Conférence / séminaire
In a time of globalization, genetically modified foods and the massive impact of industry on the environment, shopping ethically has progressively become more important for customers, who are now paying particular attention to the environmental and social record of companies behind common brand names.
Following the rise of ethical consumerism and staying in line with government policies in some countries reporting is mandatory - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has, over the last decade, shifted from the margins to the mainstream of business practices.
Indeed, social responsibility is now firmly on the agenda of a significant number of large internationalized companies, that have developed deep links between their business strategies and CSR, ultimately setting up their own dedicated departments.
However, even though the EU encourages businesses of all sizes to include “Social Responsibility” in their organizational scheme, it is still difficult to raise awareness among Small and Medium-sized Enterprises the dominant form of enterprise in the European Union which perceive CSR as a business concept reserved for larger companies.
However, small businesses are typically no less responsible than large firms. They may not know or apply the term "CSR", but their close relations with employees, the local community and business partners often mean they have a naturally responsible approach to business.
But defining CSR is not as straightforward as one might assume…many entrepreneurs regard it as more of a moral duty in business instead of a tool for enhancing the business itself.
Nonetheless, CSR must be seen as a great opportunity to effectively manage environmental, legal, economic, ethical, social and environmental risks and to ensure the economic success and sustainability of any business.
In order to further help entrepreneurs understand the CSR environment, as well as the issues surrounding it, the Chamber of Commerce will hold a roundtable discussion entitled “CSR: opportunity of threat?” on Thursday, September 13th, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Chamber’s Conference Center.
The roundtable, organized in the frame of the BusinessMentoring programme - in collaboration with the European Network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors Luxembourg (FEALU) and The Institute for Global Financial Integrity (TIGFI) - will bring together business leaders actively involved in the CSR domain in addition to representatives from the non-profit and academic sectors. The aim will be to foster exchanges of experience in the field of corporate social responsibility.
The keynote speaker for this roundtable will be Mr Ali Kashefi, a PhD student in Economics at Bielefeld Graduate School of Economics & Management who is widely published and has lectured on industrial organization-related issues and, predominantly, on strategic management.
- After the session, participants should be able to:
- Define social responsibility and business integrity
- Identify some of the ethical issues that may arise in business
- Analyze the importance and impacts of a CSR strategy
- Understand the factors that drive business value
The roundtable will be moderated by Hedda-Phalson Moller, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Sacred Heart University, investor and board member of Chameleon Invest and the HUB Luxembourg.
This public event is intended for company leaders from all sectors, key players in entrepreneurship and to anyone interested in the topic.
Attendance is free but advanced online registration is required before September, 11th.
RSVP: www.businessmentoring.lu
Contact: info@businessmentoring.lu
The roundtable will be held in English with simultaneous interpreting into French.