Corporate Social Responsibility - A case study about how to improve a company’s CSR work

Abstract

Background: Since the start of the twenty-first century it has become very important for companies to act in a responsible manner, in guides of CSR. The idea is that companies have more responsibilities than to achieve a higher profit for their shareholders. They should also care about the society and act in a responsible way.

Problem discussion: Problems concerning CSR are that the internal part of the sustainability work has not encountered the same level as the external part of the sustainability work. Companies are today struggling with implementing CSR into their business strategies.

Research questions: 1. What does a company has to consider when working with CSR? 2. How can management control systems help the implementation of CSR into the organisation?

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine what a company has to consider when working with CSR and how management control systems can help the implementation of CSR into the organisation. The intention is that this thesis will constitute an input for how Mölnlycke Health Care can continue their further work with developing CSR.

Delimitations: This thesis focuses on one company, Mölnlycke Health Care, and how they can improve their CSR-work within their organisation.

Method: The research is carried out through a qualitative research approach, with the primary data collected through interviews.

Conclusions: Important to consider when working with CSR is that the initiative has to come from the top and be communicated throughout the organisation. Further, the company studied in this case, has to identify its external stakeholders needs, in the process of evolving the CSR work. Moreover, in the process of implementing CSR into the organisation and the business strategies, management control systems can be used. By first identifying the stakeholders’ interest and then creating goals, the company reduces the risk of creating wrong goals. It is in the implementation process important to use both formal measurement and informal control in the implementation process.

Suggestions for further research: It would be interesting to further study if the results presented in this thesis would be different, if inputs from interviews with external stakeholders had been included in the research.