In This Issue
Editor's Note
BSR’s 2010 Research Agenda
"Our goal is to turn best practice into standard practice." That is one of the primary aims of BSR's Research & Innovation team (whose members, along with BSR's Communications department, also produce the Insight every week).
This week, Research Director Faris Natour provides a preview of the 2010 Research agenda, which will focus on the opportunities and challenges for business in a world defined by natural resource constraints; how companies can integrate human rights throughout their business; and, of course, best practices in corporate responsibility initiatives that you work on daily, such as reporting and stakeholder engagement.
A large part of our Research agenda is determined by our work with companies, so if you have thoughts related to our 2010 agenda, email us at bsrinsight@bsr.org.
Next, we hear from a panelist debating sustainable governance at France's FEDERE Forum, who proposes a new meaning for the acronym "CSR."
And finally, the International Finance Corporation would like your feedback on its new "quick guide" on community investment, a precursor to a more comprehensive handbook to be released later this year.
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In Depth
On the Horizon: BSR’s Research & Innovation Agenda 2010
Interview with Faris Natour, Director, Research & Innovation, by Eva Dienel, Manager, Communications
Learn about the issues BSR's Research & Innovation team predicts will be most important to sustainable business this year.
Read more →
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Toolbox
Quick Guide on Strategic Community Investment
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has released a new "quick guide" to help companies develop a community investment approach that contributes to long-term improvements in the quality of life for local communities and creates an environment conducive to private investment.
The guide is organized around seven key strategies:
- Assess the business context, including risks and opportunities.
- Assess the local context, including an evaluation of socioeconomic conditions and potential partners.
- Engage communities in visioning and prioritizing.
- Invest in capacity-building.
- Set parameters such as an exit strategy and budget.
- Select implementation models, which could be in-house or multi-stakeholder partnerships.
- Measure and communicate results such as community perceptions and returns on investment.
The IFC plans to incorporate company feedback into a more comprehensive handbook to be released later this year. Download the guide now and provide your feedback.
On the Record
CSR Equals ‘Corporate Significance Revived’?
Last week, BSR's Europe Director Farid Baddache joined 400 business leaders, politicians, and NGOs at the FEDERE Forum, a leading French sustainability event organized by the French financial journal Les Echos. Baddache spoke on a lively panel that debated how far sustainable governance has come—and what's still to be done.
Echoing a finding from our BSR/GlobeScan State of Sustainable Business Poll 2009—that increased employee engagement is seen as a key benefit of sustainability—fellow panelist and French union representative Jean-Frédéric Dreyfus offered a new meaning for the acronym "CSR."
"From an employee perspective, CSR could stand for 'corporate significance revived.' It’s a good way for corporations to revive and rethink their strategies in a way that is meaningful for people who work there."
—Jean-Frédéric Dreyfus, Secretary, Syndicat CFE-CGC (March 23, 2010)
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