The purpose of this study is to in depth examine how two companies in retail business work with investments in AI and similar technology and to investigate what role these investments had for the two companies. Retail plays an important role in the Swedish economy and accounts for one tenth of Sweden's GDP. The industry has undergone extensive digital development in recent years, which has led to companies being forced to make large investments in new technology such as AI in order to maintain their competitiveness. Through a qualitative interview study, two case companies in the retail business that target clothing are studied. The results show that both companies at different levels work with investments in AI technology. They both find great benefits with these investments mainly in the form of increased value for their customers. They also see that these investments are necessary to maintain their competitiveness in the market. The risks that emerge through the survey are mainly based on an integrity perspective when collecting data and the employees' barriers to change. / Syftet med denna undersökning är att på djupet studera hur två företag inom detaljhandeln arbetar med investeringar i AI och liknande teknik samt undersöka vilken roll dessa investeringar haft för de två företagen. Detaljhandeln fyller en viktig funktion inom den svenska ekonomin och står för en tiondel av Sveriges BNP. Branschen har de senaste åren genomgått en omfattande digital utveckling vilket lett till att företag tvingats genomföra stora investeringar i ny teknik som AI för att bibehålla sin konkurrenskraft. Genom en kvalitativ intervjustudie studeras två fallföretag inom detaljhandeln som riktar sig mot konfektion. Resultatet visar på att båda fallföretagen på olika nivåer arbetar med investeringar i AI-teknik. De finner båda stora fördelar med dessa investeringar främst i form av ökat värde för sina kunder. De ser även att dessa investeringar är nödvändiga för att bibehålla sin konkurrenskraft på marknaden. De risker som framkommer genom undersökningen grundar sig främst i integritetsperspektiv vid insamling av data samt de anställdas förändringsbarriärer.

Titel: Förhållandet mellan hållbarhetsprestationer och finansiella prestationer inom IT-sektorn. En kvantitativ studie på 321 börsnoterade bolag inom IT-sektorn i Europa och USA. Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi Författare: Edwin Johansson och Robel Beyene Handledare: Jan Svanberg Datum: 2023-Maj Syfte: Syftet med studien är att med hjälp av ESG-betyg samt delkomponenterna E-, S- och G-betyg undersöka hur hållbarhetsprestationer påverkar finansiella prestationer för börsnoterade IT-bolag i Europa och USA. Metod: Studien har en vetenskapsteoretisk utgångspunkt i den positivistiska forskningsfilosofin och antar vidare en deduktiv forskningsansats. Dessutom är den kvantitativa forskningsstrategin och tvärsektionella forskningsdesignen den forskningsstrategi respektive forskningsdesign som studien antar. Hållbarhet- och finansiell data på 321 börsnoterade IT-bolag i Europa och USA har inhämtats från Thomson Reuters datastream för året 2021. Analysen har sedan genomförts i statistikprogrammet IBM SPSS. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet från denna undersökning tyder på att det finns ett svagt positivt samband mellan ESG samt komponenten miljö (E) och finansiell prestation men inte för komponenterna social (S) och styrning (G). Detta tyder på att miljöfaktorer är särskilt viktiga för det finansiella resultatet inom IT-sektorn.Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna studie ger värdefulla insikter för investerare, företag och beslutsfattare som är intresserade av att främja hållbarhet och ansvarsfullt företagsbeteende inom IT-sektorn. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: För att öka kunskapen samt för att kunna generera konkreta slutsatser behövs vidare forskning inom ämnet. För specifikt IT-sektorn kan vidare forskning inkludera företag från alla kontinenter för att utöka urvalet. Vidare kan liknande studier genomföras med en longitudinell design där flera år inkluderas. Nyckelord: ESG, finansiella prestationer, hållbarhetsprestationer, shareholder theory, stakeholder theory, legitimitetsteorin och IT-sektorn. / Title: The relationship between sustainability performance and financial performance in the IT sector. A quantitative study of 321 listed companies in the IT sector in Europe and the USA. Level: Bachelor thesis in Business administration Authors: Edwin Johansson and Robel Beyene  Supervisor: Jan Svanberg  Date: 2023 - May Aim: The purpose of this study is to use ESG ratings and the sub-components E, S and G ratings to investigate how sustainability performance affects financial performance for listed IT companies in Europe and the USA. Method: This paper has a scientific starting point in the positivist research philosophy and further adopts a deductive research approach. In addition, a quantitative research strategy and cross-sectional research design are adopted throughout this paper. Sustainability and financial data on 321 listed IT companies in Europe and the USA have been collected from Thomson Reuters data stream for the year 2021. A univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis has taken place in the statistical program IBM SPSS. Results and conclusions: The results from this study indicate that there is a weak positive relationship between ESG and the component environment (E) and financial performance. However, no relationship was found between the components social (S) and governance (G) and financial performance. This suggests that environmental factors are particularly important for financial performance in the IT-sector.Contribution of the thesis: This study provides valuable insights for investors, companies and decision makers that are interested in promoting sustainability and responsible corporate behavior in the IT- sector. Suggestions for future research: In order to increase the knowledge and to be able to draw conclusions, further research is needed within the subject. Specifically for the IT-sector, further research could include companies from all continents to broaden the view. Furthermore, similar studies can be carried out with a longitudinal design where data from several years are included. Key words: ESG-rating, sustainability performance, financial performance, shareholder theory, stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and IT-sector.

