New study shows CSR pays dividends

With BUSS4 and it’s research theme done and dusted for the summer it would be easy to overlook new articles on the issue of CSR, but the social environment and strategic direction remain at the heart of A2 studies.  So it’s worth storing this article away in your favourites.

Tweeted by @MichaelEPorter, it summarises the findings of a US study that shows a strong correlation between companies who are rated strongly by their employees for their CSR efforts and:
* employee motivation
* productivity
* customer service
* financial performance and shareholder returns

This article adds to the increasing number of voices over recent months arguing that CSR and strong business performance are not mutually exclusive.  Paul Polman of Unilever & Howard Schulz of Starbucks amongst others are vindicated in their approaches if this research is accurate.

The article closes by giving firms advice on how to improve their CSR efforts.  Students could take a firm they feel needs to improve in this area, and use the advice at the end of the article to create a plan for how to exactly they will improve.  Perhaps they could start with News International…...

Measuring the competitiveness of a business [18 May 2012]
Revision Presentation - Operations and Technology [17 May 2012]
Revision Presentation - Measuring and Increasing Profit [17 May 2012]
Revision Presentation - Making Operational Decisions [17 May 2012]
BUSS2 Magic Formula [15 May 2012]
Predictions of a dramatic change in the way goods are produced - and how it may change business [25 Apr 2012]
A detailed look inside Apple’s Foxconn factory [24 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Business Ethics [7 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Social Environment & Business [7 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Corporate Social Responsibility [6 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Business and the Environment [6 Apr 2012]
CSR - Tesco leads firms having second thoughts about unpaid work experience scheme [22 Feb 2012]
Video starter - Inside the iPad factory [21 Feb 2012]
Video resource: Do bonuses work as an incentive for better performance? [10 Feb 2012]
Happiness in the workplace still proving elusive [6 Feb 2012]
Leadership - what qualities does an effective leader and manager have? [29 Jan 2012]
Strategy Lessons from the Tesco Downfall [15 Jan 2012]
Revision Presentation - Operational Objectives [3 Jan 2012]
Revision Presentation - Economies of Scale & Resource Mix [3 Jan 2012]
Why is productivity rising in the US? [1 Jan 2012]
CSR - Growing public support for responsible capitalism [28 Dec 2011]
Is this CSR Champion Acting Like Scrooge? [11 Dec 2011]
International operations decisions - Adidas trainers for $1? [26 Nov 2011]
Olympus Epic Fail [9 Nov 2011]
How much does a Premier League point cost? [5 Oct 2011]
CSR - 40 Years of Upsetting Big Business [15 Sep 2011]
Tesco and Retrenchment [31 Aug 2011]
Nurofen Plus and the importance of quality - [28 Aug 2011]
Fresh Examples of Creating Shared Value [24 Aug 2011]
Automation and the arrival of 290,000 robots [2 Aug 2011]
The Case for Transformation [29 Jul 2011]
Shareholder revolt over executive pay at Burberry [7 Jul 2011]
CSR - £20m extra annual profit for M&S from Plan A [18 Jun 2011]
BUSS4 CSR Research Bullet 6 [18 Jun 2011]
BUSS4 CSR Research Bullet 5 [18 Jun 2011]
BUSS4 CSR Research Bullet 4 [18 Jun 2011]
BUSS4 CSR Research Bullet 3 [18 Jun 2011]
BUSS4 CSR Research Bullet 2 [17 Jun 2011]
BUSS4 CSR Research Bullet 1 [17 Jun 2011]
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Or who guards the guardians? Primark and The BBC. [16 Jun 2011]
