THE STAR Sunday 16 November 2014

StarSpecial CSR

Bringing young entrepreneurs to the fore > 2

Building the countrys human capital > 10

2 CSR

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

LLIANCE Bank has been

serving the financial and
community needs of
Malaysians since the 1950s. Its
vision to be the best customer
service bank in Malaysia means
it is committed to creating a
sustainable and meaningful
business ecosystem that applies
to Malaysians at every stage of life.
Alliance Bank believes that
awareness and education are the
foundation on which the success
of a nation and its people stand
upon. To do this well, it leverages
on its skills and expertise as a
financial institution to provide
support to Malaysians to
contribute at grassroots level.

Bringing young
entrepreneurs to the fore

The children are our future

We all know that being
educated on finance is crucial. Yet,
research findings reveal that many
children enter adulthood with
only a cursory understanding of
financial management.
In a study conducted under the
auspices of the American Dream
Education campaign, it was
revealed that students between
the ages of 15 and 21 reported
that they feel unprepared to face
the complex world of the 21st
Century.
Thus, financial literacy remains
one of the main thrusts of the
banks corporate responsibility
programmes. It initiated a
comic book activity sheet called
Quagmire or Kancah Kewangan,
which allowed children to follow
the adventures of Adam and his
cool clique of six as they talked
about the merits of savings and
benefits of interests.
Following this, the Money &
Math Challenge (MMC) was held
in 2012. It was a financial literacy
initiative aimed at instilling savvy
money habits in the young.
The challenge brought more
than 700 students together
from Standards 4 and 5 from 20
selected schools across the Klang
Valley, Penang and Johor to test
their financial savviness. Each of
these 20 schools was required to
select its top three students to
attend a one-day financial literacy
workshop.
These children were also
invited to participate in an online
literacy quiz challenge to qualify
for the MMC Grand Finale, which
the team from SJK (C) Puay Chai
2 won.
Last year, the bank took its
financial literacy education
workshop for children to the
roads.
Held in conjunction with its
nationwide branch open house
roadshow tour, the fun and
interactive one-and-a-half-hour
Kids Financial Literacy Workshop
has since brought lessons
regarding savvy saving habits
to more than 1,800 Malaysian

Winners of the Money & Math Challenge from SJK (C) Puay Chai 2 with their trophy and mock cheque. Looking on is Raymond
Leung (far left), group chief operating officer of Alliance Bank.
children below the age of 12.
Young adults in college are not
left behind either. Upon invitation,
the bank has been conducting
financial management talks on
specific subjects such as wealth
management and investments at
local colleges and universities.

Investing in continuous
education
Alliance Bank also runs various
financial management initiatives
to cater to the different Malaysian
demographics to enable them to
make informed decisions.
Many say that education begins
at home and it is the same case at
Alliance Bank.
The bank understands that
its staff also appreciate financial
planning and wealth management
advice and thus holds various
programmes regularly to help
them and their children make
informed decisions about their
investments and plan their fiscal
future.
The well-received Alliance
Expert Series continues to grow
since its inception two years ago.
The series features three financial
experts who participate in a
forum to discuss local and global
markets as well as investment

The finalists of the SME Innovation Challenge work on their assignments at one of
the training sessions.

Alliance Bank
believes that
awareness and
education are the
foundation on
which the success
of a nation and
its people stand
upon.
opportunities to the public.
To date, the bank has held more
than 26 Expert Series sessions in
various locations in Malaysia. The
annual Alliance Corporate Day,
hosted by Alliance Investment
Bank, avails insights from wellknown market players and
consultants for the benefit of its
institutional clients.
In strengthening its
commitment and partnership
with the small and medium
enterprises (SME) community,
Alliance Bank launched the
BizSmart Academy last year, a
first-of-its-kind holistic approach
combining business education,
coaching and funding for young
entrepreneurs.
The BizSmart Academy is the
banks 360o proposition to help
SMEs accelerate their businesses
through business support,
business networking, advisory
services as well as formal and
informal learning.
The online knowledge centre,
found on www.BizSmart.com.my,
features articles on marketing,
technology, branding, human
resource and much more to enable
businesses to grow profitably and
sustainably.
Existing customers can also
sign up for relevant business
seminars via the online site.
The BizSmart Academys
annual Young Entrepreneurs
Conference (YEC) is one of the
highlights of the young SME

segments calendar.
Commended for its relevance
and networking opportunities, the
TED talk-styled conference focuses
primarily on issues faced by young
Malaysian SMEs.
It features a well-balanced mix
of successful young and seasoned
entrepreneurs who share stories of
their SME journey.
This years YEC, held in Kuala
Lumpur in July, was a soldout event and featured seven
entrepreneurs as speakers.
The KL event was attended by
more than 1,000 participants.
During the YEC2014 in Kuala
Lumpur, the #bizsmartacademy
hashtag was one of the top 10
trending topics on Twitter from
the active online chatter of
YEC2014 delegates.
A smaller scale YEC2014 was
organised in Penang where 350
people attended. Perhaps the
most novel aspect of the BizSmart
Academy is the Banks SME
Innovation Challenge.
Launched in tandem with
the academy last year, the

