Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is practice that is followed with the controversy of whether is a real management tool or rather is a fad. A good context in order to study this polemic is the current crisis that has affected worldwide, because if CSR practices are kept in this context means that it is not a fad. Spain is the country chosen for focused this report, due to it is one of European countries most affected by economic crisis. So, this thesis seeks to check which polemic part is right as well as observes CSR situation in Spanish companies so far. CSR situation of large companies and SMEs are the main points investigated, in order to do this, it uses a quantitative and qualitative methods. Firstly, using surveys it is examined large companies’ situation, more specifically IBEX 35 companies that are Spanish enterprises that list at the stock market. Secondly, SMEs situation is analyzed qualitatively using gatherings, interviews and the documentary that are conducted by a Spanish awareness camping called “El valor de ser grande”. Moreover, it is reviewed and analyzed the existing literature creating a theoretical framework built on the pillars of CSR. The research allowed us to obtain the main features about Spanish companies both large companies and SMEs regarding CSR. In large companies CSR is root and is perform for years to gain momentum over time, i.e., it is performed as fundamental element in the company. Instead, in SMEs CSR is beginning to gain further strength and is increasingly performed but it still has a long way to go. Therefore, it is said that CSR is in the second phase, the first one was in big companies and now it is up to SMEs. Moreover, it is confirm that the crisis has increased CSR value to society and business provoking a clean effect over bad CSR policies. In conclusion, this research proves that companies have increased CSR actions in the crisis context so far. Therefore CSR is not a fad, although this will not be final result until the crisis is over and then its final effect will be rechecked.

The present thesis introduces an analysis of a part of public corporate communication through which large international companies present a positive image of their brands, technologies, operations and, above all, their values vis-à-vis the issue of environmental protection. It would likely not provoke much dispute, shall it be stated that environmental protection has over the several past decades climbed to the top of the list of the world's priority agenda. Yet whether an ecological crisis is or is not a real threat, or whether the parties involved really do or do not take the proclaimed steps necessary for the improvement of the state of the natural environment, is not a matter of importance here. The important thing is that people (companies) are talking about the environment. In the context of a global ecological threat companies are on one hand pressured into accepting green responsibilities, on the other hand in building their green image they actively adopt certain aspects of green discourse and articulate their own environmental diagnoses and propose possible remedies. Using critical discourse analysis this thesis tries to uncover the ways of construction of corporate green responsibility discourse aiming to answer questions regarding the selection of discourse strategies and use of language,...

This paper presents the results of financial return analyses after 133 articles regarding social and environmental news were published in Svenska Dagbladet. During the period from 2006 to 2015 Swedish Large Cap companies were analysed after the news announcements, using the event study methodology. The study shows that abnormal returns were significant for only three events at the announcement date. A regression analysis shows that firms issuing ESG reports do not significantly have distinct returns from non-issuing firms when in the news. The study shows that firms producing consumer goods or services experienced 0.5 percent significant return differences compared to other firms in the pre-announcement period (two days). Findings also suggest that there are no significant differences between different industries when in the news regarding social and environmental aspects. An analysis of means shows no implications of differences regarding articles of: equality, employees, society or environment. This study concludes that voluntary corporate responsibility acts are not premiered when a firm is in the news regarding social or environmental events.

