Reporting on Labour - The Case of Systembolaget

Sammanfattning: In a globalised world dominated by market-led growth, a rolled back state and a powerful business sector, production networks have become increasingly complex. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) evolved as a mainly business-driven response to civil society actors’ call for more ethical business practices that care for people and environment. As such, the business sector has successfully come be a key actor within the very discourse that criticised it. However, this business-led approach to development has received fierce criticism. It is claimed that the optimism with which CSR is promoted is reinforcing itself rather than being built upon evidence of its working. Through a critical discourse analysis of the involvement of labour and workers in Systembolaget’s annual reports, this thesis finds substance for such critique. Successful rhetoric and reference to international codes are advanced as CSR accomplishments per se and despite showing awareness of human rights violations and tough labour conditions, the reports fail to problematize the power relations between different actors of the supply chain. Harvest workers, who should arguably be the main beneficiary of CSR, are not consulted when creating CSR policies. Without active participation of the beneficiary of developmental efforts, the legitimacy of CSR as a developmental actor of prominence falls short. The thesis concludes by confirming existing literature within the field, claiming that assessment of the actual developmental advantages of CSR is needed.