Corporate Social Review Magazine 1st Quarter 2012 | Page 9

dren’s school gets a cash donation). [The Nielson)
research questionnaire probably focused more on the
middle/income bracket. I am sure that if you spoke to
mainly poor income household or black communities,
the results above would be vastly different.

corporation itself is giving, rather than relying purely
on their consumers to give. They may [also} be more
prepared to support an organisation that is visible in
its generosity in their own communities.

“The statistics suggest that consumers are more concerned with the environment and supporting small
businesses/entrepreneurs than they are with the eradication of poverty and hunger.” We hypothesize that
consumers see poverty and hunger as being more of
the responsibility of government than of companies
per se. There is no direct link to business success
and the motives can therefore be
South African consumers called into question. EnvironmenIris is currently very busy work- are highly sceptical about tal concerns are especially topical
ing on her Rally to Read program. motives and transparency. and companies can have a tangible
www.rallytoread.co.za
impact, both positive and negative.
The growing environmental awareness and publicity,
Alison Tucker, Director - Added Value South
together with the constant stream of ‘green’ innovaAfrica.
tions is also starting to make consumers feel that they
have a shared responsibility for the environment. It
“Less than half of South Africans would specifically should probably also be noted that if the question was
‘buy products from companies that implement pro- worded differently, making reference to FMCG food
grammes that give back to society’.” This relatively low companies serving lower LSM consumers, the figures
figure may be driven, in part, by some South African for poverty and hunger may well be much higher. It
consumers feeling that they have enough of their own is, in fact, highly likely that consumers judge social
personal challenges to have to worry about broader responsibility causes in the context of specific indussocietal challenges. (This doesn’t necessarily mean tries.”
these consumers would be lower LSM consumers.)
Consumers may also anticipate that they would have Alison suggested that further reading on a related isto pay more for goods and services from these com- sue might be found at:
panies and are feeling the pinch of the increased cost www.added-value.com/source/2011/03/innovationof utilities and living in general. Furthermore, South can-change-the-world/
African consumers are highly sceptical about motives
and transparency. If the statement was associated * Take all the people who WANT to be globally recogwith a corporation that has a strong track record and nised superstar fil ?F?&V7F?'2?BF?f?FRF?B?V?&W ?&WWFF????bF???r?R?r??WG7W&?6R??6??7V?W'2'?F?RV??Rv??7GV??6??WfRF?Bv???BF?P????7vW"&F?6??F?ffW&V?F??6??7V?W'2v?BF?&W7V?F??rW&6V?FvR?26?f??6???v?6???2F?&P??fRF?v?&?R&??bF?B6?'?&F????27F?fV?FV?b?7FF?7F?6???'&V?Wf?BR??W&??r&6?F?6?6?WG????V???vgV?v??BF?BF?P?F?v????V6??2v?fV???V6??2&WV?&VB?B?`???R&R??F?V6?v?F?&V?G???F?R?&vW"66?V?R?`?F???w2??4??V???rF?B?b??R&RV????VB??fP????R?BfV??6?RF?Bv?&?2???W"??G2&R???FV6V?B66?????B??RVBv&??V?V6???v?@?( 2F?V???R&R6W'F?????R?bF??6Rv???2&VV??v?fV??V6????WFW"FR&0?????4?%?$DR4?4??$Ud?Up???