São Paulo. Os resultados da análise multivariada foram suficientes para sustentar cinco hipóteses: existe, então, uma correlação positiva entre os constructos; i) diretrizes para multinacionais (definidas por órgão internacional - OECD - e enfatizadas por pesquisadores) e o cumprimento de regulamentações socioambientais; ii) diretrizes para multinacionais e RSC como estratégia de diferenciação; iii) o cumprimento de regulamentações socioambientais e RSC como estratégia diferenciação; iv) adoção de práticas de inovação para sustentabilidade e diretrizes para multinacionais; e v) práticas de inovação para sustentabilidade e o cumprimento de regulamentações socioambientais. Não houve suporte empírico para a hipótese que previa uma correlação positiva entre práticas de inovação para sustentabilidade e RSC como estratégia de diferenciação.
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Ben, Brik Anis <1977>. "Corporate social responsibility and culture of competitiveness: a missing link." Doctoral thesis, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10579/729.
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Avery, Jennifer Laurel. "Becoming the Corporate Native...Virtually: An Ethnography and Corporate Culture Assessment of a Virtual Organization." Scholar Commons, 2012. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4281.
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This dissertation presents an investigation of a rarely studied business entity in the cross disciplinary literature on organizational culture, a completely virtually organized firm. Subscribing to a conviction that any culture can only be understood through an approach that uncovers the lived experiences of its members, I employ the traditional anthropological method of participant observation as my foundational data gathering technique. In an effort to help engage anthropology with the cross disciplinary organizational culture literature generally, I also use two well-known methods of corporate culture assessment from the management sciences. I provide a number of recommendations to the sponsors of the research for addressing problems that relate directly to worker morale and performance and which, consequently, impact the company's overall potential for success. Some of these problems are unique to this particular company while other issues that I identify, such as weak organizational identification among employees, loose networks of social capital between co-workers, employee training and nurturing deficits, email overload impacts on employee productivity and regard for organizational leaders, and the encroachment of work on personal time, are problems likely to be encountered by members of other virtual work organizations. As such, my findings should be of interest to applied researchers who study these fast-growing types of work arrangements.
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Grubb, Armelle. "Lighting Student’s Well-being : Social lighting, social sustainability, subjectivewell-being." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för design (DE), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-74815.
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This thesis is an exploration of how artificial lights are used to create atmospheres in a space, andhow they enhance an individual’s well-being. The focus here is placed on students in Sweden,specifically those who live in one-room apartments. Students typically do not invest much intheir lights yet being in Scandinavia, artificial lighting is used to compensate for the lack ofdaylight hours. As such, the lights they have will impact how they go about their day.A light is designed using product design methods to respond to the research question: “to whatextent can a versatile light source alter the atmosphere of a student’s space to enhance their wellbeing?”As the research is situated in Sweden, aspects of the Scandinavian lighting culture will beexamined and implemented in the design. The student’s well-being will be assessed through thetheory of subjective well-being, specifically how it can be enhanced through perceived control.The light design also aims to be socially sustainable, focusing on how individuals’ well-being canbe improved through lighting. The design also attempts to tackle inequalities by showing it canbe made of cheap and accessible materials, as well as being professionally manufactured. Thecheaper version is to ensure students with lower incomes can access the same quality of light asothers, where the light will create a similar atmosphere. Finally, the concept of social lighting isdefined in the context of this thesis. It concentrates on designing the light based on interviewswith students and emphasising the relationship between a student and their apartment.Through interviews and photos, a design brief was formed to understand what type of lightstudents use in their apartment and what they were looking for. After a series of iterations, afinal design was obtained and created. One version was made professionally in metal by BelidLighting. Another was made out of thick card and paper clips, materials easily accessible tostudents. The models were tested by students in their home for two nights, after which aninterview took place to obtain impressions and feedback on the design.It was concluded that a versatile light source altered the atmosphere of a student space toenhance their well-being to a certain extent. This was due to people’s existing relationship withlights, where they don’t generally interact beyond switching them on and off. Nonetheless,participants enjoyed making their own lamp, and found the lamp design quite unique. Thishelped maintain their subjective well-being.
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Peters, Elaine. "Corporate non-financial disclosures : an analysis of corporate sustainability and social responsibility reporting practices of South African firms." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/59749.
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This exploratory research investigated the impact of solar captive technology on the economy. With an increase in the adoption of captive solar technology, the study also explores the possibility of finding an ideal penetration level, as well as the drivers that motivate the need to find this level.Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
nk2017
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
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Lindström, Lovisa. "Att arbeta internt med Corporate Social Responsibility : Hur Corporate Social Responsibility påverkar hållbarhet och välmående bland socialarbetare." Thesis, Karlstads universitet, Handelshögskolan, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-36154.