Un nombre croissant d'organisations veut s'engager pleinement dans une pratique plus responsable des affaires, et tente de réformer profondément leur mode de fonctionnement. Pour ceux-ci, ce projet fait l’hypothèse que la société toute entière a le devoir de mettre en œuvre les mesures, attitudes et initiatives qui favoriseront le changement de comportement et de pratique. Alors que le public accroît son exigence quant à l’éthique associée aux produits qu’il consomme et que les gouvernements s’attellent à établir des limites réglementaires pour encadrer les pratiques, ce travail participe à apporter la contribution de la communauté académique en proposant des conseils aux organisations sur la façon de rompre avec les pratiques usuelles pour créer et s'approprier une stratégie d'entreprise qui intègre les paramètres de soutenabilité. À cette fin, il étudie comment les organisations peuvent intégrer efficacement les paramètres de soutenabilité dans leur stratégie d'entreprise, et identifie de nouvelles ressources, processus et incitateurs qui peuvent favoriser le changement vers une pratique plus responsable des affaires. / An increasing number of organizations want to commit fully to a more sustainable practice of business, and attempt to profoundly change the way they operate. For those, it is the assumption of the work that the whole society has a duty to implement measures, attitudes and initiatives that will foster the change of behavior and practice. While people steeply increase their demand for responsible practice and governments draw boundaries within which to operate, this work contributes to fulfilling the academia’s duty, by offering guidance to organizations on how to move out of business – as - usual to create and appropriate a corporate strategy that integrates sustainability considerations. For the purpose, it investigates how organizations can effectively integrate sustainability considerations into their inner corporate strategy, and identifies new resources, processes and incentives that can foster the change towards a more responsible practice of business.

This thesis examines the collaborative development of corporate responsibility (CR) standards from the perspective of organisational learning theory. The author proposes that standards development projects can be understood as Network Learning episodes where learning is reflected in changes in structures, interpretations and practices accompanied by learning processes. Network Learning alone is seen as insufficient to reflect the diverse contributions and outcomes in the special case of CR standards. Concepts from multi-stakeholder learning like the role of dissensus in learning and the empowerment of weaker stakeholders are therefore used to create a synthesis of the two theories in a single conceptual framework. This framework is then tested against a pilot case and three case studies of corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards including the development of the new ISO international standard on social responsibility (SR). The data validates and extended this framework to yield a Multi-Stakeholder Network Learning theory capable of describing the how participants and non-participant stakeholders learn in this context. New concepts are generated from the data, like dislocated learning, which demonstrate how participants in the process and those they represent can experience quite different learning outcomes. Stakeholders whose learning is aligned with the learning of their participant representatives truly have a stake in these influential standards. However, where representatives fail to learn from those represented, the latter¿s stake is diminished. By shedding light on the mechanisms of effective collaborative learning this work contributes to learning theory, the practice of standardization and the normative stakeholder empowerment agenda. / British Standards Institution

This research analyzes Finnish information and communication technology companies' sustainability principles with an emphasis on themes related to social sustainability. A broader focus is given to researching how class, education level, and low-income-related perspectives have been taken into account. The main theoretical framework adopted is resources and appropriation theory which examines societal categorical inequalities through the lens of the digital divide.The empirical material consists of eight corporate sustainability reports. Data is collected utilizing the document analysis method. The data analysis method chosen for this research is the thematic analysis method. Results are presented categorically with a focus on social sustainability.Low-income perspectives were clearly disregarded in the reports, raising a question regarding the authenticity of the underlying intention behind the implementation of these specified DEI measures.

What human rights or fundamental rights of stakeholders do insolvency norms and laws affect? Will a human rights perspective help in striking a balance between the affected stakeholders? These are the primary questions addressed in this thesis. The idea that human rights values are relevant to he theoretical discussion about insolvency policy is relatively novel. Insolvency after all conjures images of banks and other creditors who are simply attempting to recover their investment. A thorough examination of the dynamics of insolvency however reveals that insolvency is not just about debt collection. It is a complex process that also implicates interests and stakes beyond the interest of banks and other creditors. Globalization further exacerbates this complexity, more so under circumstances of economic decline in the world economy. Using literature review and interdisciplinary or critical legal analysis as methods, the thesis analyzes the axiology of corporate insolvency. While “law and economics” has been identified as an influential value in policy formulation, normative values like human rights were identified to be equally relevant. The thesis draws upon stakeholder theory and corporate responsibility vis-à-vis human rights law to lay the foundation for stakeholder conflict analysis in the context of corporate insolvencies. Concluding that the likely conflict situations in corporate insolvency involve human rights, the thesis suggests the use of the proportionality principle as a balancing tool. In the functional part of the thesis, the author analyzes the relevant provisions of the Philippine insolvency law and singles out the conceptual disconnect of the law with mainstream stakeholder theory in the way it defines the term “stakeholder.”

