EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2019 | Page 18

CREATING A CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY PLAN
THE RIGHT WAY
by Aaron London
W
hile today’s consumers are still looking for a bargain
when they shop, they expect more than a good price
from the companies they do business with. In addition
to cost and customer service, consumers want the companies they
patronize to reflect values and priorities similar to their own.
strategies to address social concerns “can create deeper emotional
bonds with consumers.”
In addition to national companies such as Patagonia, Unilever
and Marks & Spencer, there are several Volusia County firms
that have adopted CSR as part of their
That means companies have to embrace a measure of what is
business plan including Outsiders USA and
known as corporate social responsibility in order to compete in the
Persimmon Hollow Brewing in DeLand,
marketplace.
according to John Tichenor, associate
According to a 2018 study by Cone/Porter Novelli, price and
professor and chair of the Management
quality are no longer enough to attract and keep consumers.
Department at Stetson University.
“Today mainstream consumers expect companies to have
Tichenor said CSR is not just for the
a more meaningful reason for being, beyond the products they
big national firms but for small-business
create,” the report said.
Calling corporate social responsibility (CSR) “more than just a
trend, it’s the new norm,” the study found companies that adopt
owners as well.
John Tichenor
“Taking a long view, it is easier for some
companies than others and it’s easier for
some industries than others,” he said. “That is why all companies
regardless of size should be thinking about it and thinking how
Does anyone have
any ideas on CSR
strategies that
I never plan on
implementing?
| 18 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE
they can add this into their mission.”
Tichenor said it is important for companies embarking on
a policy of corporate social responsibility to fully embrace the
challenge of thinking beyond the bottom line and making CSR a
holistic part of the corporate culture.
“It is more than so-called ‘greenwashing,’” he said, referring
to the practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim
about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology
or company practice which can make a company appear to be more