tagged w/ corporate social responsibility
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D S Simon Productions partnered with CommPro.biz to conduct a survey on the media’s coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement and its effects on corporate communicators. After hundreds of media and communicators weighed in, it became clear that Occupy Wall Street had and is having an astounding impact on corporate social responsibility initiatives. Douglas Simon, President & CEO of D S Simon Productions, discusses some of the key findings the survey revealed.D S Simon Productions partnered with CommPro.biz to conduct a survey on the... more
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Al Gore is mad as hell about his campaign to get the word out about global warming being smothered by a heavily funded doubt campaign and a disinterested media, and he’s not going to take it anymore.
But unlike Howard Beale in the 1976 film “Network,” he hasn’t simply gone to the nearest window to shout it out at the top of his lungs. Instead, he decided that the lies have to stop, the truth has to come out, and he formed an organization called the Climate Reality Project to make it happen, and today: September 14th 2011 is the day, through an event called 24 Hours of Reality.
What can change in a day? Gore answers that question in a brief video that plays on the Climate Reality website. “A street can become a river, a mountain can become a mudslide, a forest can become kindling…” all told over images of floods, fires and devastation. “Cataclysmic events,” we are told, “are becoming the new normal,” and the truth has become one of its causalities. Big oil and coal are spending fortunes to spread doubt beneath the radar, but, according to Al, “Not anymore. On Sept. 14Th, the world will join hands to create 24 hours of reality, an event that will focus the world’s attention on the Full Truth, Scope, Scale, and Impact of the Climate Crisis.”
“Climate deniers,” says Al, “may have money, connections and influence, but together, we have something they don’t: Reality.”
The PR leading up to this event has been impressive. There is a video trailer produced by Alex Bogusky that shows a fat lady singing with smoke coming out of her Viking helmet. Above it is suspended a globe which explodes when sufficiently heated by the smoke, or is it the high note she is singing? In either case, you get the message. Moments later these words fill the screen, “The denial ends on September 14th. Another hilarious, but serious video by the same team is called, The Denial Hits the Fan, which looks like, well–you know.
Source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/al-gores-climate-reality-project-denial-ends-today/Al Gore is mad as hell about his campaign to get the word out about global warming... more
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Honduras ranks 9th in the world production of coffee and is the second most important producer in Central America. 90% of its coffee is cultivated by coffee farmers. Among these, is the cooperative Montaña Verde, situated in the province of Santa Barbara, a partner of Van Houtte’s since 2002. Following an action plan established by CARE Canada, the Montaña Verde co-op has come a long way. Generating profits, increasing orders, expanding its workforce, attracting international recognition for its high quality coffee, and improving the status of women and the well-being of communities, are all goals that the Montaña Verde co-op and its members were able to achieve through hard work, solidarity, courage, and concern for the environment. They have maintained their privileged relationship with Van Houtte for almost a decade.
Please visit: www.committedtocaring.caHonduras ranks 9th in the world production of coffee and is the second most important... more
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I’m glad the news is out as I’m no good at keeping secrets!
3BL’s CEO, Greg Schneider, has a powerful entrepreneurial drive to make a commercially successful company in the niche area that CSR is, and hopefully beginning climbing away from into bigger ponds. This to me demonstrates a step change in the maturity of CSR communications specifically in the social media channels, i.e. the first substantial consolidation within a profileration of smaller news / opinion sources and portals.
I was a fan of Justmeans when it launched, and even short time CSR Editor (for a whole month) so it’s personally fulfilling for me to be so involved with the integration and future development of both organisations. The combined strengths and the additional opportunities that this deal creates will be keeping us all busy at 3BL for many months, if not years to come.
Without doubt this move consolidates the clear water lead between 3BL Media and all the other players in the CSR content distribution field. The challenging debate internally is how 3BL strategises the exploitation of the newly gained additional assets into new complimentary and profitable channels. Watch this space!
In addition to the technical assets and new client base Justmeans CEO Martin Smith joins 3BL as Chairman reinforcing the depth of the strategic management team.
