Call for corporations to step up CSR

1 October 2004

Call for corporations to step up CSR

Christchurch, New Zealand, 04/10/2004 Buy a piece of peace everyday - it’s the job of corporate social responsibility to ensure consumers do just that everyday. Is corporate social responsibility planting trees or helping stop war? That depends on what level of responsibility corporations chose to take. Many corporations are international – doesn’t that make them more liable and/or capable of global responsibility more so than governments?

Corporations publish CSR reports, but the action they take, is it benefiting us as much as we should expect it to? Are they ripping us by not taking bigger or more innovative action that actually improves our world? Are we being taught to settle for inadequate CSR initiatives?

In any war where people need food, water, medicine, money, prayer, safety and to bury their dead surely many niches can be designed to fill these needs by corporations that they can still profitably make money in. CSR doesn’t have to be ‘good deeds’ but creative brand strategy design that heals world needs in its daily yet profitable running.

Niche Forecasting in New Zealand attests there are many areas innovation is yet to touch. Allison Toner of Niche Forecasting says “When there’s a property price surge a real estate or finance company could set up a niche to help lower income families still achieve ownership. Mentors or success coaches could devise peace tools/mind frames for countries at war. Kimberly Clark could offer governments an ‘insurance premium’ so that in a disaster they will be provided with continuous rations of healthcare/hygiene products. Salvagers should get to the hurricane struck areas and pay wages to residents to help the clean up and salvage items for you. Banks could offer debit cards to EVERY place that is struck with disaster be the bank that steps up to this responsibility worldwide. There are many options that aren’t being seen”.

It’s not hard for corporations to heal the world thru their own market. Buying a piece of peace everyday means causing great proactive effects from standard purchases, it depends on the innovatively designed niches corporations have. World problems big and small would be fewer and further between if corporations stepped up and BECAME the solution. To read more on ‘CSR growing up’ visit www.nicheforecasting.co.nz

Call for corporations to step up CSR continued:

Allison Toner is a corporate niche designer of Niche Forecasting in New Zealand. Her design work is based around making improvements to the world thru large corporations and brands. Her unique focus and creative skills are reflected in her work to satisfy her clients and ‘wow’ their brand. To get in touch with Allison please make contact via her website www.nicheforecasting.co.nz or email allison.toner@nicheforecasting.co.nz

ENDS

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