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Corporate Social Responsibility
or
How I almost got beat up in a holiday parking lot
for spreading FGS (Financial Good Sense). Last Saturday (12/20/2003) I was walking
up to my car in the local Toy’s-R-Us parking lot (those that say the
economy isn’t improving should try to park at a toy store these days).
I was sagging under my efforts to add to Toys-R-Us’ shareholder value.
As I approached my car I noticed somebody was peering in its
windows. Behind the car was a black Mercedes S600 stopped, engine
running, with the driver door open. Clearly it was the owner looking
into my car’s windows. This was curious. While it’s a nice car it’s
not unusual for the local demographic.
“Hi, can I help you?” I said walking up with a big holiday smile
(genuine at this point).
"Is this yours?” he said nodding sharply toward the car.
“Yes,” I answered still holding my booty.
He pointed at the license plate, “You put out this newsletter?”
I looked at the license plate which says “CORPWAR.” Also the license
plate frame says Parcon Research (our company name). Clearly my cover
was blown. “Sure. Are you a reader?”
“Well I think your last issue about corporate responsibility was full
of sh*t!”
His comment surprised me because there were kids and parents around.
Then somebody tooted their horn as his stopped car was fouling up
traffic.
“Well, why don’t you park and we’ll talk about it.” I said this
knowing the next parking spot was probably in the next CITY.
“No, this’ll just take a second,” he snapped noticing the cars backing
up. “You guys say you’re all for maximizing shareholder value but by
advocating that my investments spend money on social bullsh*t
basically that’s like stealing from me. Really, that’s just liberal
bullsh*t.” He started moving around his car to get in. “That’s all I
wanted to say.”
As he was about to get in his car I said, “Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Would you like my parking place?”
He scowled, called me a nasty name (a body part), then climbed
into the $120,000 car and roared off. Still standing there with my
packages I shook my head as if to wake up. While it felt like an hour
or so the whole scene had taken only a few seconds. |
Now, it would be simple to just say that the fellow was having a
bad day and I was an easy target. But the fact is at last count we’ve
gotten over 100 e-mails saying basically the same thing: ‘business is
tough-it’s irresponsible to suggest spending any corporate resources
on non-essentials like a company’s social responsibility programs.”
Ok, let’s think about Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) this way… Had the gentlemen in the parking
lot stuck around I would have asked him some simple questions such as:
- Do you think it would be ok with shareholders for a company to reject the notion
that people of different races, gender, sexual orientation can add
value to a company and therefore block them from working
there?
- Do you think it would be ok with shareholders for a company to pay fines and huge
legal fees for polluting? It’s ok to attract the negative attention
of the press and risk boycotts?
- Do you think it would be ok with shareholders that a company
turn its bac
k on the growing number of customers that prefer doing business with
companies that try to improve society and take care of the
environment rather than simply exploiting them for profit?
- Etc. Etc. Etc.
Frankly, it sounds to us like spending money on CRS programs can be
a good investment rather than just the reckless squandering of
corporate resources some seem to believe!
Tal Newhart, CEO
Parcon Research |
