Best Governance Research of 2011 - Free Download

This compilation includes 48 study/survey summaries. Register/login for the free download:

http://www.csrinternational.org/2012/01/25/best-governance-research-of-2011/

Dr Wayne Visser

CEO, CSR International

Best Environmental Research of 2011 - Free dowload

This compilation includes 48 study/survey summaries. Register/login for the free download:

http://www.csrinternational.org/2012/01/19/best-environmental-research-of-2011/

Dr Wayne Visser

CEO, CSR International

Video: Susan Bird on CSR in the European Union

Susan Bird is CSR Co-ordinator in the DG Employment of the European Commission and part of the EU High Level Group on CSR. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, Director of CSR International, she discusses CSR in Europe and the work of the High Level Group on CSR. The interview was conducted in Brussels on 12 May 2010.

Video: Rodion Kolyshko on CSR in the Ukraine

Rodion Kolyshko is Advisor to the Confederation of Employers in Ukraine. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, Director of CSR International, he talks about CSR in Ukraine. The interview took place in Kiev, Ukraine, on 28 April 2010.

Video: Bimal Arora on CSR & Inclusive Business in India

Bimal Arora is a CSR scholar and consultant in India. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, Director of CSR International, he shares insights from his research and years of experience in the field.

Video: Anurag Gupta on Hi Tech Social Innovation in India

Anurag Gupta is the Founder of A Little World, which provides hi-tech innovations for the rural poor in India, including micro-banking, lighting, media and sanitation. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, Director of CSR International, he explains how biometrics and LED technology is being used to serve the poor. The interview took place on 24 April 2010 in Mumbai.

Video: Vinay Somani on Transparency & Stakeholder Partnerships in India

Vinay Somani is Founder and Trustee of Karmayog, a unique free platform for concerned citizens on social and civic issues in Mumbai, India. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, Director of CSR International, he talks about their role during a flood crisis in Mumbai and tackling corruption through transparency. The interview took place in Mumbai on 17 April 2010.

Video Blog: Steve Puckett on CSR in Singapore and the Energy Sector

Steve Puckett is Vice President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, and Chair of their CSR Committee. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, Director of CSR International, he talks about CSR in Singapore and the role of the energy industry. The interview took place on 19 March 2010 at the EU Conference on CSR in Singapore.

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Part 2

Video Blog: Leeora Black on the State of CSR in Australia

Dr Leeora Black is the Founder and Managing Director of the Australian Centre for CSR (ACCSR). In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, Director of CSR International, she shares what their recent annual CSR national survey has revealed, as well as where Australia is demonstrating best practice (e.g. Alcoa in community engagement). The interview took place in Melbourne on 10 March 2010.

Video Blog: Richard Boele on Shell in Nigeria

Richard Boele is Managing Director of Banarra Sustainability Assurance and Advice. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, CEO of CSR International, he reflects on how his interactions with executed Nigerian human rights activist, Ken Saro Wiwa, shaped his perception of CSR in general and Shell in Nigeria in particular. He also draws interesting parallels with the blockbuster movie, Avatar. The interview was conducted at the ACCSR conference in Melbourne on 19 February 2010.

Video Blog: A Birthday Message from the CEO as CSR International turns ONE

On 4 March 2010 marks the first birthday of CSR International. In this short video, Founder and Director Dr Wayne Visser reflects on how far the organisation has come and what to expect in the years ahead.

Happy birthday! CSR International turns ONE year old

By Wayne Visser

One year ago, on 4 March 2009, about 100 people gathered at The Hub in Kings Cross, London, to celebrate the official launch of CSR International. Memorably, the event included a funeral service for ‘old CSR’ (corporate social responsibility, or CSR 1.0) and a naming and blessing ceremony for the newborn CSR (corporate sustainability and responsibility, or CSR 2.0).

The ensuing 12 months have been a rollercoaster ride of growth, change, making friends, experimentation and shared learning, with a good deal of trial and error. Along the way, we have created a community of over a thousand CSR enthusiasts, students and professionals from 91 countries. We have conducted 22 learning events in the UK, Germany, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Kenya and Australia, as well as online. We have also shared nearly a thousand knowledge-based posts online.

Over the past year, the website has received 47,690 visits by 34,501 visitors, with 111,349 page views. The offsite CSR International blog has received 29,252 visitors and was selected as a Top 100 Blog by The Daily Reviewer. CSR International has also built a presence across various social media platforms, including Twitter (976 followers), Facebook (850 members), Yahoo (710 members), Ning (128 members) and LinkedIn (95 members).

Despite this strong online presence, there is no substitute for meeting people face-to-face, and this has been the most rewarding part of the past year. Through CSR International’s various learning programmes, I have had the chance to meet CSR friends from around the globe. Happily, this circle of friends will continue to widen through the CSR Quest world tour that I embarked on in January 2010. As to why I am doing the Quest, see the interview by my friends and leading CSR thinkers, Crane & Matten.