Master of Arts / Department of Communication Studies, Theatre, and Dance / Nicole M. Laster / The adoption of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy affords a company with the opportunity to engage with stakeholders in a manner that is not necessarily tied directly to a company’s business as usual. CSR research has burgeoned in the last several decades, keeping pace with companies worldwide and their steady incorporation of CSR policies into their business models. To that end, research has been primarily focused on CSR policy perception from external stakeholders or managers. This research project examines the sensemaking processes related to an environmental sustainability-related CSR policy among a diverse group of internal stakeholders at a mid-sized electric utility company. An analysis of the data suggests that hierarchical divisions of employees are non-existent when the CSR policy is enduring, consistent, and upholds company values. Moreover, employee enactment of CSR policies operates as a mechanism whereby employees internalize the promoted corporate values. Such environmental CSR policies tacitly reinforce an organization’s cultural values among its employees. Additionally, environmentally sustainable CSR policies supported by environmentally exhausting companies induce a minimal justification hypothesis when dissonance is present between the nature of a company’s industry and practices related to sustaining the environment.

Firm behavior and performance has become increasingly susceptible to the influence of secondary stakeholders—namely community activists, advocacy groups, religious organizations, and other non-governmental organizations that often represent a broader social movement. Despite recent suggestions that secondary stakeholder demands trigger an important two-sided interactive process between secondary stakeholders and their targeted firms, little theoretical or empirical attention has been placed on firm-sided factors that influence the dynamics and outcomes of these interactions, especially the role and influence of the firm’s top managers during these interactions. In this three-essay dissertation, I theorize about and examine the influential role that the firm’s top managers expectedly occupy within the interactions that occur between secondary stakeholders and the firms that are the targets of their demands. My dissertation contributes to advancing strategic management and organization research by (1) examining influential managerial attributes that influence their firm’s responsiveness toward secondary stakeholder activism, and (2) examining certain important consequences of managerial responses for secondary stakeholder behavior and the targeted firm.

The aim of this study is to explore the involvement of stakeholders in the functions of leadership within the context of voluntary organisations in the UK. What is intriguing about the study is that business and management research has focused mainly on ‘vertical leadership’ that stems from an appointed or formal leader as opposed to ‘shared leadership’ that is distributed across the organisation. This study therefore, seeks to advance scholarly knowledge on the phenomenon of ‘shared leadership’ focusing on voluntary organisations taking a stakeholder perspective. A review of the current literature focusing on shared leadership indicates that the definition of shared leadership has converged around numerous underlying dimensions. However, the key distinction between shared leadership and other leadership paradigms is that the influence process emanates from different directions rather than the tradition top to down approach. This study attempts to explore the level of shared leadership at the organisational level in the context of voluntary organisations by employing a pragmatic approach to research. The research involved three phases; Phase 1 is qualitative, Phase 2 is quantitative and Phase 3 is qualitative. The research methods have included semi-structured interviews (Phase 1) with 10 participants, a survey (Phase 2) that had 126 respondents and in-depth interviews (Phase 3) involving 30 stakeholders. The findings suggest that the level of shared leadership in voluntary organisations is relatively high. However, the involvement of the stakeholders has been more on a ‘consultative’ level rather than on a ‘participative’ one. Moreover, the status or position of the stakeholder in the organisation is a significant factor in determining the level of shared leadership. It was revealed that some stakeholders are merely involved in low level activities. The findings of this research have implications on the Human Resource Management in terms of stakeholder engagement in the leadership process.

