Navigating complexity for change toward sustainability in large companies is best done using a systems perspective, a principled vision of success and a step-wise planning process, as espoused for instance by the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Many large companies have a significant contribution to un-sustainability and stand to benefit from such a transition. However, the human factor of the undertaking is as of yet underdeveloped in extant literature. Seeking insights into experiences of sustainability change-agents in large companies, the authors conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with sustainability change- agents in large companies. Using a relational view as an analytical lens, they examined the dynamics of social interactions involving these change-agents and thereby gained a greater understanding of the place held by these individuals in the broader company system. The 11 relational categories that emerged permitted to draw links between structural, behavioural and personal facets of advancing sustainability in large companies and highlighted the human aspect of strategic planning as well as the strategic nature of building relationships, teams and coalitions. Overall, the authors believe that consideration by the change-agents of relational aspects may help foster commitment and collaboration in the transition toward sustainability

The theoretical part of the thesis focuses on analysis and evaluation of utilization of the corporate social responsibility concept. It describes in detail the sense and content of CSR reports, which are released annually. The work verifies hypothesis, that in the Czech environment the strategy is being implemented in a narrower sense than in developed countries. The practical part refers about results of a few international and national studies dedicated to comparison of the concept domestically and abroad. Previous studies confirm the main hypothesis; the CSR policy is immature in Czech Republic, but is rapidly expanding. The hypothesis is confirmed also by field research, which was performed in four Czech companies that implemented the CSR policy. It was found out that the firms do not use the strategy in its entire extent and issuing reports which would meet international standards is not considered to be a priority for them. The conclusion of the thesis incorporates the assessment of current situation and suggestions for changes.

A Economia Ecológica traz como principal fundamento a limitação biofísica do Capital Natural como fonte primária na geração de Serviços Ecossistêmicos demandados pela sociedade. A discussão sobre os limites ecossistêmicos ganhou expressão internacional nas reflexões trazidas pelo relatório Limits to Growth (1972) e consolidou-se na Avaliação Ecossistêmica do Milênio (2005). A diretriz de limitação das atividades econômicas à capacidade de suporte dos ecossistemas vem sendo incorporada no contexto da governança ambiental global, por meio de conferências, convenções e tratados voltados para a governança de temáticas como mudanças climáticas, gestão de recursos hídricos e biodiversidade. No entanto, desde a publicação do Clube de Roma (1968), (um alerta sobre a vulnerabilidade do crescimento econômico às limitações do capital natural) houve predominância, no setor empresarial, de abordagens pautadas nos conceitos Triple Bottom Line e de Ecoeficiência, deixando em segundo plano a discussão sobre os limites ecossistêmicos. Os relatórios de sustentabilidade, instrumentos voltados à divulgação de informações socioambientais das empresas aos seus Stakeholders, refletem também esta trajetória de ênfase a estas abordagens. Entretanto, o advento do Relato Integrado (RI), traz elementos em sua Estrutura, documentos-base e em discursos de sua entidade propositora (o International Integrated Reporting Council - IIRC), que sugerem aderência ao entendimento da Economia Ecológica. Ou seja, de que o Capital Natural provê o ambiente sobre o qual os outros capitais se apoiam. Em função disto, este estudo teve como objetivo geral verificar se o RI corresponde a uma iniciativa alinhada aos fundamentos da Economia Ecológica. O alinhamento do RI a tais fundamentos, o configuraria como um marco no setor empresarial, correspondendo a uma iniciativa pioneira, permitindo considerá-lo um potencial vetor de mudança sobre os paradigmas atuais de gestão corporativa. Para elucidar esta questão realizou-se uma análise multimétodo, em três etapas. Nas duas primeiras analisaram-se os documentos: Estrutura Internacional para