This thesis covers topic of actual trends in CSR strategies of the multinationals, especially of the global company Unilever. It presents drivers and bariers to the implementation of the CSR strategies. The goal of this paper is to understand new trends of the corporate social responsibility and sustainablity using the analysis of current TNC strategies. The thesis is divided into the two parts, theoretical based on the literature reading and practical based on PEST analysis, SWOT analysis, survey and the content analysis in order to prove or disprove specified hypotheses.

The subject of the thesis "Analysis of socially responsible activities of the selected company" is the analysis of CSR activities, which the company currently performs. The thesis aims to help a company determine whether to actively devote implementation of CSR. And also propose the first steps that the company has implemented in its eventual implementation.

The implementation of information technology and its impact on organisational change has been an important phenomenon, discussed in the IS literature over the last 30 years. Treating information system (IS) implementation as organisational change is a complex phenomenon. This complexity is mainly due to its multidisciplinary, socio-technical, dynamic and non-linear nature. This challenging nature of IS implementation complexities has a direct relationship to the IS implementation project outcomes - its success or failure. In view of this complexity, this research aims to understand how process studies can improve the understanding of enterprise system implementation. We argue that the socio-technical nature of IS development is inevitable thus the only way to go forward is to explore and understand the phenomenon. Following this, we adopt the stakeholder's perspective solely for the purpose of identification of stakeholders and their embedded interests and expectations. While prior research concentrated on a limited number of stakeholders of IS, we attempt to adopt Pouloudi et al. (2004) in mobilizing a stakeholder perspective to incorporate non-human stakeholders within the analysis. Within the actor-network perspective, complexity is resolved through simplification (black-boxing) - unpacking or collapsing the complexity. However, during this simplification process, the risk of removing useful description of the phenomenon through labelling was avoided. To support this research, the punctuated socio-technical information systems change (PSIC) model was applied. In this model, interactions and relationships between its components (antecedent condition, process, outcomes and organisational context) play a vital role. This research focuses on the implementation of an integrated financial system in three Malaysian universities through three interpretive case studies. Our findings show that each of our case studies provides a unique IS development trajectory. Following stakeholder analysis, the different cases provide interesting combinations of conflicts and coalitions among human and non-human stakeholders which further dictates the project outcomes or the process of IS black-boxing. The relationship between the three case studies on the other hand provides an interesting illustration of IS technology transfer.

The theses speaks about satisfaction of customer as about one of the most important factor of company's prosperity. Firts chapter is devoted to theory of marketing research. Second chapter speaks about satisfaction of customers. Third chapter includes facts about AV MEDIA, a.s. and its activities. Two researches about AV MEDIA's customers satisfaction are analysed in fourth and fifth chapter. The last chapter contains critical view of both methods which were used. There are also some recommendations in order to make measurements more efficient in the future.

Stakeholder participation is a foundation of good water governance. Good groundwater governance typically involves the co-production of knowledge about the groundwater system. Models provide a vehicle for producing this knowledge, as well as a boundary object around which scientists and stakeholders can convene the co-production process. Through co-production, stakeholders and scientific experts can engage in exchanges that create system knowledge not otherwise achievable. The process involves one-way transfer of information, active two-way conversations, and integration of multiple kinds of knowledge into shared understanding. In the Upper Santa Cruz River basin in Arizona, USA, the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) convened a project aimed at providing scientific underpinnings for groundwater planning and management. This project, entitled Groundwater, Climate, and Stakeholder Engagement, serves as a case study employing the first two stages of knowledge co-production using a hydrological model. Through an iterative process that included two-way communication, stakeholders provided critical input to hydrologic modeling analyses. Acting as a bridging organization, the WRRC facilitated a co-production process, involving location-specific and transferability workshops, which resulted in new knowledge and capacity for applying the model to novel problems.