Background and problem – As a result of financial crises and the realization of a broader stakeholder network, recent decades have seen an increase in stakeholder demand for non- financial information in corporate reporting. This has led to a situation of information overload where separate financial and sustainability reports have developed in length and complexity interdependent of each other. Integrated reporting has been presented as a solution to this problematic situation. The question is whether the corporate world believe this to be the solution and if the development of corporate reporting is heading in this direction. Purpose - This thesis aims to examine and assess to what extent companies listed on the OMX Stockholm 30 (OMXS30), as per 2016-02-28, comply with the Strategic content element of the <IR> Framework and how this disclosure has developed since the framework’s pilot project and official release by using a self-constructed disclosure index based on its specific items. Methodology – The purpose was fulfilled through an analysis of 104 annual reports comprising 26 companies during the period of 2011-2014. The annual reports were assessed using a self-constructed disclosure index based on the <IR> Framework content element Strategy and Resource Allocation, where one point was given for each disclosed item. Analysis and conclusions – The study found that the OMXS30-listed companies to a large extent complies with the strategic content element of the <IR> Framework and that this compliance has seen a steady growth throughout the researched time span. There is still room for improvement however with a total average framework compliance of 84% for 2014. Although many items are being reported on, there are indications that companies generally miss out on the core values of Integrated reporting.

Financial markets have many different key actors, but one of the most important ones are the financial analysts. They are considered as experts in gathering and disseminating the information that firms produce, to those that seek it, such as stock recommendations and reports on firms. Related to this is a growing interest in society toward disclosures in regards of CSR as well as ESG. There has been considerable discussion in academia of whether or not CSR can be considered to be value relevant. This is a question which relate to both institutional and legitimacy perspectives in terms of theory, but also discussions in regards to agency and stakeholder theory as well:   Has value relevance of CSR disclosures increased in stock recommendations for the Nordic markets?   Thereby, the main purpose of this thesis is to find out whether or not there has been a shifting view of CSR over time, which would be evidenced in an increasing legitimization of CSR in terms of an increasing value-relevance to financial analysts. This would also be related to a shifting institutional logic, whereby it would be possible to relate to a shift in the view of the firm and its role in society. This is both looked at purely from the starting point of the dataset to the end point, but also for two different periods of time, so as to test if there is a different view of the issue after the financial crisis. In addition to this main purpose, this thesis furthermore sets out to answer whether CSR is value-relevant or not in different subsegments, such as nations, industries and the different types of recommendations that exist.   To answer the research question, an objectivist and positivist stance is taken, which subsequently leads the authors to utilize quantitative methods and statistical analysis to the data. Here, different panel models are fitted to the data to account effects that exist within it. To explain the findings, a theoretical framework is built upon three different levels: societal, firm and individual level. Here, on the societal level theories such as institutional theory as well as legitimacy theory are dealt with. On the firm level, agency theory and stakeholder theory as well as theoretical views of CSR forms the basis, and the individual level deals with theory related to the financial analyst.   In looking at the results and the analysis, one cannot draw the conclusion that there has been a shifting view of the value-relevance of CSR. Financial analysts appear to not find it value-relevant in issuing their stock recommendations, except for two cases: namely in terms of the industrial sector Basic Materials and the Buy recommendations. In terms of Basic Materials, it appears to be value-relevant in a positive manner. In regards to the Buy recommendation, it appears to have a negative effect on the value-relevance. All in all, this thesis cannot find evidence for a value-relevance of CSR to financial analysts in the Nordic markets. Essentially, the view of it appears to be pessimistic.

