Corporate Social

Responsibility
as a step towards brand building

Paulina Joanna Błaszczak

Aneta Zieziulewicz
CSR: what we will NOT get into:
 Green Paper on corporate social responsibility

 ISO 26000 Guidance on social responsibility

 AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard
 RESPECT Index on the Warsaw Stock Exchange
 Corporate Social Responsibility
– what is it?
a concept, according to which, companies
integrate social and environmental concerns in
their business operations and in their interaction
with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.

 corporatesocial responsibility concerns actions by

companies over and above their legal obligations
towards society and the environment
 CSR
 based on ” the stakeholder theory”

the company (and thus, its brand, has obligations to the various
groups that are affected by its activities.

 alsoon the theory of sustainability and sustainable

development
 mostly companies operating on a large scale include
social responsibility in their operations. For small
companies the CSR process is likely to remain
informal and intuitive.
What does CSR include?
Corporate Social Responsibility most often includes areas
such as:

 promotion of education and other didactic

programmes

 supporting cultural and sport events

 engagement in projects which concern

Alignment
Beyond
Practices
Internalizing
philanthropy
and
of or
social
values
managing
and economic
externalities
responsibilities

Main charateristics of CSR

Voluntary Multiple stakeholder orienta

 CSR: perspectives and practical
justification of its application
 Creating public goods
 ”place by the table” in negotations
 Publicity and a brand's reputation; PR
 Philantrophy

 Cause related marketing (marketing społecznie

zaangażowany)
 White washing / covering up bad practices
CSR trend analysis suggests:

 consumers are inreasingly intrested in taking action on

issues such as climate change

They pay attention to the brands who do it
 Successful CSR is that which addresses the comsumer’s
interest, provide easy-to-digest education and spark
dialogue and action

 CSR does not show instant and often tangible results. It

is a longer – term venture.
Examples:
Walkathlon
Techniques
 donating (money, items) to national and local
charities, community programmes
 treating employees fairly and ethically
 using only fair trade ingredients
 sponsoring of events (sports, charity)
 cooperation with the mass media, issuing
publications, organizing corporate events, trade
shows, conferences, business meetings
 increasing role of the Internet as a way of conveying
crucial PR information
Make them see

press releases,
publications,

annual reports,

photos,


video conferencing,
video, and television

advertising

Five banks: Bank BPH S.A., Bank Handlowy
w Warszawie S. A., Bank Milenium S. A.,ING Bank
Śląski S. A., Kredyt Bank S. A.) collectively have a 25%
share in the RESPECT Index of 20 most active
companies in the CSR's field in Poland.
 Benefits of CSR incorporation
 increasing brand awareness in the market

= we reach the opinion leaders (e.g. bloggers, early
adopters)
 The 1:10:89 rule (1c – 10r - 89n)
 building better relations with customers and stakeholders

= ”we are innovative in our approach to the customer”; =
”we are open towards the customer”
 strenghtening a company’s position in the market by creating
a positive image of a company (competitive advantage)
You have 99 problems with your
brand, but CSR ain't one?
1) A company managed by a manager (when we
spend some else's money)
vs
A company managed by the owner (when we spend
our own money)
2) How to communicate the actual business
benefit/value of CSR for the company?
Food for thought:
 You invite for participation and discussion the
voices of customers. Is it really a voice you want to
hear?
 If you want to do something good for someone,
first you need to understand what is good FOR
THEM. (philantrophy? PR? Aware and thought-
through branding? Added value for shareholders?)
 No company/brand can or will save the world.
 We are ALL stakeholders.
You have the feeling CSR matters?
See more under:

1) https://www.facebook.com/oikos.warsaw

2) http://obszarcsr.wordpress.com/

3) Elwira Ziółkowska, „Idea Corporate Social Responsibility jako przykład

społecznych aspektów funkcjonowania sektora bankowego przez pryzmat
odpowiedzialności banków za kryzys subprime” - Zeszyty Naukowe „Studia i
Prace Kolegium Zarządzania i finansów, Zeszyt Naukowy 127 (2013) [online]

4) Maria Johann, „Kształtowanie wizerunku przedsiębiorstwa społecznie

odpowiedzialnego”, Postępy Techniki Przetwórstwa Spożywczego, 2011, nr 1.
Thank you for your attention!