CSR Laboratories Quick Guide
CSR Laboratories are business-driven and action-oriented projects which aim to address CSR challenges in and around the priority areas of the European Alliance for CSR.
Sustainable Business at the Base of the Pyramid
Many so-called 'Base of the Pyramid' initiatives by companies focus on the provision of essential products and services, new jobs and economic opportunities to the poor, thereby contributing to the UN Millennium Goals. This Laboratory aims to explore public and private sector synergies (in an attempt to combine efforts and funding where possible), enhance mutual understanding, exchange practical experiences, and identify concrete areas for action.
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Financial Inclusion: Sustainable Services for Underserved Potential Customers
Underserved potential customers including migrant and temporary workers, low-income families and micro and social enterprises represent an opportunity for improvement of financial inclusion in the banking sector. By engaging with relevant stakeholders, this Laboratory aims to develop frameworks consisting of shared values and knowledge that will increase the economic inclusion of those identified as excluded.
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R&D Innovation Networks Involving SMEs
Successful application of the concept of 'open innovation' paradigm, which aims to expand the impact of the knowledge economy through cooperation and exchange of knowledge, is the aim of this Laboratory. This will be achieved by developing a model based on tools designed to enhance the effectiveness of innovation networks.
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Business' Involvement to Enhance Social Inclusion at Local Level
Based on the analysis of initiatives developed by European savings banks, the objective of this Laboratory will be to highlight the key success factors/lessons learned for business involvement in local social projects, seeking to empower socially and financially excluded people. It will specifically focus on social entrepreneurship or the expansion of access to finance/financial services, including through microfinance activities.
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Stimulating an Entrepreneurial Mindset and Promoting Entrepreneurship Education
Compared with the United States, Europeans are on average less inclined to become entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial skills and attitudes are not sufficiently encouraged amongst young people. This Laboratory, led by Business Europe, decided to explore concrete pathways to foster entrepreneurship education and a more entrepreneurial mindset by stimulating business involvement in existing enterprise education programmes.
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Responsible Supply Chain Management
The CSR Laboratory on Responsible Supply Chain Management aims to identify the relevant regulations and international standards pertinent to supply chain activities. Using this knowledge, the Laboratory will discuss best practices and develop tools and guidelines that can be implemented both within large corporations and SMEs.
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Skills for Employability
Building the foundations of employability through the development of IT, technical and other employability-related skills, curriculum, support to job placement and mentoring is the main focus of this Laboratory. Through partnerships between businesses and with national and local governments, this Lab will achieve enhancement of opportunities as well as improved social inclusion of the people who are deemed 'at-risk'. The partnership is based on a specific "value chain" approach in which each partner experiments and brings its core competencies, expertise and programs.
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Enhancing Science Teaching in Schools
There is a strong demand yet dwindling supply of professionals capable of working in science-related fields. This Laboratory aims to address this challenge by increasing the interest among students to pursue science and math-related studies. This will be achieved through collaboration between companies, steering groups and the development of frameworks to ensure continued collaboration.
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Skills for Employability Enhanced Through Employee Community Engagement
Employee volunteerism is one means of developing skills and competencies as well as promoting diversity and social cohesion. Focusing on the economic, social and competitive aspects, this Laboratory aims to explore the value of employee volunteerism through case study analysis.
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Recruitment and Ethical Management of Foreign Workers
Foreign workers are one resource available to fill the gap between the demand for, and actual supply of, workers who have the necessary skill set required by destination countries. By developing ways to overcome cultural, linguistic and bureaucratic obstacles, this Laboratory aims to identify the means to meet economic demands and contribute to the economic challenges that characterize the destination countries.
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Demographic Change
Regions and companies alike are faced with the aggressive challenge of confronting and properly addressing the issues associated with demographic changes. An aging population, for instance, presents companies and nations with urgent challenges associated with health care risks, among other things. This Laboratory employs innovative dialogue formats to exchange perspectives and develop solutions to aid companies and regions in tackling this challenge.
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Mainstreaming Diversity in the Company
Promoting and managing diversity on topics pertaining to social inclusion represent one challenge that many businesses face today. This Laboratory aims to mainstream diversity management across companies through the development of a handbook, engagement in pilot testing and communication with the EU Commission to influence policy initiatives.
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Equality Between Women and Men
Increasing equality between men and women in the workplace is a priority both for governments and businesses. Through the medium of surveys and exchange of experiences, this Laboratory aims to develop practical recommendations and tools to aid businesses in achieving a greater level of equality within the workplace.
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Employment of People with Disabilities
Effective recruitment measures and actual employment of people with disabilities is a challenge facing many companies in many countries. Despite the fact that many businesses are equipped with accommodating facilities, the challenge of attracting people with disabilities to apply for positions persists. In order to successfully recruit and employ people with disabilities, this Laboratory aims to identify the reasons behind the lack of attraction in order to develop effective recruitment and employment solutions.
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Wellbeing in the Workplace
Absenteeism, staff turnover, productivity and staff satisfaction are wellbeing-related concerns that many businesses struggle to overcome. This Laboratory aims to identify the key areas related to wellbeing issues in the workplace as well as mainstream and coordinate policy initiatives through discussions of best practices and development of associated tools.
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Eco-Efficiency
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing businesses and citizens in the 21st century. This Laboratory aims to address some of the challenges associated with climate change including awareness-raising, improving energy-efficiency and sharing best practices.
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Climate Change
This Laboratory is to be launched during 2008. For further information, please contact Chabuca Barnes at cb@csreurope.org.
Environment and the Financial Sector
The activities of financial service companies have typically been considered to have a low direct environmental impact. However, financial institutions can and do have serious indirect impacts on the environment through their credit and investment policies, industrial portfolio engagement and asset management. They are also key in ensuring an environmentally friendly industrial sector through their financing of projects and companies. Through disbursement of a sector specific questionnaire and follow-up meetings, the Laboratory was able to gather best practice examples that will guide Spanish banks in managing their direct (operational) and indirect (financial) environmental impacts.
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Proactive Stakeholder Engagement
Identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders is a challenge faced by many companies. By engaging with stakeholders, this Laboratory aims to develop an innovative and successful approach towards proactive stakeholder engagement.
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Sectoral CSR Reporting
The commitment of Spain's Savings Banks to transparency and communication with their stakeholder groups has given rise to the establishment of this CSR Laboratory, involving all twenty-three institutions of the Confederation of Spanish Savings banks. Through means of face-to-face meetings with stakeholders and disbursement of a sectoral CSR report questionnaire, the Laboratory has produced standardised information for the sector across a number of CSR indicators.
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Corporate Responsibility and Market Valuation of Financial and Non-Financial Performance
Financial performance indicators have traditionally marked whether or not to invest in a firm. Non-financial indicators, however, are also indicative of the future performance of companies. This Laboratory aims to improve the communication process of non-financial indicators to investors through the development of principles and recommendations.
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