Corporate finance reporting is based in rigorous, rules-based frameworks yet environmental and social reporting does not seem to have these normalised tools. The sustainable development of the business movement, in terms of increased environmental and social responsibility, will remain marginal as long as policy decisions maintain their direction towards old models of corporate governance that are not based on the key principles of the triple-bottom line, CSR and accountability. This thesis attempts to gauge to what extent Public-Private Partnership performs a transparent and independent source and appraisal of the standards of Governance for Sustainability for selected firms. This investigation is delimited to an Environmental Social Governance metric analysis and comparison of non-financial corporate data disclosure in sustainability reports from the mining and metals industry in the Nordic countries. It has been inferred from the analysis that an extrapolation can be made based on the financial predictions and trend prospecting of LKAB, Boliden Group, Lundin Mining Corporation, and the Swedish Association of Mines, Mineral and Metal Producers for the future growth of both the Nordic mining sector and sustainability reporting. As a result, ‘best-practice’ in reporting procedures could be exported to where demand is highest from pioneering firms with the ‘first-mover’ advantage, to SME’s and other interested firm’s outside of the Nordic countries. It has been identified that using the Global Reporting Initiative reporting framework enhances partnerships in businesses that adopt and use its index to the extent where it becomes integrated into their management chains and business strategies. The more comprehensively a firm discloses its non-financial performances with relation to the GRI framework, the more integrated reports appear to become. The standardisation of the accurate reporting and disclosure used from the GRI G3.1 varies greatly just between three firms in the same sector and region.

This study investigates the effectiveness of public sector roles in facilitating corporate social responsibility (CSR) in commercial banks in the United States and the United Kingdom and the role of national context in CSR activities of commercial banks. It examines CSR as measured by MSCI ESG (environmental, social and governance) Global Socrates ratings across five categories of ESG (environment, employee & supply chain, customers, corporate governance & ethics, and community & society) in six commercial banks. The study compared differences in ESG rankings to categorized CSR-related government bodies, legislation and policies according to four possible public sector roles as outlined by the World Bank: mandating, facilitating. endorsing or partnering for CSR. The principal conclusion is that national context seems to play a role in CSR activities of commercial banks and that certain CSR-related public policy tools appear to be more effective at supporting CSR than others. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts / Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy / MA / Thesis

Thesis advisor: Richard Spinello / This thesis studies the effects of greenwashing in the fashion industry on the Generation Z cohort. It aims to understand the behaviors, motivations, attitudes, and processes behind their clothing shopping habits, including external and internal factors. It seeks to broaden the discussion around greenwashing in the 21st century, especially in the current age where firms are being evaluated on their Environmental, Social, and Governance practices. Therefore, it includes an extensive research background, including a brief history of greenwashing as a marketing tactic, the fashion industry, a study of clothing supply chains, and finally background information on Generation Z and their generational characteristics.This, as well as the small research study conducted at Boston College, all inform the conclusions of this study. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Environmental Studies.

This thesis studies the effects of greenwashing in the fashion industry on the Generation Z cohort. It aims to understand the behaviors, motivations, attitudes, and processes behind their clothing shopping habits, including external and internal factors. It seeks to broaden the discussion around greenwashing in the 21st century, especially in the current age where firms are being evaluated on their Environmental, Social, and Governance practices. Therefore, it includes an extensive research background, including a brief history of greenwashing as a marketing tactic, the fashion industry, a study of clothing supply chains, and finally background information on Generation Z and their generational characteristics.This, as well as the small research study conducted at Boston College, all inform the conclusions of this study. / Thesis ( BA ) — Boston College, 2022 . / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences . / Discipline: Departmental Honors . / Discipline: Environmental Studies .

This thesis studies the effects of greenwashing in the fashion industry on the Generation Z cohort. It aims to understand the behaviors, motivations, attitudes, and processes behind their clothing shopping habits, including external and internal factors. It seeks to broaden the discussion around greenwashing in the 21st century, especially in the current age where firms are being evaluated on their Environmental, Social, and Governance practices. Therefore, it includes an extensive research background, including a brief history of greenwashing as a marketing tactic, the fashion industry, a study of clothing supply chains, and finally background information on Generation Z and their generational characteristics.This, as well as the small research study conducted at Boston College, all inform the conclusions of this study. / Thesis ( BA ) — Boston College, 2022 . / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences . / Discipline: Departmental Honors . / Discipline: Environmental Studies .

