The current system of credit ratings is full of conceptual and administrative flaws with highly rated companies defaulting in the short term. This has led regulators, investors, companies and researchers aiming to improve the system. This thesis details the study of this aim to improve the existing credit ratings system through a conceptual perspective, as well as developing it into a more comprehensive and overarching new corporate ratings methodology. In doing so, organisational performance appeared to be an apparent solution, to be considered as the main basis on which to derive new ratings for a company. However organisational performance has its own conceptual disagreements between managers and researchers concerning the dimensions to be measured for overall organisational performance. Therefore, this study attempted two tasks: to establish a link between ratings and organisational performance, and to identify what should be measured for overall organisational performance. This resulted in the development of new corporate ratings methodology based upon the overall organisational performance measurement in case of publicly traded companies. A mixed methods research strategy combined with a qualitative analyses of 10 selected company cases and 24 interviews; and quantitative analyses of the performance of 128 publicly traded companies from the UK, the USA and the India stock exchanges in 4 manufacturing and 3 service industries was adopted in the development, testing and application of ‘new company ratings’ and ‘overall organisational performance measurement’ propositions. Secondary data was obtained from companies’ annual reports, sustainability reports, social responsibility reports, performance reports available from companies’ official websites; and company profiles generated by trade analyst companies such as Bloomberg and Morningstar. Primary data was collected from company managers, industry experts, trade analysts and investors through telephonic or face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Company reports and interview transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. A metaphor was applied to understand and to derive the concept of overall organisational performance measurement in terms of stability, resilience and sustainability. A secondary data survey of 128 companies was conducted to test three hypotheses of organisational performance (OP) based ratings, stability – resilience – sustainability as main dimensions of OP, and the application of an overall OP score to derive new corporate ratings. Performance data for 54 dimensions for 128 companies was collected and analysed, applying reliability analysis, principal components analysis, multiple discriminant analysis and non-parametric independent sample tests of Mann-Whitney U and Kruksal-Wallis. All hypotheses were accepted proving the concept and model based on statistical and subjective significance. Findings suggest there is a strong link between corporate ratings and organisational performance (OP), and OP measurement could be utilised to provide improved and overarching new corporate ratings as compared to existing credit ratings. A significant difference was found to exist between new corporate ratings and existing credit ratings, with new corporate ratings having a better predictive accuracy of company performance over a three years duration. Sustainability was found to contribute more towards measurement of organisational performance as compared to the traditional dimension of stability, comprising financial and operational performance. Very high reliability and principal component scores for sustainability proved that organisational effectiveness can be measured as one of the contributing dimensions to overall organisational performance. Other findings suggest that there is a clear divide between researchers studying OP as a variable and developing a framework in which to measure it. Overall OP can be measured by applying the conceptual lenses of stability, sustainability and resilience, comprising various sub-dimensions. Major and novel contributions of this research are: a new approach in providing corporate ratings based upon overall organisational performance, and a new concept of measuring overall organisational performance in terms of stability, resilience and sustainability.

De senaste åren har svenska fotbollsföreningars corporate social responsibility blivit alltmer synligt och uppmärksammat. Svenska fotbollsföreningar har ett högt kommersiellt- och underhållningsvärde och de har därför knytit sig an stora sponsorkontrakt. Syftet med den här undersökningen är att öka förståelsen om hur svenska fotbollsföreningars corporate social responsibility upplevs påverka sponsorrelationen. Teorierna som används i undersökningen är The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility, Intressentteorin och forskning gällande relationer. En kvalitativ forskningsmetod har använts och intervjuer har genomförts med fotbollsföreningar och sponsorer. Slutsatsen av undersökningen är att svenska fotbollsföreningars corporate social responsibility upplevs ha en positiv inverkan på sponsorrelationen. / Regarding the last years increasing corporate social responsibility of Swedish football clubs or at least the increasing visibility of it was the main interest of this study. Swedish football has a high commercial and entertainment value and has many big sponsors. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of the corporate social responsibility of Swedish football clubs and its impact on the relationship between sponsor and football club. The theories selected was The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility, Stakeholder theory and research regarding business relationships and was used to analyze the result of the study. A qualitative method was used and interviews with football clubs and with sponsors of the clubs were made. The conclusion of the study is that the corporate social responsibility of football clubs is perceived to have an positive impact on the relationship between sponsor and football club.