Climate change has become an important concern for most governments in the current day. The impact of global warming on economic productivity, human welfare and environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly apparent to most people on the planet, resulting in a rapid evolution of policy instruments which are capable of addressing the issue of climate change. The ultimate aim of these policy instruments is to influence corporate activity to environmentally sustainable behaviour. The two most common policy instruments to effect change to most environmentally sustainable behaviour is carbon taxation and cap-and-trade schemes. Linked to climate change and environmental sustainability is the concept of sustainable development which encompasses environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. These principles are formalized and made relevant for companies in the form of the triple bottom line. In South Africa, National Treasury implemented a carbon excise tax in 2010 for the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in response to the problem of global warming, and published a discussion document in support of their decision to implement carbon tax. The document highlighted reasons for the choice of carbon tax over other policy instruments such as cap-and-trade schemes and penalties. Even though the choice for carbon tax was assessed from an environmental perspective, the concept of sustainable development encompasses environmental, economic and social sustainability. The subject matter for the 1st article was to compare the two most widely used climate change instruments, known as cap-and-trade schemes and carbon tax, from the broader perspective of sustainable development. This included an analysis of the effects of both instruments on both greenhouse gases as well as economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) and fiscal revenue. Linked to the implementation of any instrument designed to address carbon emissions is the concept of the social cost of carbon (SCC). The SCC is an estimate of the associated monetary cost of the damage cause by emitting one additional ton of carbon into the atmosphere. In a perfect world the SCC would be equal to, or lower than, the carbon tax price. National Treasury‟s carbon tax price has never been assessed from an economic perspective and in particular whether the price equates to the SCC from a feasibility viewpoint. The testing of the carbon tax price against the SCC from an economic perspective was the subject of the 2nd article, which then also evaluated the impact of carbon tax on motor vehicle manufacturer‟s production techniques and vehicle fuel efficiency. Under the assumption that the carbon tax price approximates the SCC it is arguable that companies are effectively paying for the damage cost to the environment in the form of the carbon excise tax implemented. If the argument holds true, then the corporate social investment expenditure may well be adjusted since corporate responsibilities to the environment have been partially addressed by the payment of carbon tax. The impact of carbon tax on CSI expenditure by motor vehicle manufacturers in South Africa was the subject of the 3rd article in the thesis. Furthermore, also linked to the implementation of carbon taxation for the motor vehicle industry is the financial and sustainability reporting of the motor vehicle manufacturers‟ tax in the sustainability report and financial statements. Since carbon tax was designed to promote behaviour toward a lower carbon footprint, evidence that such behaviour is being affected can be observed in a company‟s sustainability report, which specifies the company‟s planned path to carbon reduction in accordance with the disclosure standards set in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In terms of financial accounting there is no specific International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) statement dealing with carbon tax, and the correct treatment thereof will have to be interpreted in accordance with existing accounting standards on revenue (IAS 18) and provisions (IAS 37). The subject matter of 4th article assessed motor vehicle manufacturers reporting compliance of carbon tax transactions in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. In summary, the implementation of carbon tax in South Africa is seen as a significant move in the fight against climate change. If the instrument is to be considered effective it must prove to be sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective. The effectiveness of the instrument can only be measured if it was accurately reported in the financial statements and sustainability reports in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. Furthermore, the instrument should not be seen as an opportunity by motor vehicle manufacturers to forego corporate responsibility to environment and thus should not impact CSI expenditure which is a significant part of the welfare contribution by South African businesses to the people of South Africa. / PhD (Tax), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Climate change has become an important concern for most governments in the current day. The impact of global warming on economic productivity, human welfare and environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly apparent to most people on the planet, resulting in a rapid evolution of policy instruments which are capable of addressing the issue of climate change. The ultimate aim of these policy instruments is to influence corporate activity to environmentally sustainable behaviour. The two most common policy instruments