Web-based corporate social responsibility reporting

Due to concerns regarding globalisation and sustainable development, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is topical in the business context and in the field of accounting. The main objective of this study was to review previous academic literature in the field of CSR reporting and develop an insight into CSR reporting in the Web-based environment. The main purpose was to find out what Web-based CSR reporting is like and how companies are utilising the Internet to communicate on responsibility issues. I did not, however, collect empirical research data but limited my study into theoretical and descriptive examination. In order to create an insight into Web-based reporting, I examined the development, motives and current practices of CSR reporting. I concluded that the Internet is a unique, interactive communication channel that is used differently compared with annual reports. The amount of companies engaging in Web-based CSR reporting is increasing and the reporting practices in terms of e.g. content and accessibility of information vary. I also concluded that many companies have not yet discovered the true potential of the Web as an interactive communication medium.

"All for one and one for all" Kuinka yhteiskuntavastuu - viestintä on muuttunut suomalaisten pörssiyhtiöiden vuosikertomuksissa vuodesta 2004 vuoteen 2008

Tutkin kandidaatin tutkielmassani yhteiskuntavastuuviestintää suomalaisten pörssiyhtiöiden vuosikertomuksissa 2004. Tutkimus osoitti, että viestintä on hyvin eritasoista eri yrityksissä. Valveutuneet yhteiskuntavastuuviestijät käyttivät kolmen pilarin mallia kategorioidessaan toimintaansa. Selkeästi oli havaittavissa myös toimialakohtaisia eroja. Tässä tutkimuksessa jatkan samalla aihepiirillä selvittämällä sitä, kuinka Helsingin pörssissä listattujen yhtiöiden yhteiskuntavastuuviestintä on muuttunut kun verrataan vuoden 2004 ja 2008 vuosikertomuksia toisiinsa. Tutkimusmetodi on kvalitatiivinen. Diskurssianalyysin keinoin selvitän miten yritykset viestivät vastuullisuudestaan. Tutkimus osoittaa, että yhteiskuntavastuuviestintä ei ole edelleenkään jokaisen yhtiön intresseissä. Yrityksistä noin kaksi kolmesta viestii jotain yhteiskuntavastuun alueeseen liittyvää. Ward on hieman vähentynyt vuodesta 2004. Näistä yrityksistä vastaavasti noin kahdella kolmesta yhteiskuntavastuutoiminta on johdettua ja tavoitteellista tämä näkyy korkealaatuisena yhteiskuntavastuuviestintänä. Taantuma vuosikertomuksissa näkyi etenkin taloudellisen vastuun lisääntyneenä raportointina.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Mining Industry

Corporate Social Responsibility is company’s interest and actions towards its environment and the society that the company takes from its free will, to give back to the community and environment. Corporate Social Responsibility is current topic as companies are challenged to take responsibility for their action, due to the constant tightening environmental legislations and raising pressure for transparency from the public. The objective of this Master’s Thesis research is to study if Corporate Social Responsibility affects suppliers’ brand image and mining companies’ buying decisions within global mining industry. The research method is qualitative and the research is conducted with secondary and primary research methods. The research aims to find out what are the implications of the research for the case company Larox. The objective is to answer to the question; how should case company Larox start to develop Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program of its own, and how the case company could benefit from CSR as a competitive advantage and what actions could be taken in the company marketing. Conclusions are drawn based on both the secondary and primary research results. Both of the researches imply that CSR is well present in the global mining industry, and that suppliers’ CSR policy has positive effect on company image, which positively affects company’s brand, and furthermore brand has a positive effect on mining companies buying decision. It can be concluded that indirectly CSR has an effect on buying decisions, and case company should consider developing a CSR program of its own.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY from theory into financial statement: UPM-Kymmene Oyj