The Master's thesis deals with a question of corporate social responsibility. The thesis is divided into two main parts. The theoretical and methodological part explains main terms related to CSR, introduces important organizations oriented on CSR and describes standards of corporate social responsibility that can be followed. The first part is also supplemented with interesting data gained in public opinion research on the theme of CSR and its public perception. In the practical part, there are analyzed CSR strategies of two companies: T-Mobile Czech Republic, a.s. and IBM Czech Republic, spol. s r.o. Individual activities are classified into three basic pillars of corporate social responsibility. Approaches of these two companies are compared and in the conclusion of the thesis there are recommended steps to make corporate social responsibility of the two companies more effective.

This final thesis is dealing with transmission of CSR strategy in transnational corporations. The first theoretical part offers an introduction and explanation of CSR and several models are discussed. The transmission of the concept is analyzed in companies Tesco and Vodafone in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and in the Czech Republic. At the end the primary hypothesis is confirmed, i.e. main goals and strategies are developed in a parent company and transformed to other countries with respect to the situation on the market.

Nowadays firms are dealing with fierce competition and are "forced" to keep launching new products and strategies that would attract consumers'attention. One of the fastest growing marketing strategies - Cause-related marketing (CRM) addresses these trends as well as benefits from them. Cause-related marketing is a strategic partnership between a for-profit and non-profit organization. The contributions to the cause are made via consumer'purchases. As many statistics prove, CRM is a very effective strategy resulting in higher sales, enhanced image as well as loyalty. The question remains: how is it possible? What marketing concepts and techniques stand behind CRM? The diploma theses answers those questions and explains most important markteting and psychologial concepts from consumer's and firm's perspective.

Corporate Social Responsibility is a topic which is very often discussed lately. The diploma thesis focuses on this trend of corporate communication and shows it on the example of company Unilever. In the practical part of the thesis the comparison of global and local CSR strategies of Unilever is being described.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) continues to gain attention amongst corporate bodies and is the medium through which the private sector contributes to development. The last decade has seen a significant growth in CSR initiative in South Africa, partly due to the implementation of public polices such as the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) Code of Good Practice and the various industry charters that obligate corporate institutions to contribute towards the reconstruction efforts of the nation. As a result many organizations have adopted strategies that include social development projects as part of their core business objectives, thus the initiation of certain projects and programmes as part of their CSR contributions to the reconstruction efforts. Although CSR has roots in philanthropic activities, it has become evident that when CSR initiatives are designed strategically to embody the holistic views of business goals towards profit making as well as community goals that promote positive development. Anecdotal evidence suggests that projects collapse after corporations discontinue funding due to lack of community involvement which renders CSR initiatives unresponsive to the developmental needs of communities. The study sought to explore the extent to which corporate social responsibility initiatives were responsive to the educational needs of beneficiaries in Johannesburg. It also explored beneficiary perceptions on how CSR initiatives can be sustained. The study population was drawn from Tiso Foundation and three partnering organisations. A qualitative case study design was utilised in the study to obtain in depth information from the research participants concerning the CSR initiatives of Tiso Foundation. Semi-structured interview schedules were used to conduct interviews with both beneficiaries of the CSR initiatives and key informants. The research sample consisted of 16 beneficiaries of Tiso Foundation’s CSR initiatives and 6 key informants that were drawn from Tiso Foundation and partnering organizations. The findings revealed that the CSR initiatives were responsive to the needs of the beneficiaries by providing them access to education and skills development. The findings also established the nature of beneficiary participation in CSR initiatives as partially participatory. The study recommended that CSR initiatives should take a developmental approach towards programme executions to ensure full participation of beneficiaries in order to ensure sustainability of the programmes even after funding is discontinued. The study also iv suggests the collaborative partnership of government and the private sector towards sustainable development by enhancing and complimenting each other’s efforts.