The announcement of the deal has already generated a strong positive response from the online and client communities with audiences of both companies very being supportive, if maybe initially a little surprised.
My first task is to take over the reins of Justmeans’ Ethical Sourcing and Certification conference in London on September 16th. Please take a look at the microsite and get signed up for the first public event from the 3BL / Justmeans combined team.
Here’s a link to this mornings press release if you’d like more of the details.
http://davidcoethica.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/3bl-media-steps-it-up-a-gear/I’m glad the news is out as I’m no good at keeping secrets!
3BL’s... more
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L’Oréal released its 2010 Sustainable Development Report on June 10, which it published as an integrated website. The cosmetics company has set big goals, which include the goal to “win the trust and confidence of a billion new consumers in the next 10 years.” L’Oreal also has targets for 2015 to reduce by 50 percent its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste and water consumption per finished product.
A chart in the report lists what L’Oreal has accomplished so far to meet its 2015 goals, which include reducing carbon emissions by 27 percent since 2005, and sulfur dioxide emissions by 83.3 percent. L’Oreal decreased energy use per 1,000 finished products by 9.2 percent, water use per unit of finished product by six percent, and waste generated with returnable packaging per unit of finished product by 7,4 percent. A total of 961 percent of waste was reused, recycled or recovered for energy last year. More than 50 percent of L’Oreal’s industrial sites sent no waste to landfills.
The report lists the number of awards received by L’Oreal for its sustainability measures, which includes being named by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the “Most Ethical Companies.” L’Oreal was chosen among 1,000s of companies in over 100 countries and 36 industry sectors after an in-depth survey and several stages of evaluation. L’Oreal also placed first in the Innovative Reporting category of the Ethical Corporation awards
Full Story: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/loreal-big-sustainability-goals/L’Oréal released its 2010 Sustainable Development Report on June 10,... more
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Advertising has the power not just to sell a product but also to make an impression on how we view the company that renders the service or product. In India, the market for “fairness creams” (aka skin whitening products) is huge because having fair skin remains a beauty ideal. The Indian arm of Unilever, HLL introduced the trend-setting Fair & Lovely cream in the seventies targeted at women. Their adverts consistently sent out the message to young women implying that to be fair is to be beautiful.
Since then, scores of brands like Emami, Body Shop, Pond’s, L’Oreal, Garnier, Neutrogena etc have jumped into the market. The market that was previously saturated only with products targeted at women has now expanded into fairness products for men. Over the years the message that advertisers were sending out also changed. In the eighties, if you were fair you got the man you desired. Now, if you are fair you automatically get breaks in your career. Take for example, the HLL advert for Vaseline body fairness lotion that is promises a dramatic reduction in tan-lines. It features a young reporter who starts using it and becomes fairer. Then it shows her questioning a rather handsome CEO and he picks her interview questions over her duskier colleagues. Another advert features a model that gets a plum job after she starts using a fairness product to become unrealistically several shades lighter. Many top male and female Indian celebrities are endorsing these products. What kind of message does this send to young girls I wonder?
This demand for fairness products is not unique to India. It is prevalent in Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Africa and the Middle-East. It has been proven that many fairness creams contain harmful chemicals including mercury, bleach and other agents that can cause cancer. Many creams contain ingredients like hydroquinone which actively blocks melanin production thereby leaving the skin vulnerable to sun exposure. Some even contain steroids.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/search-fairness-csr-advertising/Advertising has the power not just to sell a product but also to make an impression on... more
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Green Century Capital Management filed a shareholder resolution with ExxonMobil to disclose information about its investments in Canadian oil sands (commonly called tar sands). Canada’s tar sands are the second largest oil resource in the world, with over 173 billion barrels in reserve. By the end of last year, ExxonMobil’s “total proved reserves in the oil sands were over 2.78 billion barrels-just over 11 percent of the company’s total proved reserves,” according to a press release by Green Century.
An ExxonMobil ad about oil sands says developing them is “good for our energy and our economy.” However, extracting Canada’s tar sands requires “clear-cutting of the Boreal Forest,” according to Green Century. Extracting tar sands oil also causes 15 to 40 percent more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than conventional oil sources.
