The View from the Boardroom - UNDP Trinidad and Tobago

The View from the Boardroom - CEO Study on Corporate Social Responsibility in Trinidad and Tobago“The biggest CSR leader in any company needsto be the CEO”Charles Percy, CEO Methanex Trinidad and Tobago Ltd.on Sweat Equity, Corporate Volunteerism and the Value of HumanCapitalQ: What do you make of the fundamental thought underlying CSR thatthere is something that in terms of responsible behaviour – internallyand externally – goes beyond just the bottom line, goes beyond the corebusiness?InterviewCP: The raw material that all businesses use is “human capital” and thereforethey owe something toward the nurturing of that source of human capital toensure the quality of the resource which comes into their businesses, as well asto ensure its continuous development.The question is how do businesses influence the society in which they operate sothat they leave it the better for their presence. For me, CSR needs to be lookedat as human capital development. How do we influence the human capital whichis the real engine of any organization? Do we influence it through the schoolsystem; do we influence young people who are the leaders of tomorrow in theway we position them to see the future? How do we also influence the sheerfabric of society with the debates and actions which occur within and outside ofour organizations? All businesses therefore need to recognize that they do have amoral responsibility for replenishing, renewing and developing the human capitalin their immediate environment and sphere of influence. That is where I see allbusinesses having a stake in social responsibility.Q: And you would not feel guilty if a critic of CSR would tell you that thisis a very selfish way of looking at it? After all, human capital is of crucialrelevance for the success of your business and therefore what you are doingon the social front is something that you expect to be beneficial to yourcommercial operations.CP: There are four ‘P’s’ in social responsibility from the viewpoint of a corporation:there are the “pet projects” which are neither good for business nor society,but may only serve to stroke the ego of some CEO or owner/manager. Thenyou have “philanthropy”, which is just about giving some money that may helpa few NGO’s, but really does nothing for the corporation. And then you have“propaganda”, which pushes the company’s line for whatever selfish reasonand benefits only the company, not society. And finally there is “partnering”,which is truly designed to help society as well as the business. Businesses fund44