Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Many companies are interested in, and put efforts into, CSR, but all too often these are
informal and unpublicised. By advertising what they are doing, those companies involved
can be very helpful in encouraging others to follow their lead. In addition, putting resources
into CSR and building a strong reputation for CSR can bring distinct business benefits to an
organisation as follows:
more positive customer perceptions;
differentiation from competitors;
easier recruitment;
positive press and media coverage;
more favourable treatment from governments.
We can see then that CSR can be a powerful way of adding value to a company and
improving its competitive edge.
It is now recognised, however, that CSR involves much more than simply donating to good
causes and/or encouraging others to do, laudable though both these activities may be.
So, what sorts of issues and activities does contemporary CSR encompass, in addition to
making cash donations to good causes? An indication of the range of CSR issues, together
with examples of best practice, are outlined below. You will note that they have been
categorised into internal and external aspects of CSR.
Employment
Finally, CSR normally encompasses employment policies and practices.
This would encompass policies relating to, for example; equal pay; non discrimination;
redundancy; and retirement policies.
If you are an employee of Marks and Spencer, do you think the company should
spend money on community projects, employee welfare provision, or improvements to
working conditions?
If you were a shareholder of a company, would you be happy if the company was
spending some 100 million of its annual profits on CSR issues and activities?
Do you think the community at large has more respect for companies which are
heavily involved in community and charitable projects?
These are the kind of question that corporations need to address when making decisions
about CSR. Whatever they decide, CSR is here to stay, and many believe that public
pressure will cause it to become a necessity. It is already seen not as a constraint but as an
aim in itself.