Corporate Social Responsibility Performance Progress in UK Firms - Report Example

? CSR Performance Progress in UK firms Leena Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by businesses in UK are studied to assess thelevel of success and future direction. It is found that while businesses engage in a range of activities with different focuses, future of CSR depends on the changing nature of factors influencing social, environmental, economic, technological, political factors and impact of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries on global environment. Table of Contents Introduction Definitions of CSR History of CSR in UK Importance of CSR in UK firms CSR activities Product activities Employee activities Supply chain activities Environmental activities Stakeholder activities Communicating CSR CSR and policy in UK Measuring CSR performance Success of CSR Conclusion References Introduction This report explores the level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that firms in UK engage in. Started as a feel good exercise, CSR is now being taunted as the next wave of innovative approach to conducting a business. There seems to be great potential in implementing CSR and firms have started to realize its potential in being able to reap benefits that they never thought of but may be hoped to have. Firms that started implementing CSR initiatives early on are already reaping additional benefits in terms of reduced costs, increased operational efficiencies and higher brand loyalty (Griffiths, 2009). CSR is also seen as a means to engage the various stakeholders of a business while improving legitimacy of the business among them (Maignan and Ralstan, 2012). But not all businesses have adopted CSR into their core business practices and not all can afford to adopt this concept. Also, businesses that have already adopted this practice, have adopted to varying levels. Success of these initiatives also varies and depends on an array of factors that will be studied. Studying the history of CSR as a practice or concept also helps understand the perspectives that various businesses have taken in implementing CSR. Policy matters, practices, tools, innovative approaches and measurement of CSR will be understood to relate the level of progress of the concept among UK firms. Journal articles, news articles, websites of companies implementing CSR, official websites of UK government and case studies reports of businesses implementing CSR will be studied to understand what progress is made related to CSR initiatives and how the performance of businesses is measured based on their CSR initiatives. Further, the paper also attempts to understand the performance metrics used by the different businesses in implementing and measuring their initiatives. Definitions of CSR Different definitions of CSR exist in relation to the firms implementing it as each may have a slightly different approach to the concept. Some of the definitions are as below and are applied in context: Woods (1991) defined CSR as "configuration of the principles of social responsibility, processes of social responsiveness, and policies, programs, and observable outcomes as they relate to the firm's societal relationships" (Maignan and Ralstan, 2012). EU’s definition of CSR is as follows: “CSR is a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis” (Catalogue of CSR activities: A broad overview, 2005). The UK government summarizes the definition of CSR as: “a business contribution to the country’s sustainable development goals. It is about how businesses take into account social, environmental and economic impacts in the way they operate for maximizing benefits and minimizing downsides. It is the voluntary actions that businesses can take over and above the minimum legal requirements to address both their own competitive interests and the interests of the society at large” (Defining CSR, 2012). There are no set definitions for CSR. A more general direction for defining CSR is laid by the European Commission that identifies CSR as a “concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interactions with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. However, the range of possible definitions usually relate to two considerations: focus on business case and the role of the government (Ward and Smith, 2006). History of CSR in UK The EU is committed to sustainable development (SD) through several treaties since 1993 by way of 1993 Treaty of EU and 1999 Treaty of Amsterdam in conjunction with 5th and 6th Environmental Action Programs that are committed to SD. However, it is realized that SD cannot be achieved without CSR as social responsibility is seen to lead to sustainable development and business success. Within the UK, EU did not have much influence in shaping CSR and SD in UK, but it can be seen that political policies have been having significant influence on the policies and practices in the region (Dr. Fairbrass, 2006). Environmental impact and climate change along with the idea that businesses have the potential to do good to themselves and the society at large have led businesses and governments alike to emphasize on CSR in daily business activities for sustainable development. As a business aims to take responsibility for its actions through CSR activities, decision-making processes are enhanced to align to the ethical, legal, social, economic and environmental obligations of the business. CSR has been used interchangeably with other terms like business ethics, corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, sustainability and corporate accountability. CSR has been practiced to include business ethics, governance, human rights, community investments, marketplace and workplace (Figure 1) (Research Capsule: The Status of Corporate Social Responsibility in India – A Note, 2012). Figure 1: Areas of CSR. Source: (Research Capsule: The Status of Corporate Social Responsibility in India – A Note, 2012). As businesses derive benefit from the society by way of profits, they need to give back to the society in terms other than the products or services that they regularly sell. This is achieved by ethical practices, responsible conduct in carrying their operations which can be achieved through CSR. A business that aligns itself more to ethical and responsible conduct in all its operations is seen to gain the trust and loyalty of its customers which is seen to increase its sales and profitability too. Transparency in business