Rural Agricultural Extension System in Lesotho depends on how successful extension knowledge is assembled from multiple actors and applied. Issues are wide ranging, from professional management and technical capacity constraints to the use of multiple, often overlapping and competing approaches by various role players, to mention just a few. First, the study identified multiple actors in rural agricultural extension. Second, it assessed the extent of multi-stakeholder coordination and the approaches used in rural extension. Third, it presented a comparison between best innovative models as identified in the literature and the practices in Lesotho. Fourth, it developed an innovative intervention model for knowledge transfer in consultation with the users of extension service in the two rural settlements. Using a mixed-research method conducted in two rural settlements from Ha Lejone in the Highlands and 'Muela in the Eastern Foothills of Lesotho to study the problem of coordination among actors, anecdotal evidences suggested that the patterns of interaction are not as effective and efficient as they potentially could be. The results show a mismatch of activities between service providers and farmers in terms of inputs provided and inputs required. Poor inter-ministerial and institutional coordination cultures are the majorelements preventing more effective interaction among actors. Introducing a multi-stakeholder intervention approach maps out roles and relationships within the extension knowledge systems by incorporating practices that are already known with exotic ones would give a fresh impetus to the reform of public sector agricultural extension in Lesotho. Policy recommendations for better use of innovation knowledge systems and approaches in the delivery of extension services, concludes the thesis. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Nos últimos anos, as questões relacionadas à problemática ambiental multiplicaram sua presença na agenda do setor empresarial. Mais recentemente, observa-se o aumento do interesse das empresas pela água, recurso natural indispensável para a manutenção do equilíbrio dos ecossistemas e das atividades socioeconômicas humanas. Diante da ampliação da pressão sobre seu uso, resultado do crescimento populacional e incremento dos padrões atuais de produção e consumo, diferentes ferramentas têm sido desenvolvidas para contribuir para que o uso da água se torne mais racional e sustentável. Uma delas é a Pegada Hídrica (PH), um indicador de consumo direto e indireto da água utilizada durante a produção de bens ou serviços. A PH está relacionada com a pressão causada aos recursos hídricos pelas atividades humanas e classifica a água usada nesses processos e atividades de acordo com sua origem e impacto. Sua utilização pelo setor empresarial tem sido cada vez mais frequente. Tendo como base este contexto, este trabalho busca compreender quais são os principais motivos que tem levado as empresas a utilizarem a PH. Esta Tese, de caráter interdisciplinar, utiliza como referenciais teóricos a Teoria da Modernização Ecológica (TME), a Teoria dos Stakeholders (TS) e elementos da Nova Sociologia Econômica (NSE). Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, foram utilizados três procedimentos metodológicos: a) levantamento documental; b) revisão bibliográfica sistemática; c) estudos de caso. Os motivos que justificam a utilização da PH extraídos dos documentos analisados na revisão bibliográfica sistemática foram sistematizados e agrupados em quatro categorias que podem ser relacionadas com os referenciais teóricos utilizados. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa indicaram que os motivos que têm levado as empresas a utilizarem a Pegada Hídrica são: 1) vantagens do método, já que permite uma visão detalhada do consumo de água em toda a cadeia produtiva (TME); 2) comunicação com stakeholders, pois reconhecem que é necessário avaliar o consumo da água em toda a sua cadeia, para atender as demandas dos diferentes stakeholders internos e externos e melhorar sua comunicação com eles (TS; NSE); 3) porque a PH pode colaborar na identificação de riscos associados à água, o que permite agir com certa antecipação a futuras regulações e contestações dos diferentes stakeholders (NSE); 4) porque os resultados dos estudos de PH podem fornecer informações que colabore na tomada de decisão para reduzir o consumo de água, estabelecer parcerias e cooperação entre os diferentes setores da sociedade (TME). Entre os motivos apontados, os mais frequentes são aqueles relacionados com as vantagens do método, o que permite uma compreensão mais ampla da pressão e impactos à água causados pelas atividades das empresas. Entretanto, considerando que sua utilização pelo setor empresarial é muito recente, pesquisas futuras necessitam ser realizadas para acompanhar a evolução das ações e do comportamento das empresas sobre a temática da água. Nesse sentido, torna-se cada vez mais urgente uma reflexão sobre a necessidade de que os limites físicos existentes e a capacidade de suporte dos ecossistemas orientem a organização das sociedades. / In recent years, several environmental issues have multiplied their presence in the corporate sectors agenda. More recently, an increased interest is observed among companies on the topic of water, an essential natural resource for the maintenance of ecosystems equilibrium and human socio-economic activities. To face the increasing pressure over the resource, resulting from the combination of population growth and changing consumption patterns, several tools have been developed. Their goal is to make corporate water consumption more rational and sustainable. One of these tools is the Water Footprint (WF), an indicator of direct and indirect water consumption in the production of goods and services. The water footprint quantifies and assesses the pressure from human activities on water resources. It classifies water resources according to their source and potential impact. Its use by the private sector is increasingly frequent. Against this context, this work aims at understanding the main reasons for companies adoption of the WF Assessment. This thesis, embracing a multidisciplinary approach, makes use of three theoretical frameworks: the Ecological Modernization Theory (EMT), Stakeholder theory (ST) and elements of the New Economic Sociology (NES). To this end, three different methodologies where used: a) document research; b) systematic literature research; c) case studies. The stated reasons for using the WF found in the literature research where classified into four categories that may be related to the theoretical frameworks presented. The results from this research identified as the main reasons under private sectors adoption of the WF. The first reason could be called advantages of this methodology, since it allows for a detailed analysis of water consumption in the supply chain, which can be analyzed using the EMT. A second reason would be related to the communication with the stakeholders. Companies recognize the need for addressing water consumption over their whole supply chain in order to meet the demands of different stakeholders and improve their communications with them. This recognition is explained by the ST and NES. Thirdly, risk assessment was is another important argument. WF assessment may help to address water-related risks, allowing them to anticipate the introduction of new regulations or contestation from different stakeholders. NES allows us to understand this reason. Lastly, companies include informed decision-making as another adoption reason. WF may be used for establishing goals and priorities for lower water consumption rates, identifying key partners and working together with key sectors of society. Ecological modernization theory contributes to explain this effect. The most frequent reasons mentioned were those related to the advantages of the methodology, arguing that the WF provides a broader understanding of pressure resulting from corporate activities. Nevertheless, considering the recent adoption by the private sector of this method, it would be important to re-evaluate the relation between water and the private sector, and with the WF in particular. In this sense, it is increasingly necessary that environmental limits and ecosystems carrying capacity guide societal organization.

