A fellow Renegade sent me a very interesting manifesto on rethinking Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs by Christine Arena. According to the notes at the end of the document which you can download here:
Christine is the award-winning author of two books, Cause for Success: 10 Companies that Put Profits Second and Came in First (new World library, november 2004), and The High-Purpose Company: The Truly Responsible (and Highly Profitable) Firms that are Changing Business Now (Collins, January 2007), from which this manifesto is adopted.
The manifesto is approximately 13 pages and offers some important insights into why “doing good” is simply not enough when it comes to CSR programs:
Goodness is the Problem: the widely held notion that corporate responsibility is about “doing good†effectively marginalizes CSR, keeping it on the sidelines of many corporate agendas. that’s because the practical execution of doing good often translates into philanthropy rather than business strategy. Thus, the concept of business goodness not only hinders companies from making a real difference, it also inhibits the CSR movement from taking root in powerful economic sectors. For the most part, goodness is the reason why we still cannot agree on an accurate and cohesive definition for CSR, and why we also disagree about which companies pass muster. Goodness is also the ammunition that CSR critics—who assert that a company’s sole responsibility is to generate shareholder wealth rather than give back to society—use in their arguments against the practice. And since goodness (or the perception of goodness) is the end goal that so many companies strive for in their “corporate responsibility†community outreach programs or multi-million dollar marketing bonanzas, goodness potentially diminishes the impact that companies ultimately have on shareholders, society and the planet. therefore, goodness affects us all.
The thinking in this document is smart and not inconsistent with the tenets of Marketing for Good. In a nut shell, Arena is saying CSR programs must grow the business or no one inside or outside the company will taking them seriously. Marketing for Good starts with the notion that the marketing activity must be good for the brand first AND then be good for the world we share. Here’s how Arena sums things up:
The first step toward making inroads in this space is to re-think the very definition of the practice itself. True and effective CSR isn’t as much about being “responsible†as it is about being responsive. Answering to changing human needs, to shifts in the economy, society and the environment, and to emerging market trends is the business of High-Purpose Companies. Such firms prepare themselves for inevitable turns and are the first to market with progressive solutions that are vital and necessary, not frivolous or easily replicated. the more ingeniously they meet society’s needs, the more returns they produce for shareholders—and the more we can all benefit.
Amen.
One other note I found of interest. This document was coordinated by an organization called Change This:
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