Corporate Citizenship

An additional way of differentiating what is corporate social responsibility for SMEs? The terms to corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship are called again come from America and are becoming increasingly important in European companies for several years. Corporate social responsibility means a company’s social and environmental responsibility for its business, but also the quality of the relationships of the company to employees, suppliers and other social stakeholders. This involves E.g. working conditions, environmental protection, but also – as when the production from abroad – to human rights or child labour. Corporate citizenship is a part of this corporate social responsibility and describes all public service activities and initiatives of a company and their orientation on parent company objectives, often denoted in civic engagement. Although at medium-sized companies often not inconsiderable – social engagement traditionally far is widespread and about three quarters make all companies regularly help and support, utilizes the potential of offering this commitment for their own entrepreneurial development, the middle class usually inadequately. Always more altruistically motivated donations are prevalent in many companies, often without a strategy given the motto who first asks \”.\” With the result of an ineffective at least for the successful development of the company patchwork of donations and sponsorship. By the big large companies, however, already have recognized the great business benefits and the potential commitment aligned strategically with the corporate goals years ago learn and implement successfully since then a wide variety of concepts for themselves.

Now the realization that properly designed social commitment brings substantial benefits for the company, is also in SMEs. Finally, corporate citizenship offers today any company, regardless of its size- good chance to distinguish themselves with its stakeholders, to achieve a significant increase of the image and to break away from the competition. Benefits of corporate citizenships small and medium sized enterprises are already using strategically planned corporate citizenship activities, report of positive effects, which are ultimately reflected in the corporate results: improving the level of awareness of company and brand strengthening corporate and brand image product differentiation increase customer loyalty and confidence develop new customer groups on social commitment increase employee loyalty and motivation about additional content increase the attractiveness and appeal as an employer better corporate culture, higher social competence of the staff improved relations with all other stakeholders increased media presence and more public interest increase in corporate value that offers the right, organically into the company implemented corporate citizenship in addition to the classic Methods as an additional option to establish their own company, to develop the employees and continue to bring the company forward.