is crucial to gain approval and patronage of the stakeholders and improved communication technology has raised the expectations of consumers and other stakeholders (Research Capsule: The Status of Corporate Social Responsibility in India – A Note, 2012). Businesses in UK are collaborating nationally and internationally through a wide range of CSR processes and practices to engage stakeholders in the initiatives. The level of engagement and collaboration varies widely among the different stakeholders as is with the various businesses. UK businesses are seen to drive CSR both nationally and internationally and many of the countries and businesses are found to look up to the UK government for CSR policies that can have an impact on the industry. In fact, many of the multinational in UK are found to be trendsetters in the field of CSR and a majority of experts in CSR are also either British or are based in UK. For this reason, the international community in general and businesses in particular expect the UK government to come up with innovative policies and practices that can be implemented successfully both within the UK and also extensively throughout the globe (Corporate social responsibility – a draft international strategic framework, 2012). However in practice, many businesses find that implementing CSR is costly. This has led to inefficient implementation although there are a range of activities and communication channels available and being used. Investment in CSR is like investing in people and investing in people is always considered to be a profitable investment. For this reason, apart from consumers, investors and employees have also started to realize the importance of CSR in a business and in turn businesses too have started to practice this concept in recruiting, retaining and motivation of staff. Employees on their part have been preferring businesses that engage in CSR throughout their value chain to address environmental and social concerns while contributing to the financial profits (Corporate social responsibility – a draft international strategic framework, 2012). CSR or sustainability report is seen as the preferred communication about activities and ethical or responsible behavior of a business but there is still a demand for a clear code of conduct for CSR as against a letter from CEO or stakeholder map in the report. Over the years, CSR communication has become the major criteria for its success. There is above average reporting by UK firms and almost all top 100 businesses in UK are found to have reported their CSR initiatives in the year 2010-2011 (CSR claims- Are they just talks?, 2011). Importance of CSR in UK firms CSR is seen as a way to improve quality of life and is not just a practice implemented by businesses to improve profitability and brand image. The translation of policy and innovation into sustainable practices is as important for a nation as it is for a business. Consequently, businesses have a major role to play in the sustainable development of in setting future direction in this effort for national and international businesses. Businesses in UK have much influence in setting future direction for a debate on CSR to improve best practices through intervention of the government. UK businesses can improve their competitiveness both nationally and internationally through improved CSR activities that have the patronage by the UK government. Further, good CSR practices can be helpful for attracting investment and trade for sustainable development (Corporate social responsibility – a draft international strategic framework, 2012). As communication technology using internet and other channels have enabled transparency, businesses are evaluated based on their level of competence to use this technology to engage their stakeholders. Some of the leading businesses in UK have tried to leverage communication technology in communicating their CSR efforts in a bid to make communication a two-way process rather than restricting themselves to the less efficient one-sided communication with their stakeholders. It is found that the environment is one of the three pillars of the triple bottom-line accounting and is the most crucial factor driving sustainable development (CSR online awards UK 2009, 2009). Investors are increasingly considering businesses that are high on CSR ratings and pay sufficient attention to socially responsible investment (SRI) market. UK businesses are yet to pay attention to these two aspects of their business to be able to compete efficiently for both trade and investment. Further, CSR is considered to be the driving force behind a business’s ability to focus on these factors, making CSR as the activity responsible for success of businesses in UK in the future. Also, the lack of a common definition of CSR has resulted in it being labeled differently. But the most commonly used label for CSR is corporate responsibility that is used by most of the businesses in UK. However, the effort of UK businesses in communicating their CSR efforts is still a far dream as per international standards (CSR online awards UK 2009, 2009). As communication of CSR activities is crucial to its reach among its stakeholders and its ultimate success, the extent to which UK businesses communicate their CSR activities also becomes important and is a measure of the CSR efforts. Customers tend to research a business based on the CSR activities they communicate; mostly online and the content of the CSR reports and the efforts themselves become important for a business (CSR online awards UK 2009, 2009). Griffiths (2009) notes that CSR management has to be integrated in the day-to-day business operations but finds that many businesses still have problem integrating their CSR activities. Effective integration of these activities helps derive the desired outcomes in terms of decision-making and communication. CSR activities A range of CSR activities can be implemented by businesses to engage the different stakeholders. Each activity can be focused on a separate stakeholder entity in the integrated effort. CSR activities can be product, employee, supply chain, environmental or stakeholder based that are in turn based on the broad array of social, environmental and economic activities (Jenkins, 2012). CSR activities are typically clustered into seven groups: leadership, vision and values, marketplace activities, workforce activities, environmental activities, supply chain activities, community activities