Relato Integrado (2013), o CAPITALS: Background Paper for (2013) e os Relatórios Integrados divulgados pelas 6 organizações brasileiras selecionadas, para os anos de 2014 e 2015. Na última etapa de entrevistas verificou-se o discurso dos gestores de cada empresa. Os resultados avaliam a aderência de tais documentos e dos discursos aos fundamentos da Economia Ecológica. O estudo conclui que o RI não corresponde a uma iniciativa alinhada com os fundamentos da Economia Ecológica e, entre seus principais resultados, destaca: i) as divergências encontradas entre os documentos produzidos pelo IIRC, quanto ao seu alinhamento aos fundamentos da Economia Ecológica, que comprometem o potencial do RI como vetor de transformação da governança corporativa; ii) a baixa incidência de elementos e abordagens alusivas a tais fundamentos nos relatórios analisados, além de que, iii) para os casos em que o alinhamento a tais fundamentos foi detectado, não há relação com a adoção das diretrizes do IIRC. O estudo contribui ainda com a sugestão de modificações na Estrutura Internacional para Relato Integrado, no sentido de orientar o alinhamento da iniciativa aos fundamentos da Economia Ecológica, diferenciando-a no que tange à gestão ambiental corporativa. / The Ecological Economics has as its main foundation the biophysical limitation of Natural Capital in relation to the society\'s demand for Ecosystem Services. The discussion on ecosystem boundaries gained international expression in the reflections brought by the Limits to Growth report (1972) and consolidated in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). The guideline limiting economic activities to ecosystem support capacity has been incorporated in the context of global environmental governance, through conferences, conventions and treaties focused on the governance of issues such as climate change, water resources management and biodiversity. However, since the Club of Rome (1968) (an initiative alerting about the vulnerability of economic growth to the limitations of natural capital), there was a predominance in the business sector of approaches based on the concepts of Triple Bottom Line and Eco-efficiency, leaving in the behind the discussion about the ecosystem limits. The sustainability reports, instruments aimed at the dissemination of companys social and environmental information to their Stakeholders, also reflect this trajectory of emphasis to these approaches. However, the advent of the Integrated Reporting (IR) brings elements in its Structure, base documents and speeches of its proposer (the International Integrated Reporting Council - IIRC), which suggest adherence to the understanding of the Ecological Economics, that Natural Capital provides the environment upon which other capitals rely. In this sense, this study has as general objective to verify if the IR corresponds to an initiative aligned with the Ecological Economics foundations. The alignment of the IR to such basement, would configure it as a landmark in the business sector, corresponding to a pioneering initiative, allowing to consider it as a potential vector of change on the current paradigms of corporate management. To elucidate this question a multi-method analysis was carried out in three stages. Stages one and two analyzed the following documents: The international Framework (2013), CAPITALS: Background Paper for (2013) and the Integrated Reports released by the six Brazilian organizations selected, for the years 2014 and 2015. And in the third interview stage analyzed the discourse of the managers of each company. The results evaluate the adherence of such documents and discourses to the Ecological Economics foundations. The study concludes that IR does not correspond to an initiative aligned with the Ecological Economics foundations and, among its main results, it highlights: i) the divergences found between the documents produced by the IIRC and its alignment with the these foundations, which compromise the potential of IR as a transformation vector of corporate governance; ii) the low incidence of elements and approaches alluding to such foundations in the analyzed reports. Besides that, iii) in cases where the alignment to these foundations was detected, there is no relation with the adoption of the IIRC guidelines. The study also contributes by proposing modifications in The international Framework, in order to direct the alignment of the initiative to the Ecological Economics foundations, differentiating it in what concerns to the corporate environmental management.

