The FINANCIAL — “The ‘Energy Efficiency Programme for Georgian Communities – Energy Bus’ that was launched by BP and its Oil and Gas Co-venturers was awarded the National Energy Globe Award in the category “Youth” at the National Energy Globe Award Ceremony held on 25 November 2011 in Wels Austria,” Rusudan Medzmariashvili, CSR Manager at BP, told The FINANCIAL.
“This was one of the initiatives we have implemented in Georgia under our CSR programme. BP and its programme partners aimed to raise awareness on energy efficiency among Georgian communities with this project.”
Q. How can companies in Georgia benefit from social responsibility projects?
A. Social responsibility projects are beneficial for any company since they positively contribute to the company’s reputation both with external as well as with internal stakeholders.
Q. How does CSR effect a company’s financial success and can a responsible business help prevent recession?
A. In its wider meaning CSR involves such important areas of a company’s operations as compliance to local and international regulations and laws, protection of the environment, relationships with customers and contractors, development of its own staff and creation of a favourable working environment, creation of a sustainable environment for business development, which if addressed in a proper way will certainly create favourable conditions for business development, therefore contributing to a company’s financial success.
Q. How can Georgian society support or encourage the development of social responsibility among Georgian businesses?
A. Georgian society has a role to play in encouraging businesses to act in a responsible way through its interest and participation in the ways the company does its business, through promoting the notion of encouraging socially responsible companies, and through supporting a favourable legal regime for responsible companies.
Socially responsible companies operating at high standards bring benefits to societies through skills development, setting high performance standards within the industry, and bringing lasting benefits to the neighbouring communities and society in general through different sustainable programmes.
Q. What are the key directions of CSR which should definitely be implemented? Why?
A. CSR should be at the core of a company’s operations affecting all aspects of its activities in the country. I can not single out any aspect, all of them are important and should be taken care of. A responsible company should be responsible everywhere and at all times.
Consulting NGOs on certain developmental aspects is beneficial for companies, since this provides opportunity to see issues from a different perspective. In some cases companies can use the skills and expertise accumulated in NGOs for the company’s benefit – through consulting with NGOs, employing them as implementing partners for some environmental and social initiatives etc.
Q. The social responsibility of companies in Georgia is often expressed through charity actions and does not include benefits to the company itself. What is the solution for switching existing social projects into sustainable activities?
A. Charitable activities are one of the forms of taking care of the disadvantaged parts of society, and they certainly have a positive impact on a company’s image. However the effects of charitable activities are short term. In order to bring lasting benefits to society more sustainable initiatives should be implemented, and the two do not exclude each other.
Q. How should companies build sustainable success in terms of CSR?
A. Sustainability is the result of clearly defined long term strategy and consistency in its implementation.
Q. How should companies develop employees and a future workforce to build successful working lives?
A. Employee development should be at the core of each business and should be part of its long-term business strategy and vision, with the clear focus on creating equal opportunities and a balanced working environment. Surely there is more to it and it is up to each company to draw the strategy of staff development which better fits its business purpose.
Q. CSR could be considered a way of brand differentiation. What are the ethical values that companies should use based on CSR?
A. Some of the top values would be respectful and trustworthy business conduct resulting in the sustainable development of wider society.
Q. Reporting is one of the main principles of socially responsible business. Though very few companies in Georgia make public their financial information. In your view what can encourage companies to start making pubic reports?
A. External pressure for transparency, as well as its willingness to demonstrate its adherence to best international practice.
Q. What are the main challenges and obstacles of CSR in business nowadays?
A. Although more and more companies are considering CSR seriously, there is still little awareness around it in society. Building awareness of CSR is essential for the two-way communications between business and society.
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