The global move towards sustainability and sustainability reporting, the rise and influence of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and triple bottom line reporting, together with the launch of the King III Report, and revision of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listing requirements in South Africa, both requiring the preparation of an integrated report, have resulted in a uniquely altered information environment, in which investors are required to make investment decisions. The value-relevance of this new sustainability information is however to date untested in a South African context. The introduction of the Social Responsible Investment (SRI) Index in South Africa provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the value-relevance of such new reporting. This research report tests the GRI, using the SRI Index as a proxy, to determine whether this accepted reporting standard is recognized as being valuerelevant, from both a short term and long term perspective, on the JSE over the period 2004 to 2012. The short term value-relevance is tested using cumulative average abnormal returns in an event study methodology, while the long term effect was investigated using a 4-tiered portfolio construction technique, which uses the SRI Index category rankings to define the portfolios. The results indicate that true to the long term nature of sustainability information, in the short term the quality of sustainability and sustainability reporting has no effect on the market value of a company. However, in the long term, a positive effect was found where the SRI listed portfolio, and the SRI best performer portfolio, significantly outperformed the non-listed portfolio on a consistent basis as measured using relative performance. The SRI persistent best performer portfolio however underperformed all other portfolios. This is however due to an overwhelming lack of diversification due to a low number of shares in the portfolio, as well as the portfolio being severely overweight in resource shares, which tend to be the best reporters, due to their large environmental impact. The research report therefore concludes that investing in a higher quality SRI/GRI sustainability portfolio, as opposed to a lower quality portfolio, resulted in excess returns to the investors over the period 2004-2012.

Occupational social work and corporate social responsibility share commonalities which could provide significant avenues for occupational social worker practice, especially at a macro level of intervention, the area most lacking in their service delivery. The engagement of occupational social workers in corporate social responsibility in South Africa seems to have been misunderstood, with consequent limited involvement of the profession in this field. The main aim of this qualitative exploratory study was to explore the perceptions of occupational social workers in Gauteng regarding their definition and envisaged engagement in corporate social responsibility interventions in order to motivate for the incorporation of corporate social responsibility into their practice. To achieve the aim of the study, semi-structured interviews were held with seven occupational social workers and three social workers with five years practical experience in occupational social work. Sampling was not necessary given the small size of the research population. Data analysis took the form of thematic content analysis. The main findings were that the participants’ primarily defined corporate social responsibility as the contribution made by companies to the community outside the workplace however, they subsequently identified internal stakeholders, such as employees, as legitimate recipients of corporate social responsibility services. The data analysis revealed a clear perception that occupational social workers were well-suited to play roles in corporate social responsibility, utilising a full range of their micro, meso and macro skills. The identification of avenues for macro practice with internal and external company stakeholders was particularly significant, given that this is the area of intervention which has been most lacking in occupational social work service delivery. It was also established that the objectives of developmental social welfare could be incorporated into occupational social work roles in corporate social responsibility. The conclusion was reached that occupational social workers could play valuable roles in the social responsibility endeavours of companies to contribute towards change efforts to address the social problems and transformation challenges which plague South African society. The support of company leadership, who are open to the ideas of occupational social workers and champion an increased mandate for them, would be facilitative to the development of an occupational social work domain in the field of corporate social responsibility.

“Corporate social responsibility”, an unremittingly contested concept since its inception, has attracted global interest in a progressively integrated world economy. The aim of this study is to explore and critique recent claims of a move towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by multinational mining corporations (MNMCs). Today, MNMCs are expected to promote and practice CSR for the socio-economic consequences of their activities in host countries. The study will also investigate how (if at all) host-country political and regulatory environments affect CSR initiatives undertaken by MNMCs. Previously, mineral developers merely insured full compliance with host-country environmental regulations. However, there is a growing recognition that full legal compliance is insufficient in meeting society’s demands with regards to mining issues. Thus, mineral developers are increasingly expected to gain a ‘social license to operate’ (SLO) from local communities in order to avoid potentially costly conflict and exposure to social risks. In order to achieve the aim of the study, a comparative-case analysis of the activities of the Anglo-American giant, AngloGold Ashanti in South Africa and Ghana will be employed. Furthermore, by drawing particular attention to CSR and SLO, the study will explore how international norms such as CSR evolve, are appropriated and sometimes operationalized by powerful actors and agents within the international system.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree in Master of Commerce (50% course work) / A growing number of institutional investors that are adopting corporate social responsibility (CSR) philosophy are playing a crucial role in influencing listed companies to adopt and address CSR issues. CSR is defined as “…a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations…” (European Commission, 2010). CSR is now widely accepted as a way of doing business in the contemporary environment. It is evident in companies that are spending large sums of money, time and effort on satisfying various stakeholders’ requirements for responsible behaviour. Despite the growing pressure on companies to become socially responsible, the direct benefits of CSR contribution to firm performance remain questionable. From existing literature the relationship between CSR and firm performance have pointed to mixed results (Gladysek & Chipeta, 2012; Aggarwal, 2013). This study examines the relationship between CSR performance and firm performance using the CSRHub sustainability indexes as proxy for CSR performance. The firm performance measures of firm value (Tobin’s Q) and financial accounting performance (return on assets) were used. Annual data of firms from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) from year 2009 to 2012 was analysed using the Multiple Regression Analysis techniques. The study revealed that significant and positive relationship exists between CSR/environmental performance and firm value of listed South African companies. The study concluded that there is no significant relationship between firm performance and the other components of CSR such as community relations, employment relations, and governance. The relatively small sample size of the listed companies, some missing values on the sample data and the shorter time period on the study are the main limitations acknowledged in this report. In the overall, the study provides important insights for understanding the contribution of CSR and its disaggregated components to firm performance.