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Corporate Social Responsiblity is today a well known concept in the business world. The concept contains responsibility and sustainability for those who chose to work with Corporate Social Responsibility and the three responsibility areas within the concept. Responsibility and sustainability is of importance, no matter what core business a corporation has. The responsibility goes both out from the corporation, to take care of the surrounding society and the environment. The responsibility also concerns the corporation interal, aiming for a sustainable work enivornment and good working conditions. Social workers are a group or workers in a risky work environment. Earlier studies shows that it is not uncommon with stress, fatigue and work burnout. Social worker have an important duty which is supporting an helping people with needs and that are not feeling well. It is not a sustainable work to help others when social workers are not feeling well themselves. The lack of sustainability in social workers work environment needs to improve. Eariler studies show that corporations that implements Corporate Social Responsibility tend to have more satisfied employees. Can the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility and its areas of responsibility create a more sustaianble work environment for social workers? The empirical study has been made in a help organization working with guidelines for sustainability and where social workers are working. The empirical study is made using an open directed interview. The interviews have been recorded and transcribed, and the transcribated material have then been interpreted with a thematic analysis. The analysis of the result shows well-being among social workers in the chosen help organization, and that there is a connection between well-being among social workers and an active sustainability work according to Corporate Social Responsibility.Corporate Social Responsibility är i dag ett välkänt och utbrett begrepp inom företagsvärlden. Begreppet innebär ansvar och hållbarhet för de som arbetar utifrån Corporate Social Responsibility och de tre ansvarsområden begreppet inbegriper. Oavsett verksamheters kärnverksamhet är ansvar och hållbarhet viktigt. Ansvaret sträcker sig delvis ut från verksamheten och syftar till att ta hand om det omgivande samhället och miljön. Ansvaret berör även verksamheten internt och syftar till exempel till en hållbar arbetsmiljö och goda arbetsvillkor. Socialarbetare är en yrkeskategori som befinner sig i ett riskyrke. Tidigare forskning har visat att det inte är ovanligt med stress, utmattning och utbrändhet. Socialarbetare har en viktig uppgift i att stötta och hjälpa människor som har behov av det och som mår dåligt. Det är inte hållbart att de som arbetar med att hjälpa människor som inte mår bra själva riskerar att må dåligt. Den ibland bristande hållbarheten i socialarbetarens yrkesroll behöver förstärkas. Tidigare forskning har visat att verksamheter som implementerar (och använder sig av) Corporate Social Responsibility tenderar att ha nöjda medarbetare som trivs i arbetet. Kan implementeringen av Corporate Social Responsibility och dess ansvarsområden i en verksamhet skapa mer hållbarhet för socialarbetare? Den empiriska undersökningen har utförts i en hjälporganisation som arbetar med riktlinjer för hållbarhet och där socialt arbete bedrivs. Den empiriska undersökningen är utförd genom en öppen riktad intervju. Intervjuerna har spelats in och transkriberats, och transkriberingarna har sedan tolkats utifrån tematisk analys. Analysen av resultatet visar på välmående socialarbetare inom den valda hjälporganisationen, och att det finns en koppling mellan välmående medarbetare och ett aktivt hållbarhetsarbete utifrån Corporate Social Responsibility.
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Issah, Fadilatu. "Managing Corporate Social Responsibility with Management Control Systems." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Företagsekonomi, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-35081.
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Purpose- This study aims to explore how management control systems are used to manage their corporate social responsibility strategies in organizations. This paper dives into how sustainability managers use existing controls in planning, executing, measuring, and reporting on their CSR. The challenges they face in implementing their CSR strategies with these control systems are also covered. Methodology- The research was conducted using a qualitative research approach and a multiple case study strategy. The multiple case study involved three companies within a CSR network in Sweden. Secondary data from sustainability reports, internal financial control (IFC) reports were used together with seven semi-structured interviews. Findings- Control systems monitor influence and steer the employee's behavior and actions towards achieving organizational goals. The thesis provides practical insights into how sustainability managers from the studied companies use management control systems. The findings indicate that companies use similar clusters of management controls in planning, executing, measuring and reporting on their corporate social responsibility. However, there are differences in how the same management controls are used. The author identified a different type of control which is mostly not included in discussing when discussing MCS.