“ExxonMobil’s considerable investments in the oil sands expose the company to significant financial and regulatory risks, yet the company fails to provide meaningful disclosure on this important issue,” said Larisa Ruoff, Director of Shareholder Advocacy for Green Century. “Without transparency, shareholders have no way of knowing how the company is managing and mitigating these potential risks.”
“We believe this strong vote indicates that a substantial portion of the company’s shareholders support increased transparency and accountability related to its oil sands operations and we encourage the company to respond swiftly and fully to its investors,” continued Ruoff.
Tar sands oil is not good for the environment
Earlier this month an oil spill occurred in northern Alberta from a broken pipeline. 28,000 barrels of oil leaked “into the soil and collected into pools along hundreds of meters of the pipeline’s path northeast of Peace River,” reported the Canadian Press. The leak was found in a 44 year old pipeline which runs 772 kilometers from Zama, Alberta to Edmonton.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/exxonmobil-shareholder-resolution-asks-disclosure-about-tar-sands-investments/Green Century Capital Management filed a shareholder resolution with ExxonMobil to... more
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The road to sustainable business now passes through a glass tunnel called “Transparency.” Consumers exercise their singular, unequivocal influence: their ability to choose the company that not only creates, markets and sells a product that is to their liking, but does so in a manner that is consistent with their values. And here, in this land of “innocent until proven guilty,” companies know that if they don’t “take the tunnel,” it will be assumed that they have something to hide. This, in turn, leads to action which ensures that there is some good news to report. Thus we progress, however slowly, towards a more sustainable society.
Last week, Nestlé in the United States, parent company to Nestlé USA, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, Nestlé Waters North America, Nestlé Nutrition and Nestlé Professional, reported for the first time, their environmental metrics for the preceding year. Greenhouse gas emissions were flat in absolute terms, though given an increase in production volume this represents a six percent reduction in GHG emissions per unit of product, compared to the previous year. This translates into a rate of 35.4 kg of CO2 per ton of product. There are no comparable metrics available for a company as diverse as this one, involved in essentially light industry, except its own prior performance. Heavy industries, like cement or steel might emit something on the order of 70 times this amount per unit of production.
The conglomerate’s water usage rose by 2.1 percent in absolute terms, though, once again, thanks to increased production, there was a 2% reduction on a per unit of output.
The company’s bottled water subsidiary, Nestlé Waters North America, whose sustainability chief, Michael Washburn, I interviewed in a three-part series back in March, had a slightly more impressive 2.2% reduction (over the past five years) in the face of a 27% production volume increase.
If this doesn’t convince you that the company is at least trying to clean up their act, maybe you should check out Nestle Nutrition’s gerber.com where they give, among other things, breastfeeding tips (though there are still those boycotting the company because of it’s predatory advertising tactics for baby formula).
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/nestle-csr-reporting/The road to sustainable business now passes through a glass tunnel called... more
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Corporate Accountability International (CAI) presented a proposal at McDonald’s Corp shareholder meeting yesterday that asked for a report on the links between fast food and childhood obesity. CAI worked with the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia on putting together the proposal.
The proposal was defeated, as were proposals by The Humane Society of the U.S. and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The Humane Society proposal asked McDonald’s to switch to cage-free eggs, and the PETA proposal asked the company to use controlled-atmosphere killing, considered to be more humane.
Despite the defeat, Nick Guroff, a spokesperson for CAI, called the proposal “an extreme success for a first introduction” and said that McDonald’s executives are going to be forced “to take these concerns – as much as they diminished them at their shareholder meeting and otherwise - very seriously.”
McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner defended the company’s right to “advertise freely.” He added that McDonald’s will “continue to advertise to our customers responsibly about our menu and about lifestyle choices and leave the personal responsibility up to them.” Skinner claimed that the fast food company takes “responsible advertising very seriously.”
Deborah Lapidus from CAI addressed the shareholder meeting and pointed out that San Francisco passed a measure “to limit toy giveaways to children’s meals that meet a very basic nutritional standard.” Other cities, including New York, “are looking to take similar, practical measures.”
