Law, Culture and Sustainability : Corporate Governance In The Nordic Countries

Nordic countries have their own variations of the same corporate law theme, based on equality between shareholders and minority protection. However, U.S.-style shareholder primacy has influenced corporate practices, legal literature and governance codes. The strength of the ‘Nordic model’ is not in law or in codes, but in a typically Nordic form of ‘active ownership’ by non-institutional direct shareholders such as families, foundations and public pension funds. It is not, however, enough and requires broader participation for sustainability. The answer might be in corporate board activity. The Nordic ‘soft’ shareholder activism, based on a dialogue between the investors and the board, gives room for the boards to convince the investors of the advantages of long-term sustainability. Recurring Nordic bank crises show that bankers’ motives for profit maximisation should be particularly constrained.Peer reviewe

A terminal assessment of stages theory : introducing a dynamic states approach to entrepreneurship

Stages of Growth models were the most frequent theoretical approach to understanding entrepreneurial business growth from 1962 to 2006; they built on the growth imperative and developmental models of that time. An analysis of the universe of such models (N=104) published in the management literature shows no consensus on basic constructs of the approach, nor is there any empirical confirmations of stages theory. However, by changing two propositions of the stages models, a new dynamic states approach is derived. The dynamic states approach has far greater explanatory power than its precursor, and is compatible with leading edge research in entrepreneurship

Synthesising Corporate Responsibility on Organisational and Societal Levels of Analysis: An Integrative Perspective

This article develops an integrative perspective on corporate responsibility by synthesising competing perspectives on the responsibility of the corporation at the organisational and societal levels of analysis. We review three major corporate responsibility perspectives, which we refer to as economic, critical, and politico-ethical. We analyse the major potential uses and pitfalls of the perspectives, and integrate the debate on these two levels. Our synthesis concludes that when a society has a robust division of moral labour in place, the responsibility of a corporation may be economic (as suggested under the economic perspective) without jeopardising democracy and sustainability (as reported under the critical perspective). Moreover, the economic role of corporations neither signifies the absence of deliberative democratic mechanisms nor business practices extending beyond compliance (as called for under the politico-ethical perspective). The study underscores the value of integrating different perspectives and multiple levels of analysis to present comprehensive descriptions and prescriptions of the responsibility phenomenon

How are Swedish social entrepreneurs financing theirbusinesses? : A survey of Swedish social entrepreneurs’ access to funding

Social entrepreneurship and related concepts have received an increasing amount of attention during the last years. Social entrepreneurship is characterized by ventures with a social mission, seeking to address societal challenges and needs. The social goal is the primary goal of the business activities whereas generating economic profit is not the main objective, yet still possible. Social entrepreneurship is often seen as a powerful tool for creating sustainable development, a fundamental goal of many businesses, countries and organizations today. Just like any other firm, social entrepreneurs need finance in order to exist. This thesis seeks to examine how Swedish social entrepreneurs finance their businesses. A questionnaire was sent out to Swedish social entrepreneurs and the results suggest that Swedish social entrepreneurs to a large extent rely on governmental funds and support, personal resources and internally generated capital. Access to the traditional banking system seems to be limited compared to traditional entrepreneurs. There seems to be a gap between the demand and supply of external capital since the majority of the respondents believe that they have a limited access to external capital. 60 per cent of the respondents reported a positive economic result in the last fiscal year. Furthermore, the majority of the respondents want to expand their businesses in the future but the largest obstacles seem to be lack of financing and political aspects. The respondents hope for, among other things, an improved attitude towards social entrepreneurship in general, more financing and increased collaboration with Swedish municipalities. Altogether the results highlight the role of the government in supporting and promoting this type of firms in Sweden

Factors Explaining Average Life Expectancy: An Examination Across Nations

This paper analyzes the health across several countries worldwide. Data was collected from the World Health Organization as well as the World Bank. The data sets collected contain variables for nation population, GNI per capita (PPP), poverty headcount ratio at $1.00, life expectancy at birth for males and females as well as the averages between the two, the expenditure on health per capita, the completion rate of secondary education, physicians per 1000 individuals as well as the number of hospital beds per 1000, and the adequacy of social protection (Social Security). Regressions on between these variables show whether or not the variables are correlated as well as what the degree of correlation. This regression will then give insight as to how strongly health is affected by the world’s varying societal factors. The motivation for seeking this information is that we are interested in how different elements affect the health of a population

