Online Corporate Social Responsibility: The Latest Trend

Corporate social responsibility has moved from being a buzz word in management books to an important aspect of business activities. The concept of CSR is vague for many; however, it generally refers to the connection of business decision making with ethical values. Even though the modern society rests on the pillars of governance and ethics, the distinction between social role and business motive of an organization cannot be denied.

Publishing CSR reports can have tremendous benefits for any company as this affect its reputation and branding in a positive manner. Advancement in technology has led to the popularity of online corporate social responsibility reporting. With the Internet becoming an interactive platform for communication, online CSR reports can help business organizations expand their reach. Many companies are focusing on the maintenance of a significant profile on the Internet. The need to update latest information for the stakeholders and sharing good work initiatives with a wider audience has become order of the day.

The concept of using the Internet to share corporate social responsibility reports and programs has gained tremendous popularity in the last few years. Companies are cashing in on the scope and access of the latest technology despite being active through their community based projects. A section of their website is especially dedicated to CSR reports for the interest of far reaching audiences. BITC (Business in the Community) is one such company that has been taking advantage of online resources for the implementation of its corporate social responsibility programs.

Companies need to keep analyzing the sustainability section of their website on a regular basis. They need to keep a track of how many visitors browsed through the CSR report in a month. In case the figure is low, they need to come up strategies to make the report accessible to readers who might find the report interesting but are not visiting the website. It also helps to figure out who reads the sustainability report. This might help the companies generate better reports and also include a feedback mechanism to start a dialogue.

Author's BIO:

Kevin Long is the founder of Global Deaf Connection and the co-founder of Justmeans, a social utility site that helps companies to attract and ignite advocates of better business and good work related to Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives , sustainable development, ethical consumption and . Kevin has done significant business development work for both for-profit and non-profit organizations that support good work.