I just wanted to flag up Olaf Brugman's thoughts on Corporate Social Responsibility. He writes:

In debates about sustainable development, corporate social responsibility etc, the 'humanity' of business and social life has become a key issue... Many of the community initiatives undertaken by companies to earn a higher CSR rating look superficial and detached to me.

For example: companies making donations to hospitals or research institutes, companies taking an ecological stance by deploying corporate energy savings and waste management programmes, logistics companies offering their services for free to transport goods to developing countries. These are all good examples of companies offering some benefits to others (the sick, the disabled, the underprivileged, the environment). Still I have the feeling I miss the most basic elements of human business life.

The examples mentioned above are examples where companies provide benefits to some groups, but not to the stakeholders they are inextricably related with: their clients and customers, suppliers and their own workers.

Olaf goes on to argue for finding ways to create more value in these relationships through organisational design.

Like Olaf, I feel sceptical of badge-wearing corporate responsibility, offered as a bolt-on to the operation. For too many brands, this is just an artful pose and a distraction from focussing on creating real win:wins for their stakeholders. posted by Johnnie M, 10:51 AM  permalink