Corporate Responsibility, page 8
News on corporate responsibility and the NGO sector
Conference discusses media and CSR
CORPORATE responsibility to society and an individual company’s philanthropy are matters that often resonate with the general public. Companies that are trying to improve the environment in which their employees work and live and make society better can serve as a positive example for other employers. According to the organisers of a conference titled Social Responsibility of Media held in Bratislava on May 22, media coverage of corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts is important in Slovakia but it is not done as well as it should be by local outlets.
2011 Via Bona Awards announced
IN MID April the Pontis Foundation announced its twelfth annual awards for companies doing businesses in a responsible way. There were nine categories in the Via Bona Slovakia Awards, reflecting the continuing development of corporate responsibility and corporate philanthropy in Slovakia. One special honourable mention for the media was also awarded.The aim of the awards is to give public recognition to companies and entrepreneurs who support corporate social responsibility and corporate philanthropy in Slovakia. The foundation accepted 82 nominations for the 2011 Via Bona Slovakia Awards, from which a jury then selected the winners.
Ageing in the spotlight
WHILE in the past silver hair and wrinkles represented wisdom and experience, nowadays youth and beauty seem to be more greatly treasured by society. This trend has come despite the growing number of seniors and rising life expectancy. To change such attitudes, the European Union has declared 2012 to be the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. Its aim is to attract attention and inform those who make public policies such as public servants, state and local government bodies, and society as a whole about the ongoing demographic changes in Europe and also motivate seniors themselves to increase their participation in their communities and society at large.
Firms address the issue of ageing
AGEING has become a very lively topic in Europe as the share of older people in the population has been increasing along with the average lifespan of most Europeans. Ageing of the population raises challenges for governments in securing health care and social services for older citizens as well as how to keep seniors integrated into broader society. And companies also face a challenge in finding ways to use the skills and experience that older employees have acquired during their working careers and getting that knowledge passed on to younger employees.
Ranking of foundations and non-profits in Slovakia for 2011
This ranking of foundations and other non-profit organisations is based on the amount they received in 2011 from tax assignments from corporations and individuals.
CSR helps regions and communities
The Slovak Spectator: How can large companies contribute to regional development as part of CSR? Does your company develop its own activities, or bring in models from its parent company? How do these two approaches work in your company?David J. Rintoul, President of U. S. Steel Košice (USSK): I am sure that we demonstrate through our everyday activities that we have a responsible approach to our business, our employees and partners, to the environment and the community. Though in all U. S. Steel plants we acknowledge the same corporate values, the needs of the communities we work and live in are different, so we develop our own activities here in Slovakia in line with our experience and knowledge of local challenges. Just a few days ago we extended our support to eleven non-profit organisations within our sixth USSK Volunteer Days.
Change in tax assignment postponed
A CHANGE in the amount that corporations can assign from their corporate income tax to non-profit organisations has been postponed by one year after a vote taken by the Slovak parliament last December, the TASR newswire wrote.
Firms asked for strong stand to end corruption
WHEN IT comes to its position in world rankings of corruption, Slovakia has little to shout about. And even though some other post-communist countries suffer from high corruption too, this is no reason for not tackling it in Slovakia. Ways to combat corruption are well-established and even those companies that do not want to expose themselves to public attention by speaking about the subject can make a contribution.
“Our City” seeks to break record
ONCE again volunteers from companies and residents of 11 cities in Slovakia will help non-profit organisations, various kinds of civic associations and charitable facilities under the banner of Naše Mesto (Our City) on June 15 and 16, the Pontis Foundation informed in a press release.The organisers, the Pontis Foundation and Engage, aim to break last year’s record participation and have set a goal of more than 5,000 volunteers in what it calls the biggest volunteering event in central Europe.
