Societies are plagued by growing healthcare expenditures and budgetary constraints. The strategy for solving the issue has been heavily debated, with proposed solutions such as Valuebased healthcare (VBHC), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and improved medical treatments. A novel concept that aims to improve medical treatment is strategic biobanking. Strategic biobanking is the act of saving biological samples and clinical data for future research. Access to strategic samples can speed up future clinical trials and studies, provide researchers with more useful research material, enable more thorough analyses of biomarkers, facilitate faster drug development, and increase the power of both retrospective analyses and precision medicine. This thesis studies the shared value effects of a strategic biobanking PPP by drawing on the theoretical fields of VBHC, PPP and Creating Shared Value (CSV). Specifically, the effects of hospital organisational structure, regulatory framework and public interest on strategic biobanking PPPs was studied. The research was carried out through a single holistic case study of Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden and multiple pharmaceutical companies, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out in accordance with the grounded theory framework. The researchers find that regulatory structure can limit the options when crafting the business model and the industry value proposition for a strategic biobanking PPP. Some strategies on how to deal with these restraints are outlined. Furthermore, the research highlights the importance of longitudinal data-sets and how a hospital organised according to the VBHC principles is more suitable for implementation of longitudinal sampling routines. Finally, the research shows that that the concept of CSV can act as guidance for private partner decision making to increase public interest. By adopting principles of transparency regarding financial incentives and motivations, an industry partner can garner increased trust with the general public as well as their public partner. The shared value effects are pronounced, and the study finds that a strategic biobanking PPP moves the boundary for what is scientifically possible for all stakeholders in the healthcare domain. / Samhällen plågas av skenande sjukvårdskostnader och budgetåtstramningar. Vilken strategi som kan lösa problemet har debatterats flitigt. Lösningar så som Value-based Healthcare (VBHC), Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) och mer avancerad vård har alla föreslagits som alternativ. Ett nytt koncept som ämnar att förbättra sjukvården är strategisk biobankning. Strategisk biobankning innebär att spara biologiska prover och klinisk data inför framtiden. Detta kan snabba på framtida kliniska prövningar och studier, förse forskare med mer användbart forskningsmaterial, möjliggöra mer grundliga analyser av biomarkörer, snabbare utveckling av mediciner, samt öka potensen hos både retrospektiva studier och precision medicine. Denna uppsats studerar gemensamma värdeeffekter hos ett PPP inom strategisk biobanking genom att använda sig av de teoretiska fälten VBHC, PPP och Creating Shared Value (CSV). Mer specifikt studeras hur PPP inom strategisk biobankning påverkas av sjukhusets organisationsstruktur, rådande regelverk och allmänintresse. Forskningen utfördes genom en enkel, holistisk, fallstudie av Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset i Stockholm, Sverige. Data samlades genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer och analyserades senare enligt ramverket för Grounded Theory. Forskarna finner även att rådande regelverk begränsar möjligheten för utveckling av affärsmodell och värdeerbjudande gentemot privata partners. Några strategier för att hantera dessa begränsningar tas upp i uppsatsen. Vidare belyses vikten av longitudinella dataset, och att ett sjukhus vars organisation är strukturerad enligt VBHC-principer är mer lämpligt för implementation av longitudinell provsamling. Slutligen finner forskarna att privata CSV-conceptet utgör bra vägledning för privata partners för att skapa allmänintresse. Genom att anamma principer som premierar transparans gentemot sina ekonomiska och strategiska incitament så kan förtroende byggas gentemot allmänheten. De gemensamma värdeeffekterna är tydliga, och forskarna finner att tillgång till en strategisk biobank flyttar gränsen för vad som är vetenskapligt möjligt för alla aktörer i det sjukvårdsrelaterade ekosystemet.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many Swedish businesses to reconsider their survival techniques and the support they offer to societies in which they operate. The purpose of this study is to examine the COVID -19 responses practiced by four Swedish Companies (Essity, Volvo Group, ICA Gruppen, and Autoliv) to see what entrepreneurs can learn in the event of another pandemic. Furthermore, the study explores the different ways in which CSV and competitive advantage may be attained using the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study based on secondary data analyzing information from company homepages, and annual and sustainability reports for the years 2020 and 2021 are the only ones used to provide systematic and comprehensive insights. The theoretical framework includes Archie Carroll’s pyramid which includes the legal, ethical, economic, and philanthropic responsibilities of the organization towards society, the stakeholder theory as well as the concept of creating Value Creation. The results show that Essity, Volvo Group, ICA Gruppen, and Autoliv responded differently to COVID-19 through philanthropic activities, commitment to ethical goals, upholding legal requirements, and maintaining business operations. And the ways in which they can contribute to value creation through these responses include enhanced employee relations, customer relations, innovation, collaborations, and government regulatory compliance. The study revealed that solving societal challenges is integral to guaranteeing that the organization can obtain an economic benefit for a long-term sustainability. When dealing with society in times of uncertainty, entrepreneurial innovations can be a source of future competitive advantage.