Syfte: ESG-betyg kan användas av investerare som vill placera sitt kapital hållbart. Betygets tillförlitlighet har dock ifrågasatts av tidigare forskare. Tidigare studier har visat att effekten av en kontrovers på ESG-betyget kan variera beroende på vilken del av betyget som studeras. Syftet med denna studie är därför att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan miljökontroverser och ESG-betygets miljödimension. I den första forskningsfrågan undersöks hur ESG-betygets miljödimension påverkas av att ett företag är involverat i en miljökontrovers och i den andra undersöks om några skillnader ses i ESG-betygets miljödimension efter en miljökontrovers som tyder på att företaget förbättrat sitt hållbarhetsarbete. Metod: Studien är kvantitativ och har en hypotetisk-deduktiv ansats. Två hypoteser har formulerats och testas genom regressionsanalyser i statistikprogrammet SPSS Statistics. Sekundärdata har samlats in från Thomson Reuters databas Refinitiv Eikon. Populationen har bestått av 64 800 publika företag, från vilket ett urval på 1752 företag har gjorts. Resultat & slutsats: Studiens resultat visar på ett positivt samband mellan miljökontroverser och miljödimensionen trots att definitionen av miljökontroverser är negativ. Det innebär att företagens miljödimension av ESG-betyget påverkas positivt av miljökontroverser. CSR-rapport var den enda variabeln inom hållbarhetsarbete som positivt påverkades efter en miljökontrovers. För CSR-team, GRI och MLS sågs inga signifikanta samband. Studiens slutsats är att företagets ESG-betyg i miljödimensionen ökar efter inblandning i en miljökontrovers samt att företag till viss del förbättrar sitt hållbarhetsarbete, i form av hållbarhetsrapporter, efter en miljökontrovers. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studiens resultat ger ökad kunskap om hur miljökontroverser påverkar ESG-betygets miljödimension. För investerare kan detta vara till hjälp när nya investeringar planeras, eftersom det ger en ökad förståelse för vilka effekter av en miljökontrovers som syns i ESG-betygets miljödimension. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Efter studiens slutsatser uppkommer flera förslag till vidare forskning. Eftersom olika kreditvärderingsinstitut kan ge samma företag olika ESG-betyg skulle samma studie kunna genomföras med ESG-betyg från andra kreditvärderingsinstitut. En annan aspekt som kan undersökas är om företag med högre ESG-betyg är involverade i färre kontroverser än företag med lägre betyg. / Aim: ESG ratings can be used by investors who want to invest their capital in a sustainable way. However, the reliability of the ratings has been questioned by previous researchers. Previous studies have shown that the effect of a controversy on the ESG rating can vary depending on which aspect of the rating is studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is a connection between environmental controversies and the environmental dimension of the ESG rating. Method: The study is quantitative and has a hypothetical-deductive approach. Two hypotheses have been formulated in the study and tested through regression analyzes in the statistical program SPSS Statistics. Secondary data has been collected from the Thomson Reuters database Refinitiv Eikon. The population has consisted of 64,800 public companies, from which a sample of 1752 companies has been made. Result & Conclusions: The results of the study show a positive correlation between environmental controversies and the environmental dimension, even though the definition of environmental controversies is negative. This means that the companies' environmental dimension of the ESG rating is positively affected by an environmental controversy. CSR report was the only variable of sustainability work that is positively affected after an environmental controversy. The study concludes that the company's ESG rating in the environmental dimension increases after involvement in an environmental controversy and that companies to some extent improve their sustainability work, in the form of sustainability reports, after an environmental controversy. Contribution of the thesis: The results of the study provide increased knowledge about how environmental controversies affect the environmental dimension of the ESG rating. For investors, this can be helpful when planning new investments because it provides an increased understanding of the effects of an environmental controversy that can be seen in the environmental dimension of the ESG rating. Suggestions for future research: Following the study's conclusions, several suggestions for further research arise. Since different credit rating agencies can give the same company different ESG ratings, the same study could be repeated with ESG ratings from other credit rating agencies. Another aspect that can be investigated is whether companies with higher ESG ratings are involved in fewer controversies than companies with lower ratings.

Creating a competitive advantage is often contextualized as the finding the Holy Grail of strategy. This study examines how Nordic sports businesses incorporate sustainability and how it can be used as a strategy to create a competitive advantage. The climate change debate, and increased consumer environmental consciousness has compelled companies to endeavor for a sustainable development. The sport industry has in general lacking behind in the green transition. However, they are now progressively trying to reconstruct their businesses model to a more sustainable approach. Consequently, more companies are today trying to market their brands to be perceived as sustainable. Although, the challenge is to how position a brand as sustainable without being accused for greenwashing. The thesis structure is based on three segments. Corporate sustainability, sustainability marketing and corporate transformation. The study was based on a qualitative research method, based from six case study interviews with companies from Sweden and Finland. The main research findings was that sustainability has become an increasingly important issue for Nordic sports businesses. The driving force behind the sustainable development is three different stakeholder. Customers, policy makers and employees at the own organization. The Agenda 2030 can be seen as a powerful and tangible set of framework, used to better implement sustainability. Another finding is that sustainability is mostly communicated on product level rather than on corporate level because of the fear of greenwashing accusation. Finally, creating a competitive advantage through corporate sustainability is the main objectives. In order to accomplish that desired outcome, the strategy have to been based on sound businesses practices which depends on how the company is using, and absorbing both internal and external resources and capabilities.