Innovation is often related to positive outcomes for the majority to enjoy that enhances welfare and facilitates everyday activities. In different fields of study (economics, management, sociology, history and science and technology) it is becoming a field of magnitude (Malerba and Brusoni, 2007). Fagerberg and Verspagen (2009) discuss the emerging interest of innovation in the field of social science. Although the interest within the subject of innovation is high, very little research has been done regarding the aim to contribute to the design innovation policy, developed by scholars studying the field of innovation. One often so neglected study within innovation is in the field of negative unintended consequences of innovation (NUCoI) (Sveiby et al, 2012). One main contributor of innovative activities is organizational operations leading to value for end customers. While firms often have the aim to create value with innovation for the greater benefit in society, sometimes these value-creating mechanisms may create unintended negative consequences in addition to the positive effects. While innovations are increasing in rapidness and numbers of output produced, the effects on society and the natural environment needs to be highlighted. With assumptions regarding vague CSR implementation in corporations (Newell, 2005), this research tries to grasp understanding on how NUCoI is perceived from the managerial perspective in organizations regarding their stakeholder viewpoint. As a starting point, the authors use Charlie Chaplin’s famous quote “More than machinery, we need humanity” from the movie “The Great Dictator” indicating the importance of caring for various stakes. Purpose: The aim of this research is to highlight the new field of study in social science; Negative unintended consequences of innovation (NUCoI) in relation to the societal natural environment (society and the natural environment). The research contributes to the existing frameworks on organizational value creation mechanisms in innovation policy to incorporate the aspect of negative consequences of innovation (NCoI), in terms of sustainability to highlight the importance of secondary stakeholders. Results: The new Extended Value Creation Mechanism for Global Sustainability, the Societal-Natural-Environment Stakeholder Framework of Innovation and Global Sustainability framework (SNE SFI GS-framework), aims to contribute in the long-term perspective for research in innovation policy by highlighting one aspect of a field of the often so neglected societal natural environment perspective, when competing rivalry becomes too fierce. The framework highlights the importance of secondary stakeholders, where primary stakeholders may act as a “link” between the organization and secondary stakeholders. Additionally, the authors suggest going to basic practices regarding sustainability with valuating the natural resources for a prospering sustainable society. The aspects in the research include stakeholder-theory, value-creation in terms of the societal natural environment, and innovation as a field of social science, negative consequences and organizational sense-making.

In 2008, a financial crisis struck the world economy, causing a risk of a potential system-crash. In order to stabilize the financial system within Europe, European Banking Authority (EBA) presented new guidelines (GL44) as a way, among others, to increase the transparency among financial institutions. As a result of GL44, Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) implemented new regulations, with minor adjustments and amendments. At present, the guidelines are weeks from being completely implemented, thus meaning that the financial industry is able to start seeing the changes from the regulations.The authors have chosen to conduct a study regarding how the banks have been affected from the external authority demands during the previous recession.The focus of the study has been on three of Sweden’s four large banks, which are considered systematically important, as well as one niche bank.The study showed that the work in board and top-management was affected by external demands from authorities. The attention on business development was disturbed during the recession since more focus was put on controlling factors such as compliance, risk management and internal audit as well as on board composition and board competence.

Bakgrund: Svenska företag har visat sig vara bland de bästa i världen på hållbarhetsredovisning. Tidigare studier har försökt hitta förklaringsfaktorer för att definiera vilka faktorer som ökar den mängd hållbarhetsupplysningar företag rapporterar frivilligt. Ägarstrukturens påverkan på hållbarhetsredovisning är ett relativt outforskat område och ska därför förklaras i den här studien.   Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att genom en kvantitativ metod förklara hur ägarstrukturer påverkar hållbarhetsredovisning hos Large-Cap- och Mid-Cap företag noterade på Nasdaq OMX Stockholm.     Metod: Ämnet har testats utifrån skapandet av hypoteser och empiriska observationer. En innehållsanalys har gjorts genom granskning av 173 företags års- och hållbarhetsredovisningar, noterade på Nasdaq OMX Stockholm. Hållbarhetsredovisningen har studerat dels utifrån det ekonomiska perspektivet och dels utifrån det miljö och samhällsmässiga perspektivet.   Resultat/slutsats: Utifrån vår analys av de olika ägarstrukturerna och deras påverkan på hållbarhetsredovisning har slutsatsen blivit att det inte finns något större samband mellan de två.   Bidrag/framtida forskning: Ägarstrukturens förklaringsgrad visade sig vara låg då få signifikanta samband fanns mellan ägarstrukturer och hur de redovisar hållbarhet. Framtida forskningsförslag är att genom en kvalitativ och kvantitativ metod jämföra skillnader gällande hållbarhet som företag redovisar och deras faktiska hållbarhetsaktivitet.