SharedPurpose Academy Awards 2012

Happy Oscar season, SP readers! We thought we could have a little film-related CR fun this week leading up to the red carpet. While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is busy choosing the best films of the year, some of our SP bloggers will be naming their pick for best CR film. This year’s Oscar nominees sadly presented slim CR pickings, so to make the competition more interesting, we’ve opened the field up to past years’ films as well.… Read more »

Posted on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 By Andrea Shatzman
Catogories  Business Alignment/Integration Communicating CR | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Social Media Week Reflection: Using Social Media to Communicate Corporate Responsibility

It’s Social Media Week – here in Washington, D.C., and in several other cities – and there’s a lot going on. We’re always looking for innovative ways to infuse corporate responsibility and sustainability information into company communication, and this week we’d like to highlight a few brands succeeding online.

Unilever, for example, incorporates its corporate responsibility messages into much of its online communication. The company made a video posted on YouTube and its corporate site about communicating sustainable behavior to consumers; tweets from @Unilever_Press via a handle that talks about standard corporate news as well as information related to its corporate responsibility and sustainability platform; and uses Facebook to communicate, too.… Read more »

Posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 By Robin Deliso
Catogories  Communications | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Under-represented Role of Women in Business and Government

February is Black History Month in the United States. Its origin can be traced back to scholar Carter G. Woodson, who, on February 7, 1926, led the first celebration of “Negro History Week” to help rectify the omission of African-Americans from history books. Today, the observance of Black History Month provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of African-Americans and to recommit to making the teaching of history more honest and inclusive.

The theme of Black History Month 2012 is “Black Women in American Culture and History.” African-American women are members of two traditionally excluded groups in the United States and have faced overwhelming odds in making their names and stories known. In spite of those barriers, the deeds of women like Harriett Tubman, Rosa Parks, Barbara Jordan and Condoleeza Rice now grace the pages of history books. There are singers and writers and poets and artists who also left their mark on American culture and who helped make this country great. But there are countless others whose stories have never been told. And, in spite of civil rights laws and affirmative acts on the part of government, employers and educational institutions to curb discrimination, African-American women continue to face obstacles on the path to the American dream.… Read more »

Posted on Monday, February 13th, 2012 By SharedPurpose
Catogories  Women and Girls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reading Between the Lines: CR Messages in the Super Bowl Ads

For a long time, companies have tried to make statements with Super Bowl ads by being trendy, clever or quirky. As viewers, we’ve come to expect goofy beer spots, celebrity cameos and “arrival statements” from newcomers (remember those pets.com ads with the dog sock puppet?).

Most of the Super Bowl commercials are presented with a “wink-wink-nudge-nudge” tone, so to stand out, a commercial has to have a clear, solid message coupled with compelling imagery. In a straw poll of the APCO CR team, a few of those stand-out commercials in 2012 tapped into broader themes of responsibility and shared value. Among the most notable spots:… Read more »

Posted on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 By Tara Greco
Catogories  Communicating CR | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Year of Shared Value Policy?

Sometimes my mom sends me things. Mostly forwarded emails with jokes or pictures (which, mom, if you’re reading, I always read all the way to the end…). When I go visit my parents in Philly, which I did over the holidays, I get the print form of some of these little tidbits. Laying in the little pile for me this time was an article about the benefit corporation legislation pending in Pennsylvania.

It seemed like a fitting end to 2011 and good foreshadowing for 2012. … Read more »

Posted on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 By Andrea Shatzman
Catogories  What's Next for CR | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

When Competitors Collaborate: Logistics Experts on Disaster Frontlines

The earthquake in Japan, Hurricane Katrina in the United States, the tsunamis in South and Southeast Asia and the droughts in the Horn of Africa have made it clear that disasters can strike anytime, anywhere. In 2011, the costliest year in history for natural disasters, the world economy lost $366 billion. More than 200 million people were affected.

Humanitarian relief requires a coordinated, global approach. Yet in an era in which companies seek to develop corporate responsibility initiatives that differentiate themselves from their competitors, you might be surprised to learn about a collection of logistics-focused companies coming together to meet community needs.… Read more »

Posted on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 By Leela Stake
Catogories  Business Alignment/Integration | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Investing in American Jobs

Last week, the White House convened a group of American business leaders for its “Insourcing American Jobs” forum. I was honored to attend the forum with Hal Sirkin of the Boston Consulting Group who is one of our clients here at APCO. Hal’s study, “Made in the USA, Again,” was a big part of the forum. President Obama highlighted the study in his opening remarks and used it to jump start the forum’s discussion.… Read more »

Posted on Friday, January 20th, 2012 By SharedPurpose
Catogories  Community Engagement CR in North America What's Next for CR | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Two Years Later: Haiti Earthquake Relief Signals New Age in Charitable Giving

Two years ago today, the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti made shockwaves well beyond the small Caribbean country. Hundreds of millions of dollars were poured into the country by foreign governments and traditional charitable organizations. But what was most unique was that a substantial portion of international donations—$43 million to be exact—came from text messaging. The relief effort signaled a new age in social giving.… Read more »

Posted on Friday, January 13th, 2012 By SharedPurpose
Catogories  Community Engagement Philanthropy | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Applying Moneyball Logic to Managing a Corporate Volunteer Program

Spring training is right around the corner, so I thought it would be appropriate to dig into an analogy thrown out by Taproot’s Aaron Hurst at the 2011 BSR conference in San Francisco.

Aaron compared the recent innovations in corporate volunteer practices to Moneyball. If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, you know the story: Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane revolutionized MLB roster management by employing a new approach to analyzing a player’s value. The “data nerds” have created a system that is more efficient and less risky, leading to improved performance for a franchise on the field and the balance sheet.… Read more »

Posted on Thursday, January 5th, 2012 By Tara Greco
Catogories  Technology and CR Volunteerism & Service | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Universities Need to Protect Their Brands, too

Athletic conference realignments altering cherished rivalries within college sports. Alleged acts of pedophilia by coaching staff against children in their care. Compliance violations and a range of sometimes controversial penalties assessed against member schools. This is the context for which the NCAA and several of its marquee institutions enter into the previously hallowed football bowl season. Lack of preparation and poor decision-making have resulted in several senior administrators becoming a part of the anticipated December unemployment statistics instead of leading their schools or departments. This will indeed be a winter of unprecedented criminal investigations, litigation and adverse media coverage.

As daily stories regarding the aspects of these events have unfolded on our TV screens and social media, several friends and journalists have called to ask how or if any of this could have been possibly prevented. Of course, no one can fully prevent horrendous judgment committed by individuals within an institution if a person is intent on engaging in morally reprehensible or criminal acts. However, more than ever before, boards of directors of corporations and university trustees are asking their senior executives to ensure that their institutions have a fresh crisis plan and that all the requisite stakeholders in the enterprise are equipped to operationalize it when the inevitable mayhem visits their doorstep.… Read more »

Posted on Thursday, December 8th, 2011 By Tara Greco
Catogories  Business Alignment/Integration Communications What's Next for CR | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment