The aim of my thesis is to consider a contemporain concept of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and all relative activities in the international company and to propose a potential development of this concept for a specific region. Theoretical part explains fundamental features of the corporate social responsibility, its' history, three pillars and organizations which are dedicated to this concept. Practical part of this paper analyses the system of CSR in the international company. In this part there is a history of the CSR applicated in the company, the rating and the contemporain status of the corporate social responsibility. There are mentioned also the methods of measurement of CSR which proclaim the level of corporate social responsibility in the company. There is a focus on the concept of CSR applicated in the Czech republic and some new ideas how to improve it.

Titel: Hållbarhetsstyrning med fokus på lönsamhet - En kvalitativ studie om hur företag gör ekonomiska överväganden i sitt hållbarhetsarbete Kurs: 17VT-2FE75E Ekonomistyrning, kandidatuppsats Författare: Amanda Fredriksson, Tina Palm, Mahdi Tounsi Handledare: Anders Jerreling   Bakgrund: I dagens samhälle ökar kunskapen kring samhället och flertalet människor uppmärksammar saker i vår omgivning. Det sker ständiga omvärldsförändringar med en ökad globalisering, urbanisering och även omfattande digitalisering omkring oss. Definitionen av hållbarhet är vag och det handlar om att finnas eller försvinna beroende på hur företag lever upp till alla miljöaspekter. Det handlar om att kunna hantera sina naturliga och sociala resurser framöver vilket kommer vara något som ger legitimitet för företag.   Syfte: Denna studie har som syfte att undersöka hur företag styr mot hållbarhet för att samtidigt bibehålla eller öka sin lönsamhet. Vi vill även se till vilka ekonomiska överväganden företag gör i sitt hållbarhetsarbete.   Metod: Studien har utgått från en forskningsmetod med kvalitativa drag och med en abduktiv ansats. Den empiriska materialinsamlingen består av fyra stycken kvalitativa intervjuer som har bidragit till en djupare förståelse kring det valda ämnet som studerats.   Teori: Vår teoretiska referensram innefattar beskrivning av ekonomistyrning, styrmedel, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Sustainability (CS), Carroll's CSR pyramid, Van Marrewijk’s three approaches, Van Marrewijk’s relationsmodell, lönsamhet, intressentteori och legitimitetsteori.   Empiri: Den empiriska delen består av granskning kring hållbarhetsarbete i fyra företag med helt olika verksamhetsområden belägna i Kalmar. Detta görs utifrån intervjuer med respektive företags verkställande direktör (vd).   Slutsats: Studien visar att företag gör både positiva och negativa ekonomiska överväganden i sitt hållbarhetsarbete. Vi kan även se att de styrmedel som främst används i hållbarhetsstyrning är informativa samt informella styrmedel. Vi kan även se att företag tar begrepp som ekonomisk-, ekologisk- och social hållbarhet i beaktning för att verka mot ett mer hållbart samhälle. Dock prioriteras inte delarna lika mycket hos varje enskilt företag. Studien har även visat på stor inverkan från vissa intressenter i företagets hållbarhetsstyrning.   Nyckelord: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Sustainability, Hållbarhet, Ekonomistyrning.

Syfte: I takt med att hållbarhet blivit en alltmer viktig fråga har forskare försökt finna medlande variabler mellan Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) och den finansiella prestationen (FP), då lönsamhet är en av de mest betydelsefulla faktorerna för företag. Som ett led i forskningen har innovation uppdagats vara en medlande variabel eftersom CSR och innovation antyds uppnå maximalt värde för företag när de slås ihop. Vidare ses innovation förekomma i störst grad hos industriföretag. Med grund för detta är föreliggande studiens syfte att undersöka hur stark CSR och innovations kausala samband är genom att se till både CSRs påverkan på innovation, samt innovations påverkan på CSR hos industriföretag. Det vill säga om det existerar ett dubbelriktat kausalt samband som visar på en positiv spiral.  Metod: Studien tar avstamp från positivismen med en hypotetisk-deduktiv ansats. Vidare baseras studien på en kvantitativ metod och har utifrån en longitudinell design inhämtat data från Thomson Reuters. Datan representerar ett urval av 569 publika och globala bolag för tio år, vilka sedan har analyserats i statistikprogrammet SPSS.  Resultat och slutsats: Studien visar ett existerande dubbelriktat kausalt samband hos industriföretag, där vi dels kan se att bolagsstyrning- och miljödimensionen inom CSR utgör den främsta påverkan på företagens investeringar i innovation, som i sin tur utgör störst effekt på miljödimensionen inom CSR.  Förslag till fortsatt forskning:Några förslag på vidare forskning är att inkludera andra mått av CSR eftersom det existerar flertalet olika mätningar. Vi ser även att vidare forskning kan studera sambandet mellan CSR och innovation hos icke börsnoterade bolag för att möjliggöra ett ännu mer generaliserbart resultat, samt studera hur lönsamheten påverkas i det dubbelriktade sambandet mellan CSR och innovation. Uppsatsens bidrag:Studien bidrar främst med att fylla det forskningsgap som finns gällande CSRs samband med innovation genom att se till CSRs dimensioner, samt till industribranschen. Studien kan ge bevis för att företag som ser variablerna som två separata aktiviteter drar större fördel att istället förena strategierna till en.

