First-Movers Engage, Innovate and Co-Create with CSR 2.0
April 27, 2012 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Marketing and CSR
This article is contributed by Tania Ellis, author of The New Pioneers.
The transformation of the internet through new social technologies is changing the face of CSR. With Web 2.o comes CSR 2.o with new possibilities for social interaction, involvement and participation in finding innovative ways to tackle everything from individual business challenges to global problems.
Front-running companies are using the new technologies to engage stakeholders, innovate business and co-create new ideas and products in collaboration with the outside world.
Engaging stakeholders is made easy with, for example, the online ethical market place Ethical Economy, where companies get tools to live their values and build ethically significant stakeholder relations. Any company or organisation can invite friends, colleagues, suppliers or customers to give their endorsements or suggest ways to improve ethical performance. Read more
Guidebook for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility by the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore
April 18, 2012 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Marketing and CSR, Operations and Culture
As part of its efforts to promote business sustainability, the French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS) recently launched a new publication, Guidebook for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, which is tailored for the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore.
The guidebook aims to inspire SMEs to engage in sustainability and to provide them with practical guidance and tips.
You can read online or download the free Guidebook for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at the FCCS website.
Introduction
The guidebook begins by explaining the rise of social and environmental expectations in Asia and Singapore, and introduces the concept of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR), including the new ISO 26000.
Next, the guidebook shares some of the drivers and benefits for SMEs that embrace sustainability and CSR, such as: Read more
Employee volunteering – for the inner and outer bottom lines
March 30, 2012 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Marketing and CSR, Operations and Culture
This article is contributed by Tania Ellis, author of The New Pioneers.
In a day and age where most of us dedicate a major part of our time to our jobs, we are beginning to look for more than financial compensation. As citizens and employees many of us are on the hunt for a greater purpose with our daily efforts. It’s a quest for meaning – and a quest for a meaningful work-life.
Everywhere there are signs of this quest, which coexists with a growing collective interest in handing over a better world to new generations.
Privately, some citizens follow in the footsteps of philanthro-celebs like Bono, Angelina Jolie and Bill Gates and engage actively in good causes and charitable organizations. Others donate money through websites such as DonorsChoose, GlobalGiving or SmallCanBeBig, which enable direct, personal and specific donations. And yet others volunteer their time – some even volunteer their holidays. Read more
The New Rules of Green Marketing by Jacquelyn A. Ottman (Book Review)
February 20, 2012 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Marketing and CSR
In the book, Jacquelyn shares that green is now mainstream and can be made up of different segments of green consumers. In the United States, 83% of adults can be considered at least some “shade” of green, and they enjoy a lifestyle where sustainable choices are accessible, attractive and readily available in retail and online stores. The green market is here to stay, and will also grow and mature, and thus changing the the rules of engagement further. Read more
Time for a more inclusive sustainability construct?
December 20, 2011 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Marketing and CSR
This year, the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report is on the theme of ‘Sustainability and Equity’, which is a very apt topic in the light of the run up to the Millennium Development Goals deadline of 2015, as finally sustainability has got the attention that it deserved as a developmental matter. It is a community focused issue, and in its finality boils down to livability and quality of life. Social variables of equity, gender, and race are crucial in playing out the sustainability discourse in the grassroots.
When we discuss environmental protection issues, such as clean water, air and land, we are conversing regarding the resource commons. Lots of communities in the developing world live on the environmental resources. Fishing, agriculture and forestry are regular vocations which millions engage in, for their livelihood in the developing part of the world. Environmental sustainability is a social issue, as much as it is a technical construct. Technological determinism will enable us to have the tools to combat ecological degradation but to implement it is another matter altogether, as at the end of the day, it is people and groups who would use it. Read more
3 Key Lessons on CSR from Swedish Companies
December 8, 2011 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Marketing and CSR, Operations and Culture
One of the reasons for the success of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Sweden is that big Swedish companies are taking responsibility, because they understand that they have to build trust among stakeholders if they wish to continue doing business in the long run, and they also see CSR as a business opportunity.