Abstract -   Background: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been a concept related to corporations for decades and is still highly relevant. The concept has been developed throughout the years, resulting in an extensive concept. This thesis, however, defines CSR as a corporation’s willingness, engagement and ability to participate in societal objectives.   Purpose: The purpose of this master thesis is to analyse business management of CSR. More specifically, in the context of MNEs subsidiaries implementation and management of CSR in practice relating to services, retailing and manufacturing industries.     Method: A qualitative multiple case study was conducted in order to carry out the purpose. The empirical data was collected by doing 14 semi-structured interviews from five MNEs in three different industries.    Findings: Common findings in all five MNEs are, a global management team in all organizations, that the organizational goal is in line with the organizational standard and that all MNEs encounter a local demand. Moreover, all five MNEs were found to measure, track and evaluate their processes by using one or a couple evaluation methods. Lastly, it was clear that all responsibilities within Carroll's pyramid of CSR were valued within the participating MNEs and that CSR is believed to become increasingly more important in the future.    Conclusion: The final conclusion of this thesis is that the importance of CSR will increase in the future for MNEs and its subsidiaries based on the current market situation. Furthermore, MNEs tend to manage and implement CSR in subsidiaries based on a global framework. The amount of local adaptation differs between industries and MNEs, however, if the CAGE distance is bigger the local adaptation tends to be bigger. / Sammanfattning -   Bakgrund: CSR har varit ett koncept förknippat med företag i årtionden och det är fortfarande mycket relevant. CSR har utvecklats genom åren, vilket har resulterat i ett brett koncept. I denna avhandling definieras CSR som företagens vilja, engagemang och förmåga att delta i mål som gynnar samhället.   Syfte: Syftet med denna magisteruppsats är att analysera företagsledningen av CSR. Närmare bestämt i kontexten av multinationella företags dotterbolags utförande och förvaltning av CSR i praktiken, i relation till företag inom, tjänste-, återförsäljnings och tillverkningsindustrin.   Metod: Flera kvalitativa fallstudier har utförts för att uppfylla syftet med denna uppsats. Empirin är baserad på 14 semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem multinationella företag i tre olika industrier.   Resultat: De gemensamma resultaten för alla fem deltagande multinationella företagen är, ett globalt ledarskapsteam i sin verksamhet, att verksamhetsmålet är i linje med organisationens standard och att de alla upplever en lokal efterfrågan. Vidare fann man att alla fem multinationella företagen mäter, spårar och utvärderar sina processer genom att använda ett eller ett par utvärderingsmetoder. Slutligen var det tydligt att alla ansvarsområden inom Carroll´s CSR-pyramid värderades inom de deltagande företagen och att de alla tror att CSR kommer att bli allt viktigare i framtiden.     Slutsats: Slutsatsen i denna avhandling är att CSR kommer att öka i framtiden för multinationella företag och dess dotterbolag baserat på den nuvarande marknadssituationen. Dessutom tenderar multinationella företag att hantera och genomföra CSR i dotterbolag baserat på en global ram. Mängden lokal anpassning skiljer sig mellan branscher och multinationella företag, om CAGE-avståndet är större tenderar den lokala anpassningen att vara större.

