DOING THE RIGHT THING
WHEN IT COMES TO PROPERLY MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF A BUSINESS IT IS NECESSARY TO LOOK,NOT ONLY AT PROFITS, BUT AT THE CONTRIBUTION IT MAKES TO ITS LOCAL
COMMUNITY.AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITY ISN’T JUST ABOUT GIVING, IT’S ABOUT RECEIVING A BENEFIT TO THE BOTTOM LINE.
Finding an edge over competitors is a concern for every business but you may be surprised to discover that one of the elements that could make the difference is how responsible people think you are.
At first glance that might sound like an odd concept, but according to an IpsosMORI poll, almost three quarters of the British public think that social and environmental reputation is important when buying a product or service. That is significant, so it makes sense to consider how you reflect that
in what you say and what you do. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) demonstrates that your company thinks about its impact on the locality, the wider world and the people in it, generating goodwill from clients, prospects and suppliers. It also plays a part in illustrating the company ethos to employees.
As the poll indicates, there are a growing number of organisations who simply won’t deal with you if you do not have a CSR mandate in place.
HELP YOURSELF BY HELPING OTHERS Charities have become much smarter at working out ways in which they can engage with business in a way that works for both parties. The process isn’t just about one giving to the other, it’s a two-way street. For example, Business Against Poverty (B>P) has coined the phrase “a handshake rather than a handout” which is a neat way of summarising its approach. It has recognised that Corporate Social Responsibility has moved far away from being something a bit quirky to being in the regular mainstream. When the organisation was set up it always clung to the principle than the alleviation of poverty had to be done at the same time as tangible returns were delivered to business. B>P set out to provide networking, training and trips to projects working with children, their families and communities in Romania, Nepal and Haiti, so participants can see at first hand where their efforts and contributions have been implemented. In the next few months there are couple of opportunities which illustrate what’s on offer. The first is a five-day personal development and team building trip to Romania. This is no routine management role play exercise, this is about real work, helping real people, addressing poverty directly by building a dwelling for one displaced family and getting an incredible experience into the bargain.
18 Business West Update JULY/AUGUST 2011
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