This thesis examines how practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) serve to legitimise Uruguay's largest ever foreign investment, the US$2.5-billion pulp mill constructed by the Finnish-Chilean firm Montes del Plata. Unusually, this investment prompted little social conflict, which runs counter to the community tensions frequently associated with large-scale infrastructure investments in Latin America. To explore this, the thesis takes an agency-oriented approach to the study of corporate-community relations. It offers fresh insights for critical management scholars and anthropologists of corporations into the techniques of collusion and co-optation in large-scale foreign direct investment (FDI) projects. Based on participant observation with Montes del Plata's community relations managers and their community interlocutors, conducted over separate periods during and after the mill's construction, the thesis examines the legitimising impulse of corporate citizenship, both as concept and practice. I show how the company seeks to incorporate itself as a morally-infused entity through ongoing interactions between its representative agents and external actors. I argue that the form of CSR that emerges is neither moral nor responsible, but its command over social relations nonetheless makes it a potent force for corporate capitalism's expansion. The mill owner attempts to manage its social and political relations in such a way as to secure the proximity needed for legitimacy-building, while creating the requisite distance to reduce onerous moral obligations; a balance that I analyse using the concepts of detachment and depoliticisation. The thesis opens with a discussion of the politics of representation, demonstrating how the agents of Montes del Plata (the Corporation) shape the local political ecosystem through the recognition, or not, of its counterparties' claims to representativeness. Chapters 1 and 2 also explore the theory of personation, especially in the efforts by the Corporation's community managers to infuse the company with moral characteristics. Their struggles in doing so invite consideration of a pragmatic approach to legitimacy building through the calculated management of social relations. Chapters 3 and 4 further show how principles of detachment and depoliticisation frame the Corporation's approach to relationship management. Chapter 3 examines how participation and empowerment are utilised to depoliticise development goods and stage the Corporation's detachment from their delivery. Chapter 4 examines the detachment effects of the changes to the region's political economy sparked by the mill project, and how the mill owner depoliticises public expectations of job creation. The conclusion makes the case for a distinctive approach to FDI legitimation driven by detachment (and reattachment) and facilitated by depoliticisation, which I term 'detachable CSR'.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a new topic in finance which can be viewed from two different perspectives: that of the business (CSR), and that of the individual investor (Socially Responsible Investing, SRI). The evidence from this study suggested that in the short-term, there were no significant price effects on the SRI stocks around the announcement dates of the SRI constituent lists. In contrast, the returns of SRI portfolios over the sample period seemed to be superior to those of conventional firms. The regression analysis found that generally the SRI coefficients were insignificant; however using one of the models during the fifteen year period, it was found that SRI constituents attained a ROE that was 11.18% higher than conventional peers as well as a ROA that was 1.824% lower than conventional firms. When the period was restricted to 2004-2009 it was found that social performance was positively (and sometimes significantly) correlated with ROE.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / Mining is an important industry in Peru, but local communities where mining takes place do not perceive its benefits. Mining corporations need to achieve legitimacy within these communities. The main objective of this study is to identify the factors that determine the provision of social licenses to operate in Peru’s mining regions. We conducted this research using a case study of two Peruvian mining companies. Our study concludes with the identification of four essential factors needed to achieve a social license to operate within these communities: a deep understanding of the socioeconomic environment, a strong commitment to the community, an active presence of Government, and effective communication between the actors involved in mining activities. The combination of these elements can result in improved trust levels between companies and society, enabling all agents to recognize the costs and benefits resulting from mining. / Revisión por pares