Lapidus said that McDonald’s “appears hell bent on preventing communities from securing health protections against your abusive practices.” Addressing McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner, she asked, “Mr. Skinner, when will McDonald’s stop aggressively interfering in public health policy and opposing democratic efforts to create a healthier food environment, free of junk food marketing, for our children and future generations?”
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/mcdonalds-stands-ground-advertising-children-shareholders-meeting/Corporate Accountability International (CAI) presented a proposal at McDonald’s... more
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The 2008 global financial crisis may have killed off some banks, but others have emerged even stronger. Whatever you may think about the banking industry, one fact is clear: the sector is a huge consumer of energy, from data centers to the lighting of a firm’s offices across the globe and of course, employee travel. From Tokyo to Frankfurt, banks are huge energy hogs and leave a long trail of emissions.
To that end, the global finance giant Bank of America announced yesterday that it has set a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 15 percent by 2015 based on the company’s 2010 baseline. BofA’s push is another example of the bank’s strong record on energy issues. In the United States, Bank of America reduced GHG emissions 18% between 2004 and 2009. Then there is the real estate–Bank of America occupies over 13.2 million square feet of LEED-certified space, including the platinum-rated One Bryant Park (pictured) high-rise in New York City. So how will Bank of America continue its record of reducing energy consumption and in turn, GHG emissions? The answer lies in green building, supply chain efficiency, and internal employee engagement.
Some of Bank of America’s initiatives include the following:
An increase in energy efficiency within both data centers and employees’ individual computers.
Improved lighting and HVAC systems throughout its offices.
Entering educational partnerships with organizations like the Pew Center on Global Climate Change that train employees how to find potential energy savings within the organization.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/bank-america-vows-reduce-ghg-emissions-15-percent/The 2008 global financial crisis may have killed off some banks, but others have... more
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Poor Jimmy MacMillan. The well meaning eccentric hilariously rose to fame during the New York Governor’s Debate last year by declaring that “the rent is too damn high”.
Now, it seems gas prices are the target of his scorn – and surely millions of Americans agree – but Jimmy’s either just cashing in on his fame or doesn’t really understand the message he’s getting into. MacMillan has been hired by conservative think-tank “Let Freedom Ring” to drum up popular outrage about the price of gasoline in an amusing new video you can enjoy after the jump….
Seems harmless enough. Gas prices are pinching pockets far and wide, especially in rural and suburban areas where Americans have no choice but to drive long distances, often using inefficient cars. Relief from high gas prices would allow money to be spent in other areas of the economy, improve people’s wellbeing, and if we could lower demand for crude, it would divert money from hostile middle eastern regimes around the world. And let’s face it, the current state of the nation’s economy depends utterly on affordable gasoline.
The video campaign, however, has nothing to do with changing our economic dependence on crude. It does not demand better vehicles from Detroit. Nor does it demand better, walkable neighborhoods or transit. The message does not suggest driving less, or car pooling, or thinking about how alternative fuels might help. Heaven forbid Americans adjust their behavior or land use in any way. The message is a lot more simple: “More Drilling = More Gasoline = Lower Gasoline Prices“.
Right. Well, I can’t argue with the logic, but let’s do a little math here and figure out just how much “more drilling” would save:
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/gas-prices-damn-high/Poor Jimmy MacMillan. The well meaning eccentric hilariously rose to fame during the... more
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If you are trying to “green” your company, starting a recycling program is only the thinnest layer on the tip of the sustainability iceberg. Business travel, now seldom glamorous and often a grind, leaves an enormous mark with its own sizable carbon footprint. More businesses are interested in calculating their impact on the planet, but all the moving parts involved with business travel make the accounting difficult. While about 80% of companies express an interest in green travel initiatives, less than 40% do so, though that percentage has risen incrementally over the years. Now MasterCard is making this priceless, or should we say, easier.
The sustainability consultancy Brighter Planet has partnered with the credit card giant MasterCard Worldwide to provide a solution. Last week at the Ceres Conference in Oakland, Brighter Planet announced a new initiative that replaces expensive software and consultants with a more seamless process to track both travel expenses and their environmental impact.