The purpose of this research is to explore the challenges of leaders (lodging owners) when implementing sustainable practices in the lodging industry in Sri Lanka. The authors have used two established models (SPM3 & STM) to create the new model called SLM3, which was used to extract data and measure the perceptions of leaders with a sustainable narrative, when implementing sustainable practices within their lodging in Sri Lanka. This was done in order to bridge a gap for the authors, since there was no established model yet, that could be used for the purpose of this research. After using the model for the current research in the context of Sri Lanka, the authors conclude that the model mostly fulfilled the aim that it was created for, although some minor alterations were made to improve its simplicity and make it more understandable. The main findings are that the main challenges of lodging owners with a sustainable narrative, when implementing sustainable practices are gender equality, lack of collaboration and networks, limited influence, the hierarchical system and long-term thinking related to education. The reported challenges prevent the lodging owners in Sri Lanka from implementing sustainable practices to the extent to which they would like to.

A prominent British newspaper and its website publishes an inflammatory article stating that a lifeboat charity has been cynically abused by migrant traffickers who are using it as a ‘free ferry service’ to get their cargo of human beings into the United Kingdom. What reaction is generated on the Twitter social media network? What narrative, language usage and sentiment is formed? How does the charity react?This thesis examines this case and discovers through word frequency and conversational analysis how one news story reverberated in 280 characters or less. Themes impacted by this research include Twitter as a social media network service, fake news, echo chambers and their bubbles, trust and audience perception, news media literacy, social campaigning and awareness, and crisis communication and news/stakeholder management.The conclusion reached is that the story had the potential to adversely affect the charity’s reputation and future income stream even though it was doing its duty because of its unwillingness or inability to engage with stakeholders and correct any misunderstandings. The thesis discusses why this was not a good idea and considers how the story could have developed into a broader, more damaging entity with relative ease, especially with the role social media can play for news consumers in today’s society.

Today's textile industry is developing and all the more companies are starting to focus on sustainability issues, as demands from society rapidly increases. The aim of this study is therefore to identify what pressures are put on companies within the textile sector in Indonesia from both internal and external stakeholders. Through this, an identification of drivers and barriers that are met while working with sustainable development is defined. Research on sustainability within Indonesia's textile sector is today very limited. Because of this, a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews with brand manufacturers active within the Indonesian market has been conducted. The chosen method was found to be best suited to obtain a deep understanding of the actual situation in a short period of time. The study is based on three companies, all located in Bali where the interviews also took place. Results indicate that brand manufacturers in Indonesia do not experience any pressures from stakeholders. However, when working with sustainable development there are drivers and barriers that has an impact of these initiatives. The respondents all shared a personal interest and devotion in sustainability matters but experience great difficulties working effectively to develop in these areas, given the state of the Indonesian textile industry today.