Personal Finance Advices
July 5, 2009
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Corporate Social Responsibility
Success with social commitment
Small and medium enterprises make up their responsibility towards their employees, customers and neighbors, their environment and society as a whole.
There are indeed companies involved in production on climate and environmental care employee models into practice, their employees the necessary training needs to be for art, cultural and social interest or the regional sport.
Now, this commitment especially for owner-managed companies often have a long tradition. The current discussion is dominated by another descriptor: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It should be the English term “social” not too narrow to be translated, because it revolves primarily not about “social”, but to corporate social responsibility. Among the recipients are so doing this, inter alia, its own employees as customers, suppliers or the public.
Why deal with CSR issues?
The motivation to deal with CSR to employ, based on different approaches. For corporations, for example, is often the question of minimizing risk in the foreground. Globally distributed production sites, where residents, local suppliers can not be more of a corporate headquarters, which has its headquarters in Germany has full control. International companies are increasingly calling on the observance of minimum social standards, working conditions and environmentally friendly production methods to be respected. If, for example, announced that a subcontractor illegally employing children, the associated image loss and the resulting revenue declines have a large impact. Even corporations are therefore CSR rules and lay them on their contracts.
For medium-sized enterprises on the other hand, often outweigh considerations, to maximize opportunities in the forefront of consideration. A possible question would be, for example, how to get through social or environmental value of the product or in the company’s culture can stand out from the competition. Thus, CSR is not only a critical selling point for consumers. Rather, companies use their voluntary, responsible action also, for example, employees at the company.
How could family-friendly working hours, training opportunities, working conditions, health, or the support of voluntary commitments by the company employees as employers particularly attractive. In times of an impending shortage of skilled arguments, satisfied employees to gain or experts in their own company.
Typical CSR policies
In one of the Guild GmbH Detmolder collected study “Corporate Citizenship in small and medium-sized companies in Germany - current status and future development” gave 86 percent of the 145 responding companies, as most common measure CSR education and training opportunities for employees to offer personal budget planning. In second place is the flexible working time.
As a trend, the survey showed that companies in future the areas of employee and measures to reconcile work and family want to develop.
About half of all participating entrepreneurs and executives have given about the environmental, energy and resource consumption is reduced to personal finance budgeting. In the social area engaged small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with 71 percent for most social services, closely followed by education initiatives, with 69 percent.
In addition, over 50 percent of the surveyed companies, culture, employment initiatives and sports clubs to support them. In last place came the environmental initiatives personal budget worksheet. Approximately 35% of the surveyed companies reported in this area involved.
Another interesting result: At least 48 percent of the company prior to the survey had never heard of CSR, and 72 percent have never been aware of the issues addressed free budget worksheets. It can be concluded that CSR in SMEs, but not with the term CSR is associated.
CSR is increasingly important
Approximately two thirds of the companies are convinced that the issue of CSR in the coming years will be important. This results in increasing the relevance of the results of the survey from the rising stakeholder demands for medium-sized businesses personal finance software. To see some 70 percent of its employees as entrepreneurs key stakeholders, followed by the municipality or the state with 66 percent and the customer with 50 percent.
