CSR - more than just hot air?
Largest CSR project so far
At the beginning of this week, representatives from 16 European research institutions were gathered at Porcelænshaven to discuss the effect and value of Corporate Social Responsibility. The project, which is called CSR Impact, is supported by the European Commission, runs in three years and is aimed at contributing useful guidelines for good and valuable CSR practice.
So far, it is the largest CSR project that has received funds from the European Commission.
Are companies doing the right thing?
- Studies that measure the effect of companies' CSR initiatives at company level as well as societal level have not been carried out before. The aim of the CSR Impact project is to evaluate the actual value of the CSR initiatives that are initiated at EU, society and company level, says Associate Professor Jette Steen Knudsen, who is host of the conference.
- Our aim is to conduct application-oriented research. Today, numerous companies have implemented CSR policies and carry out CSR activities, but are they devoting their energy in the right places? Are they looking at the right numbers? For instance, it is debatable whether it is good CSR practice when soft drink companies perform CSR activities with a view to reducing poverty instead of obesity, when some might say the the company is actually contributing to an increase in obesity, says Jette Steen Knudsen.
The objective is top-class research
The conference will put a question mark against the fact that CSR is more than just hot air. Job quality, financial growth, and social and environmental indicators will be measured in the attempt to answer this question. The participants of this project are representatives who work with CSR on a daily basis, but other professions such as economists and data processing experts are also represented.
- Our aim is to perform top-class research, which is why we also have an advisory board and a stakeholder board with a constant finger on the theoretical and practical pulse to ensure that we are dealing with the proper problems and conducting relevant research, says Jette Steen Knudsen.
If you want to learn more about the project, please contact:
Jette Steen Knudsen
3815 2378