Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the ethical self-regulation of a company. Most big companies already use CSR and more and more small and medium-scaled ones follow by taking up Corporate Social Responsibility actions. CSR concentrates and aims on positive social and environmental issues and interests of a company in relation to its employees, consumers, stakeholders, local communities and in general members of the public.
Companies using CSR spend money on local communities but also donate to organizations in developing countries. An example of CSR being used directly in a business is the endorsement of Fair Trade like it is used by tea and coffee companies.
Companies using CSR try to build a positive image among the public. They want people to know that they care for their staff, their costumers and the impact they have concerning the environment and social sectors.
However some companies using CSR are not always praised but rather not taken serious. McDonald’s as well as British American Tobacco both face public allegations that they only use CSR to distract the public from their actual image and doings.
CSR is a good activity for organisations to use. It will shed positive light on the company, raise awareness and also improve staff and costumer satisfaction. Still CSR needs to be used and communicated right so no misunderstandings or misperceptions occur and the company is recognized for its actions and for what it wants to stand for.
Monday, 11 April 2011
Sunday, 10 April 2011
To use or not to use: Political campaigns and online media
One of the most innovative, memorable and most of all successful political campaigns the world has seen so far was during the United States presidential election in 2008. The winner, current president Barack Obama, made his way into the White House not only because he had a strong team behind him but most of all because his team – for the first time in the history of such elections – based a large part of their tactics on the use of online media.
The way Obama’s campaign was played out was until that time unique and revolutionary and not only gained massive attention from the US citizens but also from around the world. With this new and fresh way of doing a political campaign, Obama not only aquired the status of a potential president candidate but it seemed that within seconds he became a global politcal superstar.
The Obama team indeed kept to the usual strategies used in potlical campaigns but besides that they also gave power to the people by targeting them online on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or YouTube. Obama had his profile that people could access anytime, get updates from, comment and post information and most of all had the opportunity to engage in this election themselves by spreading messages. The Obama team communicated with the citizens on a constant level and gave them the feeling of being directly involved in the decision and process of the future president.
Many sceptics might have expected this tactic of using online media to fail as they thought that it might be a mistake to involve the public that much into the process of the elections. Obama and his team however were able to prove all the critics wrong by giving control to the people, gaining worldwide support.
On 2 February a viral video was published online, showing various celebrities singing or speaking parts of a speech that Obama held on January 8, 2008, following the New Hampshire presidential primary elections. Obama’s team was not involved in the production of this video but published it on the official website just one day after its release, noticing how successful it was. Within a week the video reached over four million views on YouTube, gaining Obama huge media coverage – national and international, being distributed by his supporters. This again shows the power and opportunities online media offer to the people.
UK’s current Prime Minister David Cameron and his team were very well aware of the successful strategies used during the Obama campaign and decided to take a similar road. He and his team targeted their audience a lot through social media and making similar appearances as Obama during his campaign. Sometimes it seemed however that Cameron did not present something new but rather emulated the US president. With this he became a mock for the media and the opposition Labour Party. Although Cameron was not able to tie in with Obama’s success, he did win the elections in the end.
Online media offer a perfect opportunity to reach a large audience and engage with the people directly. However this has to be planned well and political communicators need to be aware that when concentrating on the internet this also means to let go or give up a part of their control.
The way Obama’s campaign was played out was until that time unique and revolutionary and not only gained massive attention from the US citizens but also from around the world. With this new and fresh way of doing a political campaign, Obama not only aquired the status of a potential president candidate but it seemed that within seconds he became a global politcal superstar.
The Obama team indeed kept to the usual strategies used in potlical campaigns but besides that they also gave power to the people by targeting them online on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or YouTube. Obama had his profile that people could access anytime, get updates from, comment and post information and most of all had the opportunity to engage in this election themselves by spreading messages. The Obama team communicated with the citizens on a constant level and gave them the feeling of being directly involved in the decision and process of the future president.
Many sceptics might have expected this tactic of using online media to fail as they thought that it might be a mistake to involve the public that much into the process of the elections. Obama and his team however were able to prove all the critics wrong by giving control to the people, gaining worldwide support.
On 2 February a viral video was published online, showing various celebrities singing or speaking parts of a speech that Obama held on January 8, 2008, following the New Hampshire presidential primary elections. Obama’s team was not involved in the production of this video but published it on the official website just one day after its release, noticing how successful it was. Within a week the video reached over four million views on YouTube, gaining Obama huge media coverage – national and international, being distributed by his supporters. This again shows the power and opportunities online media offer to the people.
UK’s current Prime Minister David Cameron and his team were very well aware of the successful strategies used during the Obama campaign and decided to take a similar road. He and his team targeted their audience a lot through social media and making similar appearances as Obama during his campaign. Sometimes it seemed however that Cameron did not present something new but rather emulated the US president. With this he became a mock for the media and the opposition Labour Party. Although Cameron was not able to tie in with Obama’s success, he did win the elections in the end.
Online media offer a perfect opportunity to reach a large audience and engage with the people directly. However this has to be planned well and political communicators need to be aware that when concentrating on the internet this also means to let go or give up a part of their control.
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