For businesses that use MasterCard corporate cards, the partnership has launched a carbon emissions reporting feature that will help businesses evaluate their travel activities and influence future travel policies. The program will crunch the data based on employee’s purchases using Brighter Planet’s CM1 calculation platform. The resulting scoring, which will use standardized carbon calculation methodologies, will integrate with MasterCard’s web-based expense report system. For the folks who have to write the sustainability reports and run a firm’s corporate social responsibility portal, the MasterCard tool could be another step to easier disclosure.
We all know that air flights, car rentals, and hotel stays, result in emissions, consume energy, and have a carbon footprint. Few of us, however, have the time or capacity to sort out the numbers even with the most complicated spreadsheet or web tool.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/mastercard-brighter-planet/If you are trying to “green” your company, starting a recycling program is... more
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In honour of World Fair Trade Day, this May 14th, coffee roaster Van Houtte has sponsored this video explaining the history and impact of the Fair Trade movement. Have a look and pass it on so others may be inspired to support Fair Trade!In honour of World Fair Trade Day, this May 14th, coffee roaster Van Houtte has... more
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The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing yesterday on tax breaks for the nation’s top five oil companies: Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhillips, BP America, and Exxon Mobil. At stake is $21 billion in alleged subsidies. Should oil companies be allowed to keep the tax credits? Should tax payers no longer subsidize big oil?
If the debate were over a bonafide subsidy, the solution would be clear and simple. End the subsidy. And while they are at it, end all corporate subsidies. Regardless if the corporation involved were an oil company or a renewable energy company, the answer would be to cut the subsidies. Tax payer money should not be lining the profits for corporations. The story would end here. But…
Subsidy or Tax Credit?
However, this topic of debate is not so cut and dry. The terminology between subsidy and tax credit has been muddled.
For example, take the an initiative by 350.org, “Big Oil is raking in record profits, funding the climate denial machine, and heating up our planet—there’s no reason to be spending our tax dollars to support them.” The language at the end of the statement implies that money is going from the tax payer to big oil. The image of a check further hints at a big payout to big oil.
Even take the exchange between Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Chevron Chairman and CEO John Watson. Senator Rockefeller questioned, “How much profit on a barrel of oil do you have to make, to not be needful of these subsidies?”
Mr. Watson responded, “As we have described, we don’t receive subsides.” Politicians and businessmen alike cannot even settle on this subtle yet profound difference between a subsidy and tax credit. It’s no surprise that oil executives lashed out against a tax cut, which some call a subsidy.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/senate-holds-hearing-on-big-oil-tax-reaks/The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing yesterday on tax breaks for the... more
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In the early part of the 20th Century, beer drinkers had only two choices when it came to quenching their thirst for a delicious frothy beverage: draught beer or bottles. It wasn’t until the 1930s that canned beer arrived on the scene. Initially, tin cans could not withstand the carbonated pressure and burst. Eventually, technological developments and the introduction of a vinyl liner proved successful in containing the pressure. Then in 1935, Kruger’s Brewery of New Jersey introduced the first canned beer–Kruger’s Finest Beer–to the market, revolutionizing the beer industry. The canned versus bottled beer debate has raged ever since, and now the emerging mircrobrew trend is putting a new spin on the topic.
The traditional debate has centered on factors including taste, convenience, and cost. Beer is a sensitive beverage and exposure to both light and oxygen results in off-flavors. The caps on bottles are not completely airtight, creating a chemical reaction between oxygen and the hops, whereas cans are impervious to both light and oxygen, protecting the flavor, reducing chances of creating a “skunky” amora, and extending the shelf life. Although proponents of bottles have remained steadfast in the claim that cans produce a metallic taste, there has been little empirical evidence to support the claim. Additionally, the lightweight and portability of cans often prove to be more convenient than bottles for both consumers and producers. In regards to shipping efficiency, the longneck design on bottles wastes packaging space, while cans are able to be efficiently packaged and weigh less, which allows more to be shipped at less cost.
