CSR not a luxury

Veronique Salze-Lozach of Asia Foundation argues that CSR is not a luxury which only rich nations or large companies can afford. CSR can actually be a strategic tool to increase competitiveness of a country. Veronique, one of the key presenters at just concluded Cambodia CSR Conference, gives an account of the conference in an interesting article which can be accessed by following the below link:
http://asiafoundation.org/in-asia/2008/12/10/in-cambodia-is-corporate-social-responsibility-a-luxury-or-a-possibility

Cambodia CSR Conference 2008 a great success

The first Cambodia CSR Conference concluded with a thumping success in Phnom Penh on Nov 27-28 at Raffles Hotel Le Royal.
More than 250 delegates representing the private sector, the government and the civil society interacted with 39 speakers and panellists over two days. The issues ranged from the very basic "What is CSR" to sophisticated ones such as CSR at Workplace, Socially Responsible Investing, Corporate Governance and Climate change.
The conference objective was to find ways to deploy CSR to make Cambodia competitive. No philanthropy-charity nonsense that most other Asian CSR conferences are touting around in the name of CSR.
Participants said it was the best conference they ever attended in the fascinating Kingdom of Cambodia. It was a great satisfaction, and flattering, for me personally as the "architect" (they called me that!) of the conference. As the CSR Strategy Consultant for UNDP Cambodia, I was given the responsibility to conceive the theme and put together a conference agenda most relevant to Cambodia. And then help identify speakers and then work with the speakers to whip up thought provoking content for the two days deliberations.
All presentations are now available on the conference website: http://www.csrcambodia.com/

Cambodia CSR Conference 2008

Cambodia is all set to have its first National CSR Conference on 27-28 November in Phnom Penh. Supported by UNDP and a host of other organizations from private, public and development partners, the conference is sure to bring CSR to the forefront in this fast emerging South-east Asian economy.
The falvor of the conference is very interesting. The conference aims to explore how CSR can be deployed to make Cambodia more competitive in an increasingly complex global market.
Currently, the proposed agenda is undergoing an extensive consultation process with a wide range of stakeholders.
If you would like to receive the Concept Paper on the CSR Conference Agenda to share your views, please leave your contact here and the paper will be emailed to you.

Sexual Harassment at Workplace Report

A recent survey report by Singapore based women rights organization AWARE on Sexual Harassment at Workplace created a widespread buzz. According to the report, 54% respondents said they have experienced some kind of sexual harassment at workplace.
Though the report received huge media attention, the business groups did not make any comments or commitments to prevent sexual harassment at workplace. Singapore currently does not have a specific regulation to address sexual harassment at workplace. But that should not prevent responsible companies to take a voluntary action and have a strict program against sexual harassment at workplace.
The complete report can be found at:
http://www.aware.org.sg/images//aware%20research%20study%20on%20workplace%20sexual%20harassment.pdf

We are back

CSRWorks is back to blog with a new look. We did not disappear with the rainforests and Sumatran elephants of Indonesia, as you might have thought. We are very much here and will be back soon with more thought-provoking stuff on corporate responsibility, sustainability and climate change.
By the way, environmentalists tell us that more hectares of rainforests and peatlands and a large population of tigers, elephants and orang-utans have vanished in Indonesia since our last entry in 2006.