Service Offerings: CSR Strategy and Structure

CSR Strategy & Structure

Sample Clients

Altria, BT, ChevronTexaco, Chiquita, Ford Motor Company, Genentech, Kraft, Novo Nordisk, SAP

BSR provides a wide range of services to help companies implement and enhance their CSR strategies and structures. Some of BSR's engagements in this area are long-term and involve working with a company's board of directors, senior management or cross-functional CSR teams. Other engagements are short-term and may relate to more specific issues or challenges.

Strategy

BSR helps companies develop CSR strategies, and leads companies through facilitated discussions and decision-making processes to help senior leaders successfully integrate CSR into their companies' overall strategy, culture, and operations. This work is often informed by efforts the company is taking to evaluate its CSR performance against relevant benchmarks, including company commitments, external CSR standards, leadership practices or stakeholder perceptions. BSR's engagements in this area can take a variety of forms but often includes helping a company:

  • Define CSR for their particular business
  • Understand the drivers and motivators for their CSR commitment
  • Develop or enhance overarching CSR policies
  • Set relevant CSR goals, priorities and key performance indicators

Structure

BSR assists companies with the development of management systems and structures for integrating CSR in a manner tailored to the company's particular needs. This work typically involves benchmarking, analysis and senior-level consultation to help companies:

  • Build board, executive and senior management supportDevelop staffing structures to implement CSR successfully
  • Structure accountability systems

CSR Strategy & Structure Example Projects

The following are illustrative examples of BSR consulting projects on CSR Strategy and Structure:

Strategy

  • BSR is providing strategic counsel to senior managers of this major oil and gas company in an ongoing, multi-year engagement to help them develop and implement a CSR strategy based on key CSR trends linked to their core business.
  • BSR serves as an external advisor to the cross-functional corporate responsibility council of this leading food company, providing guidance on CSR goal-setting, stakeholder engagement, and CSR reporting as part of an ongoing effort to help them develop and implement a comprehensive CSR strategy.
  • BSR is working closely with a leading biotechnology company to incubate a new CSR task force charged with developing a CSR strategy that builds upon the company's guiding principles and includes key input from employees and select stakeholders.
  • BSR led a major stakeholder engagement process for this global automobile manufacturer to help define critical social and environmental issues to include in the company's overarching CSR strategy.
  • BSR serves as a facilitator and participating member of this tobacco company's cross-functional CSR committee working to develop an integrated CSR strategy, structure and performance metrics.
  • BSR helped the Board of Directors of this leading transportation company better understand key CSR challenges facing the industry by providing an overview of CSR management practices and counsel on the roles and responsibilities of board-level CSR committees.

Structure

  • BSR staff advised the cross-functional planning team of this global energy company on key policy and structure options to help the company compete more effectively in its sector with regard to critical social, environmental and economic issues.
  • BSR provided counsel and recommendations to this global communications company to help it explore options for managing CSR through staffing structures and decision-making mechanisms at the Board, senior staff and individual department levels.
  • BSR provided guidance on leadership governance practices to help this food and beverage retailer enhance its board-level CSR committee.