Most multinational enterprises face difficulties regarding what and how to best communicate activities related to corporate social responsibility. Therefore, this master thesis addresses the online communication of corporate social responsibility by Swedish multinational enterprises. The purpose is to contribute to the understanding of the way Swedish multinational enterprises reveal messages regarding corporate social responsibility to their international stakeholders while communicating with them online via their websites and social media. This research is of qualitative nature and follows a multiple case study design. The six Swedish MNEs the Volvo Group, H&M, Atlas Copco, Securitas AB, Svenska Kullagerfabriken, and Svenska Cellulosa AB are included in the sample. Two methods for data collection are combined: online observation of the communication regarding corporate social responsibility on the corporate websites including sustainability reports or alike and in social media as well as qualitative, semi-structured interviews with the employees in charge of corporate social responsibility. The results indicate that the examined multinational enterprises communicated corporate social responsibility in different ways depending on whether they communicate via their corporate websites, their reports or in social media. This master thesis concludes with practical recommendations for multinational enterprises involved in communication of corporate social responsibility.

Nyckelord: Kulturell påverkan, etik och religion, konsumentbeteende, internationell marknadsföring och svenskhet. Syfte Syftet med detta examensarbete är att skapa fördjupad förståelse för hur kulturella faktorer, såsom religion och etiska värderingar, påverkar svenska företags utformning av deras internationella marknadsföring med fokus på den saudiarabiska marknaden. Utifrån denna förståelse syftar studien till att undersöka de svenska konsumenternas reaktioner på företagens eventuella åtgärder och anpassningar efter den saudiarabiska kulturen, studien syftar även till att se om de finns några likheter och skillnader mellan olika generationer, kön och låg- respektive höginkomsttagare. Problemformulering Hur påverkar kulturella faktorer, såsom religion och etiska värderingar, svenska företags utformning av deras internationella marknadsföring i Saudiarabien? Hur påverkar företagens ageranden de svenska konsumenternas uppfattning av företaget och finns det några likheter och skillnader i attityderna mellan olika konsumentgrupper, såsom generationer, kön och låg- respektive höginkomsttagare? Metodval Studien fokuserar på två stycken stora svenska detaljhandelsföretag som opererar på den saudiarabiska marknaden. Undersökningen bygger på både kvalitativ och kvantitativ data. De data som samlats in och som ligger till grund för studiens resultat och slutsatser är genomförd via litteraturstudier och en enkätundersökning på 171 stycken deltagare. Resultat och slutsatser Kulturella faktorer har en stor inverkan på företagens internationella marknadsföring, men de har valt olika tillvägagångssätt. De svenska konsumenterna reagerade olika starkt mot olika sorters anpassningar och det är av stor vikt för företagen att skilja mellan vilka anpassningar som hemmarknaden accepterar och inte. Kunder tenderar att byta ut ett varumärke på grund av etiska skäl och det av stor betydelse för företagen att ha en långsiktigt hållbar marknadsföring. / Keywords: The impact of culture, ethics and religion, consumer behavior, International marketing and swedishness Purpose The purpose of this study is to create a deeper understanding about cultural factors, such as religion and ethical value, and the impact on Swedish business international marketing designs with focus on the Saudi Arabian market. With this knowledge the purpose of this study continues to focus on which effects this may have on the Swedish market and if the effects differ between different generations, gender and low-income respective high-income earners. Problem How do cultural factors, such as religion and ethical values, have an impact on Swedish business international marketing design in Saudi Arabia? Which impacts have the adaptations on the Swedish market and are there any differences between different groups of consumers, such as generations, gender and low-income respective high-income earners? Method This study focus on two big Swedish retail companies that operates on the Saudi Arabian market. The investigations in this study are built on both qualitative and quantitative data, one literature study and one survey that included 171 participants. Results and conclusions Cultural factors have a large impact on the businesses international marketing designs, but they have chosen different way to handle the situations. The Swedish consumers reactions were different regarding on the adaptations and it’s really important that the business know which adaptations that they are accepting and not. Customers may change from one brand to another because of ethical values and the companies need to have a long-term sustainable marketing.

Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka den kris som uppstod kring H&M:s textilförbränning 2017 genom att analysera medierapporteringen samt en intervju ur Uppdrag granskning. Uppsatsens problemställningar har undersökt hur denna kris uppkom samt vilka faktorer som låg till grund för denna. Den teoretiska tyngdpunkten är issues och issues management, hållbar kommunikation, förväntningssamhället (Nextopia) samt agenda setting. I resultatet presenteras en analys av den kodade medierapporteringen och intervjun utifrån en tematisk samt diskursanalytisk metod där materialet har tematiserats till att kretsa kring miljö, etik och ansvar samt källhantering. Miljöaspekten är inriktad mot konsekvenser av textilproduktion och etik och moral har visat sig vara en betydelsefull faktor för krisskadandet. Gemensamt för samtliga artiklar är att de är någorlunda presenterar en samstämmig bild av H&M:s textilbränning och att detta var en bidragande faktor till krisen. Slutligen visar uppsatsen på att vi har en rad förväntningar på media samtidigt som vi har förväntningar på H&M som företag, vilket tillsammans bidrar till krisskapandet. Mediernas uppbyggnad och syfte påverkar även att rapporteringen inte alltid är rationell. Det kan även vara problematiskt att förutspå hur förtroendekapital som skapas via PR-aktiviteter kan komma att tolkas i en framtida kontext. Agenda setting är ytterligare en bidragande orsak till krisskapandet och varför vissa händelser hamnar på mediernas agenda. Gränsen mellan hållbar och ohållbar kommunikation är inte alltid helt spikrak och genuint hållbar kommunikation kan endast legitimeras av organisationer med hållbara strategier och affärsmodeller.