With recent concerns regarding sustainability, overall environmental impact has become a new point of contention in this debate. In evaluating the environmental impact of cans versus bottles, there are many factors to consider, including raw material sourcing, processing techniques, recycling rates, the distance of the container manufacturer to the brewery, and the distance of the brewery to the distribution point. Most certainly, manufacturing aluminum cans is extremely resource intensive. The mining, refining, processing and transporting of bauxite ore, from which aluminum is derived, leaves an extensive trail of carbon emissions in its wake. Contrastingly, bottles are made from the more abundant resource silica and glass processing has lower overall emissions rates. However, the recycling rate for glass in the US is only 28% compared to the nearly 55% recycling rate for aluminum cans. Moreover, beer bottles contain only 20-30% recycled glass in comparison to the average beer can that is made of 40% recycled aluminum. Recycled aluminum requires 95% less energy and produces 95% less greenhouse gas emissions than manufacturing new aluminum.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/great-canned-bottled-beer-debate-20-craft-brewing-weighs/In the early part of the 20th Century, beer drinkers had only two choices when it came... more
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Food Supply. Health. Economic Security. Malnutrition. Obesity. Local Agriculture. Sustainability.
What’s in common to link all these words? Sustainable Agriculture.
His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales addressed participants last week at a Sustainable Food Conference hosted by Georgetown University in Washington DC, where he said, “Creating sustainable food systems will become paramount in the future.”
Venturing into sustainable agriculture and fearing for a food-insecurity, the Prince, with a leading voice sketched out that the rate of food production is now less than the rate of population growth. Add in threats to food crop yields, now declining with climate change, and the cost of food production as being so reliant on the rising cost of oil for transport and production, well, it all sums to an expensive forecast. He identified additional facts and pressures that you may like to know:
Global population is heading toward 9 billion people — creating greater demands for food
On average in the developed world, people throw away 40% of the food purchased
Soil is the primary source of health for all plants and people — and soil erosion in the United States is washed away 10 times faster than the Earth can replenish it
23 thousand square miles of arable land is turning into desert yearly
2 billion acres (1/4 of the world’s farm land) is degraded
One-fifth of all U.S. grain production is dependent on water with 1.3 trillion gallons used faster than rainfall can replenish it
By 2030 it is estimated the world’s farmers will need 35% more water than today
Of all the water in the world, 5% is fresh and excluding the most voluminous fresh water lake in the world, Lake Baikal in Siberia, the fresh water sources remaining are three-quarters used in agriculture
The impact of sizeable pressures and forecasts such as these mean more people could go hungry.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/sustainable-agriculture-prince-of-wales/Food Supply. Health. Economic Security. Malnutrition. Obesity. Local Agriculture.... more
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In 2010 the Sunday Times named Softcat the UK's Best Small Company To Work For. This is a tremendous achievement, and naturally Softcat wants to retain this position for 2011.
Part of the criteria for the award was, obviously, how Softcat treats its staff.
The Challenge
Having amazing incentive trips that inspire and motivate staff was essential. Human Resources is also very positive about the usefulness of incentive trips to retain and reward staff.
Another part of the criteria for the Sunday Times award is demonstrating support and assistance to the community.
Could all of these objectives be achieved in an incentive trip?
A Socially Responsible Incentive Trip from Hands Up Holidays
Softcat turned to Hands Up Holidays for help.
Hands Up had already provided Softcat with a similar trip in Fiji previously, and so knew it was in good hands. In Fiji, Softcat sent 34 top performing staff to experience a luxury trip blending a luxury cruise with building a house and a playground. The house was for an impoverished family of 8, and the playground was at an orphanage.
The interaction with the children made this a memorable and enriching trip for all participants.
Softcat's democratic management style meant that the management team voted again to experience another incentive that counts.
This time, they chose Cambodia and Vietnam, and Hands Up Holidays prepared the entire itinerary for them.
The incentive that counts - Cambodia
The incentive was for 37 of the top performing employees, and the community service portion was in Siem Reap, site of Angkor Wat and the amazing temples there. The group got to appreciate these wonders, even managed to get up at sunrise after a gala dinner the night before!