What can Singapore companies learn from the businesses in Sweden? The following 4 Swedish companies – Swedbank, ICA, Scania and SEK, provide some lessons on embracing and implementing CSR, including 3 key lessons:
- Understanding that CSR is a journey and not a destination
- CSR must be integrated into the business
- Follow international guidelines on CSR principles and reporting Read more
Learning from Sweden’s success and experience in embracing CSR
December 2, 2011 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Features, Marketing and CSR
Sweden has the reputation of being a leader in actively promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR), and Swedish companies such as H&M, IKEA, Ericsson, ICA, Swedbank, and Scania are known to be leaders in sustainability and corporate responsibility.
The recent KPMG International Corporate Responsibility Reporting Survey 2011 found that 95% of the 250 largest global companies has undertaken Corporate Responsibility reporting. This widespread adoption by top companies is encouraging, however, the survey also shows the difference in the level of reporting among the 3,400 companies across 34 countries.
For example, Sweden is one of the leading countries, with 72% of its top 100 companies now reporting on their corporate responsibility initiatives. On the other hand, there are countries lagging behind, such as Singapore with only 43% of its top 100 companies with corporate responsibility reporting.
Another previous Responsible Competitiveness Index ranking published in 2007 by AccountAbility ranks 108 countries on how they are performing in their efforts to promote responsible business practices. Sweden emerged as the top country while Singapore is number 15.
What can Singapore learn from Sweden’s success and experience in embracing CSR? It seems that Sweden’s success in CSR is mainly due to the government leading and coordinating, and big companies taking responsibility. The cultural context in Sweden could also helped to play a part. Read more
Time for businesses to walk the talk on human rights
November 7, 2011 by Manishankar Prasad
Filed under Marketing and CSR
There has been a huge bit of hype over corporate citizenship and its onus to protect the rights of workers in the past few years. Corporate Social Responsibility and its corresponding voluntary ISO 26000 standard, includes human rights as one of the metrics for good corporate citizenship. This vocalic buzz is indeed positive for workers’ rights in general as the spotlight and accountability increases in these cases.
But the reports from the media regarding the rights of workers are not really all positive. We have had the Foxconn episode, with poor worker conditions in the factories which manufacture Apple products such as the iconic iPhone. ‘Sweatshop’ labor has been the norm in the textile industry for some time, while the sports goods industry is not a stranger as well in this discourse on worker protection. From workshops in Pakistan to Bangladesh to factories on the Chinese East Coast to Indonesia, workers’ rights are flouted without any batting of an eye lid as many a documentary has demonstrated. Read more
Integrated Reporting is here to stay despite the challenges
October 14, 2011 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Marketing and CSR
A high-level roundtable discussion on integrated reporting concluded that integrated reporting is here to stay despite the challenges involved. The roundtable discussion on Integrated Reporting: The Future of Corporate Accounting? was organised by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and moderated by CSR Asia Singapore. The roundtable panelists included representatives from ACCA, Responsible Research, SGX, Ernst & Young, PowerSeraya, Arisaig Partners, KPMG, and the Nanyang Business School.
Integrated Reporting is the integrated representation of a business’ financial performance and non-financial performance including environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) measures. Integrated Reporting helps businesses make more sustainable decisions, and enables investors and stakeholders to understand the sustainability and ethical impact of an investment in a business. Read more
Keppel Land wins the 2011 Singapore Awards for Sustainability Reporting
October 14, 2011 by Eugene Tay
Filed under Marketing and CSR, Operations and Culture, Strategy and Leaders
Keppel Land Limited emerged as the winner of the 2011 Singapore Awards for Sustainability Reporting (SASR), at the awards ceremony organised by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and attended by more than 100 business leaders. The annual awards is to identify and reward companies for their excellence in sustainability reporting, and also serves to encourage more companies to begin sustainability reporting.
The other 9 finalists for the SASR Awards include: ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited; CapitaLand Limited; Cerebos Pacific Limited; Keppel Corporation Limited; Swire Pacific Offshore Pte Ltd; The China Navigation Co Pte Ltd; Origin Exterminators (S) Pte Ltd; SMRT Corporation Limited; and Wilmar International Limited.
ACCA chose Keppel Land as the winner because its Sustainability Report 2010 was comprehensive, concise and credible. The report clearly articulated the company’s sustainability strategies and practices in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Level B+ guidelines, and highlighted the economic, environmental, and social aspects of the company’s activities and developments across its properties in Singapore and overseas. Read more