En värdefull tillgång för företag är dess anställda. Samtidigt växer efterfrågan på arbetskraft och många företag har problem med att anställa rätt personal. För att kunna skapa konkurrensfördelar som gör att företaget får kompetent personal, en tillgång som är unik och svår för konkurrenter att imitera, har employer branding blivit en viktig strategi för att lyckas attrahera personal. Litteraturen visar att företag kan erbjuda olika former av värden till anställda och potentiella anställda. Att företaget arbetar med corporate social responsibility (CSR) kan ses som ett värdeerbjudande, och kan därför användas som ett verktyg för att skapa värde och attrahera personal. Företag kan dock arbeta med CSR på många olika sätt, och olika intressenter kan ha olika preferenser gällande vad de värderar. Syftet med studien har således varit att skapa en förståelse för hur CSR kan stärka ett företags employer brand. Vidare har vi ämnat förstå hur CSR samspelar med andra aspekter till varför ett employer brand uppfattas attraktivt. Genom dessa kunskaper bidrar vi med praktiska rekommendationer till hur företag strategiskt kan arbeta med sin externa kommunikation för att attrahera framtidens arbetskraft. Studien är kvalitativ och det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom fokusgrupper med civilekonomstudenter som studerar vid Umeå universitet. Det empiriska materialet har tolkats och analyserats i relation till den teoretiska referensramen, för att på så sätt kunna besvara studiens problemformulering: Hur uppfattar framtidens arbetskraft olika dimensioner av CSR i relation till företags employer brand? Studien visar att olika dimensioner av CSR uppfattas olika relevanta beroende på vilken bransch ett företag är verksamt inom. Den sociala och den miljömässiga dimensionen av CSR uppfattas som de dimensioner som främst stärker ett företags employer brand. CSR kan vidare uppfattas dels på ett rationellt sätt, och dels på ett känslomässigt sätt, och ett företags employer brand stärks främst om CSR-initiativen uppfattas både rationella och känslomässiga. För att de olika dimensionerna av CSR ska stärka ett företags employer brand bör initiativen uppfattas konkreta och enkla att förstå. CSR-initiativ som ligger nära kärnverksamheten och som anställda får vara med och bidra till upplevs enklare att relatera till, och kan därmed bidra till att attrahera framtidens arbetskraft. För att stärka ett företags employer brand bör dock ett företags totala värdeerbjudande matcha framtidens arbetskrafts preferenser.

This thesis is aimed at finding out how aware final users at Karlstad Business School are of its CSR communication message. The study discusses the concept of corporate social responsibility by providing a background knowledge of the concept. CSR communication is defined and presented in this study as an ongoing process and presents prior knowledge on the concept. The chapter outlines UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals as a message which firms can utilize in communicating CSR.  A qualitative methodology was adopted in this study using semi – structured interviews of 12 respondents who were final users at Karlstad Business School. The respondents were varied between different programs at the business school. The study uses constructivism as philosophy such that meaning is co – constructed by the researcher and the respondents. The data is analyzed using coding. The findings from this study show that awareness is low and as such the users do not share an adequate meaning with that of Karlstad Business School. The findings also show that users with prior knowledge on sustainability mainly through course related sources demonstrate an intermediary level of awareness. Discussions mainly through seminars come out as a key message channel for the business school to communicate its CSR agenda. The implications of this study are in two phases; to the business school and to the users. The business school adopts UN Agenda 2030 as a message for CSR communication which is novel to CSR communication. The users at the business school have a task of engaging in CSR communication to other departments at the university.

Companies that have a well-formulated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practice is one step in the right direction of contributing to a prosperous society where future generations are not compromised. Although companies may have a CSR practice, it is not guaranteed that that the practice is effective. Essentially, employees have a key role in the success of the company’s CSR practice. Employees are major actors in carrying out and actualizing the company’s CSR initiatives and without the employees’ willingness to engage in CSR initiatives, the company will fail to uphold a CSR practice. Therefore, it is essential for companies to understand how employees can become engaged in the CSR practice. We have extracted previously identified factors that have played a role in employees CSR engagement, i.e. attitudes towards CSR, organizational identification, management support, training and development, recognition, CSR culture, and internal CSR communication. In order to get a deeper understanding of employee CSR engagement, it was perceived of relevance to examine in what way these factors influence employees’ engagement in CSR. The study has been conducted at a case company operating in the green service support sector. Trough semi-structured interviews, this study consists of experiences and perceptions from both managers and employees. Whilst the study focuses on the employee perspective, managers are included in order to get a more comprehensive understanding of employee CSR engagement. We found that both internal and external factors can be drivers or impediments for employee CSR engagement. Matching values and attitudes towards CSR were found to be drivers, because working with an important societal mission, or consider and value CSR on a personal level positively influence CSR engagement among individual employees. Supportive managerial behaviour, more specifically, inspirational managers, setting clear goals and appropriate recognition was also found to be drivers for CSR engagement. Furthermore, in terms of CSR integration, insufficient CSR culture and internal CSR communication was found to be impediments. This because, employees did not feel they knew how to contribute, nor did they experience that CSR was prioritized. Additionally, two new factors were found; time constraints as an impediment, and social interactions as a driver. Keywords: Corporate social responsibility, employee engagement