to effect change to most environmentally sustainable behaviour is carbon taxation and cap-and-trade schemes. Linked to climate change and environmental sustainability is the concept of sustainable development which encompasses environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. These principles are formalized and made relevant for companies in the form of the triple bottom line. In South Africa, National Treasury implemented a carbon excise tax in 2010 for the motor vehicle manufacturing industry in response to the problem of global warming, and published a discussion document in support of their decision to implement carbon tax. The document highlighted reasons for the choice of carbon tax over other policy instruments such as cap-and-trade schemes and penalties. Even though the choice for carbon tax was assessed from an environmental perspective, the concept of sustainable development encompasses environmental, economic and social sustainability. The subject matter for the 1st article was to compare the two most widely used climate change instruments, known as cap-and-trade schemes and carbon tax, from the broader perspective of sustainable development. This included an analysis of the effects of both instruments on both greenhouse gases as well as economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) and fiscal revenue. Linked to the implementation of any instrument designed to address carbon emissions is the concept of the social cost of carbon (SCC). The SCC is an estimate of the associated monetary cost of the damage cause by emitting one additional ton of carbon into the atmosphere. In a perfect world the SCC would be equal to, or lower than, the carbon tax price. National Treasury‟s carbon tax price has never been assessed from an economic perspective and in particular whether the price equates to the SCC from a feasibility viewpoint. The testing of the carbon tax price against the SCC from an economic perspective was the subject of the 2nd article, which then also evaluated the impact of carbon tax on motor vehicle manufacturer‟s production techniques and vehicle fuel efficiency. Under the assumption that the carbon tax price approximates the SCC it is arguable that companies are effectively paying for the damage cost to the environment in the form of the carbon excise tax implemented. If the argument holds true, then the corporate social investment expenditure may well be adjusted since corporate responsibilities to the environment have been partially addressed by the payment of carbon tax. The impact of carbon tax on CSI expenditure by motor vehicle manufacturers in South Africa was the subject of the 3rd article in the thesis. Furthermore, also linked to the implementation of carbon taxation for the motor vehicle industry is the financial and sustainability reporting of the motor vehicle manufacturers‟ tax in the sustainability report and financial statements. Since carbon tax was designed to promote behaviour toward a lower carbon footprint, evidence that such behaviour is being affected can be observed in a company‟s sustainability report, which specifies the company‟s planned path to carbon reduction in accordance with the disclosure standards set in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In terms of financial accounting there is no specific International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) statement dealing with carbon tax, and the correct treatment thereof will have to be interpreted in accordance with existing accounting standards on revenue (IAS 18) and provisions (IAS 37). The subject matter of 4th article assessed motor vehicle manufacturers reporting compliance of carbon tax transactions in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. In summary, the implementation of carbon tax in South Africa is seen as a significant move in the fight against climate change. If the instrument is to be considered effective it must prove to be sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective. The effectiveness of the instrument can only be measured if it was accurately reported in the financial statements and sustainability reports in accordance with IFRS and the GRI. Furthermore, the instrument should not be seen as an opportunity by motor vehicle manufacturers to forego corporate responsibility to environment and thus should not impact CSI expenditure which is a significant part of the welfare contribution by South African businesses to the people of South Africa. / PhD (Tax), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The focus of this thesis was to develop a simplified framework for future sustainability reports. The traditional approach to corporate reporting is limited in its ability to meet expectations of stakeholders for what drives value creation in a business. Sustainability performance reports are aimed at providing stakeholders information regarding a company’s non-financial performance and to provide stakeholders some information regarding the future performance that can be expected. The idea behind sustainability and the triple bottom line is that a company’s ultimate success can and should be measured not just by the financial bottom line, but also by its social, environmental and economic success. Sustainability reporting, also known as triple bottom line reporting incorporates the economic, social and environmental performance of a company, but there is no universally accepted definition of the subject. Sustainability is a contested subject and defined differently by different groups to suit their purposes. This places the phenomenon in a situation where its future is threatened. / D.B.L.