In recent years there has been an increased focus on preservation of our environment and natural resources. As a result, in a notably natural resource consuming world, sustainable development has evolved in societies for the conservation of the environment. Even though the term sustainability has become more frequently discussed, the subject remains complex. The aim of the study is to explore how high-profile business incubators in Sweden and the startups they support relate to sustainability, and to understand the conditions for pushing more progressive sustainability agendas, in a country that boasts about its sustainability ambitions. Fourteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were held with both incubator business developers, startup founders, an expert within the innovation system and a professional investor. This qualitative study analyses different perceptions regarding sustainability and the incubators and startups role within the innovation system in a country that boasts about its sustainability ambitions. The results indicate that there is a demand for stricter institutional pressures, with increased support for entrepreneurs. It also turns out that incubators have room for improvement when it comes to motivational inspiration and behavioural changes for their tenants. However, they show to be receptive and attentive towards a systematic approach in order to enhance sustainability work. It is also shown that entrepreneurs', compared to the incubators, appears to have taken a greater distance from understanding the sustainability topic. As many as 56 percent of the entrepreneurs claimed that a forced method could be beneficial but might require more time than it is worth. The remaining 44 percent saw it as purely advantageous. Future studies are encouraged to conduct an investigation including a greater number of participants as an attempt to generalise these findings, and also try to identify if gender has a significant role regarding the matter.

This study investigates the relationship between female representation, women as chief executive officers, and corporate sustainability disclosures in Swedish listed companies. The used data was collected from the Swedish listed companies in Nasdaq Stockholm for the period 2017-2020. The specific research period is due to the new amendments of the Swedish Annual Accounts Act (Årsredovisningslagen) which came into force 2017. To investigate the effect female representation, and women as chief executive officers have on the legally issued corporate sustainability disclosures, this study applies content analysis and quantitative methods. By estimating multiple regression models, the results revealed a non-significant relationship of female representation on the board of directors and of women as chief executive officers, on the quality of corporate sustainability disclosures. For the critical mass of at least three women, a non-significant impact is detected. Lastly, an additional test for reversed causality has been conducted, however no significant relationship was documented.

The video games industry is taking more sustainability responsibilities since video games can reach a broad and tremendous audience. Apart from adopting sustainable business strategies, games companies also need to navigate various stakeholders’ expectations and draft strategies to communicate with them. However, despite an abundance of corporate social responsibility literature, there is no existing research specifically focusing on how the video games industry can contribute to this topic. The social and environmental responsibilities of games companies are usually discussed separately. Therefore, this project aims to explain, in the video games industry, how social and environmental impacts are addressed in the form of corporate social responsibility and how companies meet stakeholders’ needs as a part of their sustainable business strategies. Six companies in the Swedish games industry were selected and interviewed. Together with the published sustainability reports, a theory-based content analysis was applied. The results indicate that games companies have mature strategies to tackle social impacts. For environmental impacts, on the contrary, there are no united strategies. The measures used to address environmental impacts vary from corporate to corporate due to the significant differences in business models. Besides publishing documents to communicate with stakeholders, games companies can also communicate sustainability via their games, which can be done by integrating sustainability in game mechanics or as an add-on feature. In conclusion, achieving a competitive advantage is the ultimate goal in engaging corporate social responsibility. Also, stakeholders’ expectations push companies to be more sustainable. Communicating sustainability via games may raise environmental awareness among the players; however, it might only apply to a specific group of people. / Video game is a product that reaches millions of players worldwide. Therefore, it comes with responsibilities for the developers to ensure that the products do not result in negative impacts. Apart from social impacts, such as gender inequality and toxic player communities, there is also a rising environmental awareness among the games companies lately. However, existing research mainly discusses games companies’ social and