Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that is growing increasingly important, with more and more companies acknowledging that they have an obligation to the environment in which they operate. We were interested in inquiring into why companies chose to do so, even though there are no laws that condition them to engage in CSR. One answer to this might be that companies use CSR as a way to distinguish themselves from the competition as well as to gain trust and goodwill from the stakeholders. When it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility, the question is no longer whether or not companies should engage in it, but how they can gain competitive advantage by doing so. This study aims at providing a framework for possible ways of integrating CSR and branding, as well as different strategies for CSR-communication. We also tried to define how, and why, consumers respond to CSR-initiatives.

This master thesis has been performed at the department of Machine Design at KTH, The Royal Institute of Technology. The thesis has been a part of a global development project in collaboration with Luleå University of Technology, Lund Faculty of Engineering and Stanford University. Corporate liaison and sponsor has been Immerse Global Inc. The project was also performed on sponsorship from the Product Innovation Engineering Program, PIEp. The thesis is a representation of some of the contributions made by the authors.The lack of clean drinking water is one of the key issues facing the world today.

In modern society globalisation is a fact within all industries, the textile industry included. Due to improvement in areas such as logistics and communication international trade have developed fast. As changes occur rapidly on the global market and companies must adjust and revise their processes in order to stay competitive.Because of the global price reduction consumers around the world expect low-price products, which mean that the companies have to find new ways to produce in a cost-efficient way. To maximize profit most of the textile production is situated in low-cost countries due to its labour-intensive character. It is crucial for fashion companies to allocate their activities in their value-chain effectively in order to reduce lead-times.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Swedish Public Relations and Communication profession from the Stockholm Accords point of view. The Stockholm Accords are an attempt to reflect Public Relations and Communication Management practice as it stands today and to provide a global common ground for the practitioners.The method used for this study is a quantitative research method conducted by a web survey answered by more than 400 Swedish communication managers. The questions posed were examining these managers view of their profession compared to the Stockholm Accords.The research shows that the Swedish way of implementing communication in the organization broadly corresponds to the Stockholm Accords when it comes to internal and external communication. However, there are some areas where Swedish communication practice diverges from Stockholm Accords. The issues which link governance, management and sustainability to communication have a much wider distribution of responses.

Sustainability issues have become increasingly high-profile and important in recent decades. In addition, quality issues have come to play a central role in corporate marketing, strategy and management. The word quality can be defined differently in different contexts. This paper focuses on the concept of quality, based on the Total Quality Management perspective, which in Swedish has come to be known as Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling has been described as a theoretical framework in which an organization continually strives to meet and preferably exceed customer needs and expectations at the lowest cost through continuous improvement, and in which all members of the organization are committed and focused on the organisation's processes. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, to clarify the applicability of the theoretical model Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling as a theoretical explanatory model. Second, to explore how Max Hamburgerrestauranger AB performs according to the values in Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. A multiple case study was conducted in order to explore these topics. The results showed that Max Hamburgerrestauranger AB is working in a dedicated and value-driven manner, aligned with the values ??that form the basis for Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling. The results also showed that the model for Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling could serve well as a theoretical explanatory model, but that the model would benefit from being developed, enriched or integrated with other models.

Bomullstextilier är en av de mest återkommande råvarorna i textilierproduktion, trots att medvetenheten om dess miljöpåfrestande framställning ökat är den fortfarande en av de viktigaste globala handelsvarorna. I och med den globala handeln har företagens agerande utvecklats från att ha en lokal produktion och försäljning till att handla med olika leveranto?rer och underleverantörer över hela va?rlden. Det långa ledet leverantörer som krävs fo?r att framställa bomullstextilier kan tillsammans med andra faktorer, som kulturella och etiska skillnader, leda till komplikationer när det kommer till uppföljningen av företagens krav på leverantörerna.

The first version of the Swedish Code of Corporate Governance was published year 2004, by the code group, Kollegiet, after a mission from the Swedish government. The Code consists a collection of rules and standards about corporate governance and internal control, and the first version was intended to include incorporated limited companies on Stockholm?s alpha stocks, and also listed companies with a stock market value over three thousand million Swedish kronor. Now a few years have passed, and in July 2008 a new, revised version of the Code was implemented, now simplified and shorted, with the intention to include all joint-stock companies in Sweden. The Code contains rules about for example ownership, management commitments, annual stockholders meetings, and the accountant. This study intends to, with a qualitative research approach and an inductive reasoning, through studies of empirics in the subject, review whether the accountant?s profession has been influenced by the Code.

