The Master's thesis deals with a question of corporate social responsibility. The thesis is divided into two main parts. The theoretical and methodological part explains main terms related to CSR, introduces important organizations oriented on CSR and describes standards of corporate social responsibility that can be followed. The first part is also supplemented with interesting data gained in public opinion research on the theme of CSR and its public perception. In the practical part, there are analyzed CSR strategies of two companies: T-Mobile Czech Republic, a.s. and IBM Czech Republic, spol. s r.o. Individual activities are classified into three basic pillars of corporate social responsibility. Approaches of these two companies are compared and in the conclusion of the thesis there are recommended steps to make corporate social responsibility of the two companies more effective.

With the increased concentration on the corporate social responsibility (CSR), firms are not only required to focus narrowly on generating profit returns for shareholders, but also asked to take responsibilities for firms’ other stakeholders, e.g. customers, employees, society etc., from social, environment and economic perspectives. Hence, nowadays, both having a decent CSR performance and adding profitability are the significant aspects for the company to achieve the sustainable success in the long term. In terms of that, this dissertation aims to explore the CSR-profitability relationship, namely, to explore how does CSR influence the firm’s profitability. After reviewing related literature, and choosing the single-case research method, collecting and handling quantitative and qualitative data analysis, findings are: (1) the CSR-profitability relationship in the case company is not clear in last five years; (2) the prior finding shows ambivalent view and inconsistency with the positive mediating process, a process used to define the CSR-profitability association, of the case company. After discussion of the findings, this study concludes that: (1) the CSR-profitability relationship cannot be clearly defined due to the complex mediating process and direct or indirect effects from tangible/intangible mediating factors; (2) generally, it is not likely to measure the financial impacts from the whole CSR performance, but, the financial impacts can be measured project by project; (3) those intangible resources that related to the CSR cannot be measured; (4) the inconsistent result from the finding may due to some other reasons, e.g. the problem of depending on accounting-based approach to measure the financial impacts from CSR, influence from specific financial crisis, lacking comprehensive measurement system of CSR etc.

Idag kommunicerar allt fler företag externt om sitt CSR-arbete. Då den externa kommunikationen inte samstämmer med det interna arbetet så uppstår särkoppling som kan ge kritik som greenwashing. Företaget Vattenfall har fått sådan kritik, vilket gör det intressant att studera företagets interna arbete. Syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva och få en ökad förståelse för hur CSR används och uppfattas internt bland medarbetare genom att undersöka problem som företaget kan möta i sitt interna CSR-arbete. Vår uppsats bygger på en kvalitativ studie. Vår primärdata utgörs av åtta stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer på Vattenfall och vår sekundärdata är hämtad från artiklar, böcker och företagets uppförandekod. De anställda känner till delar av uppförandekoden och det finns vissa svårigheter med att få den integrerad. Detta kan tyda på att CSR-arbetet inte i full utsträckning får den funktion som den är ämnad för då problemen skapar svårigheter med att få det interna praktiska arbetet att spegla den externa kommunikationen.

The purpose with this essay is to explore the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the food industry. We have decided to focus on how five different ethical labels are communicated towards students and the standpoint of the study is the students understanding of the communication. The labels that we have chosen to examine in the study are KRAV, Fairtrade, Svanen, Ekologiskt Jordbruk and Rainforest Alliance. The primary research question in the study is ” How are the students purchase behavior affected by ethical labels in the food industry?”. Throughout the study we will refer to CSR-products as products are stamped with one or several of the named ethical labels. The study also contains one sub-question that will help to support the main research question and provide the study with a broader base. You will find the sub-question below. ”To what extend does the students understand the communication of the ethical labels?” The theories that we will use in this essay are ”Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)”, ”Brands”, ”Social Identity” and ”Encoding/Decoding”. CSR will be used as the main theory for this essay. The reason for this is that not only is it a theory but also the main topic that we investigate in this essay. We use branding as a theory because we want to examine if the communication from the labels affects students.  Social Identity is used to explore if the students at Karlstad University chose products with ethical labels because of trends and a feeling of belonging with specific groups. Encoding/Decoding is used to analyze and understand the communication of the ethical labels between the ethical labels and the students. We have chosen to use a Webb survey in our study to gather empirical data. The survey has been available for the population on Karlstad universities study platform “It’ s Learnings” homepage during two weeks. The result of the survey displays that the area of concern that the respondents believe is the most important is the environment and labor conditions.  The link that we see here is that KRAV, Fairtrade and Svanen all have high demands on environmental and labor condition-initiatives if a product should be allowed to carry their label. This means that this two area of concern is most important for the students. We can also see from the result that KRAV, Fairtrade and Svanen are the labels that are most visible in commercials and food stores. The research displays that friends together with social media are the channels where the students understand the highest amount of communication from ethicals labels work. We can also see in the result that quality is the most valued feature regarding products in the food industry. Quality is also one of the most important features for the products that are approved by the ethical labels presented in this study. The most notable result is that the students valued the labels but the ethical values did not always lead to a direct purchase. The result also pointed out that the reason for not always leaded to a purchase is different kinds of difficulties. The communication reaches the students but sees as deficient and has to develop to reach its full potential.