Sustainability within the spheres of environmental and social awareness have become increasing salient issues in the world today. This is addressed within the corporate world through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure and reporting. However, the reporting and disclosure surrounding such issues remains at a disadvantage in comparison to that of financial reporting. These issues not only govern sustainability and awareness itself but increasing investor and stakeholder decisions concerning firms connected to these issues. This thesis aims to explore the issues encountered today in CSR reporting. It reviews current literature on regional differences, current methods of CSR disclosure, and the drawbacks of current reporting standards. To address these topics, there is a review of the definition of a stakeholder, its development over time and how stakeholders are prioritized and affected by the actions of firms. With the definition of a stakeholder established, the thesis reviews the relationship between different stakeholders and CSR disclosure and how this can be applied in order to increase the quality and consistency of CSR reporting. Finally, trends in CSR and differences within sectors and regions are considered and it is determined that there has to be a development of standardization through a current reporting standard, in order to ensure congruency of information across nations and sectors, allowing investors and stakeholders to make better informed decisions through the provided sustainability information.

In the United States, citizens concerned with climate change and income inequity scrutinize the activities of corporations. Sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) have a critical role in business management, because stakeholders demand transparency in a company's operations. This correlation study, grounded in stakeholder theory, examined the relationship between environmental initiatives, CSR, and net profit for U.S. corporations. Participants included 96 companies with listing on either National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, or the New York Stock Exchange, or both, with and without evidence of CSR and environmental disclosures. The multiple regression analysis significantly predicted higher net profit for companies disclosing CSR information, with the statistical evidence demonstrating the importance of environmental and social responsibility, F(2,93) = 31.650, p = .00, R2 = .405. The environmental variable was not significant at p = .651, while the CSR variable proved significant at p = .04, indicating a need for organizations to participate in CSR activities. Recommendations for further research entail exploring the return on assets, net profit ratio, and return on equity. Implications of study findings for social change include support for companies to participate in global reporting organizations and CSR activities.

I find evidence to support the negative impact of growth options on corporate social responsibility (CSR). I propose that attention-constrained managers reduce corporate goodness to focus on growth opportunities. The effect is more pronounced for well-governed firms, for financially-constrained firms, and for capital-intensive social dimensions. Firms reduce their research and development (R&D) and capital expenditures, and experience lower annual buy-and-hold abnormal returns (BHAR) subsequent to significant increases in their social performance. I also report value implications of CSR investments. The empirical evidence suggests that managerial choices to divert attention from growth projects toward CSR hurt shareholders.

當企業社會責任風潮在全球蔓延，企業追求經濟、環境、社會三個構面的完整度，台灣也越來越多獎項肯定企業對社會的付出。麥可‧波特提出策略性企業社會責任，認為企業盡社會責任時，應該結合其核心能力與策略，方能達到最好的成效。 當文化創意的種子在台灣散播，我們看到越來越多企業與藝文合作，不論是在回饋社會、公關或是結合其行銷策略，蔚為趨勢。而大多企業在參與藝文時，都將之歸類於其企業社會責任的一環，過往論述探究了企業參與藝文的動機、影響因素、合作模式後，期能從中找到讓企業與藝術雙贏的局面。 企業參與藝文的議題，從過往文獻的藝企合作(Arts & Business)架構來看雙方的所得；除企業與藝文，是否能對社區有所回饋；而既然被歸類為CSR議題之一，以策略性CSR的架構來檢視，是否有結合策略意涵、核心能力，讓CSR對企業有更多貢獻。本研究提出兩個在企業社會責任深獲肯定、在企業參與藝文也深獲認同的企業，希望從中以企業藝文合作、企業與社區、策略性企業社會責任三個層次檢視他們參與藝文的成效，也將這樣的模式擴大發想，期能對企業參與藝文這個領域有更大助益。 / Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) becomes a trend in the world and the enterprises follow the triple bottom line - Environmental, Economic, and Social for a better performance. Michael Porter proposed Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility which mentioned the best CSR should integrate corporate’s core competence and strategy. More and more enterprises are funding arts and cultural activities to give back to the society, to maintain their public relationship image, or to coordinate with marketing strategy. Most of these events are considered as a part of CSR. Past researches were hoping to find a win- win situation between the enterprises and art functions by studying the motivation, influential factors and the types of cooperation. This paper used two case studies of the enterprises which are well recognized in the fields of both Arts & Business and CSR. We evaluated the effectiveness of the outcome with the following three steps. First, we looked at the benefits under the Arts & Business perspective, and the contribution made to the suburbs. Last, we applied Strategic CSR to see if the result is correlated to their core strategy and core competence.