2006
Launch of exhibition on Corporate Social Responsibility – Blanchardstown Library, Friday 8 December 12 mid-day.
The business environment in Ireland is becoming increasingly challenging for small enterprises. Recent hikes in energy costs along with global competition from low cost economies like China make operating on the basis of low costs alone less and less viable for the Irish business. Small companies are now obliged to operate on an international level, sourcing some of their products from other countrie
In an environment such as this the company’s reputation is an increasingly valuable asset. Brand recognition means that the customer will choose your product over the competition – unless your brand has some unwanted associations. The recent national protests over Irish Ferries shows the importance of reputation for a company, and the damaging consequences that loss of reputation can bring.
For that reason, many companies engage in corporate social responsibility. This is a voluntary concept defined by the European Commission as the “process whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis”. In other words, companies conduct their business in such a way as to bring a positive impact on the environment and on company stakeholders – employees, local communities, and suppliers.
Although an increasingly popular concept, up to now CSR has been seen as a luxury that only larger companies can afford. For that reason a new project has been developed, CSR4U, that will promote the concept among small and medium enterprises. Run by the Irish Exporters Association, Fingal County Council and the County Enterprise Board network, it is funded by the European Union, in recognition of the importance of its work. CSR4U will publicise what CSR means, and the benefits it can bring to your business through a series of free workshops held in Dublin over the coming year. These will be followed by workshops taking place throughout the country. The project will also target a wider audience, including primary and secondary level students, with CSR being introduced to the curriculum through the County Enterprise Boards’ Entrepreneurial Promotion Programmes, which reach some 10,000 students every year.
As part of this effort to reach a wider audience an exhibition of CSR materials produced by the European Commission is being held at the Europe Direct Information Points in the library network, first in Dublin and then throughout the country, so that everyone, from second level students to small businesses, will have access to information on CSR and the potential for change for the better that it offers to employees, the environment, local communities and the whole Irish economy. The exhibition was launched by the Cathaoirleach of Fingal County Council, Cllr. Joe Corr at Blanchardstown Library.
For further information on the project and CSR generally see http://www.csr4u.org/
 |
 |
