What is Corporate Social Responsibility? - InnoTrain CSR

and all processes within the company which have an impact on the environment and
on society. The role model function of the "reputable businessman" plays a key role,
because it is possible that a model for the entire company can develop based on his
exemplary conduct.
Exercise 1.9. (approximately 60 minutes)
The following example of a research and group exercise on the history of CSR
concerns the "reputable businessman" Robert Owen. The structure and questions of
the exercise are easily transferrable to other examples within the context of the
respective country or industry.
Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen (1818 - 1888) could be considered one exciting example
in Germany. The social reformer and municipal civil servant is one of the founders of
the co-operative movement in Germany and the Raiffeisen organisation is named
after him.
As a "reputable businessman", Robert Owen (1771–1858) was a prominent figure in
the process of industrialisation in England, which was accompanied by the
accentuation of social contrasts and the associated poverty and lack of rights of large
parts of the working population. These days, Owen's ideas are a matter of course in
modern industrialised nations. The responsible management of a company, a factory
in the cotton industry makes him one of the first "reputable businessmen" of the
industrial revolution.
Take your group on a "time travel" through the history of CSR and ask the
participants to research the "reputable businessman" Robert Owen. You may want to
introduce this exercise with the quote provided below. Divide your participants into
small groups based on the following questions and ask for a 5 minute presentation of
the research results for each topic:
A) During which historical event did Robert Owen introduce his ideas into his
company? What was the social impact of his concept?
B) What "practical skills" can be assigned to the "reputable businessman" Owen?
What kind of success was achieved with these skills?
C) What "character traits and virtues" might be the basis of Owen's corporate
model? What benefits did they generate?
At the end of the "historic presentation" of Robert Owen, discuss current possibilities
of working on a sustainable corporate model in advance of certain developments of
our times.
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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