What
Your Corporate Can Do in Pokhri
Our
idea stems from the belief that Corporate Social Responsibility actions can
have a great impact not only on the socio-economic development of rural
community but also in their own business.
- You get paired with/ adopt a local village, with a school/ educational institution & a reputed outdoor company running a camp or such social initiatives.
- You receive guidance about how to develop a project.
- We take you on a offsite CSR/ HR Training cum holiday to Pokhri.
- You visit your partner community in Pokhri and raise awareness about your development program for the village. Discuss and prepare a long term development road map for the village with the local stake holders & the outdoor company associated with that particular village.
- We provide facilitators for team building, leadership programs or as required by the your company.
- You experience Himalayas through sightseeing and outdoor adventure. Currently we are providing trekking, camping, rock climbing, rappelling, rope & obstacle courses and rafting. We are soon going to launch kayaking, zorbing and paragliding in Pokhri.
- You have a fun, life-changing experience while helping others.
- You run the implementation program with the help of different team offsites of your company.
- We will be coordinating with you at all times and also organise to meet with the school/ educational institution involved.
Good Things Do Happen to Good People!
By: Dianne Taylor
Many business owners and managers see corporate social responsibility (CSR) as something that's 'nice to do' but not really connected to growing the business and profits. Just the other day I had an experience that shows how wrong this is….
I took part in a training exercise where half the class pretended to be 'employers'. The other half of the class pretended to be 'potential employees.' We (the 'employers') had to find a way to attract the 'employees' to come and work for us.
Sounds simple? Well I thought so. I was an employer offering flexible working hours, a great salary and career development. Yet my new recruits were undecided. But then I spoke about our corporate social responsibility program and they were suddenly a whole lot more enthusiastic. I signed them up.
Okay, so it was only a game. But it is a great example of how corporate social responsibility (CSR) can make all the difference to your competitive position. Initiatives such as pro bono work, philanthropy, support for community-building initiatives and environmental awareness can add significant value to your company, and if the program is well designed the benefits far outweigh the costs.
An easy way for your company to build its brand, reputation and public profile
Being socially responsible creates goodwill and a positive image for your brand. Trust and a good reputation are some of your company's most valuable assets. In fact, without these, you wouldn't even have a business. You can nurture these important assets by being socially responsible.
It is however, crucial that you devise the right socially responsible program for your business. When used properly, it will open up a myriad of new relationships and opportunities. Not only will your success grow, but so will your company's culture. It will become a culture which you, your staff and the wider community genuinely believe in.
Corporate Social Responsibility attracts and retains staff
Did you know that socially responsible companies report increased employee commitment, performance and job satisfaction?
Yes, it is in us all to want to do 'good' (and perhaps be recognised for it). Our lives become meaningful when we realise our work has made a positive difference in some way. It makes all our striving worth it. In fact, a 2003 Stanford University study found MBA graduates would sacrifice an average $US13700 cut in their salary to work for a socially responsible company.
By attracting, retaining and engaging staff, 'doing good' for others reduces your recruitment costs and improves work productivity. It's just plain good all round!
Customers are attracted to socially responsible companies
Branding your business as 'socially responsible' differentiates you from your competitors. The Body Shop and Westpac are companies who have used this to their advantage. Developing innovative products that are environmentally or socially responsible adds value and gives people a good reason to buy from you.
Corporate Social Responsibility attracts investors
Investors and financiers are attracted to companies who are socially responsible. These decision-makers know this reflects good management and a positive reputation. Don't underestimate this influence; it can be just as important as your company's financial performance. In fact, it may be the deciding factor in choosing to support your company.
Corporate Social Responsibility encourages professional (and personal) growth
Your staff can develop their leadership and project management skills through a well-designed corporate social responsibility program. This may be as simple as team building exercises, encouraging your employees to form relationships with people they would not normally meet (like disadvantaged groups).
Corporate Social Responsibility helps to cut your business costs
Environmental initiatives such as recycling and conserving energy increase in-house efficiency and cut costs. Introducing a corporate social responsibility program gives you a good reason to examine and improve on your spending!
Two important tips for you : Before you rush into your own corporate social responsibility program remember:
- You must implement your program strategically. Just giving a donation is not enough. The best corporate social responsibility programs are based on a two-way relationship with you and each of the organisations you are involved with. This allows both parties to be challenged and grow together.
-
Your corporate social responsibility commitments should be in line with the values of your company, customers and staff. Most importantly, they must be based on a genuine concern for people and the community. You do not want the program to back-fire; making you seem hypocritical. A poor strategy will cause people to become cynical and distrustful of your company.
But all in all, corporate social responsibility makes financial sense, adds meaning to your work and makes everyone feel good!
Maybe
the message is getting around. There has been a veritably flurry of articles
about the HR function and CSR in the past week of so.
Rue Stanley, of
EcoBusiness Exchange, says HR should board the bus before it's too late, saying that "HR can
help with some of the major challenges that face organizations wishing to
develop their sustainability programs."
Brian Kreissl,
of Consult Carswell, says that "HR should care about corporate
responsibility".
He makes the point: "The HR profession’s desire to be taken seriously as a
strategic business partner is also important because CSR is one of those areas
where HR professionals can move out of their comfort zones and play a more
strategic role."
China Gorman,
top HR thought-leader, refers to the Effective Practice Guidelines paper on
Sustainable HRM that I co-wrote, and talks to the importance of recognizing HR
Stakeholders. She
notes the range of HR stakeholders we identified and adds: "It
was a good reminder of the breadth of the stakeholders that HR needs to factor
into all of its work – whether it’s CSR, talent acquisition, talent management,
benefits administration, strategic planning, learning and development – or yes,
even the planning of the annual company picnic."