challenge aims to nurture

the next generation of young
entrepreneurs who have been in
business for three years or less.
In its inaugural debut, the
challenge attracted more than
200 business submissions vying
for the RM250,000 cash prize and
a chance at learning from the best.
The 13 shortlisted finalists
were given Blue Ocean Strategy
coaching, mentoring by top
business leaders, and marketing
and branding opportunities.
At its Grand Finale in December
last year, Christy Ng Shoes was
named the winner of the Grand
Prize, with TBA Resources Sdn
Bhd (Textbook Asia) as the runnerup who received RM100,000.
This years SME Innovation
Challenge returned with a bigger
and bolder programme.
It attracted more than 480
entries from across the nation
from a diverse range of sectors
ranging from robotics, food and
beverage, e-commerce to medical
devices, green technology and
retail.
This is a strong indication of
the programme gaining traction
among young SMEs.
The learning programme was
enhanced with more practical
and relevant sessions with topics
such as lean marketing and talent
management.
Part of what motivated
finalists was the chance to spend
an afternoon with successful
entrepreneurs and hear their
stories in the chief executive
officer chatroom series.
Targeted media and branding
exposure arrangements are also
scheduled to promote finalists and
enhance their marketing strategy.
This years challenge features cash
prizes of up to RM600,000.
The bank also runs businessenhancing programmes such as
goods and sales (GST) workshops
and national budget seminars
as well as trade and foreign
exchange seminars all year round
for existing SME customers and
the wider business community.
Those interested in these
sessions can register at
www.BizSmart.com.my

Alliance Expert Series speakers and organisers at the August 2014 session. They
are (from left): Sim Lian Si, senior vice-president, head of investment and treasury
products, Alliance Bank; Aaron Loo, executive vice-president, head of group
consumer banking, Alliance Bank; Mohd Zayd Zainal Abidin, manager, enterprise
transformation, Bursa Malaysia; Sue Tang, senior vice-president, head of share
trading and investment lending, Alliance Bank; and Cheah King Yoong, vicepresident, equity research, AllianceDBS Research Sdn Bhd.

Sunday 16 November 2014

StarSpecial

4 CSR

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

Meeting commitments
by creating shared value
T

HE last 10 years have seen

more companies in Malaysia
dedicating a portion of their
resources towards CSR initiatives
to address their long-term
sustainability and future survival.
While the intentions of CSR
are noble, its critics argue that
shareholders invest in companies
for wealth creation and that
such activities utilise existing
resources and diminish returns to
shareholders.
Many approaches to CSR
pit businesses against society,
emphasising the costs and
limitations of compliance with
externally imposed social and
environmental standards.
CSR proponents counter by
stating that shareholders look at
long-term wealth creation and
that the sustainable development
of a company is critical to its
future survival arguing that the
sustainability of a company is
dependent on the sustainability
of the community it serves. This
is essentially the basis behind the
concept of Creating Shared Value
(CSV).
The central premise behind
CSV is that the competitiveness
of a company and the health of
the communities around it are
mutually dependent.

It acknowledges trade-offs
between short-term profitability
and social or environmental goals
but focuses on the opportunities
for competitive advantage from
building a social value proposition
into corporate strategy.
CSV is a main component of
Nestls business strategy in
fact, it is at the very core of its
existence and part of a legacy set
by its founder Henri Nestl.
Henri Nestl founded the
company in 1866 on the success of
a life-saving infant formula.
As a chemist and pharmacist,
he was aware of the high infant
mortality rates at the time but was
especially concerned about the
plight of a neighbours baby who
was unable to breastfeed.
He had already started work
on an infant formula and was able
to produce a viable powdered
milk product, which was easy to
prepare.
This was the beginning of a
legacy that has lasted until today.
Nestl aims to enhance the
quality of life of its consumers
by offering tastier and healthier
food and beverages, as well as
information and services to enable
them to make informed choices at
all stages of life.
Nestl is also investing in the

future health and wellness of

consumers through its network
of research centres the Nestl
Institute of Health Sciences
and the Nestl Health Science
business.
The company believes that
good nutrition plays an important
role in the health and wellness of
individuals and society.
To build a business capable
of both delivering superior
shareholder value and helping
people improve their nutrition,
health and wellness, CSV is the
approach Nestl takes for the
business as a whole.
In addition to nutrition, Nestl
also focusses on water, because
water scarcity is a very serious
issue in many parts of the world
and water is the linchpin of food
security.
Nestl also focuses on rural
development because the overall
well-being of farmers, rural
communities, small entrepreneurs
and suppliers is intrinsic to the
long-term success of its business.
n To view a video on CSV in
Malaysia, scan the QR code:

