Yesterday I mentioned a Harvard Business Review article on the competitive advantages that can be gained from a strategically-driven Corporate Social Responsiblity (CSR) program. The article is now on the Marketing for Good 101 curriculum as a must-read. Just in case you are disinclined to sign up for HBR and take the 20 minutes to read the whole thing, I will highlight a few of the key tenants of author’s Porter & Kramer treatise in upcoming posts starting with this one.
Initially, the authors make the strong case that CSR is no longer just an option it is a necessity. Companies are under the microscope of government and activist organizations and the social consequences of all their business practices are carefully monitored. It took years for Nike to recover from reports of their abusive labor practices in third world sweat shops. Now, Nike has among the most transparent labor practices in the world and has made it a priority to lead in this area.
Time out–I’m afraid my own reporting is putting me to sleep. My main point in going over this article is that it provides a solid strategic foundation for CSR and MFG. Companies can not separate themselves from the societies in which they do business. There is a co-dependence that must be acknowledged and better yet actively engaged. Rather than thinking of CSR as a separate “corporate” activity from more sales-focused marketing activities, Porter & Kramer (and of course, MFG) proposes to bring them together, making CSR a source of competitive advantage. Yikes, it sounds so dull. Clearly, I need to get back to providing examples of MFG in action to keep you all interested. Will do.