Problem: Legitimacy is a resource that organizations depend on for their survival. According to legitimacy theory companies need to make sure that they are recognized as operating within the bounds and norms of society and sustainability reports is a way for companies to communicate this. Due to an addition to the Swedish annual accounting law in 2016, large companies are required to produce a sustainability report and to report the consequences that the company operations has on the environment, social conditions, employees, respect for human rights and counteracting corruption. Because companies are required to disclose these negative aspects, they need to do it strategically to not damage their legitimacy. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how Swedish companies in the steel industry legitimize negative aspects of their operations in sustainability reports and to understand if there is a pattern between the type of negative aspect disclosed and the type of legitimation strategy used. Method: To achieve the purpose of our study, a qualitative method has been used. A multiple case-study with a document analysis has been conducted on the sustainability reports of Sandvik, SSAB, Boliden, LKAB and Outokumpu for year 2018. To conduct this study, legitimacy theory and Hahn & Lülfs (2014) legitimation strategies have been essential to fulfill the purpose. Results: Swedish companies in the steel industry use Hahn & Lülfs (2014) legitimation strategies and our new identified legitimation strategy, balancing, to legitimize negative aspects in their sustainability reports. We found four clear patterns between the type of negative aspect reported and the strategy used to legitimize the aspect. Conclusion: Our findings confirm that Hahn & Lülfs (2014) strategies to explain how companies legitimize negative aspects in sustainability reports are also applicable to the Swedish steel industry. The contribution to previous research on this topic is the new additional strategy that is used by the analyzed companies.

There is a growing trend that businesses are expected to address economic, social, as well as environmental issues and operate in a manner that contributes both to the organisation as well as the society (Elkington, 1998), which commonly is referred to as Corporate Social Responsibility. Porter and Kramer (2006) highlight that the business’s primary concern is to run a profitable business, and therefore developed the framework Creating Shared Value.  This study examines how Swedish companies that changed from working with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to working with Creating Shared Value, experience differences in their sustainability work and what advantages and challenges the change emerged in.  The methods used are semi-structured interviews together with content analyses of four Swedish companies’ sustainability reports.  This thesis argues that companies’ sustainability work changed between 2010-2018 from focusing on philanthropy to a focus on sustainability through profitability. Also, the change to CSV for these companies resulted in an increased focus on the environmental aspects, and a decreased focus on the major social aspects. The companies spent more resources on innovation related to environmental issues, which generated profit, and on beneficial collaborations. An advantage of adopting CSV is that a focus on profitability may drive change regarding environmental issues, which in turn leads to long-term economic sustainability. However, shared value can be problematic in some ways, especially when it comes to gaining profit from social value, and thus social global issues might be overlooked for activities within their own business environment.

Forskning inom corporate social responsibility (CSR) har lyft fram de ekonomiska fördelarna med socialt ansvarstagande och hur investerare reagerar på positiva och negativa nyheter gällande olika aspekter av bolags CSR-arbete. Tredjepartsaktörer har även visat sig kunna överbrygga informationsasymmetri mellan bolag och investerare gällande CSR-arbetet och därmed påverka börsvärdet för berörda bolag. Denna studie undersöker hur tredjepartssignaler i form av ranking inom CSR-området jämställdhet påverkar berörda bolag på Stockholmsbörsen. Detta görs genom en eventstudie där abnormal avkastning beräknas för bolag på dagen för offentliggörandet av stiftelsen Allbrights årliga jämställdhetsrapport där svenska börsbolag kategoriseras och rankas efter graden av jämställdhet. Eventstudien omfattar åren 2012-2018. Studiens resultat visar att negativ kategorisering leder till negativ abnormal avkastning som är koncentrerad till rapportdagen. Vidare indikerar studiens resultat att Allbrights ranking fått ökad kurspåverkan över tid.