Some volunteer centres in Slovakia
- C.A.R.D.O. – operates as the National Volunteer Centre, www.dobrovolnictvo.sk
Some organisations active in CSR and philanthropy in Slovakia
- 1. neziskové servisné centrum (the central portal for the non-profit sector), www.1snsc.sk
Ekopolis gets European award
THE ACTIVITIES of one of the oldest foundations in Slovakia, Ekopolis Foundation, has been acknowledged at an international level. The jury for the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe, part of the Steering Committee for Cultural Heritage and Landscape, granted special mention to the foundation for its 'Grant programmes for local communities to shape their surroundings into a place where they are happy to live'.
Slovaks begin to buy Fairtrade products
“I PREFER to support people who make an effort to work and produce something rather than just sending money somewhere without knowing where my contribution is going,” said Michaela Riháčková, a customer who regularly purchases goods that are certified as Fairtrade products. While the concept is still not widely known in Slovakia, consumers who have discovered this particular way of supporting producers and people in developing countries say they feel they have more control over where their money is going and how it is being used when they purchase a Fairtrade-certified product.
Year of Volunteering finds success in Slovakia
UPDATED research about volunteering in Slovakia, the passage of a law on volunteering, more participation in the country’s annual volunteering days, and more promotion of volunteering: these are some of the significant achievements made in Slovakia during 2011 – the EU’s designated European Year of Volunteering. A ceremony in Bratislava on December 5, the International Day of Volunteering, closed off a most successful year for volunteering activists in Slovakia.
Prizes awarded
VOLUNTEERS and volunteer projects in Bratislava Region were acknowledged at a ceremony organised by C.A.R.D.O., Slovakia’s National Volunteer Centre, on December 5 at which the Bratislava Volunteers awards for 2011 were handed out.
Slovakia’s Good Angel comes to CZ
SLOVAKIA’s Dobrý Anjel (Good Angel) charitable programme, which provides monthly financial support to families with members suffering from cancer or another serious disease, attracted the attention of two Czech businessmen. After selling their company, Petr Sýkora and Jan Černý decided to devote their energy to charity, the SITA newswire wrote, and they asked Andrej Kiska, the founder of Dobrý Anjel in Slovakia, to launch a similar programme in the Czech Republic. After a year of preparation, Dobrý Anděl started operating in the Czech Republic on November 8.
New volunteering law takes effect
EVEN though volunteering has a long tradition in Slovakia, there was until recently no legal framework for performing volunteer work. That sometimes meant that volunteers were viewed as illegal workers and the lack of legislation governing their activities caused some problems in building more recognition of volunteering and volunteers. Slovakia’s parliament adopted a new law on volunteering on October 21 and it became effective on December 1, achieving a primary goal that Slovak volunteer organisations had set for themselves during the 2011 European Year of Volunteering.
TOP corporate philanthropist
THE SLOVAK Donors’ Forum (FD) has been publishing a ranking of corporate philanthropists, TOP Corporate Philanthropist, since 2005. Its goal is to motivate companies to communicate openly about the sums they spend on corporate philanthropy and thereby inspire other companies in Slovakia to do the same, Katarína Podracká, manager of FD’s corporate philanthropy programme, told The Slovak Spectator.
Observing the results of corporate philanthropy
CORPORATE philanthropy is now widely recognised in Slovakia and has become part of the DNA of many local companies. But whereas companies once donated time and money somewhat indiscriminately, they now consider very carefully where their donations, either financial or non-financial, go and closely observe the outcomes they generate.
Firms learn sustainability is good business
EVEN though corporate responsibility and sustainability are not completely foreign concepts in Slovakia in 2011, many companies in Slovakia are still just learning how implementing the principles of corporate responsibility can bring better business values and entrepreneurial success. Primarily it is the Slovak branches of international companies, motivated by their parent companies, that have adapted corporate strategies to local conditions and implemented corporate responsibility programmes. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Beata Hlavčáková, the programme director of the Pontis Foundation and the director of the Business Leaders Forum, about what she sees as being the current trends in these areas in Slovakia.
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