corporate social responsibility as a valuable contribution to ...
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30 Ewa Mazur-Wierzbicka<br />
• providing cus<strong>to</strong>mers with volunteer services<br />
• fair price policy<br />
• ethical advertising activity<br />
• regulation of obligations <strong>to</strong>ward suppliers and business partners on time<br />
• cooperation with local partners<br />
• propagation of standards via supply chains<br />
• support for reaching local/regional business agreements.<br />
“Opteam” firm from Finland and “Deante Antczak Sp.J.” from Poland can be cited <strong>as</strong><br />
practical examples.<br />
“Opteam”, a medium-sized firm, is a franchise network of personal services that pays special<br />
attention <strong>to</strong> individual situation of particular employees by offering them flexible employment<br />
conditions which make them are adjusted <strong>to</strong> needs identified by employees and hence<br />
rotation of employees is minimized. Furthermore, the firm provides workers with special<br />
training programmes.<br />
“DEANTE Antczak Sp.J.” is a medium-sized enterprise from Poland that deals with<br />
wholesale of kitchen and bathroom products and offers cus<strong>to</strong>mers a seven-year guarantee for<br />
products sold – longer than it is usually offered on the market. Moreover, cus<strong>to</strong>mers are<br />
provided with effective technical and guarantee service. Thanks <strong>to</strong> good image (equated with<br />
a high quality of products), the firm h<strong>as</strong> gained new clients and reduced the rotation of<br />
employees.<br />
Another sphere involves CSR actions in favour of natural environment. CSR<br />
initiatives in the scope of environmental protection refer <strong>to</strong>:<br />
• designing environment friendly products and production processes<br />
• effective exploitation of resources<br />
• reducing w<strong>as</strong>te produced and pollution emitted<br />
• using the ”environmental <strong>as</strong>sessment” of suppliers in the context of environmental<br />
standards<br />
• informing business partners, cus<strong>to</strong>mers and society about issues relating <strong>to</strong><br />
environmental protection<br />
CSR actions taken by European SME in favour of environmental protection can be observed<br />
in “Maja’s Salong” firm from Norway and “LUMAG Sp. z o.o.” from Poland.<br />
A small hairdresser’s “Maja’s Salong” from Norway puts CSR rules in<strong>to</strong> practice by<br />
managing the w<strong>as</strong>te in the way that involves their sorting and recycling, saving the energy by<br />
turning off the lights at night, and by using only <strong>as</strong> much water, shampoo and hair cosmetics<br />
<strong>as</strong> necessary. Furthermore, the firm is actively involved in establishing the environmental<br />
standards for the sec<strong>to</strong>r in which it functions. These actions are of great value not only from<br />
the environmental point of view but also allow <strong>to</strong> save money through cost reduction.<br />
“LUMAG Sp. z o.o.” is a medium-sized Polish enterprise functioning in au<strong>to</strong>motive sec<strong>to</strong>r<br />
that manages not only w<strong>as</strong>te produced within a firm but also collects and recycles its products<br />
once they have been used up and removed from vehicles. Elements created <strong>as</strong> a result of<br />
recycling may be used <strong>as</strong> a component of materials for the production of new elements of<br />
breaking systems. What is more, <strong>as</strong>bes<strong>to</strong>s h<strong>as</strong> never been used in the production process, and<br />
prescriptions worked out in firm’s labora<strong>to</strong>ry do not contain any heavy metals that could pose<br />
a danger <strong>to</strong> natural environment or vehicle users. Firm h<strong>as</strong> a good reputation in the opinion of<br />
local community and is perceived <strong>as</strong> honest and thriving enterprise.<br />
Many small and medium-sized enterprises do not focus only on one sphere of CSR but<br />
represent a holistic approach. i.e. combine various <strong>as</strong>pects of these actions. Norway firm “AS<br />
Marex” and Romanian company “SC TUV KARPAT SRL” are examples of enterprises that<br />
have adopted holistic approach <strong>to</strong> CSR in European SME.