A Forecast Of The CSR Trends In 2016

With the constant improvement in the quality of CSR reporting, companies have begun tightening their belts. Reporting the impact that your company has on social and environmental concerns isn’t just a formality anymore. CSR has seen a steady rise in both popularity and impact over the last decade, and it’s been driven by 2 main factors—consumer demand and branding opportunities. Consumers today are tech-savvy, and thanks to the media, they know exactly where their products come from. Most of them would even pay more if they’re assured of ethically-sourced and produced goods. This is one of the reasons companies have to ensure that their CSR practices are top-notch. Besides, CSR also provides excellent opportunities for companies trying to promote their brands. Through well-planned and executed CSR activities, companies stand to gain a lot of publicity. The state of CSR will see some major changes in 2016. Here are some of the trends that may emerge. Collaboration With Governments Lately, companies have begun collaborating with local governments to ensure a more widespread positive effect from their social efforts. For example, IBM’s ‘Smarter City’ project is aimed at collaborating with cities and providing technical support to advance work in areas like public safety. In 2016, companies will be looking to tie up with governments to further their CSR efforts. Not only does this build rapport with the government, but it makes it a lot easier to find a social cause to work towards. Also, thanks to the combined effort from both parties, companies will be able to ensure that their technology, expertise, and monetary resources are put to good use. Employees Will Have A Greater Say 2016 will see a rise in the number of companies that consult their employees about the issues they wish to tackle with CSR efforts, and with whom to partner up to deal with the problem. Instead of the top management calling all the shots when it comes to CSR funding, employees will have a greater say in the matter. Deloitte’s Millennial Survey 2015 revealed that millennials today want to work for a company that imbues them with a strong sense of purpose. They want to know that their employers are contributing to local communities and to society at large, and wish to be a part of the contribution. The only way they can do this is if the management delegates some authority of their CSR functions to the employees. This way, everyone working in the organisation is content, which ultimately helps the organisation function better. Increased Transparency With CSR laws becoming more stringent, companies need to be more transparent in their dealings. Since unethical sourcing isn’t acceptable to many consumers, the companies stand to lose out on revenue unless they make changes to their supply chain. This is already visible in the Garment Industry, Large Retailers etc. Transparency helps reduce practices that may be detrimental to society and the environment. That’s why in 2016, most companies plan to be more transparent in their operations. Better Quality of products & services With Companies implementing CSR policies it is important for the company’s products & services to meet the consumer’s expectation on quality. Else it would be an oxymoron type of a situation where on the one hand the Company claims to be socially responsible and on the other hand provides inferior quality of products and services. Stakeholder engagement Companies, as they understand the concept of social responsibility and its benefits will look at the various stakeholders. This will reveal issues that could potentially adversely affect in the near future. Companies could then engage proactively through CSR programs to mitigate potential conflicts. These are a few of the trends that will transform how CSR is approached by businesses. The importance of CSR is growing, and it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a greater part of a company’s responsibility to all its stakeholders References: http://www.justmeans.com/blog/five-csr-trends-to-watch-for-in-2016 Image References: https://flipboard.com/@dfletcher/india-tech-b2meqpd6z

Need For Collaboration In The Indian Non-Profit Sector

India has more than 3 million NGOs – more than 3 times the number of doctors in the country, more than double the number of schools. There is an NGO for every 400 people. Obviously there is no dearth of ‘heart’. One would therefore assume this is good enough to address most of the socio / economic challenges being faced by the country. The reality is far from it, though. Is the impact on the social sector commensurate with the sheer number (of non-profit organisations) and efforts put in by these well-meaning entrepreneurs and individuals? The answer is probably a ‘no.’ If one were to examine why is it so, one would find the reasons are several and diverse. Looking at the scenario over the years, one could figure out soon that passion, volunteerism, technology, intent or monetary resources are less likely to be one of them. What is likely to emerge as a key reason is (grossly under-utilised) opportunity for collaboration. Collaboration between non-profit organisations could positively influence the overall efficacy (if one may call it so) significantly. It could be the game-changer. Collaboration is a vast term – in a sector driven by passion and spirit, it may seem difficult, yet if explored, one may find it is powerful and limit-less. It could work wonders. Collaboration could take different shapes and forms – spread across knowledge sharing, experience sharing, reaching out to different geographies, focusing on key competencies, leveraging strengths of one-another, helping one-another and much more… The challenge is that the very construct of the sector comes with its own (human) challenges that work against it – making it difficult to apply on the ground. What may help is a broader approach and sharing attitude amongst the organisations. Having said that, there are a few successful examples of collaboration amongst the non-profit organisations (though by exception).collaboration in non-profit sector One such program is the LivingValues movement (www.vset.org), where collaboration between various Non-profit organisations has helped increasing the reach of the program ten-fold within a short span of time. Global Action on Poverty (www.globalactiononpoverty.org) is another example where non-profit organisations are brought under one roof to share their experiences, learn / collaborate each other to improve the social impact. Collaboration amongst the non-profit organisations is the need – It is bound to improve the efficacy of the sector, and make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Can we?