• About EngineerChic

EngineerChic

~ hard-hats, design and manicures

EngineerChic

Tag Archives: McKinsey & Company

Corporate Social Responsibility – is there real value?

23 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by EngineerChic in Social Responsibility

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Business, Corporate social responsibility, McKinsey & Company, Social responsibility, Sustainable development

For those new to EngineerChic, I have previously been heavily involved in development work as a student with Engineers without Borders. Now working, I try to stay up to date with my Company is doing in the way of CSR and sustainable development. As an Engineer, we have a responsibility to Society to add value to it whilst protecting the environment (yes it does say that in the Engineers Code of Ethics), so this is a topic of personal interest for me.

This is something I have asked myself many times. Considering giant corporate multinationals with a glossy sustainability reports and CSR initiatives, one becomes a little curious on whether the content of those reports are really nothing more than cover-ups for what the Company extracts from Society rather than a true reflection on what they are doing for Society.  One has to ask oneself if there is real value to Society in a Company’s CSR initiatives.

Beyond CSR: Integrated External Engagement

This McKinsey Quarterly article got me thinking along a completely new line which now seems so obvious to me.  A Company engages with and contributes to Society in so many ways which don’t seem immediately obvious to external observers.  Firstly, it hires people – people who make up the individual cells of Society who depend on the Company for their livelihoods and happiness – along with that of their families. A company creates products or services for Society which add value to people’s lives.  A company can influence the economy or legislation of a Country and in some cases, have been known to change the political climate of a country, or the levels of corruption, debt or tax citizen’s of that country have to endure. In fact, a company influences Society a great deal more than many of us think they do.

Now I’m not saying that all of the companies with the ability to influence Society in the ways above are all adding positive value to Society. But as the McKinsey article argues, if a Company were to think deeply about how their normal operations and functions influence Society and then stream them in order to deliver the maximum positive value to Society, they for one would be able to make a far greater contribution, and also be able to show this in their glossy reports to keep the inevitable negative critics at bay.

So in conclusion, I say continue with the yearly party at the soup kitchen or orphanage, but also think about employment principles that truly support gender equality, mission statements that include environmental upliftment and company policies geared at weeding out corruption not only internally, but also within the framework of the country you are operating in. All this can easily be achieved without sacrificing shareholder value – in fact, they might even thank you for improving the company’s image…

Rate this:

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...
Follow EngineerChic on WordPress.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Blog Stats

  • 212,566 hits

Like on Facebook

Like on Facebook

ASME Career Cars and Tech Development Diversity Engineer Chic! Engineering Research - Yummy Yummy! Engineer Joke of the Week Engineers Without Borders Going Green Lean Engineering Marketing Yourself! Running School Projects South Africa Sustainability Thats Life! Travel Uncategorized women in engineering

RSS Feed

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

All posts

  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • May 2017
  • February 2017
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • July 2014
  • April 2014
  • February 2014
  • September 2013
  • July 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
Follow EngineerChic on WordPress.com
  • Engineer Joke of the Week -
  • What to consider before dating an engineer
  • Do Female Engineers Intimidate Men?
  • Interview Tips for Engineers
  • EngineerChic Poll: Whats NOT appropriate in a job Interview
  • Top Ten Reasons NOT to Date an Engineer
  • Becoming a Professional Engineer
  • What Makes a Woman Successful in Engineering?
  • Dealing with Gender Discrimination - my experience
  • Engineer Joke of the Week!

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,456 other followers

  • 212,566 hits

ASME Career Cars and Tech Development Diversity Engineer Chic! Engineering Research - Yummy Yummy! Engineer Joke of the Week Engineers Without Borders Going Green Lean Engineering Marketing Yourself! Running School Projects Social Responsibility South Africa Sustainability Thats Life! Travel Uncategorized Unconscious bias women in engineering Women in technology

Blog at WordPress.com.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    %d bloggers like this: