What is Corporate Social Responsibility? - InnoTrain CSR

Communities can promote corporate CSR on several levels, especially also by
including small enterprises for which the strategy and implementation of CSR is often
more difficult to achieve than in larger companies because of a shortage of time,
human resources and financial resources. The courses of action to promote CSR
through communities outlined below are combinable:
Communities recognise and support corporate involvement
By publicly recognising corporate involvement, communities start where civic
involvement is already being practiced by companies domiciled on site. Communities
can offer a (symbolic) award for corporate involvement or call attention to good
practical examples of local companies on the internet and in brochures. These
approaches to communal public relations support corporate involvement on site, can
reach a high number of companies and residents and are suitable to motivate other
companies to do the same. In addition, specific impulses can be set on how the
existing corporate involvement can be modernised and professionalised for the
mutual benefit. As well, within the scope of public events for example with the
participation of Boards of Industry and Trade, prospective companies can obtain
practical tips for CSR in community structures.
Communities promote partnerships between non-profit institutions and companies
The modes of communication and entrepreneurial space may differ between
commercial enterprises and non-profit organisations. It is common for both sides to
have difficulties finding the suitable partner for an involvement in community
structures at all. Communities are an interface between commercial and non-profit
actors on site and can promote partnerships for CSR in community structures by
setting up a meeting and mediating platform for prospective companies and nonprofit
organisations. In Germany, regular "CSR days" on site are increasingly being
held under the name "Market place - good business". In addition, communities can
promote mediator organisations which equally appeal and provide advice to
companies and the non-profit sector and create qualification offers for both sides to
promote a mutual understanding and productive cooperation on eye level.
Communities initiate strategic problem solving partnerships
The recognition, promotion and mediation of CSR in community structures can
represent a solid basis for communities to integrate companies specifically into own
programmes of communal development and problem resolution. Examples include a
round table or strategy workshop, where representatives of communal politics,
committed citizens, non-profit organisations and "corporate citizens" meet to identify
key problems of the community structure and jointly develop solution-oriented
concepts for action. This allows innovative communities to suggest integrating the
The project "InnoTrain CSR" is organized by GILDE GmbH and has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 12/2010
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