This thesis deals with the practical implementation of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Creating Shared Value (CSV) into the business activities of Nestlé Česko, s. r. o. The thesis offers a brief introduction of the two mentioned concepts, their basic principles and implementation process. The application is shown at Nestlé example, this company is devoting to the area of Corporate Social Responsibility and Creating Shared Value for a long time. The thesis provides basic overview of the Nestlé activities in this area. In the second half of this paper are presented the results of the own questionnaire about customers behavior, their decisions, their awareness of CSR and CSV and brands of mentioned company. The aim is to determine whether the implementation of these concepts positively affects consumers and customers when purchasing food products of company Nestlé.

While sustainability is a common trend in business, the practical challenges companies face when striving towards becoming more sustainable are not thoroughly researched. By applying Porter and Kramer's (2011) theory on Creating Shared Value (CSV) to Swedish SMEs in the fashion industry, the challenges of adopting sustainable practices were identified in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight case companies with an ambition to be sustainable. This paper argues that even sustainably-aware companies face complex challenges with activities meant to benefit both society and the company itself. Despite many positive characteristics of SMEs, including more flexibility to adapt to new circumstances and innovative approaches to CSR development (Jenkins, 2009), our research display difficulties with leveraging these characteristics. The study shows that the seven challenges of shared value creation are: investment costs, functionality issues, supplier complexities, supplier control, supplier abilities, managing certifications and cluster control. Moreover, the study has also confirmed Crane et al., (2014) regarding the positioning of CSV as an umbrella construct for loosely related concepts within conscious capitalism.

This qualitative study contributes to the research field on legitimacy theory and creating shared value (CSV) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), regarding helping entrepreneurs and business owners better understand the journey of engaging with social and environmental issues. Recent years have seen a growing number of organisations engage in CSV, which builds on identifying societal needs and approaching these as business opportunities. A standard that purports to uphold these values and is comprised of for-profit companies committed to sustainability-related initiatives is the B Corp label. We consider B Corp certification and explore how sustainably oriented SMEs engage with their wider community in a way that fosters corporate credibility and legitimacy.  Empirical data about five SMEs organisational narratives working with CSV, implementation of social and environmental activities, and effects of B Corp certification were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with company representatives and a range of secondary data materials. Analysing the data from these five interviewed companies established them to be engaging with the notion of CSV and regard addressing societal or environmental issues as the purpose of their business. Furthermore, findings suggested that values and beliefs incorporated by the SMEs supersede the generally adopted values in society, thereby representing a paradox with legitimacy theory. As a result, these businesses aim to close the perceived legitimacy gap by trying to raise awareness and engage the public with the appropriateness of their business, thereby slowly providing citizens with a more conscious mindset.

The interest and demand of sustainable actions have alongside with societal development increased over time. It has become crucial for companies in today’s society to show responsibility for the footprints they leave behind as a consequence of operating. A possible course of action could be the implementation of Creating Shared Value – CSV, which encompasses undertakings that result in value creation for both the company itself, and the local environment in which the company operates. Even though companies are expected to contribute to societal issues, there are still no blueprints declaring how to satisfy societal needs, and the challenges accompanied with it. CSV aims to tackle the distances between societal and business goals, however, despite CSV’s acknowledgement in academia, the concept is often criticized for being insufficient in practice. This has led to businesses trying to apply a CSV approach while still undertaking Corporate Social Responsibility – CSR related activities. The mixture of these concepts has made it difficult to explore what factors that affect the process of capturing Shared Value opportunities. This research investigates what factors that influence the process of capturing Shared Value in the Swedish insurance industry. The findings derived from this single company case study suggests that depending on what managerial decision-making approach used in a company affects the rate of success in terms of Creating Shared Value. An unclear communication plan, combined with the continuous confusion between the concepts, seems to increase the uncertainness of why and how different decisions are taken, hindering the process of CSV as well as the understanding of how Shared Value is created. A variety of factors were identified, where three main factors were considered to play a key role in, not only the capturing of Shared Value opportunities but the entire implementation process of the concept. Based on these factors, a model was established, showing how these main factors obstructs the realization of Shared Value opportunities.

