Corporate Social Responsibility

Strategy & SocietyMichael Porter and Mark Kramer

Harvard Business Review

Many Companies have Already done much1. They put business against society, when

clearly the two are interdependent2. They pressure companies to think of CSR

in generic ways instead of in the way most appropriate to eaach firm´s strategy

Being Hold Accountable for Social Issues In fact the most common corporate

response has been neither strategic nor operational, but

Cosmetic, pibliv relations and media campaigns

64% of the 250 largest multinational companies published CSR reports

These reports rarely offer at coherent framework for CSR activities

Four Pevailing Justifications for CSR Proponents for CSR have used four

arguments to maake their case:1. Moral obligation2. Sustainability3. License to operate4. reputation

1. Moral Obligation Balancing competing values, interests and

costs!

Example: Googles entry to China

2. Sustainability The notion af sustainability can become so

vague as to be meaningless Transparency vs. corruption Philanthropy may contribute to

”sustainability” of a society They offer little basis for balancing long-

term objectives against the short-term costa the incur

Trade-offs without offering a framework

3. License-to-operate A firm that views CSR as away to calm

down pressure groups often finds that this approach devolves into a series of short-term defensive reactions

A-never-ending public relations palliative with minimal value to society and to stratigic benefit for the business

4. Reputation In stigmatized industries, such as

chemicals and energy, a compaany may instead pursue social responsibility initiatives as a form og insurance

Example: Body Shop have distinguished themselves

through an extraordinary long-term commitment to socila responsibility

All Four Schools: All these four schools of thought share the

same weakness: They focus on the tension between

business and society rather than on their interdependence

Integrating Business and Society(Porter and Kramer´s Theory) Successful corporations need a healthy

society And healthy societies needs successful

companies Both business decisions and social policies

must follow the principle of shared value

Identifying the Points of Intersection

Vitually every activety in a company´s value chain touches on the communities in which the form operates, creating either positive or negative social consequences

Competitive Context – Four Areas1. Quantity and quality of bussiness inputs2. The rules and incentives yhat govern the

competition3. The size and sophistication of local

demand4. The local availability of supporting

industries

Choosing Which Social Issues to Address

Creating a Corporate Social Agenda

Responsive CSR Strategic CSR

Corporate InvolvmentA Strategic Approach

Integrating Inside-out and Outside-in Practices Pioneering value chain innovations and

addressing social constraints to com petitiveness are each powerful tools for creating economic and social value

When value chain practices and investments in competitive context are fully integrated, CSR becomes hard to distinguish from the day-today business og the company

Creating a Social Dimension to the Value Proposition Not every company can build its entire

value proposition around social issues But adding a social dimension to the value

proposition offers a new frontier in competitive positioning

Organizing for CSR Strategy is always about making choices,

and success in CSR is no different. It is about choosing which social issues to

focus on

The Moral Purpose of Business Perceiving social responsibility as building

shared value rather than as damage control as a PR campaign will require dramatically different thinking in business.

We are concinced, that CSR will become increasingly important to competitive success