Case study: How Akademiska Hus creates economic value for its stakeholders
Akademiska Hus is one of the largest property companies in Sweden, owned by the Swedish state and focused on properties for higher education and research. Akademiska Hus seeks, through its operations, to generate long-term, sustainable value for all its stakeholders. Tweet This!
This case study is based on the 2021 Annual and Sustainability Report by Akademiska Hus, prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards, that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Creating value for employees, suppliers, lenders and all its other stakeholders, is a top priority for Akademiska Hus. In order to create economic value for its stakeholders Akademiska Hus took action to:
- create economic value for employees
- create economic value for suppliers
- create economic value for the Board and CEO
- create economic value for lenders
- create economic value for shareholders
- create economic value for the government
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Akademiska Hus has identified;
- How Akademiska Hus proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Akademiska Hus to create economic value for its stakeholders
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2021 Annual and Sustainability Report Akademiska Hus identified a range of material issues, such as value-adding knowledge environments, responsible relationships, caring for people, resource-efficient operations. Among these, creating economic value for its stakeholders stands out as a key material issue for Akademiska Hus.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process s of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Akademiska Hus engages with:
To identify and prioritise material topics Akademiska Hus engaged with its stakeholders through the following channels:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Customers (and their employees) | · Meetings with decision-makers · Campus plans · Common knowledge seminars · Common development projects · Common communication activities · Needs dialogues · Customer satisfaction surveys |
| Undergraduate and graduate students | · Interviews and meetings on campus, for example with student associations · Sustainability days · Innovation contests · Common research projects |
| Employees | · Performance reviews/project-specific appraisal assignment · Questionnaire on the impact of the pandemic on the workplace · Digital knowledge seminars |
| Suppliers | · Meetings related to procurement of framework contracts and orders · Structured introduction of contractors and suppliers · The roles of contract owners and contract managers have been designed for greater clarity in the relationship · Audits |
| Local and business communities
| · Development meetings in region/city · Citizen and business community dialogues on development plans · Involvement and participation in issues in various industry organisations · Participate in many research and innovation projects |
| Owner
| · Annual strategy seminar · Annual follow-up with the owner unit · Meetings of the sustainability group for state-owned companies · Board meetings |
| Lenders, banks and credit rating agencies | · Meetings out in conjunction with financial reports · Contact in conjunction with borrowing |
What actions were taken by Akademiska Hus to create economic value for its stakeholders?
In its 2021 Annual and Sustainability Report Akademiska Hus reports that it took the following actions for creating economic value for its stakeholders:
- Creating economic value for employees
- In 2021, Akademiska Hus paid SEK 327 thousand for employee wages and benefits.
- Creating economic value for suppliers
- In 2021, Akademiska Hus paid SEK 1,574 thousand to suppliers.
- Creating economic value for the Board and CEO
- In 2021, Akademiska Hus paid SEK 19 thousand in fees and remuneration to the Board and CEO.
- Creating economic value for lenders
- In 2021, Akademiska Hus paid SEK 55 thousand in interest to lenders.
- Creating economic value for shareholders
- In 2021, Akademiska Hus paid SEK 2,142 thousand in dividends to shareholders.
- Creating economic value for the government
- In 2021, Akademiska Hus paid SEK 584 thousand in tax.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 201-1 Direct economic value generated and distributed
Disclosure 201-1 Direct economic value generated and distributed corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.1, 8.2
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Targets: 9.1, 9.4, 9.5
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References:
This case study is based on published information by Akademiska Hus, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original please revert to the following link:
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