The year has not been without its challenges. In its first financial year (ending September 2009), CSR International made an operating loss. The business model of individual membership subscription has proved unviable, and without any sponsors, angel investors or corporate members, the financial security of CSR International remains precarious.

Nevertheless, a lot has been achieved, and there is much to look forward to. In the next 12 months, The World Guide to CSR will be launched, the CSR Quest Tour will be completed and CSR International will have moved more strongly into online learning and supporting CSR professionalization. CSR International’s claim to be “The incubator for CSR 2.0” will also be given a boost when my new book, The Age of Responsibility: CSR 2.0 is published by Wiley.

It has been an invigorating (and at times exhausting) journey, but looking at how far we have come in just one year, I know it has been worth the effort. Much of our success is due to the generous and mostly voluntary support by a team of largely invisible researchers and interns, to whom I am deeply grateful. And to my fellow CSR enthusiasts and friends, I trust you will join us over the next year and beyond, as our profession continues to make a positive difference in the world.

Video Blog: Nathan Fabian on Climate Change and the Investment Industry

Nathan Fabian is CEO of the Investor Group on Climate Change Australia/New Zealand. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, CEO of CSR International, he discusses the role of the financial investment sector in advancing action on climate change. The interview took place at the ACCSR conference in Melbourne on 19 February 2010.

Video Blog: Jonathon Hanks on ISO 26000

Jonathon Hanks is Convenor of the ISO 26000 Integrated Drafting Task Force and MD of Incite, a South African sustainability consultancy. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, CEO of CSR International, Jonothon talks about his hopes for ISO 26000, as well as some concerns. The interview took place at the ACCSR conference in Melbourne on 19 February 2010, where Jonathon was a keynote speaker.

Video Blog: Bruce Harvey, Rio Tinto on Community Engagement

Bruce Harvey is Global Practice Leader: Communities for the international mining company, Rio Tinto. In this interview with Dr Wayne Visser, CEO of CSR International, Bruce talks about Rio's approach CSR and stakeholder engagement and partnerships. The interview took place at the ACCSR conference in Melbourne on 19 February 2010, where Bruce was a speaker.

CSR is dead ... Long live CSR

For those who didn't already see this on the new CSR International website, here is the press release about last week's launch event. Note: You can now also follow the blog on www.csrinternational.org:

On Wednesday (4 March), a funeral service was held in London to commemorate the life of ‘Old CSR’ (known to many as Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR 1.0), who passed away peacefully in his sleep, another unfortunate victim of the global financial crisis.

After the coffin was respectfully laid down at The Hub Kings Cross, Dr Wayne Visser, Founder and CEO of CSR International, paid tribute to “a life well lived” and “a pioneer in his time”:

“Old CSR was a good person at heart, always willing to give to those in need. Some will remember him for his outlandish dress style – how he always loved to dress in green and show off – but that was part of his charm. We will miss him dearly, not least because he touched the lives of so many around the world. He leaves behind baby daughter.”

Visser’s eulogy was followed by touching tributes from friends and colleagues, who each lit a candle in his memory. In the respectful hush that followed, an unexpected baby’s cry was heard, which seemed to be coming from the coffin. Tentatively, the cloth draped over the coffin was removed, only to reveal a tiny crib with a new-born baby.

As the lights went up, flowers were handed out by Ms Clemence Viel and minstrel Mr Lenny Charles launched into a festive tune on the berimbau, Visser conducte a spontaneous naming and blessing ceremony:

“Some of you may be wondering who this innocent child is. Well, I just happen to know that it is none other than Old CSR’s daughter, who with his dying breaths, he named CSR 2.0. She brings hope to our troubled world, for as the ‘new CSR’ of ‘Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility’, her life will be inspired by new world the principles of Connectivity, Scaleability and Responsiveness.”

After bestowing his blessing, a few friends came forward, each holding a bright flower, and spoke of their hopes and wishes for CSR 2.0.

Tributes also poured in from those around the world who could not be there in person, but who attended the live web broadcast of event or sent their good wishes ahead. Among these was John Elkington, Founder Director of SustainAbility and Volans and a good friend of Old CSR over the years:

“The theme of Death and Rebirth is timely. We have just completed some work that begins to map out what we call the ‘Phoenix Economy’, a new order that is struggling to rise from the rubble and ashes of the old. CSR 2.0 will be a necessary condition for success.  We wish CSR International every success.”

As guests left the CSR International launch event, many were smiling – some bemused, some amused, but most hopeful, having just witnessed the birth of a new era of Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility. CSR is dead … long live CSR!