The world is jeopardized by several social and environmental threats. The limited resources are being used at a rapid rate which contributes to negative effects on global warming. Along with increased poverty, human rights are being violated and labor is exploited. Therefore, sustainability is perhaps a more urgent topic than ever. CSV is proposed as an answer to these environmental and social threats, which is identified by a gap in the concept of CSR. Sweden is a leading country in terms of sustainability, and therefore the purpose is to gain knowledge on how Swedish companies work with shared value creation in their sustainable practices. This study follows an interpretive philosophy through a qualitative study, and semi-structured interviews are conducted with six companies. The empirical data is analyzed through coding where four themes are evolved. This study develops existing concepts through an inductive approach and further proposes that the companies pursue CSV by the mediating role of CSR. Sustainable innovation, innovative raw materials, and digitalization are the major contributors to shared value creation. Sustainable development goals and science-based targets are essential tools to guide companies toward a sustainable future. However, two barriers to pursuing shared value creating activities are being a small company and adapting to the local context.

For a prolonged period of time, corporations and society have been out of synergy. There are many industries that have contributed to our environmental problems, but the fashion industry has been very active in contributing to the negative climate change, particularly the value chain. There is an eminent need for change, regarding how fashion companies operate and how consumers choose to consume. Creating Shared Value has emerged in recent years, answering societal and environmental issues, but the concept is still very nebulous and a relatively new concept. Throughout this thesis, the purpose was to examine if or how Swedish fashion companies create shared value and how CSV initiatives can contribute to sustainable value chains within the Swedish fashion industry.  The qualitative research strategy has been implemented throughout the thesis. This decision was made in order to successfully create a rich primary data collection so that a deep analysis could be conducted in relation to the literature review. The results and conclusion of this thesis is that Swedish fashion companies create shared value subconsciously, some of the participating companies do it more than others. The results suggest that CSV initiatives can contribute to increasingly sustainable value chains for the various companies, but that there are also several boundaries and opportunities along the way. There is a further need of more research regarding the concept of CSV, especially in the fashion industry.

The effects of businesses all over the globe on social issues like climate change have caused an increasing demand for those businesses to take responsibility for their actions. While corporate social responsibility has been concerned with such topics for a while, the more recent concept of ‘creating shared value’ aims to have a more justified approach in a way that it provides economic value for the implementing company while also targeting social issues simultaneously. Still, specific tools helping companies to implement initiatives that create shared value are missing.Multinational large-fleet operators, such as logistics companies or car rental services, are considered to contribute a significant share to the earlier mentioned social issue of climate change. With the rising adoption of electric vehicles by such large-fleet operators, the concept of Vehicle-to-Grid is identified as a way for multinational large-fleet operators to create shared value. Vehicle-to-Grid is a technology that promises to help increase the utilisation of renewable energy sources, thereby helping to tackle climate change. Since the concepts of creating shared value and Vehicle-to-Grid have not been combined so far, a research gap was identified. Therefore, this research aims to answer the questions of how Vehicle-to-Grid can create shared value for multinational large-fleet operators and how expected results of that implementation can be measured for the implementing company, society and other considered stakeholders.Empirical data is collected by qualitatively interviewing organisations that have been involved in Vehicle-to-Grid related projects and is analysed with the help of a conceptual framework that the authors developed. The conclusion of this study closes the identified research gap and contributes to the theory of how shared value initiatives can be implemented. The research suggests that for multinational large-fleet operators, shared value creation by implementing Vehicle-to-Grid could be achieved by redefining productivity in the value chain and enable local cluster development. Additionally, the research gives implications on how progress for all considered parties can be measured and suggests managerial and policy implications that would help to define Vehicle-to-Grid business cases in the future.