and stakeholder engagement (Catalogue of CSR activities: A broad overview, 2005). Different CSR activities based on the different business entities are discussed further. Product activities Businesses revolve around products and services and ethical behavior in developing and distributing these products or services is a major concern. Designing of new products needs to incorporate ethical and responsible practices and procedures along with compliance to legal obligations. Sourcing of raw materials to disposal or use of product also needs to be compliant with responsible behavior. Ensuring product safety, addressing potential misuse of products, protecting vulnerable customers, considering product life cycle along the process of design, development, production and disposal for sustainability, product labeling, marketing environment friendly products, marketing products respecting human and labor rights and marketing of fair trade products are some of the activities related to products (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). While marketing of products, businesses also need to ensure that anti-competitive behavior is avoided, aggressive selling practices are avoided, fair and affordable prices are ensured and ensure accessibility to all markets. Businesses also engage in ‘base of the pyramid’ activities in developing and marketing products for all sections of the society. Product labeling is another important activity that businesses use to market their CSR activities. Specific social and environment attributes of a business’s product or service are marketed through unique product labeling that helps consumers evaluate the businesses’ CSR efforts in bringing out the product (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). Employee activities Employee as a key stakeholder of business is provided a safe and secure workplace environment with health and safety benefits. Employee well-being is a major concern in such activities and extends beyond legal obligations and voluntary actions. Activities are workplace environment. The key focus of a business implementing employee activities as part of its CSR is investing in its people to enable a work-life balance. Social events, training and development opportunities, employee newsletters, equal employment opportunities, etc. are some of the employee activities that businesses engage in (Jenkins, 2012). Activities are directed towards responsible restructuring of workforce to ensure efficiency and fair treatment of all employees. Based on need, businesses also enable employee skill development to ensure employability. Further, businesses gain in terms of employee retention and attraction of new employees. Through newsletters, businesses communicate with and also represent employees which helps ensure an integrated business environment while enabling better communication among the different business entities. Equal employment opportunities are provided to ensure diversity of workforce which is seen as a benefit in terms of aligning the business more to societal needs and expectations while promoting social cohesion. Fair pay and minimum wage with equality in pay also helps a business attract and retain employees (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). Supply chain activities As part of supply chain activities of CSR, businesses provide supplier learning schemes, have innovative schemes to develop long-term relationship with customers and suppliers, enable interaction of customers and suppliers, support and encourage suppliers to become more socially responsible, engage in industry best practices, measure key performance indicators and provide feedback to staff, customers and suppliers to improve efficiency of the process (Jenkins, 2012). As products and services are produced with the assistance of suppliers and sometimes in collaboration with the consumers, social and environment performance and commitment of suppliers is reflected in the product or service. This makes it imperative that supplier interests are effectively taken care of in terms of fair dealing and respectful conduct to improve relationships that can help address supply chain problems for the benefit of all stakeholders (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). Businesses also help drive standards by joining the suppliers in social and responsible product development and labeling by screening suppliers for compliance with standards, monitoring their social and environmental performance of suppliers and refusing to work with those that do not comply with the set standards, encouraging adherence to CSR standards throughout the supply chain, promoting fair trade, setting standards for suppliers to align with the businesses’ CSR standards and including policies to exclude abuse of rights (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). Environmental activities Environmental activities of CSR include waste minimization, using of renewable energy, re-using and recycling schemes, reducing use of harmful chemicals and reducing harmful emissions, environmental reporting and adherence to environmental standards among others. Compliance with national and international standards for environment protection is also part of CSR activities of businesses (Jenkins, 2012). As environmental practices are integrated into the CSR activities, a range of activities like compliance with control systems, strategy formulation to include environmental concerns and risk management are carried out. Policy, operational compliance and reporting also form part of the activities to ensure efficient environmental management (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). Using green resources like renewable energy, green materials and locally produced materials provides operational, cost and reputation advantages to the businesses. Further, waste management is crucial for businesses to ensure reduction in harmful effects on the environment and social structure of the society. This requires that businesses implement effective strategies and procedures to reduce the harmful effects and ensure sustainability. This is usually achieved by treating emissions, reusing and recycling of waste, managing waste and pollution locally and introducing re-engineering processes. Assessing the impact of product packaging, addressing genetically modified organisms (GMO) issue, introducing product take-back schemes and reducing packaging are among the environmental activities of CSR. Reducing