Employer branding is becoming increasingly important, but the literature on the subject lacks vital elements. First, Country of Origin (COO) has been shown to affect employer branding, but this process is very poorly understood. Second, employee retention, although proven to have multiple benefits and to be impacted by employer branding, is underrepresented in employer branding research. Third, despite the importance of cultural context being well documented in literature, current employer branding research takes little consideration for this, especially in regards to Generation Z, who are becoming increasingly vital in the workforce. To mend these important research gaps, this thesis aims to examine how employer branding is affected by COO, and, in extension, how this impacts employee retention among Generation Z employees. This purpose is fulfilled by answering the following research question: “How is employer branding affected by COO when retaining Generation Z employees?” With this research question in mind, an abductive qualitative study was conducted using multiple- case studies in a Swedish MNE context. Semi-structured interviews with HR/employer branding managers and international Generation Z employees were conducted. This provided a dual perspective where both the views of employers and employees could be observed, analysed, and compared which was necessary to answer the research question. The results were then analysed using rigorous data-driven content-analysis. Using this approach, the study answered the research question by finding that employer branding is affected indirectly by COO through the process of other primary factors in retaining Generation Z. The research led to the introduction of a new model; The Employer Brand Compass, which illustrates how employer branding is affected by COO through three main factors in employee retention of Generation Z; ESG, development opportunities, and consumer branding.

This dissertation examines the impact and determinants of government enforcement action related to compliance and corruption. Study I assesses whether Health Care Compliance (HCC) related government enforcement actions are effective at improving firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) scores. In a study of 37 enforcement actions, I find that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) score significantly increases during the three years after the enforcement settlement, compared to the period before the enforcement action. In particular, I find that the Diversity and Community CSR sub-scores improve following the enforcement settlement. However, there is little evidence that firms with poorer CSR ratings are more likely subject to enforcement action. Study II expands the reach of enforcement actions beyond the healthcare industry to all firms subject to Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPA) enforcement actions. Based on 88 cases of such enforcement actions, I document increases of the overall CSR scores as well as several sub-scores post enforcement settlement, which is consistent with the results in Study I. I also find that firms start to improve their CSR ratings as soon as the identification of the misconduct occurs, which is on average four years prior to the settlement of the enforcement action. Furthermore, the improvement in CSR rating post misconduct year tends to be greater and more significant among firms that face larger monetary sanctions. This implies that the materiality of enforcement monetary penalties plays a significant role in shaping a firm’s timely response to government investigation of misconduct. Although I find that CSR ratings in Employee Relations and Product are significantly negatively related to the chance of being subject to enforcement action investigation, there is little evidence that firms with poor CSR ratings are more likely to subject to enforcement actions. This finding is consistent with the results from Study I. / Business Administration/Interdisciplinary

No description available.

