What is excellence in corporate responsibility?

1. Excellence in CSR
Braun and Partners CSR Conference, Budapest, Nov. 24 2009
Introduction
Ethical Corporation: Global business intelligence on CR, since 2001
10 issues a year in print, online archive: 8000 articles
Free weekly eBrief on global CR issues
World-wide network of writers and analysts
Produce independent research reports and training
Advise governments and companies (sometimes)
Take a constructively-critical stance on CR
Have often UK centric viewpoint!
www.ethicalcorp.com

2. Excellence in CSR: Complex issues
What’s the role of CSR for business in 2009?
Same as in the past 15 years: Community, Marketplace,
Environment and Workplace. But definition is now widening!
- Bigger, wider, more complex: i.e. Amazon soy and leather
- Staying up to speed with expectations: Cutting carbon emissions
- Managing business risks: Anti-corruption (not illegal in past)
- Spotting opportunities: Efficiency, customer trust, new products
CSR is about relationships, efficiency and innovation
CSR issues are now regulatory, financial and reputational
Philanthropy is NOT CSR!

3. Excellence in CSR: Understanding complexity

4. Excellence in CSR: Communicating limitations…

5. Excellence in CSR: Becoming strategic

6. Excellence in CSR: What do we mean?
Braun and Partners survey (45 voters) says:
1. Leadership and best practice: M&S, Innocent
2. CR management and innovative solutions: Unilever, SAB Miller
3. Understanding stakeholder expectations, incorporating them into
business strategy: Starbucks, Intel
My list:
• Understanding role of business in society has changed
• Realising the rate of expectation change in society
• Grasping government limitations: you are on your own on some
issues!
• Engaging with stakeholders and being humble
• Collaborating with partners to understand and tackle issues

7. Excellence in CSR
• Planning strategy: creating a realistic action plan and
selling across the business
• Rolling plan out: buy-in across departments
• Delivering innovation in products, services and comms
• Admitting you don’t know all the answers
• Understanding complexity when you discuss solutions
• Being transparent about progress: Challenging your
business to improve
• Aligning with business models
• Being bold and sticking to the course
• Gaining competitive advantage, and building a moat
around that you can defend!

8. Excellence in CSR: Educating consumers

10. CR: Opportunity and embedding
“How to embed corporate responsibility across different parts of
your company”
A report published by Ethical Corporation, September 2009.
Summary available at: http://www.ethicalcorp.com/csr
Contact information:
www.ethicalcorp.com
Toby.Webb@ethicalcorp.com
+44 (0) 207 375 7561
Search for “Ethical Corporation” on Google, Facebook, Twitter to find us.
Linked-in, search for: “Toby Webb”
Thank you! Questions?