The following day, the group arrived at Sra Srang primary school, were somewhat overwhelmed by the welcome they received when the whole school came out to greet them, with songs and dance, but the group knew the reason they were there was to roll up their sleeves, so that is what they did.
They chose their preferred activity, with some focusing on the painting of the classrooms, others on gardening, and still others on building the library.
It was an amazing sight to behold, and there was still time for the groups to take turns on a guided tour through the village, seeing daily life far removed from what tourists normally see, and also get to play football with the kids.
The group spent two sweaty days here, and despite subsequently cruising down the Mekong and spending three nights at the sublime Six Senses resort in Nha Trang, from a post-trip survey, universally the most popular and poignant part of the trip was the time spent helping at the school.
In the same survey, 74% of respondents rated this their best trip ever (and they do a lot of trips!) and the rest rated it as very good.
http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Another-successful-CSR-friendly-Incentive-Trip-Hands-HolidaysIn 2010 the Sunday Times named Softcat the UK's Best Small Company To Work For.... more
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On Monday, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial by Dr. Aneel Karnani called The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility which posits the idea that corporate responsibility is irrelevant because “companies that simply to everything they can to boost profits will end up increasing social welfare”.
On the one hand, I want to thank Dr. Karnani because nothing makes me happier than more discussion about this important topic – especially in a globally important business publication like the Wall Street Journal. On the other hand, Dr. Karnani’s point of view is too simplistic and feels like Milton Freidman redux. I recommend reading the piece and also having a look at some of the more than 240 comments that readers have posted so far – most of which are opposed to Dr. Karnani’s position. Here’s what came to my mind when I read the editorial:
First, I believe that corporations fall into three categories with respect to corporate social responsibility:
1. Corporations that directly benefit society while acting in their own interests. Dr. Karnani provides examples such as auto makers that profit by making more fuel efficient vehicles and fast-food outlets that have improved their menus to be more nutritious. For me this really is a sweet-spot where the business goals and social outcomes are in sync and everybody wins.
2. Corporations that harm society while acting in their own interests. Here’s where Karanai’s argument just doesn’t hold up. There are all too many examples of businesses who directly and indirectly are actually having a negative social impact for the sole purpose of making a profit for their shareholders. Do tobacco companies benefit society by acting in their own interests. This is also an area where the government needs to play a stronger role.
3. Corporations that indirectly benefit society while acting in their own interests. The majority of corporations fall into this category. Their products and services don’t address social issues (e.g. homelessness, the environment, etc.) but do provide solutions to essential human needs such as communication, power, food, and so on. These are companies that have a social purpose and who should be operating in as responsible and sustainable a way as is appropriate for their type of business.
http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Case-Corporate-Social-Responsability#On Monday, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial by Dr. Aneel Karnani called The... more
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Over the last several weeks our company has engaged in a series of social media notices
leading up to a webinar on FAQs regarding our leadership development experience in Guatemala. Of those who showed an interest and signed up for the webinar - entirely 100% were women. Now, our numbers would certainly show a limiting and therefore non-valid sample size. But there is a reality that of the people that we have engaged with over the last several months the disproportionate majority are women. Leading me to ask….Where have all the men gone? – and, given the equally disproportionate number of men in the C-Suite –is the gender difference an issue to be reconciled in order to have corporate social responsibility move to the strategic front burner?
Aman Singh at Vault CSR did a nice job of summarizing the Boston College Centre for Corporate Citizenship report on the Profile of the Profession – In her blog Aman pointed out the ten leading characteristics/identifiers of a CSR professional – but for the purpose of this discussion let’s stick to the top four –
1. They hold a bachelors degree
2. They are a women
3. They are white
4. They are more than 35 years old.
I can safely say that these descriptors definitely correspond to those who showed an interest in our work. So of course we need to understand the Why?
http://theacaciagroup.blogspot.com/2010/07/gender-bias-in-csr-where-are-all-men.htmlOver the last several weeks our company has engaged in a series of social media... more
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