For number of reasons social responsibility in corporations has become a more essential part of business operations than before. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is dealt with different means and aspects but the overall effects it has on organisations performance, communication and underline actions is indisputable. The thesis describes corporate social responsibility and the main objective was to observe how corporate social responsibility has developed in our case company with answering to main research question how CSR reporting has evolved in UPM-Kymmene Oyj? In addition following questions were also addressed: Is there a monetary value of CSR? What does proficient CSR report consist of? What does corporate social responsibility consist of? Qualitative research method, content analysis to be precise, was chosen and excessive literature study performed to find the theoretical back ground to perform the empirical part of the study. Data for the empirical part was collected from UPM-Kymmene Oyj financial data and annual reports. The study shows that UPM-Kymmene Oyj engagement to CSR and reporting of CSR matter have improved due time but still few managerial implications could be found. UPM-Kymmene Oyj economic key figures are only building shareholder value and stakeholders are identified in very general level. Also CSR data is scattered all over the annual report which causes problems to readers. The scientific importance of this thesis arises from the profound way CSR has been addressed in a holistic manner. Thus it is giving a good basis to understand the underlying reasons of CSR from society towards the organisation and vice versa.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Oil and Gas Industry: Environmental Management Systems as a Source of Sustainable Development

The environmental aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) expressed through the process of the EMS implementation in the oil and gas companies is identified as the main subject of this research. In the theoretical part, the basic attention is paid to justification of a link between CSR and environmental management. The achievement of sustainable competitive advantage as a result of environmental capital growth and inclusion of the socially responsible activities in the corporate strategy is another issue that is of special significance here. Besides, two basic forms of environmental management systems (environmental decision support systems and environmental information management systems) are explored and their role in effective stakeholder interaction is tackled. The most crucial benefits of EMS are also analyzed to underline its importance as a source of sustainable development. Further research is based on the survey of 51 sampled oil and gas companies (both publicly owned and state owned ones) originated from different countries all over the world and providing reports on sustainability issues in the open access. To analyze their approach to sustainable development, a specifically designed evaluation matrix with 37 indicators developed in accordance with the General Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines for non-financial reporting was prepared. Additionally, the quality of environmental information disclosure was measured on the basis of a quality – quantity matrix. According to results of research, oil and gas companies prefer implementing reactive measures to the costly and knowledge-intensive proactive techniques for elimination of the negative environmental impacts. Besides, it was identified that the environmental performance disclosure is mostly rather limited, so that the quality of non-financial reporting can be judged as quite insufficient. In spite of the fact that most of the oil and gas companies in the sample claim the EMS to be embedded currently in their structure, they often do not provide any details for the process of their implementation. As a potential for the further development of EMS, author mentions possible integration of their different forms in a single entity, extension of existing structure on the basis of consolidation of the structural and strategic precautions as well as development of a unified certification standard instead of several ones that exist today in order to enhance control on the EMS implementation.

Sport-based corporate social responsibility in European professional football

In the past few decades, sport has become a major business with remarkable international reach. As part of the commercial sector of sport, professional sport is said to be intrinsically different from other businesses due to its unique characteristics, such as the peculiar economics and the intense loyalty of fans. Simultaneously with the growing business aspect, sport continues to have great social and cultural impacts on our society. Sport has also become an increasingly popular means of attending social problems due to its alleged suitability for such purposes and its popular appeal. A great number of actors in the professional sport industry have long been involved in socially responsible activities, many of which have been sport-related. While Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been extensively studied in general, its role in the professional sport industry has received less attention in the academic research until recently. It has been argued that due to the unique characteristics of professional sport, CSR should also be studied in this particular context. The objective of this study was to contribute to filling the research gap and increase the understanding of CSR in the context of professional sport by examining sport-related CSR realized by professional football clubs in Europe. The theoretical part of this study leaned on previous literature about using sport as a means of attending social issues and the role of CSR in professional sport industry. The empirical part of the study was carried out through web site analyses and interviews. The clubs to be examined were chosen by using purposive sampling technique and taking into consideration the accessibility and suitability of information the clubs could offer. The method used for analyzing the data was qualitative content analysis. The empirical findings were largely in line with the theoretical framework of the study. The sportrelated CSR of the clubs was concentrated on teaching the participants diverse skills and values, improving their health, encouraging social inclusion, supporting disabled people, and promoting overall participation in sport. The clubs also emphasized the importance of local communities as targets of their CSR. CSR had been an integral part of the clubs’ activities from the beginning, but there were remarkable differences between large and small clubs in terms of structured organization and realization of their CSR. Measuring and evaluation of CSR appeared to be a challenge for most clubs regardless of their size and resources. The motives for the clubs to engage in CSR seemed to be related to the clubs’ values or to their stakeholders’ interests. In general, the clubs’ CSR went beyond what the society is likely to expect from them in legal or ethical sense.

