Corporate ‘doing good’ – insurance-like protection?

Google’s announcement that it has earmarked for charity $US265 million of the money raised in its public stock offering puts the spotlight on the debate over whether companies should be involved in philanthropic efforts.

Some shareholders have difficulty justifying corporate giving because they don’t see any extra revenue being generated from the expense while others say that bad things can happen even to the best companies and a business with ‘fire insurance’ is more valuable than one without it! So, consistent corporate giving can be seen as ‘reputation insurance’ that can help companies weather unforeseen storms.

There will be a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)Forum 2006 in Sydney next March titled ‘Liquid Learning’ – the keynote address ‘From Rhetoric to Reality’. A group of leading practitioners from a variety of backgrounds will discuss key challenges confronting organisations with regard to CSR.

TOPICS/THEMES
– Stakeholder Dialogue
– Reviewing the Business Case
– CSR Measurement and Reporting
– CSR and Competitive Advantage
– Employee Engagement

SPEAKERS INCLUDE
– Dexter Dunphy, Distinguished Professor, University of Technology Sydney
– Dr Charlotte Grezo, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Vodafone Group (UK)
– Robert Orth, Director Human Resources, IBM Australia & NZ
– Graham Peterson, Head of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Westpac Banking Corporation
– Paul Peters, CEO, Opportunity International Australia

Liquid Learning – CSR Forum 2006
Date: 2nd-3rd March 2006
Venue: Marriott Hotel, Sydney, Australia