The View from the Boardroom - UNDP Trinidad and Tobago

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The View from the Boardroom - CEO Study on Corporate Social Responsibility in Trinidad and TobagoAcknowledgementsAcronymsThe United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) and the United Nations VolunteersProgramme (UNV) wish to acknowledge thecontributions of all the participants of thisstudy. Without their support this report wouldnot have been possible. UNDP and UNVwould also like to specially thank Mrs. ReneBerryman-Sheppard and Ms Karen Seegobinfor assisting in the planning and preparation ofthe publication. Further thanks go to Dr. RonSookram and Ms Isele Robinson-Cooper forproviding valuable comments on various draftsof the report.ATMCEOCSRFCBMDGsMLSMEMTIAutomated Teller MachineChief Executive OfficerCorporate Social ResponsibilityFirst Citizens Bank LimitedMillennium Development GoalsMinistry of Labour and Small andMicro EnterprisesMinistry of Trade and IndustryNCCNational Carnival CommitteeNGONon-governmental OrganizationSERVOLService Volunteered for ALLSMESmall and Medium Size EnterprisesSTCICSouth Trinidad Chamber of Industryand CommerceTTMATrinidad and Tobago ManufacturersAssociationUNUnited NationsUNVUnited Nations VolunteersProgrammeUNDPUnited Nations DevelopmentProgramme8
The View from the Boardroom - CEO Study on Corporate Social Responsibility in Trinidad and TobagoExecutive SummaryOver the past thirty years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become anestablished feature in boardrooms across the world. Trinidad and Tobago has notremained unaffected by such developments and the Private Sector’s contributionto social development and environmental programmes has profoundly changedthe developmental landscape between Port of Spain and Sangre Grande, Arimaand San Fernando, Point Fortin and Tunapuna. Similar to its role in increasing thecorporate appeal of CSR in other parts of the world, particularly the larger consumermarkets in North America and Europe, the boardroom also played a crucial rolein driving progress, sensitizing publics and mobilizing workforces in support ofthe cause of sustainability in the English-speaking Caribbean’s strongest economy.Securing buy-in of senior managers, company owners, chairpersons and CEOs forcorporate social outreach activities are crucial pre-requisites for the developmentof durable corporate structures that would facilitate the implementation of CSRprogrammes. Without the backing of senior management for their companies’involvement in CSR-related issues such as social impact investment, employeevolunteerism, charitable giving, civil society partnerships and support for codifiedstandards of corporate ethics, Trinidad and Tobago’s Private Sector would havebeen unlikely to broaden its approach towards defining its relationship with widersociety.The extent to which CSR was practised by T&T-based companies was firstcaptured in 2008 when the UNDP in partnership with the then South TrinidadChamber of Industry and Commerce (STCIC) produced a mapping report thatpainted the following picture of CSR in Trinidad and Tobago:• Focus on Philanthropy, Charitable Giving and Public Relations• Existing programs not aligned with national development goals• Limited involvement of government in the practice of CSR• Limited collaboration with Civil Society• Little evidence of strategic planning• Limited awareness of the business benefits of CSRFour years later, the findings of the CSR Mapping Report provided the backdropfor this CEO report presenting a benchmarking tool that facilitates comparativeanalysis and helps to capture progress as well as regress and stagnation ofmainstreaming sustainability in Trinidad and Tobago. In particular, the questionabout the strategic nature of CSR and its closer and more programmatic alignmentwith a company’s commercial operations featured prominently in both reportsdocumenting the extent to which the business community had moved away fromthe practice of financial hand-outs towards more direct involvement in internaland external forms of CSR. The results of this survey can be summarised asfollows:9
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The View from the Boardroom - UNDP Trinidad and Tobago

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