The aim of this study is to make a comparison of how some of Sweden’s largest companies apply GRI standards in their sustainability reports. The study investigates the reporting distribution between economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the purpose of the thesis is to look at differences between companies and between sectors and it is based on GRI’s framework. The method used consists of quantitative data. We have collected secondary data in the form of sustainability reports from the companies’ websites. A cross section design has been used and the data has been analyzed through a content analysis. The year under review was 2019. The result from the study shows that companies in the same sector did not report the same GRI standards. There was also a wide variation in the number of standards included. The result indicate that it is most common for companies to report most regarding environmental sustainability. The only thing that all the companies had in common was the fact that they excluded the same standards from their sustainability reports. The result also shows that there is an uneven distribution between how much is reported in economic, social, and environmental dimensions. However, the distribution regarding these aspects turned out to be partly due to sector.

Introduction: The Intellectual Capital (IC) term was introduced by Sveiby and his group in Sweden 1986 (Sullivan, 1998). The main point in all organizational analyses is to evaluate performance, and therefore an organization’s success is not imaginable without a performance evaluation system. Performance assessment is a process that measures, evaluates, and judges the performance over time. Performance assessment in organizations is usually established for assuring the effectiveness of activities. Purpose: The purpose of the research is to identify and emphasize the relationship and impact of Intellectual Capital (IC) on the manufacturing companies by analyzing the level of their financial performance in the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). Research Question: What is the impact of the Pulic (1998) form of intellectual capital efficiency on the financial performance of manufacturing companies on the Tehran Stock Exchange? Hypothesis: H1: The value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) has relation with the financial performance, measured by DEA, of Pharmaceutical and food companies in the Tehran Stock Exchange.H2: The human capital efficiency (HCE) has relation with the financial performance, measured by DEA, of pharmaceutical and food companies in the Tehran Stock Exchange, .H3: The structural capital efficiency (SCE) has relation with the financial performance, measured by DEA, of pharmaceutical and food companies in the Tehran Stock Exchange.H4: The capital employed efficiency (CEE) has relation with the financial performance, measured by DEA, of pharmaceutical and food companies in the Tehran Stock Exchange. Methodology: The methodology used is a Quantitative Method with a deductive, positivism approach. Collection of statistical data is gathered regarding Pharmaceutical & Food manufacturing industries and evaluated IC through Pulic 1998 VAIC model along with observed FP through the DEA method. After getting the VAIC and FP regression method is used to test our Hypothesis Results: Except H2 with pharmaceutical and H3 with food industries all other hypothesizes are accepted

The United Nations, in their 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, states that “eradicatingpoverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest globalchallenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development”. Hence, as it is aglobal challenge, we have decided to investigate how can the efforts to address this issue withofficial development assistance could be facilitated or mitigated by democracy and stronginstitutions. Hopefully will our observations provide a clearer idea of how the politicalbackground can be arranged to facilitate the efforts of poverty alleviation. The study that we have conducted relies on various theories and models. Among them are the papers from Burnside & Dollar who have extensively studied the relationships that exists between foreignaid, economic policies, and GDP per capita growth which are defining concepts for our paper. This paper then regresses poverty on six variables: democracy and institutional stability, officialdevelopment aid, gross capital formation, school enrolment, and unemployment rate. This panelseries analysis covering the period 2008-2018 aims to show if ODA effectively affect poverty,and how the level of democracy and institution stability plays a role in that relationship. Theregressions conducted advocated that institutional stability plays an important role in reducingabsolute poverty. In the meantime, relative poverty was very slightly increased by both democracy and stability, but both indicators seem to have a positive impact on ODA’s capacityto reduce relative poverty.

