Swedwatch’s reports 2011-2013: what happened next and why? An analysis of trends in outcomes of investigated cases by the Swedish NGO Swedwatch

Abstract: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a term increasingly used in academic discussions, political debates, media, corporate reports, Non-Governmental Organizations’ (NGOs) reports, and even by civil society and the public. But what does CSR actually mean? What do CSR practices actually constitute? Another increasingly debated issue is the growing power of the business sector and its direct effect on peoples’ lives, especially in the global South. A Swedish NGO called Swedwatch works with investigating and reporting the activities of Swedish corporations (mainly) in the global South. Based on their investigations they applaud exemplary CSR methods as well as critique corporate operations. Swedwatch’s reports have several times indicated that Swedish corporations (and also the Swedish state) are involved in operations directly linked to vast environmental damage, labour rights violations, and sometimes even human rights violations. In order to improve these actors’ Corporate Social Engagement (CSE - which in this thesis will be a term used when referring to actors’ operations and engagement in corporate responsibility), Swedwatch consistently includes a list of recommendations in their reports targeting investigated and/or relevant actors. Global corporations will continue to influence the economic, social and political spheres in which they operate when aiming to increase their profits. Questions regarding whose role it is to control this sector (and who is actually capable of doing so) is becoming the centre of attention for many organisations and governments. This thesis looks into the results of Swedwatch’s reports published 2011-2013. By drawing on information in the reports, internal result-related documents produced by Swedwatch, an interview with the director of Swedwatch and investigated corporations’ comments, the conclusions are made. The aim of this study is to discern trends and factors that can be argued should be focused on by organisations like Swedwatch and the CSR sphere in general when pushing the business sector to develop and improve their CSE. The three trends/factors which will be argued have been and will be important in future work are: (1) media attention, (2) customer closeness/’friendliness’, (3) and working with additional social strategies.