In organizations today Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming a common means to try to gain legitimacy and credibility for their business. A successful CSR strategy has the potential to generate positive outcomes for a company and reaching out to stakeholders about the corporation?s contribution in the field is an important part of the work. In this study I examine how the employees at Max Hamburgare receive the corporation?s efforts within sustainability, how it is perceived and what this means to the employees.

Den ekonomiska globaliseringen och ökade världshandeln har lett till att multinationellaföretag till viss del fått ta sig an den roll som stater tidigare har haft och många företaghar börjat använda sig av corporate social responsibility (CSR) som ett verktyg för detta.Frågan är om utvecklingen har gjort att andra aktörer, såsom fackföreningar, som tidigarevarit en självklar aktör på den politiska arenan och en given del av den svenskaföretagssfären, nu kommit i skymundan. Det leder vidare till frågan om vadfackföreningar i så fall har för roll idag. Det föreligger ett gap i forskningen vad gällerfackföreningarnas roll i CSR-diskursen samt levnadslöner i utvecklingsvärlden, som kanses som en del av CSR-konceptet. Ambitionen är att denna kvalitativa flerfallsstudie skakunna bidra till den kunskapsbrist som tycks finnas gällande svenska fackföreningar ochderas syn och roll vad gäller CSR och specifikt levnadslöner. Resultatet av studien visaratt svenska fackföreningar överlag är skeptiska till CSR och att ett införande avlevnadslöner är komplext.

This study is on how small companies can use the Internet as a part of their marketing strategy to gain a leverage on their competitors with small means to survive and expand in the global market. Many Swedish small companies still don?t have a sufficient knowledge on how to use the communication channel despite the various advantages the Internet offers.Case studies were conducted of how AdLibris, A-lotterierna AB and SF-bokhandeln perceived the importance of using the Internet as a part of their communications strategy.This new communication channel demand new ways of applying traditional marketing principals. Careful analysis of the interviews and how the answers relate to new and old marketing theories makes the bulk of this study. The conclusion is that the Internet solely is not enough, a combination with traditional marketing tools is the way to succeed in their marketing efforts.

The aim of this study is to find out in which way the education about climate in school is taught and how the students experience the world situation today. There are various theories about the greenhouse effect and its origin and these theories should be addressed to ensure that students get a broader understanding of how climate change occurs. This includes the natural phenomena and also the human impact on climate change. Students in school are a source of concern that only human are the cause of global warming, and know little or almost nothing about the natural phenomena of global warming.  I will mention what has emphasized in the national steering documents in the case of environmental education at school.I have used a qualitative method, where interviews and document analysis were used as techniques. The interviews took place with five students in ninth grade and with three science teachers in the same school..

Världsekonomin har gått från att vara industribaserad till att bli mer och mer kunskapsbaserad. Nya kunskapsbaserade företag som Google och Spotify har växt fram utan stora materiella tillgångar och med helt andra framgångsfaktorer än tidigare. Detta har skapat ett växande gap mellan företags bokförda värde och marknadsvärde. Det värde som utgör skillnaden mellan marknadsvärde och bokfört värde kan kallas intellektuellt kapital. Definitionen av intellektuellt kapital har förändrats utvecklats och anpassats genom år av tidigare forskning.

A1257Kraven på företags sociala ansvarstagande har under de senare åren ökat. Allt fler företag arbetar därför med mänskliga rättigheter, miljöpåverkan och en hållbar ekonomisk utveckling för att behålla sin legitimitet. Sedan Kofi Annan år 1999 initierade Global Compact och vädjade till världens företagsledare att tillsammans hjälpa till och skapa en bättre värld har begreppet Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, vunnit acceptans. 2002 initierade Göran Persson en nationell motsvarighet, Globalt Ansvar. Trots det saknas en tydlig innebörd av CSR och därför riktas vårt intresse mot organisationer och företag som arbetar med CSR.

This qualitative study focuses on the investigation of different actor?s ideas concerning gender and womanhood in a post-socialist nation Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of this study is to try to provide experiences and attitudes of one not a new, but definitely one constantly changing phenomenon, trafficking in women for sexual exploitation. The qualitative data is mainly collected through nine interviews with people from Bosnian Governments, International organizations and NGOs during my stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The causes to trafficking are complex and intertwined but it directly relates to gender discrimination and attitudes on sexual relationships between women and men.

Companies around the globe all have one thing in common; they are surrounded by individuals or groups of individuals that can influence the company in one way or another. These individuals and groups of individuals are called stakeholders. This study in concerned with the importance of a company?s awereness of and relationship with which stakeholders surround them. The fact that more companies show awareness of responsible conduct, in particular of the environment and social aspects of management may be a way to build a strong corporate image.