Background- Emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the dynamics of the business world. AI tools are changing the way marketers used to do business and these changes are so profound that it has become difficult for marketing managers to overlook the importance of investing in and adopting AI as an integral part of the marketing function. Companies which have implemented AI in their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and marketing as a whole,have reported significant impacts on company’s growth in terms of customer loyalty and profitability. In recent years, we also witness emergence of specialized software and IT companies which are dedicated to produce customized marketing solutions and programs targeted at customer relationship management and marketing. They produce enterprise applications for marketing automation, analytics, and application development. Consequently, the role of marketing managers has also transformed and is expected to change even more in the future. This calls for further research, as the area appears to have received little attention in relation to its weight of importance. Aim- The main purpose of our thesis is to contribute to the literature of what changes have been introduced in the function of CRM as a result of AI integration and how these ongoing changes have affected the role of marketing managers. Results- The findings of the research show a connection that exists between the 3 factors, Artificial intelligence, CRM and role of marketing managers/decision makers. The ongoing changes that are occurring in marketing as a result of AI are not only limited to transforming the marketing function of business, it is rather consequently changing the way marketing manager make decisions and the way they interpret data. It is becoming increasingly essential for marketing managers to upgrade their skillsets and acquire sound technical knowledge in addition to deep understanding of marketing concepts. Contribution- The evolution of AI is impacting all areas of business and to harvest maximum benefits, adoption and change in all aspects is equally important. This study offers guideline to marketing managers for successful application of AI and its impact on the overall performance.

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Aim: The purpose of the study is to investigate how a major player in the grocery trade has chosen to handle the increased demand for e-commerce due to Covid-19 and the logistical solutions it has brought. Theory: This study has been based on contingency theory, delivery service elements and just in time as theories. To answer the purpose of the study, these theories have been chosen, which can partly explain events but also provide a background on how a company can handle and react to changes in an effective way. By considering the organic structure in the case study, parallels have been drawn between theories and the company's routines. Method: In this study, a qualitative method with an inductive approach was used. Primary data in this study consist of semi-structured interviews where data were collected from two respondents, of which one store manager and one operations manager, employees at company X. Secondary data consists of previous research, research literature and statistics in e-commerce use. Empiricism/Analysis: Empirical evidence shows that company X has moved towards an organic structure, and that the company's logistical aspect is based on the delivery service structure where the elements stock availability, delivery reliability and delivery security are in focus. The analysis shows that company X has implemented the strategies Click and Collect, Just in time and increased E-commerce to manage and adapt its routines to contingencies. Conclusions: The conclusion that can be drawn from the case study is that if company X has a structure that is prepared to be able to act quickly and that the company is constantly working to be adaptable, the probability is that the company will be better at responding to factors that may affect the organization. If Company X has the opportunity to act quickly and allow its own thinking in employees, the probability is high that the company will be able to withstand most logistical and organizational difficulties.

Byggbranschen har länge präglats av diskussioner om jämställdhet och kvinnors deltagande inom branschen. Det har målats upp en bild att branschen har skrämt iväg kvinnor och minskat deras möjligheter till att vara en del av den. I följande rapport kommer ett område inom jämställdhetsfrågan att redovisas. Kvinnor inom mansdominerade yrken har varit en stor fråga och är än idag ett olöst problem som kontinuerligt dyker upp. Fokuset kommer att ligga på männens synvinkel på kvinnligt ledarskap. Syftet med rapporten är att undersöka och redovisa ledande mäns åsikter om kvinnligt ledarskap för att försöka hitta de hinder som måste rivas för att nå en jämn fördelning av kön i ledande roller. Genom intervjuer med olika byggföretag och fastighetsbolag kommer olika synvinklar att redovisas från män samt kvinnor som besitter de högre positionerna inom företagen. Dessa synvinklar jämförs och sammanställs sedan med kvinnornas syn på kvinnligt ledarskap. Rapporten redovisar även för möjliga lösningar på olika nivåer. Kvinnors deltagande inom byggbranschens ledande positioner är inte endast ett inrikes problem. Problemet är ett internationellt problem som präglat branschen. Detta beror på den hierarkin som har varit i samhället långt tillbaka i tiden. Detta har sedan dess hängt med och bidragit till effekter som indirekt påverkat kvinnors deltagande och acceptans inom branschen. Det är stora förändringar som sker inom branschen idag. Inte minst med att utbildningarna börjar uppmärksamma problemet alltmer. En del av ingenjörsutbildningarna i Sverige idag upplyser detta problem och utbildar studenter för att främja kvinnors deltagande och acceptans inom branschen. Det jobbar fler kvinnor idag inom branschen och siffrorna ökar år efter år. Det är många insatser som sker på samhällsnivå, utbildningsnivå samt inom branschen. Problemet slutar inte här dock, det är en lång väg som återstår. Branschen är däremot på väg i rätt riktning idag. Kunskapen om ämnet har blivit betydligt större och viktigare. / Gender equality and women’s participation in the construction industry has always been discussedand more so now than ever. The construction industry is portrayed in such a way that scares away women. In the following report an area within the gender equality issue will be discussed. Women in maledominated professions has been a major issue and is still an unsolved problem that is constantlydiscussed. In the following report, the men's point of view on female leadership will be presented.The purpose of the report is to examine and present men in power/leading positions' view onfemale leadership. This in order to find the obstacle and to achieve gender equality in leadershiproles. Through interviews with various construction companies and real estate companies, differentpoints of view will be reported from men and women who hold higher positions within thesecompanies. These perspectives will be compiled and compared with women's views on femaleleadership. The report also includes possible solutions at different levels. There is a long way until the issue, to get more women into the industry, is resolved. If moreknowledge about the issue is shared and understood, then more progress will be attained.

ABSTRACT Date: 9th of June 2021 Level: Master thesis in Industrial Engineering and Management, 30 ECTS Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Malardalens University Authors: Sandra Michael, Ali Mohsen Title: Drivers and barriers in future implementation of the EU’s Taxonomy                           in a bank – A qualitative study of the bank’s sustainability work  Supervisor: Sofia Wagrell  Keywords: CSR, Taxonomy, Customer behavior, B2B, Driving forces, Barriers,                                                                Real estate, Sustainability Research questions: 1. What potential driving forces and barriers exists to implement the EU’s Taxonomy at Sparbanken Alfa? 2. How will customer behavior and the relationship with the real estate customers be affected if the EU’s Taxonomy is implemented at Sparbanken?3. In what ways will Sparbanken’s CSR-work potentially be affected by the EU’s Taxonomy? Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyze the driving forces and barriers that arise in the potential implementation of the European Commission’s Taxonomy at Sparbanken Alfa. Furthermore, it has the purpose to analyze how the Taxonomy will affect customer behavior in various forms. In addition, an analysis of Sparbanken’s CSR-work from a sustainable, economic, and social perspective will be carried out. This will in its entirety provide a basis for a future work in environmental awareness and credit loans to customers at Sparbanken Alfa.     Method: To answer the questions and achieve the purpose of the study, a qualitative research method is applied with an inductive or abductive research approach. To increase the understanding of the chosen field, the literature study and the theoretical framework will be the basis of this study. The empirical material has been provided through qualitative semi-structured interviews with five real estate companies. The interviews contributed to unique observations that drew general reviews. In the data collection, secondary data have been used in the form of sustainability reports, annual reports, and EU’s reports on Taxonomy. Conclusion: The potential driving forces that may arise in a future implementation of the EU’s Taxonomy are divided into three categories. The first category includes CSR and sustainability, driving forces are clarity in the sustainability strategy, enabling new products and services. The vision of Sparbanken is similar to the definition of CSR and Sparbanken’s Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, customers demand inspiration, support in sustainability work, sustainability analysis, curiosity and interest, new legalizations from EU, encouraging work with CSR and a philanthropic and social heart. The barriers that can arise in this category are among other things, uneducated staff, unmotivated customers, lack of information, lack of work with climate change, customers are only interested in the financial perspective, customers change bank, lack of development, customers do not find any experience in the relationship whilst Sparbanken prioritize social issues. Furthermore, customers mean that Sparbanken should not be alone in this change and environmental awareness is not prioritizing due to housing shortages.  The second category includes business-to-business and customer behavior. Increased trust leads to minimization of uncertainties and increased trust, development of the relationship, honesty and integrity, social responsibility, and simplicity. Increased loyalty helps to understand customers’ CSR perceptions, customers contribute with social factors, Sparbanken Alfa becomes financially strong, value and quality increases in the relationship and a reward system becomes current. In addition, formal contracts become long-lasting. The balance of power is strengthened through no coercion on the customers, a strong dependence, and a hierarchical control according to Sparbanken Alfa. If trust becomes a barrier, Sparbanken risks going bankrupt, customers questioning, lack of social responsibility, termination of business relationship and restrictions of development. If loyalty is lacking, this leads to customers going to competitors, short-term business relationships, business optimization, lack of information exchange and high interests’ rates. If the power becomes unstable, this leads to no lock-in effects, not a strong dependence and the hierarchical control becomes problematic according to the customers. The third category presents EU’s Taxonomy. The potential driving forces are that Taxonomy’s environmental objectives is like Sparbanken’s Sustainable Development Goals. There are also indirect factors such as bonds and energy efficiency. The Taxonomy also leads to active and better conditions and increases customers motivation. On the other hand, the barriers for the Taxonomy are that the concept applies to a company with 500 employees whilst Sparbanken only has 100 employees. Furthermore, it leads to high costs for restructuring, threats with risks such as competition and losing market share, lack of courage and political impact.

