Communication & Corporate Social Responsibility
Companies in the business of selling products and services need to understand communication well. It is crucial for a company to connect with its customers, as well as to see how it is perceived by others. Communication must happen on many levels: internally between employees, externally with customers and stakeholders, and in the media.
You can make a difference for your company with CSR. Increased awareness about sustainability issues leads to more people demanding sustainable choices from corporations - if you have the resources, you may be able to use them for good purpose by engaging in CSR initiatives.
CSR should be part of your short- and long-term strategies. How it fits in with your business plan depends on the current state of affairs within your organization. If you have been proactive about sustainability, then communication to all the relevant stakeholders will be a no-brainer. On the other hand, if you need to convince people that CSR is a good idea, you need to demonstrate its value and benefits in order to make sure that it is included in your new business plan.
For each company, CSR can look different: every company has its own way of integrating sustainability into its strategy, so it makes sense for companies to focus on their own strengths when defining CSR activities. It can be difficult to measure the success of CSR initiatives, but your stakeholders will be happy to hear that you are taking action.
There are many avenues available to companies in terms of communication and CSR:
• Social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Google are good sources of information and opinion. You have to know how to use it; search the web for information on best practices. Blogging is an important way for companies to keep up with their public relations and engagement with other stakeholders.
Companies using social media should focus on engaging customers by releasing relevant information about their products or services and by answering questions that users post on blogs, forums, micro-blogs (e.g. Twitter), and their own pages. Companies can also use social media to promote other initiatives that help them achieve their CSR goals.
• Public relations: this refers to building a relationship with the public, working with journalists and media outlets, and providing corporate statements - there are many different approaches. The following activities are typical PR activities:
• Educational materials: information on the company's products or services, especially those related to ethical practices and good working conditions (e.g. brochures). • Policy documents: materials informing stakeholders about company policies regarding safety standards, social responsibility, labour conditions, etc. • Releases about company activities or events (newsletters). • Speeches: during events or at internal meetings, public figures can explain the company's vision and what it tries to achieve. • Online media: e.g. websites, blogs, podcasts, etc.
• Internal communication: communication with employees is crucial in terms of creating an effective organization and aligning everyone's efforts towards the same goal(s). Communication with other stakeholders may also be important in order to nurture a relationship that is beneficial to everyone involved (e.g. shareholders, NGOs, etc.).
• External communications: this includes external corporate communications (exchange of information between companies and the general public), investor relations (communication with shareholders), and financial disclosure (transparency about a company's overall performance).
It is important to be aware that CSR is considered a soft activity: it cannot be quantified in terms of profits or losses, and there is no guarantee that it will work. However, your company's stakeholders are also not likely to forgive you if you do not engage in CSR. On the other hand, your customers may reward you with more business if they see that you are taking their needs into consideration. This is especially true for environmentally friendly products and services; customers appreciate when companies offer what they want while making the world a better place.
Be prepared to answer questions from stakeholders about your CSR practices, especially from the media (e.g., reporters looking for a good story). People will want to know if you have achieved your goals and how - they may ask for specific numbers of some kind. Understanding the questions they may ask is important in order to prepare yourself to respond. For example, what are your company's goals regarding energy efficiency? How many dollars has it spent on energy improvements? What is your company doing to reduce its carbon footprint? How are you going to continue improving? Before answering any question, think about how you want to position your company as a responsible member of society. Be honest; if you don't know the answer, say so.
There are many reasons why companies engage in CSR. Some of them are more obvious than others. The most common reason for corporations to engage in CSR is social responsibility, the notion that businesses have a duty to help their community, country, and the world at large. Leadership and management think in terms of how they can make their company and its community better by working hard and having the conviction that their efforts will be rewarded.
Other reasons for engaging with CSR are less altruistic: they relate to the bottom line, or "doing well by doing good.” Business executives have recognized that aligning a company's activities with its vision, mission, and core values is not just good for its social and environmental goals; more importantly, it boosts the company's performance. By creating a positive environment in which employees feel that their contributions are valued and appreciated, businesses increase employee productivity and morale. Equally important is the positive impact CSR can have on the internal culture of an organization: if employees feel proud of their company's CSR initiatives, they will act according to these same values when communicating with customers. In this way, companies increase their customer loyalty by engendering trust and goodwill.
Another reason for engaging in CSR is that it has become part of the cost of doing business. In the past, a company's survival depended on its competitive advantages. These advantages could have been based on product quality, superior technology, etc. Currently, though, businesses must also be aware of their resulting social and environmental impact. It is imperative that companies take responsibility for their actions; they must be accountable to consumers and stakeholders who are increasingly looking to companies in order to purchase goods and services that are beneficial both to themselves and to society at large.
Not all businesses feel comfortable marketing the notion that they are socially responsible - it can make them look weak or even vulnerable in the eyes of competitors (e.g.
Conclusion
Companies must understand that their consumers expect them to be socially and environmentally responsible. It is a necessity; it is not a choice. The old ideas of what it means for a company to be successful are being replaced by those who understand the relationship between the bottom line and society - the best way to improve your company's performance is by engaging in CSR activities.
CSR in Canada today: Key trends
In Canada, there is no single legally binding instrument that requires businesses to conduct CSR activities in any defined manner. In many cases, corporations are voluntarily engaging in some form of CSR activity and there are some incentives for businesses to do so, such as tax breaks or preferential treatment under various government policies.
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