THE
ROLE OF
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
IN
CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
Abstract:
The
contemporary business environment is making increasing demands
on companies to take full moral and legal
responsibility for their activities, especially when it comes to the protection
of consumer interests and environmental protection.
Contemporary business philosophy assumes
that an organization has to be responsible
for its actions and deeds vis-a-vis all the
actors in its environment. An organization’s achievement of business excellence
requires a fully developed corporative social responsibility.
In order for domestic enterprises to become
competitive on the international level,
it is necessary to change ways of thinking
and to adopt contemporary global standards in the area of organization
management. The application of the concept of corporate social responsibility
is one of the basic prerequisites for the achievement of business excellence on
the part of domestic enterprises.
1.
A new understanding of organization
In the global economy,
consumers are becoming more and more educated
and informed, and, in the
last ten or so years, are even becoming media owners, as the computer connected
to the Internet has become a super-medium. Partners in the chain of production
are also becoming ever more demanding in terms of securing development goals –
the achievement of growth on the basis of building fair and partnership
relations. For almost three decades, the state administrations of the world’s
most developed countries have been developing legal frameworks designed to stop
the degradation of the human environment and natural resources, as well as
improve and protect the natural environment. In the global establish a balance
between the goals of economic development on one side and social development on
the other, while taking consideration of the need to improve and protect the
natural environment. All this influences businesses to devote themselves more seriously
to satisfying an ever-increasing number of interest groups in their own
surroundings. Contemporary society makes more and more demands upon companies in
the direction of defining their social responsibility.
On the other hand,
companies are absolutely aware of the fact that they have to take an
affirmative attitude toward these demands. Corporate ethics has become the
supreme demand in all business undertakings, from the boardrooms of the world’s
biggest firms to the classrooms in business schools and colleges the world
over. Ethical considerations and demands for preserving the environment will
have an even greater future influence on the demand for companies’ products and
services. The world’s biggest companies are already being faced with
growing formal demands to preserve the environment and, as a result, their
business thinking has become founded in consideration for these demands. Modern
society demands responsibility and contribution.
According to Drucker,1 a knowledge-based
organization demands that everyone take responsibility for the
organization’s set goals, its contributions and its behavior. All members of
the organization must completely review and reconsider their achievements and contributions.
There are several
definitions of corporate social responsibility. According to
the World Business Council
for Sustainable Development, it represents a company’s devotion to contributing
to the sustainability of economic development, in cooperation with the
unemployed, their families, the local community and society in general, toward
the goal of improving the quality of their lives. In its “Green Book,” the
European Union has stated that being socially responsible does not solely mean
the fulfillment of legal obligations but going beyond mere law abidance and
making additional investments into human capital, the environment and relations
with stakeholders.2
Social responsibility in
business is related to the obligation of companies and other business organizations
to increase their positive influence and reduce their negative activity toward
society. In that sense, while ethics is a matter for each individual in the
business field, social responsibility is related to the influence of an
organization’s business decisions on society. One of the most significant
principles on which modern business is based is that of an organization based
on responsibility. Organizations must take responsibility for their role in
society.
An organization based on
responsibility means that all the members of the organization must
comprehensively review and consider all their tasked achievements and
contributions, and take responsibility for both.
It used to be enough for
companies to satisfy their basic economic goals –
profit, as the basis for
achieving growth and development goals. Since the 1970s, satisfying consumer
demands has become an increasingly important business goal – informed consumers
have become the first and the last links in the economic chain. A company must
first identify consumer demands and then define ways of satisfying them. The
1990s brought the necessity of satisfying general social interests – hence, in
addition to consumers and the owners of capital, in modern business a company
must also satisfy a broader spectrum of ruling interests in its social
environment.
There is more and more talk
today about corporate social responsibility.
It represents a commitment
to advancing the well being of society by way of discretionary business
practices and contributions at the expense of company resources. The key word in this
definition is discretionary. This is a voluntary
commitment on the part of an organization and its decision to choose and apply
contribution-making business practices. Some of the reasons for applying and
developing social responsibility are: increase in market share, strengthening
brand position, strengthening the corporate image, improving capacities for
attracting and motivating employees, reducing business costs, increasing
attractiveness for investors.
According to some views, we
can presently observe six social initiatives acting in the domain of corporate
social responsibility:
• Promoting social goals;
• Marketing tied to social
goals;
• Corporate social marketing;
• Corporate philanthropy;
• Volunteer community work;
• Socially responsible
business practice.5
The promotion of social
goals assumes that companies secure financial resources, in-kind
donations or other resources, for the purpose of developing consciousness about some
social goal or of collecting means toward the fulfillment of that social goal.
Marketing connected to social goals assumes that a company obligates itself to
set aside a percentage of profits from sales of products or services in favor
of a specific social goal. Corporate social marketing assumes that a company
aids the development and/or execution of a campaign to change behavior in order
to improve health, security, the environment or the well being of society.
Corporate philanthropy is a practice by which a company gives direct donations
for some charitable or social cause, most often as non-repayable aid in cash or
in-kind donations. Volunteer community work assumes that a company supports and
stimulates its employees, as well as those employed in partner organizations,
to help local social organizations and actions through volunteer work. Socially
responsible business practice is a situation in which a company unilaterally
adopts and implements a business practice that supports some social goal, which
is supposed to improve life in the community and protect the environment.
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