CSR & Strategy - Why the Cooperative Group changed to survive [16 Jun 2011]
CSR - Evidence of Failure to “Walk the Talk” when it comes to Carbon? [15 Jun 2011]
CSR - Should Apple Pay More for its Geniuses? [14 Jun 2011]
CSR - Greenpeace takes on Barbie by recruiting Ken [13 Jun 2011]
CSR - The Top UK Businesses for CSR in 2011 [13 Jun 2011]
CSR - The Business Case For CSR - Superb Data for BUSS4 [13 Jun 2011]
Crisis? What Crisis? [31 May 2011]
CSR - Is it time for McDonalds to ditch Big Ron? [22 May 2011]
CSR - Puma first to publish environmental impact costs [16 May 2011]
CSR - Has Social Responsibility Failed? Insights from Dame Anita Roddick [12 May 2011]
CSR - Chocolate the Bitter Truth [12 May 2011]
CSR - Can better social responsibility boost the UK economy by £17bn? [12 May 2011]
CSR - Can we trust CSR claims or is it greenwash? [12 May 2011]
CSR in 3D [12 May 2011]
CSR - Sustainable Fish Needs a Packaging Boost [5 May 2011]
CSR - The PPI Scandal - so much for being socially responsible [5 May 2011]
CSR and Business Legislation - The Bribery Act comes to town [5 May 2011]
Lesson Worksheet - Capacity Utilisation [5 May 2011]
CSR - Evidence on the Greenhouse Gases of the top 300 European Firms [26 Apr 2011]
Private firms that grow big! [26 Apr 2011]
Life in the chocolate factory - automation, productivity, motivation and culture [24 Apr 2011]
CSR - Picture Quiz [22 Apr 2011]
CSR - A responsible company from day one? [21 Apr 2011]
CSR - Apple: Big Profits but Dirty Data? [21 Apr 2011]
CSR - Evidence that Sustainability Works as a Business Strategy [19 Apr 2011]
CSR - Ikea’s Never Ending List… [25 Mar 2011]
CSR - Adidas restate’s its CSR objectives [25 Mar 2011]
CSR - Sport and Business Rediscover the CSR Buzz [25 Mar 2011]
CSR - Visioning the Future (Great Lesson Videos) [23 Mar 2011]
CSR - Corn: A Matter of Life or Death? [23 Mar 2011]
CSR - Responsible Jeans?  Its a Blast… [22 Mar 2011]
AQA BUSS4 Toolkit on CSR now available [15 Mar 2011]
CSR - Insights from the Leader of the Revolution [14 Mar 2011]
CSR in the Ad Break - Dettol [14 Mar 2011]
CSR - Meet ISO 26000 - the new standard for social responsibility [13 Mar 2011]
CSR - The Case Against CSR [12 Mar 2011]
CSR - All Change at BP: New Era, New Responsibilities [12 Mar 2011]
CSR - Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan [11 Mar 2011]
CSR - An Interview with Paul Polman (Unilever) [11 Mar 2011]
CSR - Greenwashing & Carbon: Consumers Just “Don’t Believe It”! [10 Mar 2011]
CSR - Awesome Research Data on the Issue of Corporate Trust [6 Mar 2011]
CSR - Is Social Responsibility Vital for Business Survival? [6 Mar 2011]
The Profit Margin Bloodbath of UK Recession [6 Mar 2011]
CSR - How Transparent are the World’s Oil Companies? [6 Mar 2011]
CSR - How Companies Avoid Paying Tax [6 Mar 2011]
CSR - McDonalds and the Case for the Defence [5 Mar 2011]
CSR - What is going on at 250-266 Ecclesall Road? [5 Mar 2011]
CSR becomes the Strategy for Co-operative [5 Mar 2011]
BUSS4 - Research Theme for 2011 - CSR [26 Feb 2011]
CSR - Links to PLC Corporate Social Responsibility Reports [26 Feb 2011]
Stunning Video - CSR, Ethics and Milton Friedman [26 Feb 2011]
CSR - The Key UK CSR Organisations [25 Feb 2011]
CSR - Green Growth Case Studies from UK Businesses [25 Feb 2011]
CSR - The Mega Dairy, Economies of Scale and Cornflakes [25 Feb 2011]
CSR - the Essential Economist Podcast [25 Feb 2011]
CSR - Costing the Earth & Reporting Sustainability [24 Feb 2011]
CSR - BBC One Planet on Coca-Cola & Sustainability [24 Feb 2011]
CSR at the Movies - Capitalism a Love Story [23 Feb 2011]
CSR at the Movies - Thank You for Smoking [23 Feb 2011]
CSR at the Movies - Black Gold [23 Feb 2011]

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