Corporate Social Responsibility-Sticking Plaster or Competitive Edge?

Reporting -- A crisis in credibility? Corporate social responsibility reporting has been gaining headlines in the last few months. Recent events show an interesting juxtaposition. On the one hand Nike loses a court case defending claims made in one of its social reports about conditions in its Indonesian factories; on the other, the European parliament votes to retain the voluntary nature of CSR reporting. What are the implications? What are the opportunities? This demands a closer look at the facts.

In this month's Expert View ,Article 13 www.article13.com the leading corporate social responsibility experts have examined where the future of CSR lies, and whether lessons will be learned by business.

The report analyses three recent events, which will have an impact on the development of CSR.

 In a recent California Supreme Court ruling involving Nike, the companys claims about factory conditions in Indonesia were under scrutiny. The decision of the judges stated that these claims were little more than another form of advertising and PR".

 In May 2002 the European parliament voted on Corporate Social Responsibility reporting. Although the resolution still treats CSR as a voluntary concept, it also states that companies should be required to supply information on the social and environmental impact of their operations.

 Last month, a UK MP tabled a Private Members Bill on Corporate Reporting (Core Bill) which would require UK companies with a turnover greater than 5m to report on the economic, environmental, financial and social impacts of their operations.

 Meanwhile, WorldCom followed in the footsteps of Enron, in its dramatic collapse over its fraudulent accounting practices.

The full report can be read at www.article13.com.

Ends

Article 13 work to deliver the new way of doing business. As well as bespoke risk identification, planning and consultancy, Article 13 work in a number of ongoing business processes that range from visioning, responsible sourcing and supply chain, business-to-business ethics, ethics in the workplace through to making your approach tangible creatively.

Article 13s co-directors, Neela Bettridge and Jane Fiona Cumming, have extensive experience in a number of critical fields: commerce and communications, social and environmental arenas, legal and business strategy. Article 13 also draws on the wisdom of distinguished advisors: Dr Paul Toyne, Professor Chris Baines, Chris Hoare, Professor Colin Gilligan, Susan Clayton, Neill Irwin, Professor Dave Owen and Andrew Acland. This panel, in turn, is complemented by a network of specialists drawn from the social, environmental, economic, ethical and business worlds.

For further information please contact Lucy Shea
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