Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a way of doing business where by the company integrates the highest ethical and responsible business practices in all of its operations and dealings with stakeholders.

This encompasses the way the company integrates responsibility internally in - for example - the way it manages human resources, production operations, sales and customer relations, communication and advertisement to corporate governance and transparency of communications to the way the company positions itself in the society through being good corporate citizen - supporting the community in which it operates and addressing the negative environmental impacts from its operations. A strategic approach to CSR means that the company tries to create shared values when designing and implementing CSR programs, i.e. creating both business and societal benefits.

Strategic CSR is about creating shared values; i.e. generating benefits to society and to business.
Benefits to business come from direct and indirect sources depending on the choice of CSR strategy and focus of the CSR programs.
Direct benefits often come in the form of cost savings, increased sales or new markets.

Indirect benefits often come in the form building reputation, enhancing brand value and addressing potential risks.

CSR programs can be positioned to create society wide benefits in many forms: building local leadership and talents, contributing to scientific knowledge and research, alleviating poverty, addressing the negative environmental impacts that arise from business activities on health and eco-systems. The important issue here is to create the largest potential benefits to society by focusing on the effectiveness of CSR in the society programs.

Recognition of CSR comes from society and stakeholders. This means that effective business engagement in the society should lead to recognizable benefits. To capture this recognition, the company needs to engage in transparent and effective communications about the benefits and impacts to society.

CSR supports a company's management communication with shareholders in 2 different ways:

CSR is just like advertising and PR, it is not obligatory but voluntary, yet has big impact on a company' s position in the market. CSR in a new paradigm in management and is gaining step by step more and more demand. As per a study by the Price Waterhouse, CSR will be one of the top business drivers companies compete on as it tackles the image through communication and has high return on investment on the company starting from employees loyalty to enhancing competitive edge, to gaining new clients and opening new markets.

I believe you mean to ask me if marketing team can implement CSR projects. The answer is yes but if properly trained. Yet I believe we need to take one step back and look at the big picture. CSR is not a communication tool but a way of doing business and thus would internally be reflected in all departments whether marketing, HR, etc. In best practices and in developing countries, CSR is managed in companies by a separate department that ensures the practices are implemented internally and externally. In its turn, External CSR projects would be briefed to the marketing department and would then be best communicated by them.

Ideally the CSR department is the one to handle all CSR related activities. If the company does not have a CSR department then the activities or matters are handled by marketing/communication or HR.

Through its specialized professional team of consultants & researchers, Tamkeen Development & Management Consulting can assist your company in the CSR field starting from the basics of defining CSR & its relevance to your type of business, to setting a CSR department & all the procedural elements it requires, and all the way to designing, implementing & reporting your designated CSR projects.

Tamkeen innovative team & through their continuous researches & studies of the current socioeconomic environment, through out the region, are always ready to assist you in designing, planning, implementing & reporting tailor made CSR projects that comply with your scope of business & activities.

The boosted CSR awareness over the region increased the demand for corporate sector on training to create and build capacities specialized in CSR. In that context, Tamkeen Development and Management Consulting established alliances with leading international experts and developed a set of trainings to cater to those needs.
Some of these Topics:

The way the company manages responsibility in its working environment & the people it deals with (for example the way it manages human resources, customer relationship, communication, corporate governance and investors' relations). It also creates a governance system that takes into consideration legitimate stakeholder concerns and directs the company's strategy towards meeting societal needs.

A CSR report is a periodical announcement issued by the company to reflect the level of responsibility it is practicing towards its clients, employees & stake holders, & to communicate a certain CSR project the company is implementing.

The Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index (SARCI), launched by SAGIA, helps responsible businesses improve their performance and build economic competitiveness, social progress and sustainability. This helps build competitiveness at sector, city, national & regional level. It also helps building a critical mass of business-level activities that cumulatively build a responsible competitive climate. The Index is a core part of the process of building medium-term growth potential through social and environmental performance.

The core of the SARCI is an annual assessment of leading businesses in Saudi Arabia. The assessment looks into the strength of a company's strategy, management, engagement processes and performance systems. The process of engaging in the index offers learning opportunities for senior management using the benchmarking tools.

CSR and competitiveness are very much related. Growing evidence suggests strong links between competitiveness drivers; the quality of human and social capital and the contribution of corporations to the development of this quality through CSR. At company level, there are two feedback loops to this process:
One is the role of corporations. Corporation needs to be smart about how their CSR activities are directed and positioned at addressing the strategic areas that on the medium to long term enhance the human and social capital of the country and preserves the natural capital.

The other side is that society through markets and policy drivers recognize and internalize responsible practices of companies into market mechanism. Through these feedback loops CSR issues become source of competitive advantages (e.g. cost advantages or enhanced productivity) further increasing the intensity of competition and innovation potential at regional and national levels.

Tamkeen Development and Management Consulting is among the first company's to offer professional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consultancy and programs through corporate investment in Corporate Responsibility in the region. We can help you in CSR strategy, consultancy, training staff on CSR, setting-up your department, develop CSR projects/initiatives for you, write your CSR news, develop you CSR report, and anything in CSR that comes to your mind