The clay studio by Lersjön

Detta projekt beskriver skapandet av en levande plats i en landsbygdsmiljö som fungerar som lärandemiljö, rekreationsområde och mötesplats för såväl långväga besökare som boende i närområdet. Platsen är en destination och aktiverar såväl naturen som kulturmiljön i området och områdets historia, som produktivt område tillhörande det tidigare närliggande tegelbruket, har fått en central roll i den tilltänkta verksamheten som ska tillföras området - Lerateljén.  Lerateljén är en plats för kreativt skapande, utbyte och utveckling med inriktning på naturlera - det material som människan sedan länge vet finns i marken i just detta område. Lerateljén inrymmer bland annat rum för hantverksarbete med lera, en konsthall, ett café, en konferensdel liksom mötesrum och arbetsplatser. En spännande gestaltad vandring om ca 3 km genom fantastisk natur har även tillförts området liksom tre utsiktsplatser med utsikt över den vackra sjön Lersjön. Målet med detta projekt är att få människor i en digital och urban tid att vistas mer i den rika natur som finns på platsen och samtidigt få en större förståelse för och anknytning till densamma. I en tid som för många är starkt präglad av den allt mer omfattande digitala världen kan en längtan efter fysiskt arbete och hantverk finnas och kanske kan denna längtan stillas genom att vistas i Lerateljén. Verksamheten har sin utgångspunkt i den lokala historien och områdets naturliga förekomst av naturlera. Förhoppningsvis kan projektet även bidra till en ökad förståelse och ett större engagemang för naturens resurser och vad hållbar produktion - konsumtion innebär.This project describes the creation of a vivid environment in a rural setting that functions as a place for learning, recreation and meetings. The place is a destination and activates both the nature and the cultural environment in the area and the history of the place, as a productive area belonging to the former nearby brickyard, has been given a central role in the project. Lerateljén is a place for creative work and exploration with focus on natural clay - the material that exists naturally in the soil in this particular area. Leratljén houses, among other things, rooms for handicraft work with clay, an art gallery, a café, a conference area as well as meeting rooms and workplaces. A 3 km hike through fantastic nature has also been designed as well as three viewpoints overlooking the beautiful lake Lersjön. The goal of this project is to make people in today's digital and urban world spend more time in the nature and at the same time gain a greater understanding of and connection to it. In a an increasingly extensive digital world, a longing for physical work and crafts may have intensified and perhaps this longing can be stilled by visiting Lerateljén. Hopefully, the project can also contribute to an increased understanding of the nature and what sustainable production - consumption means

The clay studio by Lersjön

Detta projekt beskriver skapandet av en levande plats i en landsbygdsmiljö som fungerar som lärandemiljö, rekreationsområde och mötesplats för såväl långväga besökare som boende i närområdet. Platsen är en destination och aktiverar såväl naturen som kulturmiljön i området och områdets historia, som produktivt område tillhörande det tidigare närliggande tegelbruket, har fått en central roll i den tilltänkta verksamheten som ska tillföras området - Lerateljén.  Lerateljén är en plats för kreativt skapande, utbyte och utveckling med inriktning på naturlera - det material som människan sedan länge vet finns i marken i just detta område. Lerateljén inrymmer bland annat rum för hantverksarbete med lera, en konsthall, ett café, en konferensdel liksom mötesrum och arbetsplatser. En spännande gestaltad vandring om ca 3 km genom fantastisk natur har även tillförts området liksom tre utsiktsplatser med utsikt över den vackra sjön Lersjön. Målet med detta projekt är att få människor i en digital och urban tid att vistas mer i den rika natur som finns på platsen och samtidigt få en större förståelse för och anknytning till densamma. I en tid som för många är starkt präglad av den allt mer omfattande digitala världen kan en längtan efter fysiskt arbete och hantverk finnas och kanske kan denna längtan stillas genom att vistas i Lerateljén. Verksamheten har sin utgångspunkt i den lokala historien och områdets naturliga förekomst av naturlera. Förhoppningsvis kan projektet även bidra till en ökad förståelse och ett större engagemang för naturens resurser och vad hållbar produktion - konsumtion innebär.This project describes the creation of a vivid environment in a rural setting that functions as a place for learning, recreation and meetings. The place is a destination and activates both the nature and the cultural environment in the area and the history of the place, as a productive area belonging to the former nearby brickyard, has been given a central role in the project. Lerateljén is a place for creative work and exploration with focus on natural clay - the material that exists naturally in the soil in this particular area. Leratljén houses, among other things, rooms for handicraft work with clay, an art gallery, a café, a conference area as well as meeting rooms and workplaces. A 3 km hike through fantastic nature has also been designed as well as three viewpoints overlooking the beautiful lake Lersjön. The goal of this project is to make people in today's digital and urban world spend more time in the nature and at the same time gain a greater understanding of and connection to it. In a an increasingly extensive digital world, a longing for physical work and crafts may have intensified and perhaps this longing can be stilled by visiting Lerateljén. Hopefully, the project can also contribute to an increased understanding of the nature and what sustainable production - consumption means