CS discourses of co-operatives structuring the food industry

Tämä tutkimus osallistuu tuottaja-osuuskuntiin liittyviin kestävän kehityksen keskusteluihin ja tarjoaa esimerkin pohjoismaisesta ruoantuotannon toimialasta. Tämä tutkimus seuraa kvalitatiivisen tutkimuksen suuntaviivoja ja Fairclough’n kriittinen diskurssianalyysi tarjoaa metodin yritystekstien analyysille. Kieli ymmärretään poststrukturalistisesta näkökulmasta, joka luo kielellisiä identiteettejä ja rakentaa vastuullisuuskeskustelua. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on kuvata diskurssit, jotka rakentavat vastuullisuuskeskustelua kontekstissaan. Lisäksi tavoitteena on kuvata ja ymmärtää kuinka nämä diskurssit rakentavat rooleja ja identiteettejä ympärilleen sekä kuinka yritystekstit institutionalisoituvat ja vaikuttavat kontekstiinsa. Analyysi määrittää kolme vastuullisuusdiskurssia, jotka kuvaavat yrityskansalaisuutta, liiketoimintalähtöisyyttä ja integriteettiä. Diskurssien tavoitteiden, roolien, ja identiteettien ymmärrys ja vaikutus ympäristöön auttaa laajentamaan tietämystä kestävän kehityksen moniulotteisesta luonteesta. Lisäksi tutkimus muodostaa itsessään äänen osuuskuntatutkimukselle ja kestävän kehityksen ymmärryksen laajentamiselle.

Kestävä kehitys ja yritysvastuu – yritysvastuun raportointi suomalaisissa pörssiyrityksissä

Yritysvastuun ja kestävän kehityksen merkitys yritystoiminnassa kasvaa jatkuvasti tuoden mukanaan myös uusia vaatimuksia yrityksen toiminnalle ja raportoinnille. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on antaa kokonaiskuva yritysvastuun raportoinnista suurissa suomalaisessa pörssiyhtiössä. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään myös GRI:n merkitystä raportoinnissa ja sen taloudellisten indikaattoreiden hyödyntämistä. Tutkimuksessa analysoidaan tarkemmin yritysvastuun taloudellista ulottuvuutta, mittareita ja tavoitteita ja tarkastellaan, onko niissä havaittavissa toimialakohtaisia eroja. Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen, mutta siinä on hyödynnetty myös määrällistä analyysiä. Tutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto koostuu 26 suuren suomalaisen pörssiyhtiön vuoden 2010 yritysvastuuraporteista ja vuosikertomuksista. Suurin osa kohdeyrityksistä raportoi yritysvastuusta, mutta raportoinnin laajuudessa on eroja. Yritykset julkaisevat toteumatietoja laajemmin kuin tavoitteita. Tavoitepoikkeamien analysointi on vielä vähäistä. Rahoitustoimiala raportoi yritysvastuusta muita toimialoja vähemmän. Kaksi kolmasosaa tutkimuksen kohdeyrityksistä ilmoitti soveltavansa GRI:n mukaista raportointioh-jeistoa. Yritysten väliset erot raportointiohjeiston soveltamisen välillä ovat suuret. Merkittäviä toimialakohtaisia eroja yritysvastuun tai taloudellisen vastuun raportoinnissa ei ole.