The Sharing Economy is an innovative social, economic and technological paradigm which is shaping worldwide production and consumption patterns of many industries. Its strength relies on factors of competitiveness such as the use of idle capacity, temporary access to resources without transfer of ownership, the flexibility and adaptability of its models, and the participation of a growing number of players allowed by peer-to-peer digital platforms. From the management perspective, the conditions for lasting competitiveness lies on sustainability, the paradigm integrating the supply, demand, and technological dimensions in a holistic, or ecosystem, perspective. Tourism is among the industries making extensive use of sharing digital platforms and experiencing changes that foster the sustainability debate. The PhD Thesis aims to investigate the relationships between competitiveness and sustainability in the tourism and hospitality accommodation industry in the Sharing Economy Era. Its investigation is multifaced and is addressed through three studies adopting a post-modernist perspective that builds on qualitative approaches and strategies for data collection and analysis. The Part I of the Thesis explores the Sharing Economy concept’s evolution and the sustainability issues through an in-depth review of the literature. Results reveal the leading economic-technological evolution of the paradigm over the social one, and its dual links with sustainability in relation to the extensive use of peer-to-peer digital platforms. Therefore, the evolution of the Sharing Economy activities have shown that today competitiveness is built on the interactions of an ever-increasing number of actors and factors, both off-line and on-line, within a complex ecosystem for the creation of – shared – value. The tourism industry strongly challenges this relationship between extended competition and sustainability. The Part II evaluates the competitiveness model and its evolution during the Sharing eTourism Era in the tourism and hospitality accommodation sector introducing an ecosystem perspective for the creation and distribution of shared value. Specifically, it investigates how the non-traditional and informal tourist services have affected the structure of the industry and have altered the competition among the actors, through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Results show that competitiveness is given by the balance among the complex interactions of internal and external ecosystem’s actors and factors. On a micro level this imply that businesses must adopts an ecosystem vision compensating for negative externalities which translate into the adoption of Business Models promoting sustainability for the creation of sustainable shared value. Therefore, the Part III investigates through the use of an illustrative case study how peer-to-peer digital platforms in the tourist accommodation service can boost profitability while strengthening economic, social and environmental sustainability by applying the innovative Business Model for Sustainability. The research sheds light on the complex Sharing Economy literature and lays the theoretical foundations for the implementation of managerial strategies aimed at promoting extended sustainable competition-cooperation.

CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) innebär att ett företag ska ta ansvar för hur de påverkar samhället, ur såväl miljömässigt, etiskt, socialt samt ekonomiskt perspektiv. Sedan 1950-talet har begreppet socialt ansvar uppmärksammats och etablerats inom företagsvärlden. Syftet med vår uppsats är att undersöka om CSR som strategi kan vara ett verktyg för ett hållbart företagande och om CSR kan ge en långsiktig lönsamhet på marknaden. För att kunna skapa en förståelse kring komplexiteten inom CSR samt analysera empirin utgår vi från Carrolls CSR-pyramid som en grundläggande modell för att därefter byggas på med den utvecklade tre-stegsmodellen. Vidare ges en genomgång av Lucas teori om strategisk miljöledning för att slutligen presentera Mintzbergs organisationsteori för att visa hur olika verksamheter kan se ut. Med ett abduktivt förhållningssätt har den kvalitativa studien baserats på intervjuer. Vårt urval för intervjuerna var CSR-ansvariga från olika branscher som ingår i nätverket CSR-Skåne. Studiens resultat påvisar att fallföretagen på skilda vis uttrycker en problematik med att integrera CSR i hela verksamheten. Även det filantropiska synsättet blir en utmaning eftersom det ofta uppstår en separering mellan företagens affärsstrategi och de filantropiska aktiviteter som bedrivs. Slutligen presenteras vår egen modell som ger en tydlig bild för hur CSR-arbete bör se ut. Här suddas filantropin ut och genom integrerad CSR-strategi skapas ett gemensamt värde. / CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is a business model that advocates companies to take responsibility for their environmental, ethical, social and economic impact on society. Since the 1950s the concept of social responsibility established and grown on the business market. The purpose of our thesis is to investigate whether CSR as a strategy can be a tool for sustainable business and if it can provide a long term profitability for a company. We used our theoretical framework in order to understand the complexity of CSR and be able to analyze our empirical data. “The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility”, by Archie Carroll, is introduced as a basic model followed by the more expanded “Three Domain Model”. To understand how environmental management works in practice we introduce Lucas, followed by Mintzbergs theory about organizations and how their various activities can look like. With an abductive approach is this qualitative study based on interviews. Our data selection were CSR managers from various industries within the network CSR-Skåne. Based on the empirical data two main categories where identified; integration and separation and the different approaches of philanthropic. Our results demonstrate that the case companies, in different ways express problems when it comes to the integration of CSR. The philanthropic approach is a challenge as well, it often occurs a separation between companies´ business strategy and philanthropic activities. To close this thesis we present our own model that provides a clear picture of how CSR a business model should look like. The philanthropy is wiped out and an integrated business strategy creates a shared value.

Yes

Background: Today, It’s not uncommon that international companies and organizations have a higher turnover than the GDP of developing countries. Consequently, this may suggest that the choices companies make in the context of their business has a great potential to influence the world from an economic, but also from a social and environmental standpoint. From this the notion emerged that companies have a responsibility, referred to as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). A clear definition of the CSR concept is difficult to find, more than 37 different definitions has been identified. Common to all these is that they address a number of underlying themes such as: Balance, Responsibility, and Value. Few studies examine companies’ underlying assumptions about the adaptation and communication of CSR, and the perception of how one type of value in relation to another is created and defined. It is clear, however, that companies must make a choice regarding which areas of CSR they should prioritize. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study how Swedish companies strategically adapt their CSR initiatives and CSR communication to create value. Method: In order to answer the purpose of the thesis a qualitative method has been used. Interviews were conducted with CSR representatives from three major Swedish companies. Theories: The Pyramid of CSR, Green marketing activities on three levels, Generic environmental strategies and Ten rules for successful CSR communication. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that the link between the adaption of CSR and CSR communication is based on the business value perspective. Furthermore, it would seem that the competitive strategy of a company is in close symbiosis with their value perspective. The result of the study indicate that there is not a value perspective which should be preferred over others in the adaption of CSR and CSR communication, the value perspective should instead be relative to the company’s current competitive strategy and industry conditions. / Bakgrund: I dagsläget finns flera internationella företag och organisationer som har en högre omsättning än många utvecklingsländers BNP. Följaktligen kan detta innebära att de val företag gör inom ramen för sin verksamhet har stor möjlighet att påverka omvärlden ur ett ekonomiskt, men även ur ett socialt och miljömässigt perspektiv. Givet denna möjlighet till påverkan har även uppfattningen att företag besitter ett ansvar utvecklats, benämnt Corporate Social Responsibilty (CSR). En enhetlig definition för CSR är svår att finna, mer än 37 skilda definitioner finns identifierade. Gemensamt för alla dessa är att de länkar samman ett antal underliggande teman såsom; balans, ansvar och värde. En begränsad mängd forskning har behandlat företags underliggande antaganden om anpassning och kommunikation av CSR, samt synen på hur något typ av värde i relation till detta skapas och definieras. Tydligt är dock att företag måste göra ett val gällande vilka områden inom CSR de skall fokusera på för att på det mest förmånliga sättet gynna företaget och vara i enlighet med deras strategiska mål.. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera hur svenska företag strategiskt resonerar kring anpassningen av sitt arbete med Corporate Social Responsibility, samt kommunikationen av detta arbete för att kunna erbjuda ett värde. Metod: För att besvara syftet har en kvalitativ ansats nyttjats genom flertalet genomförda intervjuer med CSR-representanter på tre svenska företag. Teori: Den teoretiska referensramen utgörs av CSR-pyramiden, Gröna marknadsföringsaktiviteter på tre nivåer, Generiska miljöstrategier samt Tio regler för framgångsrik CSR-kommunikation. Slutsats: Studiens utfall har föreslagit att sambandet mellan anpassning av CSR och kommunikationen av detta, först och främst utvecklas utifrån företagets värdeperspektiv. Företagets valda konkurrensstrategi verkar även vara i symbios med detta värdeperspektiv. Studiens resultat indikerar inte att det finns en värdesyn som bör föredras framför andra i samband med anpassning av CSR och CSR-kommunikation, utan detta bör istället vara i relation till företagets rådande konkurrensstrategi och förutsättningar inom branschen.

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The doctoral thesis explores the relationship of Business and Society in four essays. The growing public, corporate and academic interest in organizational contribution to society – in this thesis measured as Public Value, Shared Value and Corporate Social Responsibility – poses the question how we can determine value creation beyond financial benefits. The thesis provides psychological and sociological perspectives to shed light on this pressuring question. The psychological view in essay four shows that value is rooted in relationship between an observing subject and an object that is to be evaluated, thus, it is not objectively out there. This perspective is rooted in motivational psychology of basic human needs upon which individuals assess the contribution of organizations to society. Adding to this emotional-affective perspective on human psychology, we show that cognition (‘cognitive styles’) plays a vital role in individuals’ determination of how value for society is created. Essay three provides evidence that how an individual perceives value creation for society reciprocally affects the individual. We show that employees who perceive their organizations’ value creation more strongly, also derive higher levels of meaningfulness from their work and identify more strongly with their employing organization, which in turn is related to higher levels of work addiction. The final paper takes a sociological perspective borrowed from the actor network theory and shows that some discourses concerning corporate value creation for society narrow the concept of value for society down to a self-serving notion for corporations. In a case study, the essay not only shows how this narrow concept infuses corporate action but, moreover, it details how it negatively impacts society. The multi-facetted approach of the dissertation furthers the understanding of the notion of value creation for society as much as it poses new questions and calls for ambivalent investigation.:1. FRAMEWORK PAPER 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Society, Knowledge and Performativity 1.3 Technology, Complexity and Trust 1.4 Framework of the Dissertation 1.5 Four Essays on the Relationship of Business and Society 1.6 Overview of Key Findings 1.7 Implications 1.8 Strengths, Limitations, and Avenues for Future Research 1.9 References 2. MAKING SENSE OF A MOST POPULAR METAPHOR IN MANAGEMENT: TOWARDS A HEDGEFOX SCALE FOR COGNITIVE STYLES 