A company can create a socially responsible image by having the public associate it (the company) with corporate social responsibility (CSR). Many researchers have asserted that a socially responsible image benefits a company in many ways. Zenisek (1979) clarified the complexity of CSR by approaching the concept through an organizational behavior approach. He constructed a CSR model that consisted of critical aspects—the ideological, operational, and societal aspects–in the relationship between a company and society. By applying Zenisek’s (1979) CSR model, this study conducts a content analysis of the corporate website homepages of Fortune Global 500 companies. The objective is to explore the variability in creating a socially responsible image through CSR communication by revenue, industry category, and country-of-origin. The results indicate that there are differences in communicating CSR aspects of CSR as well as CSR issues according to a company’s revenue, industry category, and country-of-origin. The study provides fresh insights for practitioners to approach CSR communication in business. / text

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) är det arbete som företag åtar sig utöver den lagliga skyldigheten och innefattar bland annat arbete med miljö och samhälle. Fenomenet har framförallt undersökts i större företag i och med deras stora inverkan på omgivningen. I små och medelstora företag (vidare kallat SMEs) är CSR-arbetet inte lika väl utforskat. Syftet med detta arbete är att utforska hur och varför SMEs i Sverige, med fokus på enmans- och mikroföretag i Uppsala, arbetar internt med CSR-relaterade aktiviteter. Genom intervjuer undersöker studien huruvida femton enmans- och mikroföretag i detaljhandeln arbetar med CSR inom kategorierna välgörenhet, samhället, miljön samt leverantörer. Undersökningen visar att dessa företag inte arbetar med CSR som en del i en strategi utan att de arbetar lokalt med fokus främst på det miljörelaterade arbetet. Ägarnas personliga engagemang inom olika områden reflekterades ofta i företaget och generellt fanns åsikten att ”det lilla man kan, gör man”, som en respondent uttryckte det.

This research deals with the ways Corporate Social Responsibility is interpreted in a UK Higher Education Institution. It evolved from my initial curiosity about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), especially the way it is taken up in daily practices. Drawing on the pragmatic tradition of John Dewey (1859-1952), Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) and George Herbert Mead (1863-1931), which gives primacy to experience, I am paying attention to my daily interactions with others. I explore what is, rather what should be. I also draw on analogies from complexity sciences, as well as on insights from sociology, psychology, anthropology and philosophy, to reflect on how the everyday practice of CSR is evolving in the interactions of interdependent players. Reflecting on the assumptions that underpin my thinking about organisations and about research, and tracing my evolving beliefs and perceptions, I have become aware of my participation in the processes that sustain and at the same time disrupt the 'community engagement' narrative of my organisation. Iterating my reflective narratives reveals how change in practice and in ideas evolves. This research was prompted by my introduction to CSR early in my academic career. The idea of organisations being responsible to their stakeholders fitted with my personal values. The more I read about the topic, the more uncomfortable I became - CSR had usually been presented in vague, general and idealised terms. So, when faced with setting up a Unit that would address the CSR of my organisation, I was left with no manual for getting on with my work. Reflecting on the feeling of helplessness, revealed my assumption that such guidance should exist, and that CSR practitioners must know how to practice the generalised idea of CSR. Exposing this and other emotions, I demonstrate how assumptions and beliefs arise in society and in the individual simultaneously. This research contributes to knowledge in this field by establishing CSR not just as an abstract idea, but as a practice within an organisation. Many authors have called for exploring CSR at the individual level, yet this call seems to remain unanswered. My research addresses this gap in literature and explores CSR from my perspective as a practitioner, thus contributing to the nascent body of literature that focuses on individual and local practice. Exploring interdependence and the emergence of CSR meant understanding that my actions have consequences, and at the same time, neither I nor any one individually can control those 2 consequences. The outcomes of our working together are at times intended and at times unintended. But they are inevitably unpredictable, because they arise in complex webs of interactions. Thinking reflexively about practising CSR has had a significant impact on my practice. I believe that my reflections will resonate with other practitioners, thus contributing to their practice.

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.

This thesis deals with Corporate Social Responsibility. In the theoretical part the basic concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility are determined and introduced initiatives dealing with CSR at national, European and global level. The definition of methods for measuring CSR, communication, implementation and benefits of CSR for the company are also included in this part. The practical part is focused on the company Skupina ČEZ. There is company presentation, particular CSR activities and research. The aim of the work is to explore CSR activities of this company and propose recommendations how to develop these activities. The partial objectives are to determine how the graduates perceive the Company Skupina ČEZ and how they are informed about CSR strategy and approach of this Company to behave responsibly.

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