The accumulation of financial and social capital as a means to achieve a sustained competitive advantage for consumer co-operatives

By so far, scholars have discussed how the characteristics of consumer co-operatives (cooperative principles, values and the dual role of members as the users and owners) can potentially give them a competitive advantage over investor-owned firms (IOFs). In addition, concern for the community (as partly derived from locality and regionality) has been seen as a potential source of success for consumer co-operatives. On the other hand, the geographicbound purpose of consumer co-operation causes that consumer co-operative can be regarded as a challenging company form to manage. This is because, according to the purpose of consumer co-operation, co-operatives are obligated to 1) provide the owners with services and goods that are needed and do so at more affordable prices than their competitors do and/or 2) to operate in areas in which competitors do not want to operate (for example, because of the low profitability in certain area of business or region). Thus, consumer co-operatives have to operate very efficiently in order to execute this geographic-bound corporate purpose (e.g. they cannot withdraw from the competition during the declining stages of business). However, this efficiency cannot be achieved by any means; as the acceptance from the important regional stakeholders is the basic operational precondition and lifeline in the long run. Thereby, the central question for the survival and success of consumer co-operatives is; how should the consumer co-operatives execute its corporate purpose so it can be the best alternative to its members in the long run? This question has remained unanswered and lack empirical evidence in the previous studies on the strategic management of consumer cooperation. In more detail, scholars have not yet empirically investigated the question: How can consumer co-operatives use financial and social capital to achieve a sustained competitive advantage? It is this research gap that this doctoral dissertation aims to fulfil. This doctoral dissertation aims to answer the above questions by combining and utilizing interview data from S Group co-operatives and the central organizations in S Group´s network (overall, 33 interviews were gathered), archival material and 56 published media articles/reports. The study is based on a qualitative case study approach that is aimed at theory development, not theory verification (as the theory is considered as nascent in this field of study). Firstly, the findings of this study indicate that consumer co-operatives accumulate financial capital; 1) by making profit (to invest and grow) and 2) by utilizing a network-based organizational structure (local supply chain economies). As a result of financial capital accumulation, consumer co-operatives are able to achieve efficiency gains but also remain local. In addition, a strong financial capital base increases consumer co-operatives´ independence, competitiveness and their ability to participate in regional development (which is in accordance with their geographically bound corporate purpose). Secondly, consumer cooperatives accumulate social capital through informal networking (with important regional stakeholders), corporate social responsibility (CSR) behaviour and CSR reporting, pursuing common good, and interacting and identity sharing. As a result of social capital accumulation, consumer co-operatives are able to obtain the resources for managing; 1) institutional dependencies and 2) customer relations. By accumulating both social and financial capital through the above presented actions, consumer co-operatives are able to achieve sustained competitive advantage. Finally, this thesis provides useful ideas and new knowledge for cooperative managers concerning why and how consumer co-operatives should accumulate financial and social capital (to achieve sustained competitive advantage), while aligning with their corporate purpose.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Shipping Views of Baltic Sea Shipping Companies on the Benefits of Responsibility

The safety of shipping operations in the Baltic Sea is an extensively studied issue due to the density of traffic and the ecological sensitivity of the area. The focus has, however, mainly been on ship technology or on traffic control measures and the operative safety aspect of shipping is in a minor position in maritime safety studies and is lacking in terms of solutions. Self-regulatory and voluntary measures could be effective ways to improve the operational safety of shipping. Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, is one example of a voluntary measure that the shipping companies can take. CSR can enhance maritime safety and improve the shipping companies’ competitiveness. The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge of CSR in the maritime sector and study its applicability and benefits to the shipping companies. The research comprises of a theory part and a questionnaire study, which examine the significance of corporate social responsibility in shipping companies’ maritime safety and competitiveness. The aim of the questionnaire study is to find out how corporate social responsibility is implemented in the shipping companies. According to the literature review, responsible actions can produce financial and time costs, but due to these actions cost savings in the form of learning and increased efficiency can be achieved. Responsible actions can also produce concrete improvements and a reputation of responsibility that can lead to both cost savings and increase in the company’s income. CSR is recognised as having real business benefits in terms of attracting customers and high-quality employees. In shipping, CSR usually focuses on environmental issues. Environmental social responsibility in shipping is mainly motivated by the need to comply with existing and forthcoming regulation. Shipping companies engage in CSR to gain competitive advantage and to increase maritime safety. The social aspects of CSR take into account the well-being and skills of the employees, corporation and other stakeholders of the company. The questionnaire study revealed that the most common CSR measures in shipping companies are environmental measures, and that environmental concerns are considered to be the most important reason to engage in CSR. From the preliminary question about the concept of CSR it can also be seen that safety issues are commonly considered to be a part of CSR and safety gains are the second most important reason to engage in CSR. From the questionnaire, it can also be extrapolated that gaining a better reputation is one of the most important reasons to engage in CSR in the first place. For example, the main economic benefit was seen to be the increase of customer numbers as a result of a better reputation. Based on the study, it would seem that companies are starting to realise that they might gain competitive advantage and be favoured as shippers if they engage in sustainable, responsible operations and present themselves as “green”.

