University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

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the establishment of the Fabrikant Mads Clausen Foundation, which dates back to
1960. The foundation has been so well developed and embedded in the Danfoss
Group that other ways of charity are seldom considered. With respect to partnership,
the activities are often in line with government supported or sponsored projects, and
volunteering activities were mostly donations that are voluntarily proposed by
employees to help victims in local disasters, for example. In conclusion, Danfoss has
a long tradition of the foundation mode, which is still the dominant mode in
Community Involvement Wave. However, as activities within this wave are handled
locally, the corporate level may not be informed and thus the extent of its effort is not
included in this research.
For the second CSR Wave, Products and Processes, the findings from the reports
reflect positively on the Danfoss Group’s efforts towards minimising the impact of
its activities on the environment. The literature review shows a long tradition of
environmental awareness in the Danfoss Group. Although the first environment
statement was issued in 1994 and external audit scheme to verify the company’s
environmental reports was introduced two years later, the environmental
consciousness in Danfoss is perceived to have begun in the 1950s, when it was
realised that the use of chemicals caused environmental damage and were also
harmful to its employees. In terms of its products, as a global leading manufacturer
that has all its products built with clean energy conservation, ‘efficient and clean
energy’ is what the Danfoss Group recognizes as their environmental obligation
(Danfoss North America website). The EnVisioneering Symposium Series hosted by
Danfoss clearly shows their ambitions in pursuit of this obligation. The word
‘EnVisioneering’, created by Danfoss, is a combination of ‘Engineering’, ‘Energy
efficiency’, ‘Environment’, and ‘Vision”. The Danfoss Group continually improves
the quality of its products, to be energy‐saving and to minimise the use of harmful
substances as far as possible. There is a lot of effort as well in monitoring the levels
of substances used and these are also subsequently reported as public data. Also
apparent in its environmental policy, these measures to reduce environmental impact
and to create energy‐saving products are mentioned. Compared to the other two
waves, the Products and Processes wave utilizes a relatively uniform CSR mode,
mainly “Codes & Policies”. However, this singular usage of CSR mode does not in
any way indicate the weakness in CSR implementation, rather, it shows the advanced
level of institutionalization that Danfoss possesses with regards to products and
processes, as issues handled are all accomplished by following through with existing
standards and regulations.
Referring to the third CSR Wave now, Employee Relations, there is substantial
evidence that the Danfoss Group puts major effort into developing its employees.
There are various development programs which are tailored for employees in terms
of professional training and also in education, where opportunities are given for
employees to continually upgrade themselves. There are also specific programs that
are meant for grooming future leaders within the company. This priority that the
company gives to the best talents works out in three‐folds. One is that the company is
able to provide the necessary skills and knowledge to its future leaders, and secondly,
the company is then able to retain its best talents. Lastly, these development
programs also serve as good incentives in attracting graduates, especially those that
are deemed the cream of the crop. Aside from this, the company set up an advisory
foundation that provides employees with counselling services such as advice on