environmental responsibilities separately. This project aims to explore how games companies address social and environmental issues in sustainability and how they communicate their sustainability efforts to their stakeholders. Six companies in the Swedish games industry were selected and interviewed. Together with the published sustainability reports, a theory-based content analysis was applied. The results show that games companies have a well-developed strategy to tackle social issues. In contrast, the measures to environmental issues vary due to differences in business models and their roles in the value chain. Games companies communicate their sustainability in two forms – through documentation and in-game features. To conclude, the main goal for companies to engage in sustainability is primarily to increase competitive advantage, and stakeholders’ expectations drive their sustainability engagement. Communicating sustainability via games may raise environmental awareness among the players; however, it might only apply to a specific group of people.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka attityder hos tillverkare av dentala material gentemot hållbarhetsarbete och implementering av mål för hållbar utveckling. Vår utgångspunkt i hållbarhetsarbete stammar från FN:s Agenda 2030, de globala målen för hållbar utveckling. Material och metod: Urvalsprocessen gav 8 företag av vilka 3 valdes ut att ingå i varsin semistrukturerad kvalitativ intervju. Resterande 5 företag tillfrågades att delta i en enkätundersökning och samtliga företags hemsidor inventerades utifrån de tre aspekterna ekonomisk, social och miljömässig hållbarhet samt informationens tillgänglighet. Resultat: Endast ett företag lät sig intervjuas. Svarsfrekvensen för enkäten var noll. Resultatet av hemsidegenomgången visar att 2 av företagen bedriver hållbarhetsarbete utifrån de tre aspekterna ekonomisk, social och miljömässig hållbarhet och att dessa 2 beaktar även vissa av de globala målen för hållbar utveckling, Agenda 2030. Slutsats: Majoriteten av de undersökta zirkoniaproducenterna har inte prioriterat att synliggöra sitt hållbarhetsarbete på sina hemsidor riktade till dentalbranschen och endast två av åtta företag bedriver synligt hållbarhetsarbete. Endast dessa företag visar att de beaktar de tre aspekterna av hållbarhet: ekonomisk, social och miljömässig. / Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate the attitudes of manufacturers of dental materials towards sustainability and their implementation of sustainable development based on the UN’s global goals for sustainable development, Agenda 2030. Material and methods: The selection process resulted in 8 companies and 3 of them were selected to participate in a semi-structured qualitative interview. The remaining 5 companies were asked to participate in a survey. All companies’ websites were inventoried for the three aspects of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) as well as their searchability. Result: Only one company was interviewed. No one participated in the survey. The result of the website review says that 2 of the companies conduct work with sustainability and these 2 companies also consider some of the global goals for sustainable development, Agenda 2030. Conclusion: The majority of the zirconia producers in the study have not given priority to making their sustainability work visible on their websites aimed at the dental industry, and only two out of eight companies carry out visible sustainability work. Only these two companies show that they consider the three aspects of sustainability: economic, social and environmental.

Sustainability is increasingly requested by society due to rising global issues. However the majority of companies, particularly the large and hierarchical ones, face huge challenges in properly integrating sustainability in their business, and most importantly - in understanding the opportunities sustainability offers both for their competitiveness and shared value creation. The purpose of the thesis is to holistically define and explain the major aspects that are critical for win-win corporate sustainability (CS) embedding into large established companies. Firstly, a framework of CS embedding has been developed which is supported by a simple CS three-stage model to be used in assessing the CS integration stages and processes in a company. The framework in particular focuses on three major CS aspects: strategic and operational integration, innovation, and organisational culture. Secondly, the created model is applied in the case study of the large power company Vattenfall AB in order to assess its overall CS implementation situation, the challenges it faces and the stage of CS practices. The analysis resulted in structured findings and a list of major strategic recommendations to advice the company on CS advancement. The outcomes of the study can be applied as learning material in other large conservative companies of similar complexity that struggle with sustainability performance. The research has contributed in filling the knowledge gap of understanding how CS embedding works, its major aspects, challenges and opportunities it provides. The framework developed for embedding CS when used in conjunction with the CS three-stage model could be used for further empirical research or alternatively for practical application by companies themselves.