This week’s presentation was about “Corporate Social Responsibility” and was presented by Pamela Divinsky and Alden Hadwen, where Corporate Social Responsibility is their field of expertise. The presentation focused on the idea that: “who you work for, why you work for them and the kind of work you produce are obvious indicators of your job satisfaction. However, understanding and being aware of community support, ethics and eco-friendly practices are important too.”
Pamela Divinsky is the founder of the Divinsky Group and has over 20 years of experience in corporate strategy, social change research, management consulting and corporate responsibility strategy development. She believes that the companies that stand for something socially meaningful will gain trust and respect and will be a profitable and an enduring business. Pamela works with her clients to develop Social Missions and Social Capital Strategies in order to earn the pride of employees, the trust of consumers, respect of investors and watchers, and ensures that the result has a true impact. Pamela has developed the Return on Social Investment evaluation, which demonstrates the impact on business from developing both corporate and community capital.
Alden Hadwen is the Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility for Groupe Aeroplan/ Aeroplan Canada. Groupe Aeroplan is a global leader in loyalty management. Alden is responsible for the development and management of Aeroplan’s CSR program including Community Investment, Environmental Stewardship, Employee Engagement and Art Partnerships. Alden was a big part of writing Aeroplan’s first Code of Ethics and has led the creation of innovative CSR programs throughout the business. She helped create and manage the on-line donation programs Beyond Miles, Charitable Pooling, Community programs and employee engagement trips. Currently, Alden directs Groupe Aeroplan’s Environmental strategy and Aeroplan Canada’s Green it Up program. Since 2007, Groupe Aeroplan has participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project and has offset 100% of its corporate carbon footprint worldwide.
Here is some interesting information from Pamela's presentation:
What is everyone doing?
- Social action, social purpose, and social involvement
- For example: Coke is adapting good practices and contributing to the world in a positive manner
“Every thoughtful man must concede that the purpose of industry is quite as much the advancement of social well being as the production of wealth." - John D. Rockefeller
What is corporate responsibility?
- Integration of social, environmental and economic considerations into decision-making and processes within a business
1.) License to operate (allowed to open the store, errors forgiven, strengthen reputation equity)
2.) Loyalty – deepen bonds with consumers, customers, employees and communities
3.) Pride – elevate pride of employees (cultivate ambassadorship, improve service and performance)
4.) Risk mitigation – healthier relations with stakeholders
5.) Access & respect
6.) Commodification – stand out status (have a social purpose that a consumer is in love with)
Some people think it’s silly and that business is for profit.
“The only social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.” – Milton Friedman
Evidence that CSR creates leading and innovative companies:
- Johnson & Johnson
- Tim Hortons
- Whole Foods Markets
- Stonyfield Farm Organic
Why people love companies
- Honesty
- Commitment
- Trust worthy
- Real action
Marketplace of Meaning
- People are looking for sources of meaning, values, and trustworthiness
- Opportunity for corporations/brands to be beacons of trust
- Business is about human relationships
- You need to pay attention to conditions of existence
- Social issues are now business issues
L’Oreal – program to help women in Africa with HIV
- Authenticity and geniuses
- Revealing you soul earns you love and loyalty
- Social purpose can be your competitive advantage
What companies do (good behavior)
- Enticement/participation
- Buy something, we do something
- Reward model
- Conversation
- Ex. Starbucks and Gap
Good behaviors made easy
- Make behaving sustainability easier
- Provide an easy way for consumers to feel better about consumption
- Ex. Estee Lauder
Conspicuous Caring
- Clearly stating support for issue and organizations
- Noteworthy and innovative action
- Ex. Nike – "change starts with a girl"
Product/ Service Offering
- New service or product offering that reflects commitment
- Offers “solution” to problem
- Making it easier to know you are improving your impact
Involvement
- Involving people in the activity
- Providing participation and purpose
- Ex. Pepsi and American Express members project
Stand for Something
- Demonstrating authentic stand and commitment
- Multi-layered commitment
- Driven by the brand/business
- Most well loved company in Canada – Tim Horton’s making a true difference
- Ex. Tim Hortons Children’s Foundation and Junior Hockey
- Business being part of the community
The Cheat Sheet
- Define who you really are
- Authentically is everything
- Make it personal, relevant and meaningful
- Make it easy for people to understand and participate
- Be consistent and true
- Be interesting and compelling
- Success and impact = authentic action and compelling communication
Here is some main points from Alden's Presentation:
Make Your Miles Matter
- Amazing story about how with donating your miles, you can make change be helping people be able to fly to those in need, such as doctors wanting to help in Africa
- As you can see, miles donated can make a difference. Below is the total amount of miles donated since the idea has started
CSR/ Community is one of the 5 pillars of our business
- Web based applications
- Use of social media – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
- Interactive way to build a community of giving that builds the brand (transformational, innovative, humanization of the program)
Leveraging out assets
- Using our own currency as a base
- Leveraging out communications and partners
- Creating a circle of fulfillment (ex. win/win situation)
- “Aeroplan Beyond Miles” – could use these miles for something else
(ex. Earth Day Canada, War Child, Kid’s Horizons Enfance Air Canada)
- In term, these partners leverage the program
- Carbon offsets (members, corporate, Beyond Miles)
- Employee engagement (Green Commute, NGO partners, tangerine days (1/2 day off to volunteer, power of partnerships, interconnected programs = sustainability)
Contact Information:
Pamela Divinsky
Phone: 416-562-6414
Alden Hadwen
Groupe Aeroplan
50 Bay Street,
8th Floor Toronto,
ON M5J 3A5
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