CSR and Competitiveness European SMEs - KMU Forschung Austria

26 CSR and Competitiveness - European SMEs’ Good Practice - Consolidated European Report
The Finnish Ethical Forum, in contrast, aims at bringing together companies, organisations,
unions and officials to discuss questions of business ethics and corporate social responsibility.
The main objective of the Forum is to promote interaction between business, consumers
and organisations and offer them a place to discuss corporate social responsibility. It aims to
bring together different points of view, exchange thoughts and find new ways to evolve
corporate social responsibility. Discussions in the Forum aim to raise awareness about the
different expectations and objectives of social responsibility that Forum members have.
Next to those bodies orientating themselves on CSR as such, various other entities deal with
one or the other sub-themes of CSR. Examples for these are the Agencies of Consumer
Protection (e.g. the German Stiftung Warentest or the Polish Office of Competition and
Consumer Protection (UOKiK)). They are active in the field of information provision and awareness
raising regarding CSR among consumers and/or entrepreneurs (e.g. by commissioning
studies, organising conferences, providing information brochures, fostering dialogue between
companies and customers etc.). In a wider sense, also the Norwegian Foundation for
Sustainable Consumption and Production “GRIP” is active in this field by promoting and
supporting sustainable production and consumption patterns. It particularly focuses on
industries that are not traditionally considered to be polluting in a legal sense, but that do have
an impact on the environment through the consumption of goods, chemicals and energy,
transport and waste.
Company related assistance in the field of security and health at the workplace may be offered
by occupational health care organisations (such as the Austrian General Accident Insurance
Authority). As to this regard, support in the form of handbooks (e.g. a “cost-benefit-check”) or
personal consultancy is offered to enterprises aiming at implementing health and security
aspects in its management principles or integrate them into the existing management system.
Other organisations, such as the Polish Foundation of Social Communication (Fundacja
Komunikacji Spolecznej), the Partnership for Environment Foundation (Fundacja Partnerstwo
dla Srodowiska), the Finnish Environmental Communications Association, the German Oeko-
Institute (Öko-Institut e.V.) or the Spanish Fundación Entorno – Consejo Empresarial Español
para el Desarrollo Sostenible (Environment Foundation) and Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo
(Ecology and Development Foundation) deal with the promotion of environmentally friendly
products and/or production process (e.g. establishment of green labels/eco labels, prize
awards for “clean” businesses, provision of consulting services and training programmes etc.) 39 .
4.2.4 Education Institutes
Another aspect of CSR activities with obviously increasing importance is the development of
educational initiatives in this field. These are not only conferences or seminars promoting the
idea (as repeatedly mentioned above) but also, for example, (postgraduate) studies on
managing socially responsible projects within companies.
Examples for these are the programmes of the Polish Tischner European University or the
Spanish Universities of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and of Zaragoza (UZ), addressing either
managers responsible for external relations and the realisation of social initiatives in companies
as well as staff specialised in corporate affairs, HR management, marketing or public relations
or offering master studies targeted at their students. The Polish Akademia Rozwoju Filantropii
(the Academy for Philanthropy Development), among others, co-ordinates a programme
“Vademecum Dobroczyńcy (Vademecum of the Donor)” which provides online information on
the theoretical concept of CSR, practical aspects of social involvement, lists and descriptions of
Good Practices, publications, useful links etc. Moreover, the Academy provides various
trainings, seminars and consultations to enterprises interested in social involvement. This
facilitates the initial steps of companies towards social involvement.
39
Similar is also done by specialised governmental authorities, e.g. the Ministry of Environment or the Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.