Social sustainability is one of the three dimensions that make up sustainable development. The social dimension has for long been seen as the weakest and has often been ignored in favour of the economic and ecological dimension. The importance of the social dimension is getting more recognition both by the private and the public sector and as a result of external pressures, companies have started to work with their social responsibility to strengthen their competitiveness on the market. From this way of working, the concept of creating shared value has been introduced by professor Michael E. Porter and lecturer Mark R. Kramer who suggests that companies can create economic value by creating societal value and thereby create shared value. They argue that companies can, by addressing a social issue and using their power, create shared values in our society. Employment requirements in public procurement is one way of addressing the social sustainability in the society and together with the prevailing construction boom and the shortage of manpower, companies must look for new places to recruit. Hence, the purpose of this descriptive research is to contribute with knowledge on how employment requirements are used in Sweden and study the development of the concept creating shared value. Additionally, it is investigated if employment requirements in public procurements can be used to create shared value. Two examples of varied character serve the basis of the empirics. The theory of creating shared value originates, as mentioned earlier, from creating social value and thereby creating economic value which, in turn, creates shared value. The study shows that, even though Porter and Kramer’s theory of creating shared value might not be fully applicable in public procurement, employment requirements can be a way of creating shared value in the society. Through collaboration between the private and the public sector, social issues such as unemployment, can be addressed and mitigated. / Social hållbarhet är en av tre dimensioner som utgör hållbar utveckling. Den sociala dimensionen har länge setts som den svagaste och har ofta ignorerats till förmån för den ekonomiska och ekologiska dimensionen. Betydelsen av den sociala dimensionen börjar uppmärksammas alltmer, både av den privata och offentliga sektorn och som ett resultat av yttre påtryckningar har företag börjat arbeta med sitt sociala ansvar för att därigenom stärka sin konkurrenskraft på marknaden. Från detta arbetssätt har konceptet creating shared value introducerats av professor Michael E. Porter och föreläsaren Mark R. Kramer som menar att företagen kan skapa ekonomiskt värde genom att skapa ett socialt värde vilket tillsammans i sin tur resulterar i ett delat värde. De menar att företag, genom att adressera ett socialt problem och använda sin makt, kan bidra till att skapa ett delat värde i samhället. Sysselsättningskrav i offentliga upphandlingar är ett sätt på vilket den sociala hållbarheten i samhället kan adresseras och tillsammans med den rådande högkonjunkturen i byggbranschen och byggföretagens personalbrist måste de se till alternativa platser för rekrytering. Därför har syftet med denna beskrivande uppsats varit att utöka kunskapen om hur sysselsättningskrav används och studera utvecklingen av konceptet creating shared value. Dessutom har det undersökts om sysselsättningskrav i offentliga upphandlingar kan skapa delat värde. Två exempel av varierande karaktär ligger således till grund för den empiriska inhämtningen. Teorin om att skapa delat värde utgår, som tidigare nämnt, från att skapa socialt värde och därigenom ekonomiskt värde vilket i sin tur skapar delat värde. Studien visar att även om Porter och Kramers teori om värdeskapande inte är helt applicerbart i offentlig upphandling, kan sysselsättningskrav vara ett sätt att skapa detta. Genom samarbete mellan den privata och offentliga sektorn kan sociala problem såsom arbetslöshet, adresseras och minskas.

