What are the key issues that a business must address to become a socially responsible company?
As I said, it all starts with values. First, you have to develop and build consensus and understanding around a clear set of values and operating principles. This doesn’t mean a list that is mounted on a plaque and hung on the wall – it must live in the hearts and minds of every employee. Second, commitment from the top of the company is key because if the head of the company is not committed to being open and honest how can you expect anyone else to be. Once you are clear on your values, you then move into a more formal process of determining what structure, benchmarks and measurements are needed to evaluate your progress toward achieving a set of goals based on your values. There are a whole variety of structures. Most of them are framed in the kind of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting companies do to determine and disclose their socially responsible activities. The benefit of these reports is that they ask you a series of questions that force you to address different a
