All Articles About Community Engagement & Development

BSR Insight Article: 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. Read more →

Posted: March 30, 2010 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Strategy & Integration

BSR Insight Article: Nestlé Waters’ Design for Communities: Reorienting From Water to People

Julia Nelson, Former Manager, Advisory Services Linda Hwang, Former Manager, Research

When we work with companies to integrate sustainability into their operations, we usually provide actionable advice that corporate managers can put into practice the very next day. Yet, in some ways, focusing on the tactics means losing sight of the “lived experience” of the individuals who are trying to envision and advocate for a new way of doing business. Indeed, achieving sustainability is a cultural transformation that reshapes the way corporate managers think about their daily responsibilities. Read more →

Posted: March 23, 2010 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Environment, Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Water

BSR Insight Article: Should You Stay or Should You Go? What’s the ‘Right’ Decision on Entering or Leaving a Market?

Aron Cramer, President and CEO Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, Advisory Services

Google’s recent announcement to reconsider its business in China has won considerable praise from organizations concerned about the country’s human rights record. This approval stands in stark contrast to the condemnation the company received when first entering the country in 2006. The Financial Times cartoonist Ingram Pinn captured these contrasting perspectives perfectly, depicting Google as the speech-suppressing “Great Firewall of China” in 2006, then casting the company as the lone protestor stopping the tanks in their tracks in 2010. Read more →

Posted: February 23, 2010 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Conflict Minerals, Human Rights, Information & Communications Technology

Report: Partnering with USAID: A Guide for Companies

Racheal Meiers (née Yeager), Director, HERproject

Read BSR's latest guide, on how companies can build a partnership with USAID. Based on interviews with BSR member companies, this resource provides success factors for building an effective partnership and tips on making the internal case for partnerships, identifying shared priorities, and navigating government logistics. Read more →

Posted: January 28, 2010 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Economic Development, Strategy & Integration | Download (PDF)

BSR Insight Article: A Commitment to Communities: Case Study of Nestlé Waters North America’s Water-Siting Plan

Julia Nelson, Former Manager, Advisory Services Linda Hwang, Former Manager, Research

In a northeastern U.S. town of about 1,000 people, at the first public hearing to discuss Nestlé Waters North America’s (NWNA) interest in bottling water from a local spring, the company listened as citizens outlined their primary concerns about the project: increased costs to the town, negative impacts to residents, and feuds among neighbors. Read more →

Posted: January 27, 2010 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Environment, Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Water