goods transport, employee travel, using teleconferencing and reducing environmental impacts due to employee travel by using home working schemes are also included in environmentally responsible CSR activities of a business (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). Stakeholder activities Stakeholder activities include mapping of stakeholder concerns, consulting, responding and managing concerns and expectations. Mapping of concerns includes identifying key stakeholders and their concerns, identifying available knowledge and applying it to resolve concerns in consultation with the stakeholders. In consultation, feedback is enabled through communication, surveys and engagement, engaging in local community liaisons, communicating and liaising with business partners, partnering with public authorities and participating in public policy debates. Responding to stakeholder concerns and expectations include a range activities including balancing and prioritizing concerns, setting commitments, goals and targets, deploying and enabling resources, identifying and managing risks, using management guides with CSR efforts, overseeing CSR efforts and measuring success of efforts implemented (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). Long-term commitment to engage stakeholder concerns is also reflected in establishing appropriate reporting and communication channels, demonstrating openness and transparency, using quality assurance methods, using reporting guidelines like Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and getting external validation (CSR claims- Are they just talks?, 2011). As part of the stakeholder activities, leadership development and community activities are also given importance by the various businesses that implement CSR. As part of community activities, the general well-being of the community is focused on through community support in terms of investment, cash, gifts and employee time. A focus on leadership includes defining and setting purpose, values and goals, translating these values into policies, procedures and codes of conduct, putting policies and procedures into practice and enabling leadership to direct these goals for success (Catalogue of CSR activities: a broad overview, 2005). Communicating CSR Communicating CSR is crucial to its successful implementation and achieving of goals as the different stakeholders’ base their decision to associate with the business based on the information they gather on its CSR efforts that yield practical and profitable results to the society at large. Most of the top 100 FTSE businesses in UK engage their stakeholders through online communications through social media and also regular newsletters. Apart from these initiatives, several other channels like community support activities, customer-supplier interaction platforms, publishing of reports, sharing and consulting are also used for communication. Interactivity and online communication is found to impact business reputation. Video communication of case studies is also preferred communication channel that stakeholders use extensively to gather information about CSR activities of a business. Providing a generic email address for interacting regarding CSR activities that the business engages is also a strategy that is used. However, it is observed that providing an email correspondence has taken precedence over video content. Corporate websites as sources of CSR information is also common and it is found that a majority of stakeholders find it useful (CSR online awards UK 2009, 2009). CSR and policy in UK 58 percent of businesses in UK have CSR codes that have international scope. 85 percent of CSR codes with international scope have a mandatory element in terms of worldwide employment size and about 14 percent are purely advisory. Some of the codes have been negotiated with either international trade organizations or European Works Council. There are efforts to link IFAs to ILO conventions, the UN’s Global Compact principles and OECD’s guidelines on MNCs (Paul, Paul Anthony and Tregaskis, 2007). With the economic recession staring in the face and the complex set of challenges it may pose, businesses have been trying to brace up with heightened level of CSR activities. As per Companies Act 2006, businesses are required to take into consideration social and environmental concerns in their decision-making processes to ensure that businesses increasingly incline their operations to include helping local charities in terms of volunteering and employees too are evaluating businesses or potential recruiters on this basis (Parish, 2012). Future CSR activities also demand that different market dimensions be revisited in terms of whole process alignment, normative governance through economic regulators and corporate taxation. In this context, the focus of management, the tools used for CSR, the role of NGOs and the role of business associates become important to direct the future of CSR in UK over the coming 5 years. Certain external factors that impact the future of CSR in UK include political, social, environmental, economic, technological factors and the growing importance of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. It is observed that political shift can have an impact on the level of CSR activities in the near future. Future changes in international organizations like the UN and European Union, political or economic changes in the US and failure to meet development goals and commitments may also affect CSR policies in the future CSR online awards UK 2009, 2009). Economic factors like the economic downturn, increasing influence of middlemen, impact of rise in hedge funds equity, access to capital, costs of healthcare and market concentration are likely to have an impact on future CSR in UK. Also, social factors like change in values and goals and belief system of the government may have an impact on CSR. Environmental factors like climate change and scarcity of natural resources also tend to have an impact. Further, technological innovations and growing impact of Chinese businesses on the global economy are likely steer future of CSR in UK CSR online awards UK 2009, 2009). Measurement of CSR Measurement of CSR in UK includes assessing success and equitability achieved. CSR becoming the norm of business practices is also a consideration for measurement of its success. Business as a trusted partner and trade association driving CSR efforts also can be considered as effective