What is Corporate Social Responsibility? - InnoTrain CSR

expected to have a general impact on the economy in the future and may be helpful
in the field of product innovation. The advantage of people closely integrated into the
CR and sustainability community is that they are usually CR all-rounders having an
overall view with respect to external expectations. This can be very useful for the
strategic positioning of CR. Because it is important that the course for CR strategies
is set properly right from the start. Product innovation, the connection with marketing,
human resources structures and others will fall into place in chronological order.
What does CSR consultation comprise?
Dr. Norbert Taubken: The main point first: An agency or consulting firm will not be
able to provide a "standardised unravelling" of the topic CR. The point is to find out
what responsibility means to this specific company. And this question needs to be
answered within the company itself. The responsibility of a consultant is to provide
the company with a well-founded external view on this process and to integrate
analytical outcomes into the decision making process. CR consulting moderates and
assists the company with a process. My approach in this respect is: anything a
company is able to perform internally in connection with the formation of the CR
strategy should be done internally. In other words: it starts with a good planning of
the process. The management, board of directors and the operational level should
get together to determine the goal. This will result in a schedule which will make it
clear where it makes sense to obtain expert advice or to acquire time resources.
Where does CSR advice actually start?
Dr. Norbert Taubken: No company starts at zero. It is all about uncovering hidden
treasures! I have never come across a company without CR. At least the second,
thorough look reveals a wealth of measures and activities that would these days be
bundled under the terms CR or CSR. Such a compilation often yields a surprise
effect, in the sense of "I see, we have been doing this all along!" An important
secondary effect: This stock-taking process allows the integration of all central figures
of the company. If an external person is given the lead role, it results in an incomplete
CR orientation on the one hand and in internal opposition on the other hand.
The second phase consists in assessing the status quo. Activities will be put in
relation to the company's economic goals. Therefore, CR is always a cross-sectional
task. It does not concern a single department, but rather runs through the entire
company in the form of an attitude toward values. You should not establish a CR
profile that exists detached from other structures within the company, but rather
position CR as an integral component of your own economic activities, i.e. by
integrating it into business goals, the corporate structure and corporate values. This
is how your CR profile provides the answer about what responsibility means to your
company.
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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InnoTrain CSR
www.csr-training.eu