Transcript Gill Coleman

Corporate Citizenship: Doing
Well by Doing Good
Dr Gill Coleman
Director, New Academy of Business
Bristol, England
The New Academy
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Independent business school established in 1995
by Anita Roddick of The Body Shop.
Mission: to help build a future that is more just,
enterprising and sustainable.
Produce educational activities and resources
Work with companies, entrepreneurs, educators,
activists, and policy makers on social, ethical and
environmental issues in business
Why am I here right now?
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A rising agenda concerned with Corporate
Citizenship
The move away from a being a solely
European/North American debate
From top-down,centralised, policy-led to
bottom-up,devolved, activity-based
What is Corporate Citizenship?
“the practice of a corporation’s direct
responsibilities – to employees,
shareholders, customers, suppliers, and to
the communities where it conducts business
and serves markets.”
Laurie Regelbrugge, CIVICUS
“Whatever else corporate social responsibility
is about, it is not about charity, neither is it a
public relations exercise for enterprise. It is
about intelligent self-interest—which also
brings benefit to society.”
Viscount Etienne Davignon
Chairman of the Societe Generale de Belgique
The UN International Year of the
Volunteer
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More than 3000 volunteers in 131 countries
New Academy/UNV project on ‘Enhancing
Business Community Relations’ in the
Philippines, India, Ghana, Nigeria, South
Africa and Lebanon
The UN Global Compact
“Let us choose to unite the power of markets
with the authority of universal ideals. Let us
choose to reconcile the creative forces of
private entrepreneurship with the needs of
the disadvantaged and the requirements of
future generations”
Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations
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Nine Principles covering Human Rights,
Labour Standards, Environment, drawing on
already-established international
conventions
Launched in July 2000
Now more than 500 companies committed,
and regional compacts so far established in
the Philippines, Brazil, Latvia and Poland
Companies engage by the
CEO writing to the S-G,
expressing support and
committing to:
- publicly express their
support
- inform stakeholders
- incorporate commitment
into Annual Report
- provide annual statement
of progress and lessons
learned
Meanwhile, new demands on
Business
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Global marketplace means increased levels
of competitiveness: the ‘race to the bottom’
Increased transparency and an active NGO
movement
Interconnected economies and economic
downturn
Building business advantage
Minimalist:
Minimal
compliance
with
legislation
Discretionary:
philanthropic
approach
Strategic:
Citizenship
integrated
into business
Benetton and the IYV
“Colors is a bi-monthly
magazine that talks to
young people all around
the world…
In this campaign, Benetton
deals with a subject that is
typical of its
communication strategy
and, once again, talks about
‘real people’, touching on
important issues for a
civilised society.”
Company press release
Unilever: the Marine Stewardship
Council (MSC)
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Company identity:“Relationships are
strongest when built on trust”
MSC established 1998 as an independent
non-profit organisation
Unilever commitment to source all its fish
from sustainable fisheries by 2005
“This safeguards the future of the resource,
which makes good commercial sense – it
ensures the industry’s investment in fishing
and processing assets, and market
development is protected”
Pasig: River of Life, Philippines
Part of the company’s defined Water
Sustainability Initiative
Key resource in Metro Manila
Step-by-step measures to clean the
river, in conjunction with local partners
Ensuring its own operations do not
pollute
Partnering with neighbours to help
them not to pollute
Encouraging wider participation and
support for Clean River Zone
UBS, AG
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“At UBS, corporate social responsibility
means more than just a few discrete
practices or occasional gestures motivated
by public relations. We believe in
proactively managing social issues and in
setting the standards that will shape
business activity in the future”
Establishing specialist ‘Eco’ products, and
enhanced Business Principles for own
operations
World Business Council on
Sustainable Development
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A coalition of 150 international companies
united by a shared commitment to
sustainable development via the three pillars
of economic growth, ecological balance and
social progress.
“The business case is also an
entrepreneurial position: it looks to the next
point on the business curve – the point at
which business can be more competitive”
Shifting sources of value:
Physical
capital
Human
capital
Social
capital
Intellectual
capital
In practice at the local level:
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Offering resources – volunteers, equipment,
skills and know-how – to help fulfil social
and environmental tasks
Starting small, and starting where you are
Combining with those expert in social and
environmental interventions to achieve
shared goals – partnerships
Looking for win-win opportunities
Philippines Business for Social
Progress Survey Best Practices:
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Scholarship programmes for disadvantaged
students
Practical technical or vocational training
offered to school students at company
facilities
Donation of materials for education and
community groups
Employee involvement
Possible business benefits
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Trust, relationships, name, brand, reputation
Enhancing company value-base (Collins
and Porras, Built to Last)
Increasing employee motivation and
commitment
Discovering more about stakeholders,
especially those you don’t understand
Corporate Citizenship opportunities
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Ways of getting things done in a complex
environment
Helping create a stable situation in which
business can operate – shared interests
Opportunity for building internal capacity,
learning new ways to operate
Creation of social capital