This paper is an attempt to identify new ways to improve consumer’s response to ethical fashion branding through written mission statements and fashion films. It examines material by three fashion brands: H&M, Stella McCartney and People Tree. Additionally, it reviews and summarizes findings of previous literature in the field of ethical and sustainable fashion branding and builds a list of principal factors that play in the success of ethical fashion branding. The paper concludes with providing recommendations to improve the branding of each case study. / BA Thesis

This essay aims to establish a marxist perspective upon a phenomena that could be seen as typical neoliberal–femvertising. I have noticed an expanding trend in fashion; the use of feminism as branding. Fashion brands such as Dior and H&M have lately profiled themselves with feminism, framing it as radical as well as feminist. Meanwhile, the theory of reification by Georg Lukács claims that capitalism fools us to believe that we may acccomplish human aims and characteristics through commodities. I will investigate if it is possible to look upon this phenomena as an example of reification? The attempt brings the capitalistic dimension of femvertising into daylight and questions it´s feminist pretense.

The aim of this thesis is to define fast fashion as a trend in the contemporary retailing with a deeper focus on the Czech market. It provides an analysis and further comparison of marketing strategies and business activities of five chosen retailers (C&A, H&M, Marks&Spencer, Reserved and ZARA) who are mutual competitors on both, domestic and foreign markets. The empirical part presents information about Czech consumers and their perception of the marketing strategies that particular companies apply in the Czech Republic.

This thesis investigates how body positivity and sustainability are discursively constructed by fast fashion brands. The brand chosen as a case study is H&M, as it describes itself as being both environmentally and socially involved. Yet, despite H&M's claims, during our preliminary research we were able to detect the lack of accessibility of sustainable collections to plus size customers. In this essay, we analyze how H&M communicates body inclusivity in its sustainability reports, website, and YouTube campaigns promoting conscious lines. Drawing on theories of representation, biopolitics, and post-feminism, we sought to critically analyze the previously mentioned material through a multimodal critical analysis. The results show how H&M discursively constructs health communication in different ways depending on which clothing line the brand is promoting and to which consumers it is being advertised. Class discourses were recognized, leading to exclusive access to sustainable clothing for higher income shoppers. We believe this work is relevant to opening up the discussion about democratization and making sustainable items fully accessible to everyone.

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京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第20897号 / 理博第4349号 / 新制||理||1624(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)准教授 川畑 貴裕, 教授 永江 知文, 教授 鶴 剛 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

The case study ”Är det H&M eller luvtröjan?” intends to analyze the crisis communication that took place during H&Ms crisis in early 2018. The crisis situation stems from a controversial choice of letting a dark-skinned child wear the hoodie with the print “Coolest monkey in the jungle”. H&M was quickly criticized by the media for making racial remarks. To address the situation H&M published an official press release on their website and several public statements on their social media channels. With the main purpose of the case study being to analyze H&Ms official statements about the crisis situation, we intend to identify which strategies were applied to reduce eventual reputational damage to H&M. The case study focused on answering the different questions based on the crisis that occurred. The questions are “Which rhetorical appeals were used in the official statements published by H&M?”, “Which identifiable strategies from SCCT and IRT were used in the official statements published by H&M”, and “Which actions were implemented by H&M after the crisis situation, and what effect does that have on the brand?”. A rhetorical analysis was used to identify which rhetorical appeals including Ethos, Logos, and Pathos were used in the official statements by H&M, and furthermore, understand what the usage of certain appeals means to the crisis situation and its communicational part. The theories within crisis communication that were used are situational crisis communication theory and image restoration theory. These theories present strategies to use in cases of crisis. To answer the second question, the official statements were analyzed and categorized after which strategi they could identify as. The last question was not based on theories, and was answered by following research about H&Ms actions after the crisis. The results shows that H&M mostly used pathos to persuade the organization's stakeholders to show regret about the situation, and that pattern can be found in all the official statements that were analyzed. Furthermore, the theories that were most identified in the official statements were sympathy, regret, and apologetic, which overall shows regret from theorganization. To answer the last question about reputational damage. H&M has since the crisis followed by hiring a global head of diversity and inclusion, to prevent similar events from occurring.