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Campbell, Carolyn M. "Corporate Sustainability and the Recession: Firms' Strategy Response in a Financial Crisis." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2010. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/17.
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As the modern world deals with an increasing number of environmental and social crises, corporate sustainability is becoming ever more imperative for business. There is broad agreement that profit maximization can no longer be the exclusive goal of a company, with firms working to align environmental, social, and financial performance. Companies have demonstrated a wide variety of experiences in regards to the financial crisis and its effects on corporate sustainability. While some firms experienced serious setbacks in achieving environmental and social goals others firms claimed to have been ramping up sustainability efforts during the recession. However, most firms report that their corporate sustainability strategies have not been significantly affected by the recession.
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Osman, Imraan Idhris. "The sustainability of corporate social responsibility spend by the South African mining industry." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/22816.
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One of the means South Africa has adopted to redress the social ills of the past is corporate social responsibility. This essentially places the onus on the business community within the country to take accountability of the social ills within the country and implement practices within their organizations to address these ills in a structured and sustainable manner. The extent to which and the manner in which this social obligation is discharged within the mining industry which represents one of the larger industries in the country formed the basis of this research.To this extent, secondary economic data was used of listed mining companies over a five year period to understand the extent to which these companies have been contributing towards the cause of socio-economic upliftment. This data was contrasted against general industry data in an attempt to gauge mining company’s commitment against the other industries operating within the country. In order to understand how CSI is interpreted and executed, 6 specialist interviews were held with senior management officials from different mining companies whilst 2 specific mining projects were considered to test the aspect of sustainability.Based on the results, mining companies similar to other companies within South Africa have demonstrated real commitment to CSI through higher annual year on year contributions. The internal processes and resources committed to CSI signal that companies have recognized the importance of CSI as a key element to their own sustainability. The research further reveals that whilst a lot is being done and continues to be done, it clearly is not enough and the country as a collective needs to consider how best to exploit its CSI resources to ensure it reaches the appropriate needs areas and further focuses more on enterprise development.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
unrestricted
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Christensson, Henrik, and Björn Holmdahl. "The Business Case for Sustainable Sourcing : A Corporate Social Opportunity." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-48561.
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Sustainability has become a prevalent societal value and is ubiquitous in public discourse. Securing sustainable economic growth on increasingly globalized markets is perceived by many as one of the greatest challenges of our time. Supply chains have become globally dispersed and are increasingly complex to manage. Companies are experiencing higher expectations from their stakeholders in terms of their sustainability performance. They can no longer renounce responsibility for the actions of their suppliers and need to manage their sourcing activities so as to ensure sustainable supply chains. This poses a challenge but can at the same time present a business opportunity. There have been attempts to identify a business justification and rational for pursuing sustainability in sourcing. However, previous research has been primarily theoretical and has lacked practical applicability. The current study seeks to investigate the key features of the business case for sustainability. It also seeks to identify how the business case can be realized in sourcing activities. The current study has an exploratory design and revolves around a single case company. It utilizes both primary- and secondary data as well as a rigorous literature review. The primary data consist of a pre-study as well as interviews whereas the secondary data consist of a review of the current sustainability- and sourcing processes of the case company. The study culminates in a thematic analysis of the empirical data as well as a subsequent discussion. The empirical data indicates that the market is exhibiting an increasing demand for products with a strong sustainability profile. Additionally, it indicates that sustainable sourcing will become increasingly important for complying with regulations, attracting employees and reducing risk throughout the supply chain. Currently, suppliers’ sustainability performance is predominantly managed through the screening process and there is no functional metric available for practitioners to quantitively evaluate it. Rather than relying solely on sustainability requirements, the empirical data indicates that it is through cooperation and joint initiatives the greatest results can be achieved. We conclude that there is business case for pursuing sustainability as it: reduces risk and costs; increases companies’ ability to retain and recruit employees; cost efficiently comply with regulations; retain and attract customers and increase overall competitiveness. In order to realize the business case, it is imperative for companies to formulate clearly defined goals and subsidiary objectives to follow up on established trajectories. Since there is no metric suitable for measuring sustainability performance it is advisable to adopt a reductionist approach. The screening process should be devoted to binary variables while the evaluations process should be concerned with those who can be quantifiably evaluated. Companies should work closely with suppliers by identifying opportunities for synergistic value creation and engage in joint initiatives. Finally, companies need to communicate their efforts and achievements to all concerned stakeholders.
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Ho, Thuy T. T. "Corporate Social Responsibility Perceptions and Activities of Small and Medium Enterprises in Vietnam." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1493946301867742.
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