Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

I sometimes joke with my Capstrat co-workers that I could not get into college today. I'm consistently amazed by the level of smarts that today's students have. I'm equally impressed with their interest in the world around them and their desire to do something to make it better.

My thinking was reinforced last week when I participated in a panel discussion about corporate social responsibility sponsored by N.C. State University's Net Impact organization. N.C. State's Net Impact chapter is made up of business students who want to use their skills to create a positive environmental, social and economic impact. Representatives from Burt's Bees, Cisco and Lenovo also participated.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability are terms that businesses have embraced over time. Some may say that they're overused or cliché, especially when companies attempt to use it only as a PR tool. As our CEO often says, you can't help a company talk their way out of something they behaved themselves into. Along those lines, we can't help a company talk positively about themselves in the CSR world if they haven't behaved their way into it already.

To be considered an example in this realm, companies should do more than talk about themselves. They must act in the interest of all of their stakeholders - their customers, communities, employees and yes, shareholders.

Often lost in the discussions of CSR and sustainability are that these are businesses. To paraphrase one of my fellow panelists, there's nothing wrong with a business that wants to make money, and they should make money or they wouldn't be able to be good corporate citizens. However, that doesn't mean that businesses can't also make a positive impact on their world.

In this economy, however, it's tougher for businesses, especially those who had just begun forging their CSR path. Budgets are being cut. Reporting is taking a backseat. Philanthropic dollars are being doled out more sparingly.

However, CSR shouldn't slow because the economy is. When the economy does turn around, those companies who have continued to tell their stakeholders how they care for all of them will be at an advantage. The students at N.C. State recognize that, and they are positioning themselves to be the next generation of leaders who make these ideals a standard part of business - not just a buzzword. I'm glad they're taking the reins.