Bureau Veritas highlights importance of corporate social responsibility.

In celebration of the last day of Mandela Month, Bureau Veritas hosted a discussion about the importance of including corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a business.

The forum, hosted in Morningside, aimed to highlight how CSR can be both beneficial to the community in which it operates as well as the business itself.

Sal Govender, the vice-president of Bureau Veritas, said that one of the biggest goals of a brand’s strategy is to find its purpose. The purpose can focus on the functional purpose which highlights why the business makes commercial sense. However, she said that an intentional purpose focuses on so much more by having a brand that creates more wealth for the organisation.

Govender said that some organisations such as Microsoft and Google have seamlessly integrated CSR into their brand strategy so that it becomes a part of the company culture. She said that while many businesses have chosen to integrate a culture of giving back into their business, many corporates still do not include CSR in their brand strategy.

“One of the biggest benefits is that social responsibility improves the image of an organisation… A person with a warm personality is affable and relatable and can easily make friends. It’s the same with corporates if you show that act of sincerity, the philanthropy and giving back to communities your public image changes,” said Govender.

She highlighted that giving back can also improve profit margins in a business and when a business’s efforts resonate with causes that its customers care about, they will want to support those businesses.

Govender added that social responsibility also helps improve company dynamics within the business. “We want our team to feel motivated and like they belong. We want them to feel a sense of community. When organisations engage in a well-executed CSR programme that’s integrated into a brand, your employees feel a sense of engagement.”

Improving communities and creating sustainable change will ultimately help alleviate poverty and unemployment which can help businesses feel a sense of fulfilment. Govender highlighted that CSR projects can go very wrong if they are not carefully executed.

“You need to ensure that your structure is sustainable and whether or not your CSR is carefully aligned and integrated into the business model thereby ensuring growth on the bottom line,” concluded Govender.

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