Titel: Gemensamt värdeskapande i praktiken Författare: Lydia Frykman och Johanna Wennerström Handledare: Rasmus Nyqvist Bakgrund: I dagens samhälle är utmaningarna inom hållbarhet högst väsentliga, till följd av att företag inte tar sitt fulla ekonomiska, ekologiska och sociala samhällsansvar. CSV har som ett resultat av detta blivit alltmer uppmärksammat då konceptet belyser företagens roll i att driva hållbarhetsutvecklingen framåt. Det saknas däremot empiriskt underlag som visar hur företag kan arbeta för att uppnå gemensamt värdeskapande i praktiken, samt hur den komplexa avvägningen mellan företagsnytta och samhällsnytta ska gå till. Därför undersöker denna kvalitativa studie värdeskapande aktiviteter samt avvägningen mellan företagsnytta och samhällsnytta. Syfte: Syftet är att bidra med en ökad förståelse för de aktiviteter som skapar gemensamt värde, vad som krävs för att företagen ska motiveras till dessa aktiviteter samt för hur företag hanterar den komplexa avvägningen mellan företagsnytta och samhällsnytta. Metod: Denna kvalitativa studie utgår från ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv, har en tvärsnittsdesign och en abduktiv forskningsansats. Det empiriska underlaget samlades in genom två studier, som bestod av semistrukturerade intervjuer med företagsrespondenter och experter inom ämnet. Slutsats: Resultaten från studien tyder på att företagen utövar CSV-aktiviteter i olika utsträckning, men att en stor utmaning är att identifiera när det är ekonomiskt rationellt att uppnå ett gemensamt värde. Vidare har studien klargjort att det finns flera drivkrafter till att uppnå gemensamt värdeskapande. Däremot behöver dagens lagkrav ytterligare förtydligande och förbättring, för att företagen ska agera mer osjälviskt. Studien lyfter avvägningen mellan företagsnytta och samhällsnytta och det framgår att det är denna del som är mest väsentlig i diskussionen om hur företag kan uppnå gemensamt värdeskapande. Slutligen har företagens utvecklingsriktning visat att det har adderats en intention om att göra gott för samhället, men faktumet att den ekonomiska faktorn väger tyngst kvarstår. / Title: Creating Shared Value In PracticeAuthors: Lydia Frykman and Johanna Wennerström Supervisor: Rasmus Nyqvist Background: In today's society, the challenges connected to sustainability are highly significant, as a result of companies not fully taking their economic, environmental and social responsibility. As a result, CSV has received increased attention as the concept highlights companies’ role in driving sustainability forward. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence showing how companies can work to achieve shared value in practice, as well as displaying how the complex trade-off between economic and social value creation should be handled. Therefore, this qualitative study examines value- creating activities and the trade-off between economic and social value creation. Purpose: The aim of the study is to contribute to an increased understanding of the activities that create shared value, what it is that motivates the companies to these activities and for how companies manage the complex trade-off between economic and social value creation. Methodology: This qualitative study is from a hermeneutic perspective, has a cross- sectional study design and an abductive research approach. The empirical evidence was collected through two studies, which consisted of semi-structured interviews with respondents from practice and experts within the field. Conclusion: The results of the study displays that companies practice CSV activities, however it ́s explained that it's hard to determine when it's economically rational to achieve shared value and not. Additionally, the study has clarified several driving forces to achieve shared value. Although, it ́s declared that today's legal regulations need further clarification, in order for companies to act more selflessly. Furthermore, the study highlights the trade-off between economic and social value creation and it appears from the results that this ́s the most essential part in the discussion of how companies can achieve shared value. Finally, the companies’ development has shown that an intention to do good for the society has been added, however, the fact that the economic aspect weighs the most still remains.

Denna uppsats undersöker värdet av att inkludera hållbarhet och ESG i en due diligence-process inom kontexten för internationella företagsförvärv. Ett konsultperspektiv tillämpades på grund av externa rådgivares vidsträcka erfarenhet och insyn i denna relativt nya process. Analysen har utgått från två kompletterande perspektiv på värdeskapande, Gemensamt värdeskapande och Stakeholder Value Creation Model med rötter inom Intressentmodellen. Genom kvalitativ metod och semi-strukturerade intervjuer med konsulter med hållbarhetsprofil har perspektiv kring värdeskapande i samband med ESG due diligence framkommit. Analysen visar att potential för värdeskapande på längre sikt finns men att det kortsiktiga värdeskapandet är begränsat. Mindre fördelaktiga ESG-resultat hos målföretaget kan översättas till värdeskapande möjligheter. / This essay examines the value of incorporating sustainability and ESG factors in a due diligence process within the context of international acquisitions. A consulting perspective was applied due to external advisors'  extensive experience and insight into this relatively new process. The analysis has been based in two complementary perspectives on value creation, Shared Value Creation, and the Stakeholder Value Creation Model rooted in the Stakeholder Model. Through qualitative methods and semi-structured interviews with consultants specializing in sustainability, perspectives on value creation related to ESG due diligence have emerged. This analysis indicates that there is potential for long-term value creation, but short term value creation is limited. Less favorable ESG outcomes in the target company can be translated into value creation opportunities.