http://www.integratedbrand.com/239/socially-responsible/ Where brand leaders meet Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.integratedbrand.com/239/socially-responsible/comment-page-1/#comment-599 sflorek Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:40:41 +0000 http://www.integratedbrand.com/81/socially-responsible/#comment-599 Social responsibility is a continuum - but if a company integrates it into their mission at an executive level, it is more likely to make responsible decisions up and down the board. Most large companies lurch in the direction of social responsibility only when threatened by market share loss - Nike and labor standards for example. Nike now has an admirable, though not foolproot, audit process for its suppliers. Starbucks makes a big deal of their fair trade coffee, but it still only represents less than 5% of their sales. They nonetheless want their brand to reflect the glow of social responsibility for their efforts. Companies that were founded with a clear vision of being responsible have a much easier time implementing responsibility programs than existing firms with dominant cultures already in place that reward behaviors other than social responsibility. Social responsibility is a continuum – but if a company integrates it into their mission at an executive level, it is more likely to make responsible decisions up and down the board. Most large companies lurch in the direction of social responsibility only when threatened by market share loss – Nike and labor standards for example. Nike now has an admirable, though not foolproot, audit process for its suppliers. Starbucks makes a big deal of their fair trade coffee, but it still only represents less than 5% of their sales. They nonetheless want their brand to reflect the glow of social responsibility for their efforts. Companies that were founded with a clear vision of being responsible have a much easier time implementing responsibility programs than existing firms with dominant cultures already in place that reward behaviors other than social responsibility.

]]> http://www.integratedbrand.com/239/socially-responsible/comment-page-1/#comment-598 sflorek Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:21:01 +0000 http://www.integratedbrand.com/81/socially-responsible/#comment-598 Some industries who have seen the specter of consumer boycotts or just declining sales due to social responsibility concerns that threaten their brand (like Nike) have taken steps to actively manage their supply chain to detect things not in alignment with their values - child labor, toxic materials in the manufacturing process, and so forth. Other industries have contracted with 3rd party certifiers - the Fair Trade coffee industry tracks both social and environmental performance of the coffee that Starbucks sells as free trade. However, that free trade coffee makes up Some industries who have seen the specter of consumer boycotts or just declining sales due to social responsibility concerns that threaten their brand (like Nike) have taken steps to actively manage their supply chain to detect things not in alignment with their values – child labor, toxic materials in the manufacturing process, and so forth. Other industries have contracted with 3rd party certifiers – the Fair Trade coffee industry tracks both social and environmental performance of the coffee that Starbucks sells as free trade. However, that free trade coffee makes up

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