Ann hutchison
lecturer in management
“
Corporate social responsibility only
leads to benefits if it is accompanied by
a very careful communication strategy.
CSR is known to be poorly communicated
and one of the least visible aspects
of a business’s profile. Even when it is
communicated to stakeholders, it is
easy for the messaging to go wrong and
for stakeholders to react with cynicism
instead of positivity. The most effective
CSR communications strike a balance
between acknowledging ‘what’s in it
for the business’ alongside a genuine
concern for the cause. Messages that are
too aggressive are known to backfire.
It always helps if the organisation can
demonstrate that it has supported a
cause for a long time, and if organisations
stick to the facts rather than coming
across as manipulative or insincere.
Once the message has been determined,
it’s then just as important to choose
good channels to release that message.
Third-party channels, such as the media
and consumer word of mouth, are most
likely to be trusted by stakeholders.
Many companies now also release CSR
reports, documenting their CSR activities
and demonstrated outcomes alongside
financial and other metrics.”
Bryan Gundersen
Partner, Energy Law
“
Many organisations see a programme
to reduce their carbon footprint as an
additional cost that they can ill afford
in the current economic environment.
But programmes can have positive
effects on your brand and reputation,
and in some cases there can be cost
benefits in adopting lower-emission
initiatives. You can participate in the
voluntary emission trading markets,
which provide organisations with
different options to acquire emission
reduction units; in addition, there are
many offset programmes that can be
considered. If you are a participant in
the Emissions Trading Scheme, you need
to ensure that you have a contractual
means to pass on the price of carbon
(
the cost of purchasing required emission
units) to your customers; likewise, if you
are purchasing from a participant and
they are passing on the cost to you, you
need to have contractual means to pass
on the cost to your customers. There are
innovative contractual mechanisms
developing in the market.”
Greg Cain
partner, Employment Law
“
Corporate social responsibility is
increasingly becoming important
to the attraction and retention of
employees. Do you have a CSR policy
in place and do you actively promote
it to staff, and give them opportunities
to participate in / contribute to your
organisation’s CSR efforts?”
Grant Nicholson
Partner, Health & Safety Law
“
It has been noted that corporate social
responsibility is about behaving in ways
that are responsible towards one’s
staff. Are you confident that you have
adequate health and safety policies and
procedures in place for your workplace?
Our experience is that many organisations
assume that the box is ticked if they
have health and safety officers and
policies. When serious harm incidents
happen some find that their policies and
procedures are inadequate. Not only does
that expose them to risk of prosecution, it
has the potential for serious reputational
damage.”
sheana wheeldon
Partner, Employment Law
“
In terms of reputational risk, think
about how you protect confidential
information relating to your customers
and employees. Are you complying with
the Privacy Act 1993? Do your employees
understand that downloading material
from the internet can often be copyright
infringement, with potential financial
consequences as well as the risk of
reputation damage?”
key findings //
11:
corporate social responsibil it y cont. . .
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