Corporate Social Responsibility

Makovsky + Company president and CEO Ken Makovsky reveals PR management lessons learned from several recessions during his 30 years in the business.

Is your CSR program firmly in place in your organization? Are you beginning to involve important stakeholders such as clients, customers and employees in your CSR efforts? If your answer is “yes” to these questions, you might be ready to take CSR to the next level.

Even with the economy, CSR initiatives have not been on the wane: They are still adding value for companies of all sectors. Recently, PR News honored the CSR programs and the people who lead them at its CSR Awards luncheon held in Washington, D.C. on February 24. Learn about the winner of the community affairs category and the honorable mentions.

Kevin Moss’ keynote speech at the PR News CSR Awards challenges CSR executives to be involved in all business functions and use social networking to communicate transparency and authenticity. Such communication could help root out inconsistencies in applying values.

Corporate communications professionals usually play a key role in the rollout of corporate change initiatives including mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, new visions and strategic imperatives. It is not surprising, therefore, that they are key players in the rollout of sustainability programs.

For companies with a real contribution to make to the energy debate, helping the right audiences see the clien through the greenwash is absolutely the price of admission.

Why communicators who are launching green initiatives need to address the needs of multiple stakeholders.

CSR reporting cannot be the end all and be all. It helps companies identify issues and promote what they are doing well all at the same time. But to have true change within a company, to move from being a company that just reports, there are several hurdles to overcome.

As the economic stimulus plan takes shape in Washington, some clear potential winners are energy efficiency programs, renewable energy sectors such as wind, solar and biofuels and alternative fuel and electric vehicles.

According to a survey on green marketing sponsored by Environmental Leader, there’s a control issue at stake between PR and marketing over green initiatives. “Green Marketing: What Works & What Doesn’t” reveals that while 50%… Continued