This research explores how provincial governments in Canada can foster environmental leadership in business firms, and develops a framework to guide provincial policy and regulatory decisions with respect to environmental leadership. The research question is: How can provincial governments in Canada support environmental leadership in businesses? Environmental leadership is defined as voluntary beyond compliance behaviour. In order to answer the research question, what motivates and challenges environmental leadership must also be explored. Three case studies are used in this research: the electronics extended producer responsibility (EPR), marine and agriculture sectors. Data was collected through surveys and interviews with businesses, officials and organizations in each of the case studies. The focus is on British Columbia, although data was also collected from other Canadian provinces. Results demonstrate that the electronics EPR sector is characterized by compliance and coordination issues: businesses focus on meeting rather than exceeding regulations, and they identified a strong need for improved harmonization and coordination between jurisdictions on EPR regulations. The marine sector is characterized by businesses taking matters into their own hands, due to weak regulations accompanied by strong community pressures. The agriculture sector is characterized as one of contestation and capacity: contestation over what is environmental leadership (whether or not it requires beyond compliance steps such as organic certification), and capacity concerns, due to the high need identified for support, education and training for farmers. Five themes cut across the three case studies. First, environmental leadership is an ongoing process rather than a relatively fixed category in which businesses can be placed. Second, although social licence is important in all three cases, the licence comes from different sectors of society: consumers, community or citizens. In the electronics EPR sector, the social licence pressures come primarily from customers; in the marine sector, from communities; and in the agriculture sector, from citizens as a whole, comprised of both customers of agricultural products and communities that live near farms. Third, corporate culture or visionary leadership is important in driving environmental leadership. Fourth, a need exists for greater leadership by government, by strategic planning, taking advantage of new markets, resolving conflicts, greater harmonization and coordination of regulations. Fifth, continuous learning within a firm is important in environmental leadership, be it through formal training, sharing of expertise and knowledge, or through ongoing reflection on business practices. Key policy implications are that provincial governments use a broader mix of regulatory tools: accompanying stringent standards with training and education; support for transition to greener technologies or processes; and public education on the purpose of regulations, how they work, and the role of all sectors of society in achieving social goals. Cross government cooperation and harmonization of regulations could be improved, especially in the electronics EPR sector. The results of this research should assist in identifying ways for government to foster environmental leadership in businesses, through new approaches to governance and selection of policy instruments. / Graduate

Titel: Corporate Social Responsibility - Bostadsbolagens sociala ansvarstagande och relationerna mellan CSR och genus.Ämne kurs: Fastighetsvetenskap, Kandidatuppsats, 15 hpFörfattare: Anna Lundström & Elvira AnderssonHandledare: Karin Staffansson PauliNyckelord: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), hållbarhet, socialt ansvar, genus, jämställdhet.Syfte: Studiens syfte är att bidra till en djupare förståelse för hur bostadsbolag med olika ägandeform väljer att definiera och organisera sitt CSR-arbete. Studien ska även undersöka vilka relationer det finns mellan CSR och genus i fastighetsbranschen. Studien ska bidra till ökad kunskap kring hur olika bostadsbolag arbetar med CSR och de bakomliggande incitamenten bakom arbetet. Finns det några likheter eller skillnader beroende på bostadsbolagens ägandeform?Metod: En kvalitativ studie har genomförts med en kombination av litteraturstudier och intervjuer med representanter från fem stycken bostadsbolag. Bostadsbolagens hemsidor och årsredovisningar har studerats för att bilda en uppfattning om hur bolagen förhåller sig och arbetar med CSR.Teori: Den teoretiska referensramen tar sin utgångspunkt i forskning kring definition av CSR som Carrolls pyramid, teori kring genus som Ackers organisationsteori samt Porter & Kramers teori om skapande av delat värde (creating shared value).Empiri: Det empiriska materialet bygger på en kartläggning av de fem bolagens hemsidor och årsredovisningar samt en intervjustudie med en representant från respektive bolag.Slutsats: Resultatet av studien visar att samtliga bolag oberoende av ägandeform definierar CSR liknande. CSR som begrepp är på väg att försvinna och ersättas av hållbarhet och socialt ansvarstagande. CSR innebär att ta ansvar för ekonomin, miljön och det sociala. Samtliga bolag separerar dessa tre delar och kopplar främst CSR till bolagets sociala ansvarstagande. Samtliga bolag organiserar CSR-arbetet olika. Inte heller här kan någon tydlig skillnad ses mellan organiseringen av CSR-arbetet och ägandeformen. CSR handlar om hållbarhet, för att något ska vara hållbart måste det vara rättvist och när det är rättvist är det också jämställt. Studien visar att det finns en relation mellan CSR och genusaspekten, det handlar om att bolagen ska ta socialt ansvar inåt i organisationen och ha en jämställd och hållbar kultur på arbetsplatsen. Samtliga respondenter i studien anser att den egna organisationen är jämställd, men inte fastighetsbranschen generellt. Jämställdhet ökar för att fler människor ställer krav, precis som med företagens samhällsansvar. Företagens samhällsansvar ökar för att samhället kräver det. / Title: Corporate Social Responsibility - Housing companies social responsibility and the relations between CSR and gender.Course: Real Estate Science Thesis, 15 hp. Author: Anna Lundström & Elvira AnderssonAdvisor: Karin Staffansson PauliKey Words: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), sustainability, social responsibillity,gender, equality.Purpose: The purpose of the study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how housing companies with different forms of ownership chooses to define and organize CSR. The study will also examine what relations there is between CSR and the gender aspect in the real estate industry. The study will also contribute to increased knowledge about how various housing companies work with CSR and the incentive behind the work. Are there any similarities or differences depending on the housing companies form of ownership?Methodology: The essay method is based on a qualitative study with a combination of literature studies and interviews with representives from five different housing companies. The websites and annual reports of the housing companies have been studied to form an idea of how companies relate and work with CSR.Theory: The study’s theoretical points of departure have their basis in research on the definition of CSR as Carroll's CSR pyramid, theory of gender as Ackers organization theory and Porter and Kramer’s theory of creating shared value.Empirics: The empirical data is based on a survey of five companies’ websites and annual reports as well as interwies with a representative from each company.Conclusion: The results of the study identifies that all companies irrespective of the form of ownership defines CSR resembling. CSR as a concept is about to disappear and be replaced by sustainability and social responsibility. CSR means taking responsibility for the economy, environment and the social society. All companies separate these three parts and connect CSR to the companies social responsibility. All the companies are organizing their work with CSR differently. CSR is about sustainability, for something to be sustainable it must be fair, and when it is fair it is also equal. The study shows a relation between CSR and the gender aspect. The companies have to take social responsibility inside the organization to have an equal and sustainable culture. All respondents in the study belives that their own organization is gender equal but not the real esate industry in general. Gender equality is increasing because more people demands it. Corporate social responsibility are increases because society demands it.