Corporate citizenship efforts pay off for U.S. businesses - The Denver Post

Corporate citizenship efforts pay off for U.S. businesses - The Denver Post: In light of this disturbing trend, companies must pay close attention to their investments in corporate-citizenship initiatives, not only to help their reputation for acting responsibly among consumers but also to help the bottom line.

A new report called "The State of Corporate Citizenship 2012" published by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship reveals that four of every five executives from all business types and industries believe that environmental, social (including philanthropy) and governance investments create financial value for their companies. The study, conducted by surveying 749 executives from mostly medium and large domestic and global companies, reports that firms that strategically align and "integrate corporate citizenship with business goals" and make a longer-term commitment and investment in those strategies "have at their disposal a more robust set of tools for serving employees, shareholders and communities."

The Issue: A Driver Who Delivers Dictionaries: "Moore has just completed a study with McKinsey examining the role of CEOs in corporate social responsibility, assessing what needs aren't being met and how philanthropy is incorporated into corporate culture from the top down. As CEO of UPS, Scott Davis was responsible for establishing philanthropy as part of UPS's corporate culture. All UPS employees are required to serve a certain amount of hours of community service; the amount depends on where employees are stationed. Different regions have different resources, different needs, and different cultural attitudes toward philanthropy and corporate social responsibility."