A Cynical Look at CSR

Let me just point out from the onset that I’m all for giving back to the community; I’m a little less keen on the reasons why corporations adopt CSR programmes, and apparently I’m not alone. ‘The most frequently asked question by consumers and observers of PR is whether these intentions and behaviours are genuine.’ (Moloney, 2000, p. 106)

Ultimately business is about making money, sugar coat it as much as you’d like but the desired objective is financial gain. Many corporations such as Nike and Wal-Mart, have previously adopted the ‘take no prisoners’ approach, which saw poor wages, excessive hours, deplorable working conditions and child labour. In light of public outcry, corporate social responsibility programmes were adopted. It begs the question if it is ‘about doing the right thing or simply making a company look good’. (Parsons, 2004) Would either company have adopted rigorous CSR initiatives if they hadn’t been found out?

To add to the scepticism, CSR has become a booming business since the 1990s. More and more organizations have ‘suddenly’ found the need to participate in CSR projects. It’s quite ironic, with the exception of Edelman PR, that global public relations agencies such as Ketchum, Burson-Marsteller and Fleishman-Hillard, all prominently advertise their CSR services but do not produce their own CSR reports. PR organizations are all about promotion, if they had comprehensive CSR schemes, they would undoubtedly publicize them. An interesting case of NOT practising what you preach.

Speaking of publicity, you get loads by having a CSR programme; your company gets included in various lists about corporate giving and being green, numerous articles, interviews and you even get awarded for being good. But no, no, no it’s really not about all that. It’s also interesting to note the presentation of CSR reports, glossy covers, bright pictures, I can scarcely tell the difference between them and fashion magazines. But alas it’s about doing good and not that publicity stuff.

So at the end of the day is the effort really worth it? Nike didn’t succumb to its child labour allegations and in 2006 Wal-Mart was voted as the top CSR Corporation in a Reputation Institute survey. Go figure!!

And don’t let me even start on PR practitioners as the organizational ‘moral agents’....

References

Forbes.com, 2006. The Best Corporate Citizens. [online] Available from: <http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/26/leadership-CSR-walmart-lead-citizen-cx_mw_1128reputation.html> [Accessed 29 March 2009].

Moloney, K., (2000). Rethinking Public Relations: PR, Propaganda and Democracy. 2nd Edition New York: Routledge.