Teaching and Learning > DOCUMENTS
Employer Engagement
Danielle Lamb
Working with Values: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Workplace and Higher Education
Context
The Subject Centre began to explore student and employer interest in values and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a collaborative project with the GEES subject centre in 2005. This project established that:
- CSR and values are areas some students from these disciplines were interested in.
- some employers were becoming increasingly vocal about these topics.
- many business schools had embraced the CSR agenda and were teaching modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
At the start of 2007 a further project funded through the HEA Employer Engagement initiative gave the SC an opportunity to explore these topics further. The Working with Values Project aimed to interact with employers and to create a debate across the sector that would help shape future work on these issues.
In its initial stages the project set out to explore the meaning of many of the terms that accompany the dialogue of values and CSR, and indeed the various different areas that CSR covers. As the project developed we wanted to explore the extent to which values and CSR are important to individuals, and how personal values interact with employer values. This resulted in seven case studies of graduates who had based their job search on finding an organisation that matched their own individual values, and two interviews with careers staff based in universities. It also highlighted that work experience whilst an undergraduate was essential to students succeeding in this type of work allowing them to build examples of values in action.
Since the Subject Centre began to explore these issues there has been an escalation of interest and debate around responsible business practice and individual responsibility, with some commentators now referring to CSR and PSR:
"A pre-requisite for understanding and accepting the need for CSR is the concept of Personal Social Responsibility (PSR). PSR is all about doing to others what you would like others do to you. It is about recognising how your behaviour affects others, and holding yourself accountable for your actions. As individuals grow, organisations grow."
Arvind Devalia, CSR Consultant, Article 13
This is a helpful distinction and one that the case studies also highlight. All the graduates interviewed for this project took their own personal values as a starting point to look for a career and organisaton that in some way mirrored their personal values.
The 2008 Grad Facts survey (biennial survey of 3000 final year students http://www.adinfo-guardian.co.uk/recruitment/research/gradfacts2008/index.shtml) highlighted that 67% of respondents wanted to work for an ethical employer. Of those students who rated CSR as important, there was a mix of view with 43% seeing it as an environmental issue and 35% seeing it as an organisations fair treatment of employees. This further supports the view that CSR is both an internal and external responsibility.
In terms of creating a debate across the sector, it seems that now there is more of a forum for debate about these issues (e.g. the IDEA CETL's 'Business Ethics, Teaching and Practice' conference in September 2008). This conference attracted many business schools, professional bodies and community groups that see ethical approaches to work as growing in importance. Another area that has mushroomed is that of university Business School's teaching CSR and business ethics, helping students to understand the complex interplay of business and society. For example, Manchester business school runs a session on CSR for cynics looking at business ethics through film media, highlighting some of the difficulties of aligning values at work: http://www.mbs.ac.uk/research/corporate-social-responsibility.aspx
Resources
Case Studies
We have collated a number of case studies outlining how various individuals feel their own personal values, and those of the organisations they work for, interact. While not all of the people interviewed for these case studies completed their degrees in the PRS subject areas, they have all given considerable thought to their own values and those of their employers. There are also two interviews with Careers advisors working in UK universities.
Cadbury Trebor Bassett Case Study
Oxfam Case Study
Co-operative
Group Case Study
The Fairtrade Foundation Case Study
Birmingham Library Service Case Study
Price Waterhouse Coopers Case Study
University of Warwick Careers Adviser Interview
University of Leeds Career Service Director
Interview
Literature Review
We have also completed a review of relevant literature in the area of CSR:
Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of the Literature
Web Resources
Motives values and preferences inventory
Series of ten questions designed to help people reflect on what’s important to them linked to life and work
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/downloads/documents/prospects/Prospects%20Professional/MVPI%20user%20guide.doc
Ethical Careers
Offers inspiration for finding an ethical employer. Includes a section on job vacancies and internships. Also top tips on starting an ethical business
http://ethicalcareers.org/
Acre CSR and Sustainability Recruitment Agency
Sources of vacancies in specialist areas including environment and climate change
http://www.acre-resources.co.uk/csr-and-sustainability-jobs.php?gclid=CLblrImTqZcCFc0a3godNzJOiQ
Social Enterprise
Case studies from social enterprises including Divine Chocolate and Green works. Focus on social responsibility and sustainability
http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/pages/case-studies.html
Article 13 CSR Case Studies
Illustrations from members of CBI on CSR activities includes examples of skill development, volunteering and sustainability
http://www.article13.com/CBI/CSR%20case%20study_Costain_October_2008.pdf
CSR Europe
Reports and good practice linked to all aspects of CSR practice across European employers
http://www.csreurope.org/pages/en/about_us.html
ethics etc consultancy
Specialise in producing assurance reports for organisations in sustainability and social responsibility
http://ethicsetc.co.uk/index.htm
Business in the Community
Details of the CR Index, a league table of the top 100 responsible employers. Also the CR Academy which provides advice to business on CR strategy and implementation
http://www.bitc.org.uk/
The context, case studies and web resources above are derived from work carried out by Julie Gallimore, while the Literature Review was compiled by Katy Wright. For more information about this project please contact Danielle Lamb.
This page was originally on the website of The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies. It was transfered here following the closure of the Subject Centre at the end of 2011.