Yhteiskuntavastuun merkitys suomalaisen elintarvikeketjun toimittajavalinnassa

Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan yhteiskuntavastuun merkitystä suomalaisen elintarvikeketjun toimittajavalinnassa. Tutkimuksen keskeisimpänä tavoitteena on vastata kysymykseen "Millainen merkitys yhteiskuntavastuulla on suomalaisen elintarvikeketjun toimittajavalinnassa?". Muita tavoitteita on tutkia lainsäädännnön vaikutusta elintarvikeketjujen yhteiskuntavastuukäytäntöihin, miten sidosryhmien vaatimukset vaikuttavat Keskon yhteiskuntavastuukäytäntöihin sekä kuinka Keskon yhteiskuntavastuukäytännöt vaikuttavat toimittajiensa toimintatapoihin. Tutkimuksen empiirinen osio on kerätty suomalaisen elintarvikeketjun Kesko Oyj:n vuosittaisesta yhteiskuntavastuuraportista ja kyseisen yrityksen yhteiskuntavastuun asiantuntijalle tehdystä haastattelusta.

Consumer online communication of corporate social responsibility in the sin industry context: Cases in the global online gambling industry.

So-called sin industries are often related to harmfulness, unethical business, and unproductiveness. Nowadays, the alcohol, gambling, and tobacco industries are most often considered to be part of sin industries, which is also the context of this study. However, the definition of a sin industry is always related to time and culture. Despite the controversies of sin industries, there are studies that have shown that corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement is even more important for sin industries than for normal industries and that CSR has a positive effect on firm value in sin industries. With CSR this study refers to an ideology where company takes mostly voluntary actions towards various groups of stakeholders and the environment. In other words, the company goes beyond the legal norms and regulations. In particular, the purpose of this thesis is to find out how companies, operating in the online gambling industry, communicate about their CSR actions to consumers at their web pages. The online environment is essential for this study as online gambling environment is a source of many controversies in comparison to the traditional gambling halls and casinos. These include, for example, greater accessibility, anonymity, and availability of the service. This study uses qualitative textual analysis as its approach, more precisely the discourse analysis. In addition, as this study focuses on large international companies and their actions, also case study approach will be presented. The cases studied are Mybet, Unibet, and Bwin.Party. In order to study the subject, elements from discourse analysis are combined with insights of essential CSR theories, and the specific characteristics of the online gambling industry. As a background for the framework, this study uses the framework of Du & Vieira (2012). After analyzing the discourses of CSR communication and CSR practices, it seems that all of the case companies still do not use all the potential that the online environment provides in terms of CSR or stakeholder communication. There are large differences between different communication tools used at different web pages (gambling pages vs. corporation pages) and between the firms’ CSR profiles. Moreover, there are large differences in the CSR practices used in the web pages of the case companies. The findings of this study are partially alarming as the case companies represent the largest companies in the industry. There are major varieties between the companies’ CSR communication and clear shortcomings in some parts of the online communication. Moreover, the trust of the consumer was broken in some places. If this is the standard that the biggest players in the industry have set with regards to CSR communication, it is probable that the smaller players are performing even worse. Moreover, the regulators are most likely concentrating on the larger companies, so the smaller companies might have fewer incentives and pressure to perform according to the regulations or exceeding the legislation. The conclusions of this thesis provide insights to managers, regulators, and scholars. Suggestions for future studies are provided as well.

