CSR:
BUSINESS GIVES BACK
by Terra J. Daffon
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not a new buzzword
self-consciously dropped in business conversations over latte
or Cabernet. Called by other names, it has been practiced
by progressive companies for years, in the beginning, in simpler,
more limited ways. It has evolved over time and in recent
years, has finally gained the prominence and the following
it deserves. Now, it is a “must do” for responsible
business, in many forms and on a bigger scale.
CSR has no standard definition. If PR or public relations
is succinctly defined as “doing good and telling it
well,” CSR has been as briefly defined as business “giving
back to society.” Others also call it the highest form
of PR.
To Mallen Baker, Development Director for Business in the
Community, CSR is “how companies manage the business
processes to produce an overall positive impact on society.”
This suggests that CSR should reflect in all areas of a company’s
operations. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development,
in the article Making Good Business Sense, used the following
definition – “CSR is the continuing commitment
by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic
development while improving the quality of life of its workforce
and their families, and the local community and society at
large.” But since it is a business, a company is called
upon to do all these – while watching the bottom line,
turning a profit and meeting shareholders and stakeholders
wants and expectations. You can’t get more encompassing
than that.
The Minimum
At the minimum, a company practices CSR if it strictly complies
with the economic, social and environmental laws and regulations
governing its particular business and industry. There are
basics like proper sanitation, waste disposal, safeguards
against pollution, handling of toxic waste and other harmful
elements. Then there’s fostering employee health and
welfare. There are recent legislations like the Clean Air
Act. There are laws upon laws, regulations upon regulations
that businesses should comply with under pain of penalty or
criminal liability to safeguard society and the environment
against simple mishaps to big time havoc. Sad to say, there
are many companies who willfully go around “inconvenient”
laws and regulations;
There’s the sardines company which employs child labor,
uses spoiled or dynamited fish and cans its products in grimy,
rat infested factories. Multiply that many times over with
manufacturers or repackers of goods like bread and sugar,
whose unsanitary practices were recently exposed on TV. There
are still sweatshops (in this day and age) which pay slave
labor. Factories where employees are exposed day in and day
out to toxic fumes and chemicals. Modern companies and their
strictly contractual policies. Or who don’t remit SSS
payments. Or deny their employees benefits mandated by law.
The list goes on. There are big time culprits. Like the mining
company in Marinduque which destroyed a river and caused sickness
and death in the community.
Heightened environmental awareness and the degradation of
the environment have exerted tremendous pressure on many industries
to take a close watch on their processes for the social costs
these practices exact. Companies involved in logging, mining,
fuel, transport, manufacturing and heavy industries to name
a few count among those who have to abide by environmental
laws or wreak havoc on their workers as well as adjoining
communities. These are mandated by law and non-compliance
have corresponding penalties but many companies still manage
to get around them and get away with it.
And Beyond
But true CSR goes beyond minimum compliance with the law.
It is taking the initiative to generously do more than the
minimum required by law to render service and “to give
back” to the community, or even the country at large.
This can come in the form of picking up an advocacy in a big
way – instead of planting a single tree on Arbor Day,
(and leaving it to languish after credit signage has been
mounted) – it can be as extensive and sustainable as
adopting an entire watershed, cleaning and greening it, and
transforming it into a huge water park for the general public
to enjoy. Habitat for Humanity, an international volunteerism
which builds homes for the poor, is financed primarily through
donations from corporations. Many companies now are re-engineering
their business processes toward a more socially responsible
way. We now hear of green or clean production, green design
strategy, green building, green chemistry. More and more,
businesses are realizing that they should plunge headlong
and address social issues and help themselves especially when
government cannot protect their interest or when government
itself is, in fact, part of the problem.
The Rewards
When reputation is on the line, a company which has practiced
true CSR comes out ahead. CSR has many rewards and they extend
a long way. Not only for positive image and brand equity,
but in the company’s bottomline as well. CSR can and
does drive sales and protect market shares. More and more
customers have become sensitive to the practices of the companies
which provide goods and services. They take time to read product
labels. They make it their business to know who are violating
environmental and labor laws. With the plethora of choices
available to them, they can boycott companies which do not
meet today’s socially-responsible standards. CSR, therefore,
opens opportunities for companies to build beneficial relationships
with markets and communities. Internally, CSR inspires in
the workforce pride in the company. It boosts employee morale,
improves performance and strengthens commitment.
CSR & ABC5
For different industries, there are many ways, big and small,
of practicing CSR. ABC5 has declared for CSR. One of the core
values adopted by the company is Corporate Social Responsibility.
In a keynote article written by President & CEO Mr. Antonio
A. Cojuangco on April 12, 2004, he implied a strong sense
of CSR when he wrote: “…there is no place like
home and home is the Philippines. But living at home is difficult,
the problems of the country complex and myriad. We each have
roles in playing out this puzzle. I have chosen to focus on
media.”
In other instances, Mr. Cojuangco spoke of his vision of an
informed and enlightened citizenry shaped by responsible broadcast
journalism, and his desire to contribute to social alleviation,
not through doleouts, but through self-help initiatives. As
for program content which is at the heart of broadcast, Mr.
Cojuangco repeatedly emphasized, on many occasions, his belief
in balancing pure entertainment and development communications
with quality as the common denominator. When he spoke of the
workforce, he was unequivocal in affirming that everybody
has a place, that each has his own strengths which should
be maximized, and weaknesses which should be buttressed and
that the key to a productive workforce would be total management
support, training, retooling and the right fit and match of
people to jobs.
CSR in Programming
Mr. Cojuangco’s CSR-oriented pronouncements have been
actualized in the area of programming. One of the first orders
of the day was to revamp and invigorate news and public affairs,
resulting in Sentro and Big News. Then, there was Lente, which
sought to illumine and ventilate election issues. The co-production
with Inquirer for INQTV. Cheche Lazaro and The Probe Documentaries,
and of course Dokyu, a first-ever platform for young documentarists.
This passion for quality and the arts as well as social advocacy
has also given rise to ABCinema and Cinemalaya, a showcase
of the best international and locally produced indie films
which are artistic if not necessarily commercial successes,
and the airing of specials like Live 8, an unprecedented call
to the world’s eight superpowers to end poverty by condoning
the debt of the poorest nations and doubling international
aid.
Disaster Relief Operations
Albeit in modest ways, ABC has reached out to communities
through simple projects like holiday gift-giving to children
and the elderly; medical and dental missions; aid to fire
and flood victims; assistance to NGOs and similar baseline
activities. One of its most memorable undertakings was its
disaster relief operations (pls. see pictures) during one
of the worst tragedies to hit the Philippine countryside.
ABC teams from the Corporate Affairs office and News &
Public Affairs braved the difficult, life threatening journey
to the storm-buffeted and landslide-ravaged mountain communities
of Real, Infanta and Aurora. Other networks had bigger mobilizations
but to the ABC5 volunteers, what mattered was they were there
in the midst of the needy and extending not only bundles of
aid in kind but also a part of their hearts. They strongly
felt one of the rewards of CSR.
PHOTOS>>
