Corporate social responsibility strategy frequently asked questions
Corporate social responsibility strategy frequently asked questions
Q: What is corporate social responsibility?
A: We define it as ethical stakeholder management. This means looking at all your stakeholders from
the point at which you begin sourcing what is required for your product or service through to its creation and
out to the customer, client, patient etc.
Q: What’s all the fuss about?
A: These days, there is a host of stakeholders with a keen interest in the way in which you run your
organisation. In the 1990s, business experts were saying that just as companies needed to have a clear idea
of where to position themselves in the market, they had to develop a guiding concept of social responsibility.
Several years on and the view is that corporate social responsibility is now a given and that investing in the
future ensures businesses continue to prosper.
Q: Isn’t it just about what you do in the community?
A: No. While being a good community citizen is vital, this is only one of the pillars. There is an army of
stakeholders whose needs should also be borne in mind – employees, customers, suppliers, to name a few.
Q: So, what is a stakeholder?
A: Any individual or group that is affected by your organisation or who can affect it.
Q: So what do these other terms – good business, responsible business practice, ethical business, etc – mean? Are
they the same as corporate social responsibility?
A: In our book, they’re the same.
Q: Isn’t this just PR window-dressing?
A: No, it’s about building sustainable business. Reputation is key to business success and corporate
social responsibility is integral to building a good reputation. Any organisation that window-dresses will be found out.
Q: What if we ignore it?
A: There are certain elements that you can’t ignore on account of legislation but, to ignore the whole raft
of areas where you can demonstrate CSR credentials, would be to miss out on opportunities to improve your business.
Q: Where do I start?
A: With a simple gap analysis and series of discussions.
