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t h e n ew no rma l
| 2 01 2
corporate
social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility
was rated by 15-25% of Chief
Executives as being among their
top three to five challenges.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
is about behaving in ways that are
responsible towards one’s staff,
customers, the public, the environment
and stakeholders. It is about going above
and beyond an organisation’s financial
interests and legislative requirements
to demonstrate ethical behaviour that
benefits the wider community in
which an organisation operates.
CSR can take many forms, including
‘
workplace giving’ initiatives, where
employees are encouraged to donate
to causes through payroll, donations
of worker time to particular charitable
projects, pro-bono work, equal
employment opportunity policies,
proactive stances on the environment,
developing an ethical culture, and ‘cause
marketing’, which incentivises customers
to buy products and have part of the
proceeds donated.
Although the graph shows that at least
15%
of Chief Executives in each sector
rated this as one of their top three
to five challenges, the open-ended
responses did not elicit a large number
of comments, and it was not as pressing
an issue as, say, the economy or market
shifts. In fact, among Private sector
Chief Executives there was a degree of
cynicism towards environmental issues,
with one respondent noting that they
are concerned that “global warming is
overstated and overlegislated”. It was
not clear whether that cynicism is
widely shared.
Among the Public sector organisations,
particularly local government, a trade-
off between sustainability and financial
success is at the forefronts of Chief
Executives’ minds. Several of these Chief
Executives mentioned the challenges
of delivering on their missions, or
purposes, while also keeping financial
considerations in mind. For example,
one local government leader noted the
challenges of “improving fresh water
quality and environmentally sustainable
water allocation levels while allowing
for economic growth”, while another
said that “as a Crown Research
Organisation we need to balance our
mission with the financial sustainability
of our organisation”. Another said that
the “change to improve the organisation’s
core work effectiveness could mean
withdrawing our presence from rural
communities where our employees
are an important part of the economic
and social life and cohesion”. Not-For-
Profit organisations shared these views,
conveying the sense that their work is
needed more than ever, as inequality
grows in New Zealand and poverty is
more widespread; yet they must balance
this need for their services with their
own financial viability.
Other Chief Executives noted reputational
risks as being of major concern, particularly
those from Public sector organisations
who felt that journalistic media reporting
often compromises their reputations.
Educational institution Chief Executives
noted how important it is to protect the
privacy of their students, and several Chief
Executives – across various industries –
noted how one individual’s actions can
have a very damaging effect on a whole
industry’s or organisation’s reputation.
corporate soc i al respons i b i l i ty
0% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
item ]
20%
30%
40%
50%
nked item ]
item ]
item ]
10%
15%
20%
t highly ranked items ]
nked item ]
10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
ked item ]
ked item ]
nked item ]
t highly
ked item ]
ked item ]
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR
NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTOR
[ 5
th most highly ranked item ]
[
Outside the 10 most highly ranked items ]
[
Outside the 10 most highly ranked items ]
8)
Cultural Barriers
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR
NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTOR
[ 6
th most highly ranked item ]
[
Outside the 10 most highly ranked items ]
[ 5
th most highly ranked item ]
9)
war for
talent
10)
govt led change
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR
NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTOR
[
Outside the 10 most highly
ranked items ]
[ 3
rd most highly ranked item ]
[
Outside the 10 most highly ranked items ]
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR
NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTOR
[ 10
th most highly ranked item ]
[ 9
th most highly ranked item ]
[ 4
th most highly ranked item ]
11)
social
responsibility
12)
dialogue with
shareholders
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR
NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTOR
[ 2
nd most highly ranked item ]
[ 6
th most highly ranked item ]
[ 10
th most highly ranked item ]
key findings //
11:
corporate social responsibil it y