Sammanfattning Titel: Prestationsmätning av Corporate social responsibility (CSR) för den interna styrningen – En kvalitativ studie Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Josefine Walfridsson och Iman Yassin Handledare: Tomas Källquist och Pär Vilhelmson Datum: 2019 - januari Syfte: Syftet är att skapa förståelse för hur verksamheter arbetar med att föra in CSR i sina interna prestationsmätningar. Metod: Studien utgår från en hermeneutisk forskningstradition med en abduktiv ansats. Den teoretiska referensramen har byggts upp utifrån tidigare forskning. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in utifrån tio kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer. Både teorin och empirin diskuteras sedan i en tematisk analys som följs av studiens resultat och bidrag. Resultat: Prestationsmätningar av CSR används inte genomtänkt för den interna styrningen utan främst för att kunna rapportera CSR-prestationer externt som ett sätt att skapa transparens mot externa intressenter. Studien har visat att prestationsmätningar av CSR används för den interna styrningen i ett fåtal verksamheter men begränsat i majoriteten av de studerade verksamheterna. Studiens bidrag: Studien bidrar med praktisk insikt kring prestationsmätningar av CSR i den interna styrningen, där det visar sig att fokus främst ligger på extern rapportering i praktiken. Den tidigare forskningen kring ämnet präglas av normativa studier. Där prestationsmätningar av CSR tycks gynna verksamheters interna styrning. En del tidigare forskningen indikerar att verksamheters fokus kring prestationsmätningar av CSR ligger på extern rapportering, vilket vår empiriska studie stödjer. Förslag till vidare forskning: Förslag till vidare forskning är att göra flera kvaliativa studier kring prestationsmätningar av CSR i den interna styrningen eftersom det finns begränsat med studier inom området. Ett annat förslag är att forska kring hur verksamheter arbetar med att föra in CSR i sitt prestationsmätningssystem, som den tidigare forskningen benämner som SPMS. Nyckelord: Performance measurement, Corporate social responsibility (CSR), Management accounting, Sustainability performance measurement system (SPMS) / Abstract Title: Performance measurement of Corporate social responsibility (CSR) for internal control – A qualitative study Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Authors: Josefine Walfridsson and Iman Yassin Supervisor: Tomas Källquist and Pär Vilhelmson Date: 2019 – January   Aim: The aim of this study is to create an understanding of how operations are working to introduce CSR into their internal performance measurements. Method: The study is based on a hermenuetic research tradtition with an abductive approach. The theoretical framework has been built based on previous research. The empirical material has been collected based on ten qualitative semi-structured interviews. Both the theory and the empirics are then discussed in a thematic analysis that led to the study's results and contributions.   Results: Performance measurement of CSR is not used for management accounting purpose, but is primarily used for external reporting of CSR performance as a way of creating transparency towards external stakeholders. The study has indicated that performance measurement of CSR is used for management accounting purpose in few operations but limited in the majority of the operations studied.   Contribution of the thesis: The study contributes with practical insight into the performance measurements of CSR in operations management accounting, where it turns out that focus is mainly on external reporting in practice. The previous research on the subject is characterized by normative studies. Where performance measurements of CSR is described as very useful in the management accounting of operations. Furthermore the previous research indicates that performance measurements of CSR in operations mainly focus on external reporting, which our empirical study supports.   Suggestions for future research: Suggestions for future research is to do more empirical studies on performance measurements of CSR in the management accounting of operations, since there is few studies made in this area. Another suggestion is to do research in how operations work to bring CSR into their performance measurement system, as in the previous research is termed SPMS. Keywords: Performance measurement, Corporate social responsibility (CSR), Management accounting, Sustainability performance measurement system (SPMS)

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between Brazilian multinationals and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The theoretical framework provides relevant information on CSR and on Sustainability-Oriented Innovation (SOI), which are the basis for the development of hypotheses. In order to collect data, an e-survey was conducted with Brazilian multinationals operating in different industries and segments; as result, we obtained 60 valid questionnaires. In order to analyze the data, a multivariate analysis was accomplished, which involved the procedures of canonical correlation and multiple linear regression. The descriptive analysis indicates that most Brazilian multinationals are headquartered in the Southeast region, especially in the State of São Paulo. The outcomes of the multivariate analysis provided empirical support for five hypothesis: there is a positive correlation between the constructs: i) guidelines for multinationals (defined by OECD and emphasized by several scholars) and the compliance with social and environmental regulation; ii) guidelines for multinationals and CSR as differentiation strategy; iii) compliance with social and environmental regulation and CSR as differentiation strategy; iv) SOI practices and guidelines for multinationals; and v) SOI practices and the compliance with social and environmental regulation. The results did not support the hypothesis that predicted a positive correlation between SOI practices and CSR as differentiation strategy. / O objetivo deste estudo é analisar a relação existente entre multinacionais brasileiras e Responsabilidade Socioambiental Corporativa (RSC). A fundamentação teórica proporciona informações relevantes sobre RSC e inovação para sustentabilidade, ambos os temas são a base para o desenvolvimento de hipóteses. Para a coleta de dados, uma survey eletrônica foi enviada para multinacionais brasileiras que atuam em diversos segmentos e indústrias; 60 questionários válidos foram obtidos. Para analisar os dados, o procedimento de análise multivariada foi aplicado, o qual envolveu os procedimentos de correlação canônica e regressão linear múltipla. A análise descritiva indica que a maior parte das multinacionais brasileiras está sediada na região sudeste, especialmente no Estado de São Paulo. Os resultados da análise multivariada foram suficientes para sustentar cinco hipóteses: existe, então, uma correlação positiva entre os constructos; i) diretrizes para multinacionais (definidas por órgão internacional - OECD - e enfatizadas por pesquisadores) e o cumprimento de regulamentações socioambientais; ii) diretrizes para multinacionais e RSC como estratégia de diferenciação; iii) o cumprimento de regulamentações socioambientais e RSC como estratégia diferenciação; iv) adoção de práticas de inovação para sustentabilidade e diretrizes para multinacionais; e v) práticas de inovação para sustentabilidade e o cumprimento de regulamentações socioambientais. Não houve suporte empírico para a hipótese que previa uma correlação positiva entre práticas de inovação para sustentabilidade e RSC como estratégia de diferenciação.