Paperi- ja selluteollisuus: Kestävän kehityksen rooli alalla ja alan tulevaisuus: Delfoi-tutkimus

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli hahmottaa paperi- ja selluteollisuuden nykytilaa ja tulevaisuutta kirjallisuuden sekä empiirisen tutkimuksen avulla. Tutkimuksen avulla hahmotettiin erityisesti kestävän kehityksen ja CSR:n merkitystä paperi- ja selluteollisuudessa, paperi- ja selluteollisuuden tämänhetkistä tilannetta sekä kilpailuedun lähteitä ja liiketoiminnan mahdollisuuksia alalla tulevaisuudessa. Tutkimuksen tutkimusmenetelmä oli kvalitatiivinen ja tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin Delfoi-menetelmää. Tutkimuksen perusteella voidaan todeta, että kestävä kehitys on tärkeä aihe paperi- ja selluteollisuudessa ja sen voidaan olettaa tulevaisuudessa olevan alalla vieläkin merkityksellisempi. Ympäristöllisistä tekijöistä ja näkökulmista on metsäteollisuudessa puhuttu jo vuosikymmenten ajan ja alan kansainvälistyminen sekä alalla viime aikoina tapahtuneet muutokset ovat nostaneet kiinnostusta kestävää kehitystä kohtaan entisestään. Tutkimuksen mukaan paperi- ja selluteollisuuden nykytilanne on tällä hetkellä haastava ja kilpailu alalla on kovaa. Syitä alan haastavaan tilanteeseen ovat alalla viime aikoina tapahtuneet muutokset ja kilpailun kiristyminen. Tulevaisuuden kilpailuedun lähteinä alalla voidaan nähdä muun muassa kestävään kehitykseen liittyvät tekijät, uudet tuotteet sekä materiaalit, markkinarakojen hyödyntäminen sekä kannattavuuden parantaminen. Uusia liiketoiminnan mahdollisuuksia alalla tulevaisuudessa ovat erikoistuotteet, bioenergia, innovaatiot, sivutuotteiden käyttö, kierrätettävät materiaalit, pakkausmateriaalit sekä biotalous.

Integrating corporate social responsibility into business in Finnish consumer goods companies

The motives for this study originated from the notion that surprisingly little academic literature is found on actually managing and putting corporate social responsibility (CSR) into practice, in comparison with the definitions and frameworks of the concept itself. Regardless of the author, CSR has been considered consisting of three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. The question behind the three dimensions has always been whether socially and environmentally responsible behavior can lead to increased economic performance and improve the competitiveness of a company. Most of the current CSR development has related to the quantification of environmental and social performance in order to review these along with the established financial key ratios, which are based on the law and the reporting obligation of the companies. However, the previous research has mainly focused on US companies whereas studies with a European viewpoint, let alone Nordic, have been mostly lacking. Furthermore, it has been discovered recently that the integration of corporate responsibility into business is identified as the greatest challenge in CSR management in Finnish large companies. Therefore the integration of CSR into business in Finnish consumer goods companies provided an interesting, topical and somewhat obscure purpose for this study. This was further divided into three research questions concerning the reasons for CSR engagement, the role of the stakeholders and the practice of corporate responsibility. This study did not aim to build a new theory; instead an explorative viewpoint was regarded more appropriate. Accordingly, qualitative research approach and case study design were adopted in the study. Semi-structured theme interviews were used as a primary data collection method and complemented with secondary data such as websites, responsibility reports and another recent CSR study. There were four Finnish managers as interviewees of whom three presented companies and one non-profit organization. The results were somewhat convergent but differences arose as a result of the companies being at different stages as regards corporate responsibility. However, this provided only more insight into the implementation of CSR. The voluntary CSR initiatives, responsibility reporting, stakeholders and CSR management were identified as the most important viewpoints on the practical side of CSR, besides a key requirement for the integration of CSR into business to be credible was found to be a favorable management attitude. Based on the findings of this study it was admitted that giving concrete advice on CSR management is really a challenge and there is no one generally accepted and right manner to integrate corporate responsibility successfully into business.