measurement criteria for businesses in UK. Operational excellence in terms of social and ethical performance is another measurement criterion for CSR success. Greenhouse emission reductions, public policy related to green considerations and role of business in development are other factors that help measure success of CSR. Public policy, voluntary action, networking for higher level of integration and level of education on CSR policies constitute measurement metrics for CSR. Reporting tools, communication channels used and social and environmentally responsible behavioral factors also constitute specific measurement tools for CSR (Ward and Smith, 2006). Success of CSR CSR is more commonly practiced by large firms rather than smaller ones (Pratten and Walton, 2012). Success of CSR in UK businesses depends primarily on the role of NGOs, government and businesses. As future trends in CSR in UK demand that there be more behavior by businesses and needs to contribute to the local charitable trusts, the role of campaigning and non-campaigning NGOs gains importance in determining the success of this practice. Campaigning NGOs have an impact on the success of CSR efforts by way of associating with the business in terms of tactics that are either highly collaborative or adversarial relevant to the business context they operate in. highly collaborative associations include partnerships with the businesses while adversarial tactics include non-violent direct actions. Businesses can also have wrong associations with campaigning NGOs that could affect the level of commitment and success of CSR efforts (Ward and Smith, 2006). Further, businesses implementing CSR may have a skewed approach to the concept and often consider a limited scope of engagement of stakeholders which is restricted to the management and shareholders. Strong regulatory framework, the need to identify a business case for every action and an enlightened self-interest may impact success of CSR. UK government’s role in success of CSR initiatives can be in terms of strong policy interventions and commitment to sustainable development. Non-campaigning NGOs if able to sustain and depend too much on funding may affect success of CSR in UK (Ward and Smith, 2006). Conclusion CSR has gained prominence since 1950s although it has been in existence even before. It is alternately termed as corporate responsibility, sustainable development, corporate citizenship or corporate ethics. Businesses in UK are found to have greater commitment towards implementing CSR practices and are also pioneers in the field. There is lack of clarity in defining CSR and in the broadest sense it can be defined as an effort of to align their objectives, goals and strategies in the interest of social and environmental along with economic goals of the business itself. CSR is seen to contribute to sustainable developmental goals of the government. There are a range of social, environmental, technical, economic, political and regional concerns that impact CSR decision-making in UK businesses. EU’s commitment to sustainable development led to UK businesses to adopt CSR as a means of socially responsible behavior. Also, climate change and environmental factors have driven businesses to consider CSR as an innovative tool to drive profits and brand image. Activities that focus on employees, products, community, supply chain and environment are included in CSR. Product related activities like responsible labeling, use of green resources, ensuring labor rights and fair wages, practicing fair trade and ethical design, development and marketing considerations are included in product related activities of CSR. Employee related CSR activities include employee engagement, fair recruitment, safety and health, work-life balance, training and development activities, communication and addressing concerns through newsletters and equal employment opportunities among others. Supply chain activities include aligning business interests and strategies with supplier and consumer interests, fair trade and respect for supplier concerns, encouraging best practices by suppliers, enabling supplier learning schemes and supplier-customer interaction, setting and driving standards in compliance with CSR standards and include policies to avoid rights abuse. Environmental activities include using green technology and resources, strategy formulation to include risk management and operational compliance. Waste management, recycling and reduction of harmful effects on the environment due to emissions are also part of environmental activities. Reducing employee travel, reducing goods transport, using locally available resources and introducing home working schemes also are useful activities. Stakeholder activities involve a range of activities like mapping of stakeholder concerns, consulting for addressing concerns and identifying available knowledge to apply to address the concerns. Stakeholder engagement through liaisons, partnerships, etc. are also employed. Communication of CSR activities is usually through websites and reports. Email and video communication are the most preferred channels for communication of CSR in UK businesses. CSR codes are increasingly being emphasized due to the economic recession and market dimensions where process alignment, normative governance and external factors like social, political, environmental and economic changes in the environment may force changes in CSR in UK. Measurement of CSR’s success can be achieved through level of equity, business public policies, networking, communication channels, reporting tools and trade associations. Future success of CSR in UK is primarily concerned with the role of campaigning and non-campaigning NGOs, government, business and the influence of BRIC countries. Campaigning NGOs either highly collaborate or involve in adversarial drive to impact a businesses’ CSR activities. Collaborative role involves fostering partnerships with businesses to contribute to charity and adversarial campaigning may include non-violent face-offs to drive CSR. Government plays a role in CSR’s future by interventions and commitment to CSR. Businesses impact future of CSR through identifying business case, self-interests and engagement of stakeholders. Non-campaigning NGOs may negatively impact future of CSR if they depend too much on funding. References Catalogue of CSR activities: A broad overview. 2005.Ashridge Business School. 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