In 2019 the Swedish government restructured the Swedish gambling market. The once closed gambling monopoly opened up and invited new actors to the market. In order to acquire rights to the Swedish gambling market, the betting-and casino companies need to apply for a gambling license. Gambling is a big part of the Swedish society and 60 precent of its population have gambled in some form in the last year. With such a gambling culture there's also a downside, 4 precent of the population has some degree of gambling addiction. The purpose of this study is to examine how Swedish gambling companies balance their profit interests with their gambling responsibilities after the new gambling regulation, and to examine how the Swedish gamblers experience the gambling companies gamblingresponsibilities. Triangulation was used as this studys research method, where it interplays between quantitative and qualitative methods to regard the problem from different point of views. This study gathered empirical data from active players and conducted three qualitative interviews with respondents’ from ATG, Svenska Spel and Leo Vegas to gain deeper insights in how these companies work with CSR, profit interests and gambling responsibilities.The empirical results gathered in this study have been analyzed through theories in CSR and ethics. These theories functions as a guide to interpret and understand the empirical datagathered through interviews and surveys.Based on the empirical data and chosen theory, it is possible to demonstrate a generalizable picture of how the gambling companies relate to gambling responsibility versus profit interest, and how active players view the gambling companies' responsibility. Furthermore, the study testifies that the introduction of the new gambling law has led the gambling responsibility forward. Some gambling companies strive for long-term relationships with players for increased profitability, where gambling responsibility is at the center. This generates a natural balancing act between profit interest and gambling responsibility. On the other hand, the empirical data show that there are gambling companies and specific areas in the industry where there is room for improvement and where gambling responsibility is not complete.

In this research, researcher has attempted to present the impact of leadership practices on organizational culture. Hence in the beginning, the notion of the culture has been explained. Few more attempts have been made to describe the “organizational culture” and the role and impact of leadership. The research mainly has insisted on strategic leadership that may fill in the gaps within the organizational culture. This research adopts case study approach with three companies as example. One company where theculture suits it current environment, another company that needs certain improvement and the third company that needs a complete change of mindset to improve the cultural aspects. The nature of this thesis is more theoretical in nature and aimsto providea criticalreview of the leadership capabilities andorganizational culture. This research finallyprovidesa further room for designated heads in the organization to study and focus on importance of strategic leadership practices and its impact on organizations culture. In order to assess these capabilities, qualitative approach was adopted using non-probability sampling methods and the data has been analyzed suing open and axial methods. Hence, the results using case study approach show firms with traditional leadership face a lot of issues and the culture within does not seem to be positive in respect to the two other case study where the emergent leadership highlightspositive results and the culture within the firm seem to be the way it ideally should be in today’s business world.