The practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is fast changing. With CSR attracting various nomenclatures, such as corporate social investment, corporate sustainability and others, experts say the story line of CSR must continue to change, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.
Where does Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budget really go? In whose interest, the society, organisation or the CEO? Are CSR programmes designed to create value for the society or to earn a bragging right for the company? These were some of the questions that begged for answers at the just-concluded forum organised by Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN).
With global attention fast shifting from CSR to sustainability, experts are of the opinion that many corporate organisations do not adhere to standard practice, hence, they fall below best global CSR reporting guidelines.
With the theme: “Challenges of Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria- Roles of Organisations, Government and the Media”, the forum held at Grand Seren Hotel, Iyaganku, GRA, Ibadan, Oyo State, last Friday.
The Group Managing Director, SO&U Limited and chairman of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Mr. Ufot Udeme, in his presentation entitled: “Pushing the moral boundaries between CSR spend and CSR marketing budget”, queried the intention of corporate organisations on CSR efforts.
“Is there really a need to leverage an organisation’s CSR initiatives? It is argued that some of the highest givers around the world give quietly, sometimes even anonymously; they sincerely want to meet a need without attracting unnecessary attention to themselves. Why don’t organisations do the same?”
Ufot noted that CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and the society at large.
To him, CSR is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision making, and the honouring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet, and Profit. “It is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society – to “make the world a better place,” he said.
The Managing Director, TruContact, Mr. Ken Egbas, is worried that many companies fall below standard practice of CSR if benchmarked against global reporting guidelines.
“They call people together and give them gifts, or give exercise books to school children or renovate a school classroom, grade a small stretch of road, then, they call the journalist and splash the photos on the pages of their paper and they call that CSR,” he noted.
He blamed the media for supporting the ignorance of corporate organisations about CSR, saying: “journalists contribute in lowering the standard.”
“Where that leaves you is that it drops the standard so low because the journalists, who are supposed to demand for standard do not even know the standard for CSR and sustainability reporting, which is very sad,” Egbas observed.
He stressed further that until the media pay attention to standard, it would be difficult to hold organisations accountable.
This article was taken from here.