Getting a Good Return on CSR Investment - CSR Minute for November 7, 2013

A new study on reputation and corporate social responsibility by the Reputation Institute suggests that there’s a strong business case to be made for CSR. Seventy-three percent of consumers across the 15 largest markets in the world are willing to recommend companies that are perceived to be practicing CSR as part of their business strategy. The problem is, only five percent of companies are seen as delivering on those promises. Where’s the return on that CSR investment,asks Forbes Chief Insights Officer Bruce Rogers in a recent blog post. With millions spent on CSR, a five percent “return” is a poor ROI. Rogers quotes Kasper Ulf Nielsen, an Executive Partner at Reputation Institute, on the disconnect: “The problem companies are facing is that consumers do not know what the companies are doing in the areas of citizenship, governance, and the workplace. Sixty percent of consumers across the 15 largest markets are neutral or not sure if the companies can be trusted. The reasons