Corporate Social Responsibility

The notion of Corporate Social Responsibility; CSR has been around since the 50s, when new forms of business emerged and corporates started to become more than just local powers. Academics and business leaders began to identify and examine the impact of global businesses on society. Today it is one of the most discussed topics about corporates and most of them prepare and publish annual reports on their approach about areas such as human rights, fair trade, local economic development, and reducing waste...etc
In the 80s and early 90s, society started to question the effects of industrialisation and the first-generation environmental reports got attention. This new approach to companies changed their power balance because people started to question how and why they have such powers and what this actually costs society and environment. With the decreasing trust on companies risk for stakeholders increased. At first CSR raised and practices as another marketing strategy, another topic to use in advertisements with colourful words and promises.
With this new area of competition idea and content of CSR got evolved, caused new discussions. People wanted to see more proof, real efforts from corporates about the society that made them powerful in the first place. At the beginning approach of companies were mostly about donating money to charity groups. Increasing demand from people changed and shaped whole idea of CSR from money donating to projects which involve people and change for better for long term.
    "It's difficult to offer a straightforward definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), when not even the experts agree. However, in today's globalised marketplace, there is growing acceptance that the corporate sector has a role to play in securing a sustainable future. The scope of this is variously defined as:
        * Business for Social Responsibility - who you are, what you do and what you say about it.
        * Business in the Community - CSR is about how companies manage their business processes to     produce an overall positive impact on society.
        * CSR network - CSR demands that businesses manage the economic, social and environmental impacts of their operations to maximise the benefits and minimise the downsides.
        * UK government (www.csr.gov.uk ) - CSR is essentially about companies moving beyond a base of legal compliance to integrating socially responsible behaviour into their core values." (Collings,R.,2009)

Cisco
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO, SEHK: 4333) is an American multinational corporation that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking and communications technology and services.
They do projects in partnership with several community institutions such as;

Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world. The Cisco Foundation provides cash donations to match employee volunteer time, and employees can team up to earn a Cisco Foundation grant for a Habitat home. Habitat for Humanity is also one of Cisco's strategic partners under our Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment in Sub-Saharan Africa. (US/ROW)

Digital Opportunity
TrustDigital Opportunity Trust and Cisco collaborated on the 21st Century Schools initiative, which aims to launch a global model for sustainable education reform. Cisco has also supported DOT's Reach Up and Scale Up programs in the US and beyond. (US/ROW)


National Center for Learning Disabilities
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) helps people with learning disabilities succeed by developing tools and services for early, effective response. Cisco has supported several of NCLD's programs to help NCLD develop and disseminate resources, tools and professional development opportunities to help bridge the achievement gap between struggling learners and their peers through the use of the Response to Intervention (RTI) models in the nation's public schools. (US)

Save the Children
Save the Children aims to create real and lasting change for children in need. Cisco's support has focused on their literacy initiatives for underserved, rural communities. Save the Children is also one of our strategic partners for Cisco's disaster/humanitarian relief response activities. (US/ROW)

Silicon Valley Education Foundation
The Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) leverages partnerships and resources for public education, so all students can realize their full potential. Cisco has supported SVEF's efforts to transform education in Silicon Valley via the effective use of technology, including the Lessonopoly program, partnerships and content creation, etc. (US)

Snunit Center for the Advancement of Web Based Learning
The Snunit Center for the Advancement of Web Based Learning is a not-for-profit organization aimed at enhancing education of children of all ages and adults in the Information Technology field. Snunit is a leading innovator of online education that implements multi-media pedagogies. Cisco has provided support to develop a financial skills online learning course for Arab and Jewish elementary school students. They are also developing a training and implementation model of English instruction for technology in Rwanda as part of Cisco's Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment. (ROW)

Teachers Without Borders
TWB aims to close the global education divide. Cisco has supported several of TWB's initiatives, including it's Certificate of Teaching Mastery (CTM) program, TWB Toolset, and Community Evaluation tool. (US/ROW)

Inveneo
Inveneo aims to get ICT tools into the hands of the people who need them most by developing highl affordable and sustainable ICT-solutions for governments, NGOs, and private enterprises that serve the developing world. Cisco has supported Inveneo's scale-up of it's operations in Africa, and is one of our strategic partners under Cisco's Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment in Sub-Saharan Africa. (ROW)

Kiva
Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to an entrepreneur in the developing world. Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty. Cisco is providing support to Kiva to address demand and supply side constraints to support the ability of microfinance institutions to scale operations to serve more clients. (US/ROW)

OneWorld
OneWorld International Foundation has a vision of equitable and sustainable distribution of wealth amongst the world's population, underpinned by global attainment and protection of human rights and by governance structures which permit local communities control over their own affairs. Cisco supported OneWorld's Lifelines program which aims at improving livelihoods and better quality of lives for poor Indian farmers through an ICT-enabled knowledge service. (ROW)