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Corporate social responsibility

What is corporate social responsibility?

In order to stay competitive in today's market, you might want to consider where corporate social responsibility fits into your operations. A growing number of businesses have recognized an increasing consumer demand for products and services from organizations that take responsibility for their impact on the environment, the communities where they operate, their employees, their stakeholders and the general public.

As a good corporate citizen, your business decisions will be aligned with an ongoing effort to make every impact of your business positive. For example, you may consider implementing innovative environmental measures into your operations, or developing a community outreach program that provides a needed service to less fortunate members of the community.

Corporate social responsibility comes in many forms. Your active attention to it will affect your business' conscience, as well as your bottom line.

For more information on corporate social responsibility, check out the following resources:

• Corporate Responsibility
  
  http://www.bdc.ca/EN/advice_centre/articles/Pages/corporate_responsibility.aspx
  Does your company take responsibility for its actions and impact on employees, stakeholders and communities? Find out more about corporate responsibility.
• ISO 26000 - Social Responsibility
  
  http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_and_leadership_standards/social_responsibility.htm
  If you want your business to be recognized for its social responsibility, you should follow the ISO SR26000 standard.
• SME Sustainability Roadmap
  
  http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/csr-rse.nsf/eng/h_rs00174.html
  Learn how this tool can help you manage your environmental impact.

How can you implement corporate social responsibility into your business?

Implementing corporate social responsibility into your business is a serious commitment. You may have to make some operational changes in order to effectively adopt this approach. Like structuring many aspects of your business, incorporating corporate social responsibility will require that you do a fair bit of research and planning. You will need to have a strong vision of what you want to achieve, and an equal understanding of how to go about it.

In the meantime, if you're eager to begin practising corporate social responsibility right away, try to think of small changes you can make around your place of business that will have a positive impact in the community. A great way to begin is to engage your staff in the process: employees at all levels are likely to have ideas that can put you on the pathway to corporate social responsibility.

The following Industry Canada guide provides information on how to implement corporate social responsibility techniques into your business.

• Corporate Social Responsibility: An Implementation Guide for Canadian Business
  
  http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/csr-rse.nsf/eng/rs00126.html
  Find out how to measure the effects of your business activities on others and to develop a plan to become more socially responsible.