Corporate Responsibility, page 11
News on corporate responsibility and the NGO sector
Protect your kids on the Internet
Mobile telephones now offer more and more services, including full access to the internet. Although an excellent way for children to communicate, various chatrooms, blogs, picture- and video-sharing sites and social networks can present dangers.
Crisis poses a challenge
THE CURRENT economic downturn more or less directly affects all facets of society in Slovakia. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no exception, meaning companies face a challenge in finding new ways to meet their goals in this area. The crisis has made companies more cost-sensitive and is now being seen as a test of whether they are sincere about their commitment to behave in a socially responsible way.
Via Bona 2008 Awards
On April 2, the Pontis Foundation announced winners of the ninth year of the Via Bona Slovakia Award. Through these awards, the foundation expresses public recognition of companies developing corporate social responsibility and corporate philanthropy in Slovakia.
Slovakia's big companies continue to contribute
CORPORATE social responsibility is an inseparable part of many companies in Slovakia. But the global economic crisis has forced companies to focus more on fighting off the negative effects of the downturn, maintaining employment and remaining competitive. Though a few companies have had to restrict some of their social programmes, most think that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is even more important now, during the crisis, than in ‘normal’ times.
Bratislava to host CR conference
The Pontis Foundation and the Business Leaders Forum will organise the VI. Annual Conference on Corporate Responsibility and a workshop, Starting with Corporate Responsibility, in Bratislava on May 13 and 14. Workshop: Starting with Corporate Responsibility
Scandals can change business practices
THE REPUTATION of some global companies is again seriously damaged. The current crisis is a result of the activities of greedy investors who created non-transparent products which were not regulated by anyone. Media compete in revealing unethical practices by top managers which, along with public pressure created by such revelation, forces healthy discussion and self-examination. Business conduct has been in urgent need of such discussion because it needs to change now, just as it has changed several times in the past.
When firms are part of the community
AN OLD proverb says that if someone wants bad things to befall someone else, all the first person has to do is wish a bad neighbour on him.
Ducks raise money for the tower
NEARLY 300 plastic yellow ducks floated down the Danube on September 13 from the Nový Most bridge to the Starý Most bridge as part of a fundraiser for the reconstruction of a Gothic tower in the Janko Kráľ Park in Bratislava. Thus, the Slovak capital has joined yet another group of international cities: an inventive one which holds duck races as charity fundraisers.
The capitalist version of labour Saturdays
THE BEST way for a company to invigorate its employees is to get them to do something other than their usual work and to ask them to do it in their leisure time.This may seem a doubtful aphorism for human resources managers, or perhaps an advertisement for reviving communist-era working hours on Saturday. But in fact it comes from the experience of Slovak companies discovering the benefits of corporate volunteering.
Can a tobacco company be a responsible corporate citizen?
The Fight against Domestic Violence is one of five key focus areas Philip Morris Slovakia s.r.o. contributes to. “Life without Violence,” a project run by the Slovak Foundation of Silvia Gašparovičová, offers comprehensive problem solving and helps victims of domestic and social violence in Slovakia.
Still in diapers, but learning to walk
DESPITE the lack of a genuine tradition, the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is slowly but surely putting down roots in the Slovak business environment. Large multinational corporations are not only bringing significant direct investments to Slovakia, they are also "importing" an advanced corporate culture, transparency, ethical principles and a tradition of active involvement in the community.
More popular than you'd think
CHARITY and philanthropy are often publicised by companies as their main socially responsible activities. But donations are only a part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Conversely, companies are sometimes engaged in a whole range of activities which, in fact, amount to CSR - but just don't label them as such.
Finding the fine line between a story and PR
THERE'S a fine line between an interesting news article on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and one that's free publicity. But some companies complain that journalists reject stories about CSR outright without knowing the difference. The media responds that companies should follow CSR as a matter of principle, no matter whether their efforts are publicised. However, both focus too much on charity and philanthropy, to the detriment of more newsworthy CSR topics, say insiders.
Society can afford more
THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Slovak NGOs have published studies that charge the government with failing to support and implement corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Environmentally friendly rickshaws roam through Slovak cities
T-Mobile introduces Slovakia to an original form of transport – environmentally friendly magenta coloured three-wheelers will give you a downtown ride in Bratislava, Košice and Piešťany.
You can help in many ways other than donations
Východoslovenská energetika a.s. (VSE) recognizes and accepts its role as a responsible citizen of the region. The financial support it provides to worthwhile projects is only one way in which it fulfils this task. Through their actions and activities, the company’s employees are also trying to help create a closer and more open relationship between VSE, the region and the community. Several hours of well-directed and selfless work for the community can often mean more than a financial gift.
Stredoslovenská energetika, a.s. (SSE): Agreement on Corporate Social Responsibility
The generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity and energy, as vital commodities and prerequisites for economic and human development, are business activities that cannot be conducted without a highly-developed sense of social responsibility. Their practice implies a commitment from all companies and their employees working in this industry. [Agreement on Corporate Social Responsibility of the EDF Group, January 24, 2005 – excerpt from the Preamble]
Volunteers spread wings
WHEN somebody says that he is a volunteer, very few people in Slovakia know what this really means. Though the situation is improving, the status of volunteers in Slovakia remains low, with neither the general public nor the state showing them much respect.
CSR milestones in Slovakia
The second half of the 1990s As Slovak society and economy undergoes reforms, the country opens up to the world, increasing the influx of foreign investment. This attracts large investors, who bring corporate social responsibility principles from their home countries.
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