QUESTION: We hear so much about the Asian economies running past the American economy. But does the Asian corporate sector view the concept and practice of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) with the same degree of acceptance as American companies?
ANSWER: CSR is attracting a high degree of interest and enthusiasm across the Pacific. Within Asia's largest economy, CSR is taking root. A new organization called the China
Corporate Social Responsibility Alliance was recently created under the sponsorship of a non-government association called the China Enterprise Reform and Development Society.
Its mission, according to a news release from the alliance, is to encourage Chinese businesses to "take more responsibility for human rights, environmental protection and
charitable and social projects, alongside their basic obligations to abide by the laws and protect the legitimate rights of their employees." This group's first order of business
is to create a comprehensive document to define national CSR standards for China's companies.
In one of Asia's smaller economies, CSR is also finding acceptance. A recent survey by the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), an independent policy think tank in Bangladesh,
polled 50 company executives, 70 employees and workers and 32 civil society members to determine how that country's corporate sector views CSR. The survey found that more than
66% of local companies incorporated principles of corporate governance in their business practice while roughly 43% of those businesses "accepted corporate ethics as part of their
company policies" (and that's an exact quote from the center's announcement).
Another smaller Asian economy is also making a major CSR push. The Anti-Corruption Unit of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry created a national
business code of conduct, with main provisions that companies in Nepal do no allow business activities "against the interest of nation and people." Issues relating to business
transparency, excessive public borrowing and environmental protection were also part of the new codes.
Elsewhere in Asia: A group of universities, nonprofits, government agencies and companies in India recently participated in "Kartavya," a national conference which focused on
how CSR practices have helped create economic empowerment for women and was responsible for spreading education about health and hygiene in poorer regions. In South Korea, the
Samsung Group coordinated its "Love Your Neighbors" campaign from December 8-31 to donate more than $19 million to poverty-stricken urban centers. During 2005, Samsung Group
donated $9.8 million to relief organizations aiding victims of the Pacific Rim tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Pakistan.
If there is one Asian destination where CSR is not quite entrenched, it would be Japan. The recent Edelman Japan Stakeholder Study, conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. by
polling 140 Japanese opinion leaders in business, nonprofits and media, found 55% of Japanese corporations viewed CSR as a "sincere shift in the way they do business," whereas 42%
of those polled see it as "just as way to improve their image in the marketplace."
QUESTION: Are PR people a happy bunch?
ANSWER: On the whole, yes - but there is an undercurrent of malcontent feelings.
A recent survey by the executive recruitment agency Charet & Associates, Cresskill, NJ, polled 117 PR professionals to determine the date of job satisfaction for this
field. A majority (70.1%, to be exact) of those polled said they were extremely satisfied with their jobs, while 46.2% said they were enjoying "the best job (they) ever had."
The survey also discovered that six out of ten PR professionals were satisfied with their access to top management and/or key managers. A slight majority (52.1%) expressed
satisfaction with their job responsibilities.
Ah, but was there cause for grumbling? Apparently so: Many PR professionals displeased with their opportunity for advancement within their place of employment (49.6%),
salaries (46.2%), departmental budgets (45.3%), company culture (41.9%) and administrative support (40.2%). Only 3.4% of those surveyed felt they would "retire as an employee" of
their current place of corporate employment. In a word: Ouch!
(To ask a question of the PR Sherpa, pass your inquiry to our editor Phil Hall at [email protected].)