Background: The Swedish fund savings have developed strongly over the past two decades. Together with this development, the knowledge that the earth's population is facing an extensive climate challenge has also increased. For many people today, living sustainably has become a central aspect of everyday life, and when it comes to investing their savings, the majority of Sweden's fund savers state that sustainability is something that is taken into account when choosing an investment. Investments in funds that based on measuring tools, show a high degree of sustainability have thus increased. This raises the question of whether these sustainable funds can generate a higher alpha and thus a better risk-adjusted return than the less sustainable alternatives available on the market. Previous studies have shown differences of opinion, which means that it is relevant to examine how these different types of funds perform against each other in the Swedish market.   Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze whether fund savers that are investing in sustainable funds can generate a higher alpha and thereby a better risk adjusted return than fund savers that invests in less sustainable alternatives.   Methodology: The study was conducted with a quantitative method and a deductive approach. Sustainability ratings have been collected for 253 funds from a measuring institute. For these 253 funds, data in the form of net asset value have been collected between the period 2016 - 2020 monthly. These funds have then been evaluated based on risk-adjusted returns where regression analysis has been the groundwork for finding answers to whether alpha has been achieved compared to the market or not. Results obtained have then been statistically examined through various tests.   Conclusion: After completed study, there were no signs that studied sustainable funds have given rise to a better risk-adjusted return than the less sustainable alternatives available on the market. Of the 253 funds included in the study, only five funds showed a risk-adjusted return statistically different from zero, where three had a negative return and two a positive return. When the 253 funds were divided into four different quartiles based on sustainability ratings, it appeared that the funds with a positive risk-adjusted return were placed in quartile four, which was the one with the highest sustainability rating. However, this may be based on chance and a result of two in a sample of 253 gives clear indications that efficiency prevails in the market.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka den relation som finns mellan företagsmässiga faktorer, som enligt teori och tidigare litteratur kan påverka företags hållbarhetsredovisning, och deras ESG-betyg. Följaktligen är syftet även att undersöka om det finns skillnader i hållbarhetsredovisningen för medlemsländer i EU och övriga länder i regionen Europa, för att utröna om den Europeiska unionens lagar och regler har spridits över gränser och på så sätt institutionaliserats. Metod: Studien använder sig av en deduktiv ansats med en kvantitativ metod, för att undersöka data insamlad från årsredovisningar via databasen Refinitiv för perioden 2020–2023. ESG-betyg generareas av databasen och är inhämtat i samband med övriga data. Urvalet består av cirka 2 500 publika företag inom regionen Europa. De hypoteser som studien leder fram till testas stegvis genom multipel regressionsanalys. Den beroende variabeln är ESG-betyg och de oberoende är finansiell styrka, FoU, EU samt miljökänslig bransch. Studien använder sig även av två kontrollvariabler; företagsstorlek samt skuldsättningsgrad. Slutsats: Undersökningen kunde lokalisera ett negativt signifikant samband mellan ESG och finansiell styrka. Det styrker viss tidigare forskning som påvisat ett negativt samband mellan dessa variabler. Resultatet går i linje med intressentteorin, de företag som tar sitt sociala ansvar kan välja att avstå från lukrativa affärsmöjligheter och kan där med inneha en lägre finansiell styrka. Studien kunde även se signifikanta positiva samband mellan ESG och FoU samt EU tillhörighet. En slutsats som dras från detta resultat är att de företag som investerar i FoU även tenderar att ha en starkare hållbarhetsredovisning och tar sitt sociala ansvar. Studien styrker uppfattningen om att innovation är nyckeln till hållbarhet. Originalitet/värde: Tidigare studier som har undersökt sambandet mellan hållbarhetsredovisning och företagsmässiga faktorer har kontradiktoriska resultat. Därmed finns det utrymme för att vidare undersöka dessa samband och bekräfta eller dementera tidigare forskning. Denna studie bidrar till ökad kunskap för relationen mellan ESG och företagsmässiga faktorer för publika företag inom Europa. Studien belyser även skillnader som finns på detta område mellan företag med huvudkontor inom EU och de företag som är belägna i övriga Europa. / The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between corporate factors, which according to theory and previous literature can influence their sustainability reporting, and their ESG score. Consequently, the aim is also to investigate if there are differences in sustainability reporting among EU member countries and other countries in the European region, in order to determine if the laws and regulations of EU have spread across borders and thereby institutionalized. Method: The study employs a deductive approach with a quantitative method to examine data collected from annual reports through the Refinitiv database for the period 2020-2023. ESG scores are generated by the database and are obtained alongside other data. The sample consists of approximately 2,500 public companies within the European region. The hypotheses generated by the study are assessed incrementally through multiple regression analysis. The dependent variable is the ESG score, and the independent variables are financial strength, R&D, EU membership, and environmentally sensitive industry. The study also includes two control variables: company size and leverage ratio. Conclusion: The study was able to identify a significant negative relationship between ESG and financial strength. This supports previous research that has demonstrated a negative association between these variables. The result aligns with stakeholder theory, as companies that prioritize social responsibility may choose to forgo lucrative business opportunities, potentially leading to lower financial strength. The study also found significant positive relationships between ESG and R&D as well as EU membership. A conclusion drawn from these findings is that companies investing in R&D also tend to have stronger sustainability reporting and demonstrate social responsibility. The study reinforces the belief that innovation is the key to sustainability. Originality/Value: Previous studies examining the relationship between sustainability reporting and corporate factors have yielded contradictory results. Therefore, there is room for further investigation to confirm or refute prior research. This study contributes to increased knowledge regarding the relationship between ESG and corporate factors for public companies within Europe. The study also highlights differences in this area between companies headquartered in the EU and tho