Swedish Institutional Investors & SRI -A qualitative study of the investment process and stakeholder engagement; Differences between investing in Swedish and foreign companies

Abstract: The aim and purpose of this thesis is to investigate if there are any differences between countries and different funds in the investment process of Swedish institutional investors. Further, we want to investigate how Swedish institutional investors engage in active ownership in different countries as well as if there are any differences in how this work is done practically. Sustainability is today a hot topic with a growing interest from both investors and companies. This study has been carried out through semi-structured telephone interviews with representatives from four of Sweden’s largest institutional investors. The responses have then been transcribed and analyzed in the light of relevant theories such as sustainability, active ownership and stakeholder theory to mention some. The conclusions of this study indicate that there are differences in how the investment process is carried out in different countries as well as why they exist. There are also differences in the selection process between sustainability funds and other funds. This study further points out the differences in how institutional investors approach companies in active ownership depending on what country the companies originate from.