corporate social responsibility
August 15, 2019 Occasional Contributors Business and Legal Issues, Corporate Governance, Environmental Issues, Leadership and Management,
Last month, in Vedanta Resources PLC & Another v. Lungowe & Others, the UK Supreme Court allowed Zambian citizens to proceed with a claim in the UK against a UK-based mining company for environmental contamination allegedly caused by its Zambian subsidiary. As our colleague Lee McBride has recently written, this landmark decision will be of particular interest to multinational parent companies headquartered in the UK.
breach of statutory duty, Canadian multinationals, corporate social responsibility, human rights, international corporate social and environmental responsibility standards, international subsidiaries, negligence claims, Vedanta Resources PLC & Another v. Lungowe & Others
July 17, 2019 Ethics &Compliance Matters ™, Navex Global ® Advocacy and Public Policy, Business and Legal Issues, Charities, Corporate Administration, Corporate Administration and Legal Matters, Corporate Governance, Environmental Issues, Leadership and Management, Not for Profit,
Younger employees along with the public and media continue to apply pressure on organizations to address Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues including human rights and environmental sustainability.
community engagement, corporate social responsibility, environmental social governance, human rights, philanthropy, social audits, social responsibility
January 9, 2018 Occasional Contributors Advocacy and Public Policy, Board of Directors, Process and Responsibilities, Business and Legal Issues, Charities, Corporate Governance, Environmental Issues, Finance and Accounting, Income Tax Planning / Tax Schedules / Remittances, Leadership and Management, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
In August 2017, the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) updated its Guidance CG-014 on community economic development (“CED”) activities and charitable registration. There were a number of updates to the Guidance, but the most significant was the inclusion of the statement that charities are now able to support, on a more long-term basis, the efforts of businesses that are helping to rebuild communities affected by disaster.
Aftermath of disasters, Canada Revenue Agency, corporate social responsibility, disaster relief, funding from charities, Guidance CG-014 on community economic development, Internal Controls, rebuild communities affected by disaster, recovery assistance, social discourse
March 2, 2015 Jeffrey Sherman Accounting Systems and Controls, Business and Legal Issues, Corporate Administration, Corporate Governance, Environmental Issues, Finance and Accounting, Leadership and Management, Sales, Marketing and Operations
Sustainability is a characteristic of a process or condition that can be maintained at a particular level for an indefinite period. In the context of a corporation or other organization, we can consider sustainability in two broad ways…
business ethics, Control and sustainability, control-based approach, corporate social responsibility, COSO, CSR, environmental social governance, ESG, internal control, Internal Control: Integrated Framework, legal compliance, monitoring, multiple stakeholders, sustainability
December 1, 2014 Adam Gorley Business and Legal Issues, Corporate Administration, Corporate Governance, Environmental Issues, Finance and Accounting, Financial Compliance / Planning / Management, Fraud and Corruption, Leadership and Management, Sales, Marketing and Operations
A review of the federal government’s 2009 corporate social responsibility strategy (CSR) for the Canadian extractive industry operating in foreign countries found companies are recognizing “the need to consider CSR in planning and operations,” but are asking the government for more assistance…
best practices, corporate social responsibility, CSR, CSR strategy, CSR tools, e3 Plus, economic diplomacy, environmental risk, ESR, extractive industry, Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Human Resources, human rights, legal compliance, National Contact Point, natural resources industry, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on responsible business conduct, Office of the CSR Counsellor, responsible business practices, shared value, social risk, sustainability, Towards Sustainable Mining, trade commissioners
October 20, 2014 Adam Gorley Business and Legal Issues, Charities, Financial Management, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
For non-profit organizations and charities, fundraising is always top of mind. That means asking people and companies for money—sometimes lots of money. There’s no single way to go about this task but organizations will certainly make it easier on themselves by understanding themselves, building their profile and maintaining strong relationships with donors and potential donors. Alberta Culture has published a guide to help non-profits and charities do just that.
Alberta Culture, corporate relationships, corporate social responsibility, donor relationships, donors, fundraising, legal compliance, organizational goals, organizational mission
January 20, 2014 Adam Gorley Corporate Governance, Finance and Accounting
The Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) last underwent significant change in 2001, and Industry Canada believes conditions have changed enough since then that it’s time for another review. The department is accepting input until March 11, 2014, on the following topics…
accountability, arrangements, beneficial owners of shares, board accountability, board diversity, Canada Business Corporations Act, CBCA, consolidation of shares, corporate social responsibility, corporate transparency, CSR, dissolved corporations, diversity, executive compensation, going-private transactions, incorporation structure, Industry Canada, legal compliance, non-distributing corporations, property vested in the Crown, proxies, proxy circular, revival of dissolved corporations, rights of registered shareholders, securities, securities transfers, shareholder and board communication, shareholder rights, shareholder threshold, shareholder voting, shareholders' right of dissent, socially responsible enterprises, soliciting proxies, squeeze-out transaction, threshold exception, transparency
December 2, 2013 Jeffrey Sherman Corporate Governance, Finance and Accounting, IT, Privacy and Security, Not for Profit
The ethical standards of a company are driven from the top. The ethics policy should be recommended by the president, ratified by the board and rolled out to the company with appropriate explanations and training. Implementing and consistently following a top-down ethics policy—with input from all levels—will help employees, customers, stakeholders and others who interact with the company to understand and relate to the company’s intentions.
