tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008724049496903547.post6883006455322030284..comments2024-03-19T12:59:20.494+02:00Comments on csr-reporting: Why don't Japanese reports win awards?elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07433863039389159395noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008724049496903547.post-81457904120878298402011-04-19T18:20:22.208+03:002011-04-19T18:20:22.208+03:00hi Dominik, thanks for reading and commenting. Int...hi Dominik, thanks for reading and commenting. Interesting point about website accessibility - I will ook out for that in future.<br />warm regards, elaineelainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07433863039389159395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008724049496903547.post-62025027943391852082011-04-19T18:19:26.491+03:002011-04-19T18:19:26.491+03:00hi Judy, thank you for your great insights. The qu...hi Judy, thank you for your great insights. The question of cultural differences in CSR is a very interesting one. Looking at all the reporting awards etc that are around, it tends to be European and American reports who win (with one notable execption at the GRI awards last year when Brazil took all the awards). I quite agree that there are some great reports coming out of other countries. <br />warm regards,elaineelainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07433863039389159395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008724049496903547.post-64625836013631756282011-04-15T07:08:25.018+03:002011-04-15T07:08:25.018+03:00thanks for mentioning this Elaine... I am always s...thanks for mentioning this Elaine... I am always struck by the fact that it is very easy to find the CSR section when I visit the websites of Korean and Japanese businesses... not exactly the case in the USA.<br /><br />Dominik ZynisDominik Zynishttp://www.chloregy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008724049496903547.post-6212944786651108082011-04-14T12:55:38.416+03:002011-04-14T12:55:38.416+03:00Hi Elaine,
Thanks again for a thought-provoking c...Hi Elaine,<br /><br />Thanks again for a thought-provoking column.<br /><br />I've often wondered myself why Japanese company reports aren't more successful, especially in light of how good they are on the environmental dimensions (in fact, back in the olden days when we were reading strictly 'environmental reports', they enjoyed more success). Rarely does a western company report provide the same sort of detail on the sources of environmental impacts, performance breakdowns and explicit commitments to impact reduction as are common in Japanese reports.<br /><br />To some extent, this detail (often in the form of graphs and charts), is, as you point out, hard to understand. Moreover, these reports lack what to western sensibilities would be deemed 'emotional appeal'. That is a problem for anyone wanting to be seen as the world's best.<br /><br />But it must also be said that in general, Japanese reports are very lopsided in favor of the environment, and very under-representative of the social and economic aspects of strategy and performance. When an international award or assessment scheme goes to evaluate them, this gap is often seen as a fairly acute absence.<br /><br />A Japanese contact once explained to me that the Japanese attitude toward corporate governance is very different from that of a western company, in part because Japanese shareholders are so passive that companies are unaccustomed to thinking in terms of investors' needs when it comes to communications like reports. Western companies are much more keen to present their CR activities as contributors to a more robust and successful company - and therefore to demonstrate an integration of sustainability factors into core business. On the other hand, the Japanese culture and mentality are geared toward the role of CSR in creating a strong and harmonious society (NOT companies), and therefore more drawn to philanthropic and community-oriented activities rather than internal social responsibility efforts.<br /><br />My bleeding heart worries about tripping over into gross generalizations and national stereotypes, but these observations have tended to ring true in my own experience. There must surely be cultural differences that strongly determine how companies conceive of CR reports - what they are for, and what they should reflect - everywhere you go. I have to think this plays a role in the awards phenomenon you point to here.<br /><br />And it is a shame, because these are some very strong reports in many respects.<br /><br />JudyJudy Kuszewskihttp://kuszewski.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com