CSR is a Public Matter
 Hugo Vilchez Valero

 

The question cannot be more direct: Why a public matter? Maybe, it is the most obvious, most curious concern, it is a strange name that is appealing even to the companies that require its help, but in five years this Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and public policies general advisors have become a reference of the subject, where communities, people, employees and the companies have been benefited. 

“We are proactive: this is what we convey to corporations. This says a lot about us, because we give CSR advice that, in the end, is beneficial for the community and the corporation, the employees or society in general. We offer advice in matters of public policies. Basically, in the evaluation of corporate performance. We have worked with the Baruta, Chacao and Sucre municipalities”, says the leading voice of a partner triumvirate, Isabel Cristina Ravell.

Ravell recalls that when they began, together with her co-workers, Adriana Hernández and Ana Cristina Farías, they were like Quixotes fighting against windmills; they felt unique because they had to explain what they were doing, what their work was and how they could help corporations. In five years, the market has grown through people dedicated to give advice that ranges from individuals to offices that work with support teams to facilitate corporate work on CSR issues.  
  
Looking back- the first Latin American Symposium about Corporate Social Responsibility was held in 2001, which addressed concrete projects about the matter in the Americas. In 2004, the Second Meeting was focused on the promotion of alliances between State, society and private corporations, with the purpose of fostering common good, address urgent social needs, identify and compare successful practices in the areas of social investment, volunteer work and corporate citizenship, among other goals. These travelled roads were observed or gathered by Asunto Público (Public Matter), as part of their mission.          
  
“There are companies that are willing to give back to the community, because they could not exist without them, they would not endure. Others wish to promote initiatives. It is true that this had a philanthropic beginning in the world, but over the years it has become specialized and companies have begun to reap benefits; the community have been benefited and the consumers believe and are willing to acknowledge that these are good companies. But nevertheless, the community issue is fundamental, says Ravell.
  
In every country, corporate initiative must adapt to its surroundings and Venezuela is no exception. Since relations are directly related to communal councils, “the company should have a good relation with those regional micro governments. This makes their business performance healthier and an interesting synergy occurs”.
   
“Many companies –says Ravell- come to us when they already have the problems - problems with the communities. They say they don’t know how to handle them. It is then when we establish a relationship, we determine who the leaders are; we set up a work (dialogue) table with the community and the corporation.  For example, in a certain area, trucks pass by; they make noise, generate trash and damages to the pavement, so, what is the solution? Giving answers to the environment, employment among them, is part of the benefit” 
  
She clearly recalls an example where the mining sector had an image problem with the community. The parties sat down, discussed the environmental problem, the company opened its doors, were clear and, “things changed”.
 
Asunto Público’s resume includes matters in which they are specialists, such as Balance ScoreCard, interest group analysis, strategic planning techniques and statistical analysis, as well as their own methodology to diagnose and establish Social Responsibility indicators as part of the tools used to help organizations define goals and measure results so their CSR program is sustainable, comprehensive and strategic.
  
This group believes that, many times, being socially responsible is not enough to stimulate the development of a CSR plan. However, if it does not take into account the reality of the business, its principal relations or the current legal framework, among others, the initiative may fail because it does not have sustainable basis.

On the contrary, when key audiences are considered and an assertive initiative is created but does not provide for the creation of management indicators, then it becomes difficult to audit or pinpoint the impact of the program on workers, clients, suppliers and/or communities. Thus, the strategic management of CSR and its implementation requires specific attention.  

Each case is focused differently. They have economists, sociologists, engineers, among other professionals to prepare effective Corporate Social responsibility programs.

CSR has grown considerably because many businessmen and managers have become very sensitive and are well aware of the real magnitude of the social problems. Years ago, the concept of “social responsibility” was associated to donations and charity work. But this perspective has changed. Businessmen are getting closer to lower income sectors and those sectors have turned from being beneficiaries to being potential clients, providers and even partners. They are now treated as economic actors and as promoters of social change, says Hernández.

Backstage

Behind Asunto Público there are three women partners who seek, according to their web site, “To outstand, because what we really do is a diagnosis of the corporation, its employees, its environment, in order to determine the real needs of the interest groups”. 

Ravell is a sociologist with a Masters Degree in New Media, Information and Society from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.

Adriana Hernández, also a director of Asunto Público, says that the team she leads is a young group with the highest level of education and experience in the design and management of multidisciplinary projects. “We saw the void in the market. We decided to focus on the design of creative, objective and above all, sustainable solutions”.

Hernández has a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. “A successful example is a cosmetics company. For that company, our diagnosis determined that the community neighboring the factory had to be taken into account. A CSR plan was created to train women from that barrio, they were taught different beauty-related skills, such as manicure and pedicure courses”, she noted. 

Furthermore, thanks to that project, many women positively changed their lives because that knowledge gave them the opportunity of getting jobs and becoming a part of society. “In this particular case, the beneficiaries became clients and managers of the own businesses, using the corporate products to work”. 

Another successful example is Proyecto Alcatraz, “this initiative was not documented and it was lacking process regulation organization. Asunto Público took charge of this inconvenience. “Our diagnosis identified how to optimize the project in order to improve and formalize it so they could have a model that could be replicated by other companies, both national and international” said Ravell.

According to Hernández, several additional services are offered in the Public Management area, directed to the efficient management of resources and internal procedures for the supply of public services and goods; Social Management,  which focuses on the supply of social goods and services and comprehensive advice on Social Responsibility.

 

CSR in three steps

Asunto Público is currently launching a new service for corporations: CSR in Three Steps. It is a practical, in-company workshop designed to see and understand in a simple manner what Corporate Social Responsibility is and offer guidance to the company in the establishment of a starting point to develop its own Social Responsibility strategy.  

The workshop has a practical focus: one session produces concrete products that are a starting point for the development of a comprehensive strategy. “This is not about sitting on a business table and being creative; this is about an in-depth analysis of the needs of the company and the best ways to develop it”, they said.

The workshop has three components: research, a practical session and results analysis, structured as follows:

1. Tailor-made design. Research is made about the corporate guidelines, existing CSR practices or initiatives and the competition in order to guarantee that the workshop adjusts to the realities and needs of the company. 

2. Theoretical fundamentals of CSR. Basic principles and key factors of a comprehensive CSR strategy are explained, as well as the key elements of the Venezuelan legal framework. 

3. CSR practical session. All participants are gathered to identify the impact of the organization on interest groups and vice versa. The needs of the surroundings are evaluated and existing ideas are analyzed.