code of conduct, Code of ethics, corporate social responsibility, corporate values, creating shared value, Criminal Code of Canada, CSR, ethical conduct, ethical standards, ethics, Harvard Business Review, high ethical standards, inappropriate behaviour, insider tips, insider trading, Jerry R. Junkins, legal compliance, Mark Kramer, Michael Porter, National Policy 52-110, ombudsperson, profit, publicly traded company, Section 425.1, securities issuers, shared value, shareholder value, short-term gain, stakeholder value, unacceptable practices, unethical practices, whistleblower laws, whistleblowers, whistleblowing, whistleblowing policy
November 11, 2013 Drache Aptowitzer LLP Corporate Governance, Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
One of the advantages of being part of the commonwealth is that we share commonalities in methods of taxation and governance with a variety of different countries. So when one of these countries experiments with a different way of doing things we should examine the attempt for lessons which can be learned here. So it is with great interest that we note a recent attempt by India to mandate gifts back to the community in the name of corporate social responsibility.
average net profit, business processes, businesses, charities, Companies Act of 1956, corporate deductions to charities, corporate rules, corporate social responsibility, deduction to the corporation, donations to charity, economic, gifts back to the community, gifts to charity, giving back, non-compliance hazardous to the delinquent company's reputation, particular history, religion and culture, shareholders, skew donations to charitable projects, social obligation, tax perspective, taxable income for expenses incurred
February 25, 2013 Occasional Contributors Corporate Governance, Environmental Issues, Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
Sustainability has become a buzzword since sustainability as a practice is a relatively new initiative. From corporate social responsibility, to ‘green’ workplaces, to unethical ‘greenwashing’, it seems as though everyone is trying to get a piece of the eco-friendly pie. In the business world, sustainability is referred to as the ‘triple bottom line’, as organizations consider the environment an important stakeholder.
bottom line, business, business models, company culture, competitive advantage, corporate social responsibility, day-to-day sustainable operations, eco-friendly pie, environmental reporting, green audits, Green workplaces, greenwashing, human resource development, low hanging fruit, Multinational corporations, recycling, small businesses, sustainability, sustainability as a competitive advantage, sustainable business initiatives, sustainable framework, triple bottom line, TripleP
November 21, 2011 Adam Gorley Corporate Governance, Environmental Issues, Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit
Recently, I wrote about the concept of shared value, a business strategy under which organizations consider the needs of their communities alongside those of their shareholders, in order to improve conditions for business (and communities where they operate) and maximize profit. What a crazy idea, right? Healthier communities mean more profitable businesses? So crazy it just might work.
business strategy, Ceres, corporate social responsibility, CSR, ESG, Global Reporting Initiative, shared value, sustainability
August 15, 2011 Adam Gorley Not for Profit
Shared value is a different way of looking at CSR that offers a view to the possibility of inherent social responsibility, and the great potential that it offers to people and their economies. That potential lies in serving un- or underserved communities, of which there are many. For example, services directed at specific ethnic groups and immigrants, or hyper-local businesses that understand and meet their communities’ needs better than faceless franchises.
100-mile diet, corporate social responsibility, CSR, local food, marginalized, minorities, nfftt, not far from the tree, shared value, shareholder value, underserved communities, urban forest, volunteer workers
July 18, 2011 Adam Gorley Environmental Issues, Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
Last month I read about the death of corporate social responsibility. Now, I’ve come across the concept of “shared value”, which seems like a more thorough expression of the promise of CSR.
business strategy, capitalism, community, community support, corporate social responsibility, CSR, economy, environment, Harvard Business Review, HBR, Natural Step Canada, shared value, sustainability
June 27, 2011 Adam Gorley Corporate Governance, Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit
Some organizations might be happy to hear that, but it’s not what you think. According to some, corporate social responsibility (CSR) was never more than a stopgap measure that allowed unsustainable companies to clothe themselves in robes of virtue.
accessibility, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, AODA, bribery, business plan, community action, consumer protection, corporate social responsibility, corruption, CSR, CSR is dead, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, DFAIT, ecology, efficiency, equality, Kelly Hawke Baxter, Natural Step Canada, regulation, responsible business conduct, strategy, sustainability, waste
January 13, 2011 Adam Gorley Corporate Governance, Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
A business research centre at Cardiff University, Wales, has teamed up with the British arm of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants to release a new guide on corporate social responsibility (CSR) for small and medium-sized businesses, called The ABC of CSR for small and medium enterprises. If you don’t mind the Welsh, and can handle reading “programme” instead of “program”, then you might find this guide offers some valuable lessons.
Absenteeism, corporate social responsibility, CSR, efficiency, employee retention, motivation, reputation, strategy, sustainability
