Ang Magiting - The Official Web Site of Rotary Club Makati North

CSR? What the heck is CSR? Ahhh…. Corporate Social Responsibility

By: Rtn. Larry Bortles
29 July 2009

Our fine speaker, Chit Juan, Co-Chair of the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc., introduced us to her approach through her own OJT. Wanting to source her coffee locally – disliking the hassle of importing – she discovered that coffee farmers were a needing the benefit of her energy, ideas and initiative – as well as her purchases – to improve their lot.

Chit then embarked upon her own supply-chain CSR program to invest into the health of the coffee cultivation industry. She believes that she has been amply rewarded, psychically as well as economically, by this commitment. She walks the talk.

Chit drew a sharp distinction between CSR and philanthropy, with the latter being simply the distribution of excess cash. CSR, on the other hand, can be accomplished by those of meager means: their gift of time, energy and personal direction are a dimension of value apart.

She urged that every company consider and determine what their CSR should be, that corporate legacy, that part of their corporate vision, which should outlive its leaders. She did stress, appropriately however, that the corporate leadership must be active participants in the CSR – and best that they live it, as some high profile CEOs here clearly do.

Everyone benefits from this. A sustained and visible corporate CSR influences customer perceptions of the quality of the firm and their choices. It certainly assists in differentiating oneself from the rest of the pack of competitors.

Indeed, this differentiates one Rotary club from another. She commended RCMN for its sustained community-related CSR programs, which certainly distinguishes us from most others.

And, in tough economic times like we are experiencing now, the companies that will survive best will:

1. Devote more resources to their promotional programs; 2. Enhance their conventional and internet marketing initiates; and 3. Continue to “do good” CSR, and tell it well, for CSR will have the most lasting impact upon one’s market, when times get better.