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Theoretical Background 2.3 Data and Methods 2.4 Analysis and Findings 2.5 Discussion 2.6 Limitations and Future Research 2.7 Conclusion 2.8 References 3. TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CSR AND EMPLOYEE WORK ADDICTION 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Development of Hypotheses 3.3 Method 3.4 Results 3.5 Discussion and Conclusion 3.6 References 4. CREATING SHARED VALUE? ON THE PROLIFERATION OF A RESOURCE-BASED SOCIAL 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Agencements and the Proliferation of the Social 4.3 Creating Shared Value 4.4 From a Value Proposition to a Network of Valuation 4.5 Nestlé in Society 4.6 Insuring Shared Value 4.7 Discussion 4.8 Conclusion 4.9 References 5. PUBLIC VALUE PERFORMANCE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CREATE VALUE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR? 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Theoretical background 5.3 Public Value Scorecard (PVSC) 5.4 Public Value Atlas (GemeinwohlAtlas) 5.5 Conclusions 5.6 References

La ricerca prende avvio dalla constatazione, in concomitanza della crisi, dell'emersione in Europa e in altri paesi occidentali, di un nuovo campo di riflessioni teoriche e di sperimentazioni pratiche che con grande vivacità si impone rapidamente da periferia a mainstream anche grazie al supporto politico-istituzionale. Esso domanda un nuovo tipo di innovazione in grado di riconnettere sfera economica e sfera sociale. E' la Social Innovation. All'interno di questo quadro di grande fermento, lo studio intercetta e analizza 48 forme organizzative selezionate nei settori dell'economia, della società civile, delle policies istituzionali che stanno già sperimentando questo riavvicinamento tra economico e sociale per comprenderne le logiche e le dinamiche. A tal fine si fa ricorso al concetto di generatività sociale. La categoria eriksoniana di generatività, qui applicata alle sfere sociale e organizzativa, viene interpretata quale azione innovativa di una nuova articolazione della vita sociale e dei processi di produzione del valore. Emerge un peculiare profilo organizzativo - l'organizzazione generativa - produttrice di shared value, di cui lo studio tratteggia strategie, valori e visioni, aprendo nuove prospettive teoriche, di ricerca e di intervento. / This research moves from the acknowledgment that, along with the 2008 crisis, Europe and other western countries saw the emergence of a new field for theoretical reflections and empirical experimentations, which is rapidly moving from the periphery to the mainstream also thanks to institutional political support. This field requires a new conceptualization of “innovation” as able to reconnect economic and social sphere: i.e. as “Social Innovation”. Within this broad framework, the present study analyses 48 organizational forms selected from the fields of business, civil society and policies, which are already experimenting this rapprochement among the economic and social spheres. The objective of the present dissertation is to understand the logics and dynamics of these phenomena; to this end, the concept of “Social Generativity” is employed. The Eriksonian category of “generativity” is here applied to the social and organizational spheres, and is interpreted as an innovative action towards a new re-articulation of social life and of the processes of value production. The study delineates a specific organizational profile - that of the “generative organization” producing shared value - and illustrates its strategies, values and visions, thus opening new direction for theory, research, and action.

Literature review about corporate social responsibility (CSR) suggests that there are organisational benefits to be gained from unintentional discretionary expenditure in laudable behaviour. With this in mind, the methodology integrates insights from the ‘stakeholder theory’ and the ‘resource-based view theory of the firm’ to sharpen the strategic base for CSR investment. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques have been used to discover how business organisations are creating shared value for themselves and for society. The main study was carried out amongst hotel enterprises in Malta. The quantitative analysis tested the relationship between Strategic CSR (in terms of the organisational benefits) against the firms’ commitment, behaviour and resources devoted to CSR. Secondly the qualitative phase of this study involved an analysis of interviews with owner-managers across the Maltese hospitality industry and with experts who are responsible for setting policies in the tourism regulatory context. The results have indicated that responsible behaviour led to the firms’ financial performance and market standing, effective human resources management and operational efficiencies. Following the empirical findings a model representing the ‘creation of shared value’ for business and society has been put forward.