Communicating CSR

Last week , I enjoyed the privilege of being interviewed by Sherie Winston who writes for the CSIC Blog : Rocking the Boat. The CSIC is the Center for Social Impact Communication at Georgetown University, creating "leadership opportunities for communicators who want to use their skills for positive social impact". 

I first "met" Sherie in the Twittersphere / Blogosphere when I read her fantastic series of six blog posts, all under the heading of  Communicating CSR:

1. Whose job is it and do the leaders excel ?
2. What sets Companies apart ? 
3. Perception doesn't equal responsibility
4. What your website says
5. Whose job is it ?
6. Seize the opportunity 

Each post offers a different perspective on the way the CSR message gets through (or not), based on a thorough and intelligent research study of 20 Companies including GAP Inc, Fedex, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Cisco, American Express, Starbucks and more. I thoroughly recommend you read all six posts and the research report itself which you can find here.

When Sherie asked me for an interview, I immediately assumed she would send me some questions via email and I would respond via email. Not so. A professional journalist such as Sherie had to have a real conversation. And I am glad she insisted, as the result is far better than I believe an email exchange would have delivered. To my surprise, Sherie split our conversation into two posts (did i say THAT much ?!) :

The first, entitled Thoughts from the Thought Leaders, covered a little of my professional background and the work we have been doing to educate for an ethical supply chain in the Israeli fashion industry.

The second, entitled CSR Reporting: Changes are needed covers my thoughts about CSR and Sustainability reports, a subject, by which you may now have gathered, I could talk about till 2025.

I was happily amazed (and relieved :-)) that Sherie had reflected my sentiments perfectly in both pieces, whilst pleasantly surprising me with creative ways of presenting the thoughts. This is a great tribute to her journalism and writing skills. I was also pleased to have another outlet for some of my messages on CSR because, to requote myself (I am usually much more modest, honest!), in the CSR business, "we work to create the market we serve" by creating awareness and understanding of the risks and opportunities that CSR  brings, and the benefits of transparency and reporting.

Thank you , Sherie. A triple Chunky Monkey (virtual , sorry)  is now zooming through cyberspace towards you.

elaine cohen is the joint CEO of BeyondBusiness, a leading reporting and social-environmental consulting firm . Visit our website at: www.b-yond.biz/en