Preserving water and the environment

PROJECT RiLeaf is a
Kinabatangan riverside
reforestation and oil palm
sustainability initiative that
aims to create a landscape
where people, nature and
agriculture (oil palm) co-exist
harmoniously in their need for
water.
The initiative will see the
reforestation of 2,400ha of land
along the lower Kinabatangan
River and aims to create a
natural riverine buffer that
will help minimise the impact
of soil sedimentation and
chemical fertiliser run-offs.
This allows the river to

repair itself over the course of

time.
The reforestation is done
by actively involving the local
community within the area
to supply forest tree seedlings
and provide services for their
plantings as well.
Project RiLeaf also aims
to educate oil palm farmers
with small holdings along the
river to implement sustainable
agricultural practices in their
daily farming activities by using
natural fertilisers and pesticides,
reducing chemical usage and
applying more professional
procedures.

In November last year, Nestl

signed a collaborative agreement
with Sime Darby Foundation to
fund Project RiLeaf.
The two parties established
a mechanism that enables the
professional management of
funds and resources, which will
benefit the stakeholders within
the Kinabatangan Corridor of Life
landscape in Sabah.
So far, Nestl has planted more
than 220,000 trees along the
lower Kinabatangan River and
the first 36 oil palm farmers have
been audited and will be certified
under RSPO Group Certification
covering 136ha.

Tan Sri Datuk Seri Syed Zainol Anwar Jamalullail, Nestle Malaysia chairman (left),
and Alois Hofbauer, region head of Nestl Malaysia and Singapore, at one of the
contract chilli farms in Kelantan.

Rural development and

enriching communities
THE Nestl Chilli Club is a
collaboration between Nestls
Agricultural Services Department
and the Farmers Association
Boards. This collaboration has
been on-going since 1995 when
Nestl first started engaging with
farmers in Kelantan to produce
chillies for Maggi Chilli Sauce.
Aimed at improving yields
and quality of crops to meet
and comply with global
standards, field demonstrations
and agricultural training are
conducted to increase farmers
productivity, reduce farm costs,
minimise environmental impacts
and also enhance the work safety
of farmers.
The initiative is a classic
example of CSV as it alleviates

poverty by providing new income

opportunities and a sustainable
source of income for poor farmers
in the local community.
It also helps farmers improve
their yield and quality of crops to
meet global standards through
Good Agricultural Practices and
reduces the reliance on imports.
At the same time, it benefits
Nestl with locally sourced raw
material at a specified quality
and foreseeable price, maintain
stability of fresh supplies and
provide traceability.
The initiative was awarded
the Prime Ministers Award for
socio-economic development
and the Salam accreditation for
excellence in Malaysian farming
practices.

Reaching out and impacting lives

THE objective of the Nestl
Healthy Kids Global Programme
is to raise awareness on
nutrition, health and wellness,
and to promote physical activity
among school-going children
around the world.
The Healthy Kids programmes
are based on multi-partnership
approaches and Nestl works
with more than 250 partners
worldwide, including national
and local governments, NGOs,
nutrition health institutes and
sports federations.
In Malaysia, Nestl partners
with the Nutrition Society of
Malaysia and rolled out its local
Healthy Kids chapter in August
2010.
The Healthy Kids

Programme in Malaysia
entails the implementation
of two components that run
concurrently:
l Primary schools: The
Nestl Healthy Kids Programme
l Secondary schools:
Program Cara Hidup Sihat
(Healthy Lifestyle Programme)
The Nestl Healthy Kids
Programme is aimed at schoolgoing children, parents and
teachers. The programme
includes an awareness campaign
on nutrition and physical activity
that is done in an interactive
manner.
It also includes intervention
programmes that consist of
educational modules that focus

Since its launch in Malaysia in 2010, the

Nestle Healthy Kids Programme has
benefited more than 10,000 children in
the country.
on basic principles in healthy
eating and active living as well

as basic hygiene and disease

prevention.
The second phase of the
programme, in collaboration
with the Ministry of Education
and the Nutrition Society of
Malaysia, began this year and
will continue until 2016 in 77
day-boarding schools across
Sabah and Sarawak.
It will also include Trainthe-Trainer Workshops for the
teachers and engages with food
operators to impart knowledge
on basic nutrition, food safety
and hygiene, and tips and recipes
on easy, healthy meals.
The Program Cara Hidup Sihat
was launched in December
2012 in collaboration with
the Ministry of Education and

Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Aimed at enhancing the
knowledge and practice of
healthy and active lifestyles,
the three-year intervention
programme (2012 2014) is
targeted at lower secondary
school students from 100 dayboarding schools nationwide as
well as their teachers, wardens
and food operators who are
responsible for preparing and
serving meals on a daily basis.
Since its launch in Malaysia,
the Nestl Healthy Kids
Programme has benefited more
than 10,000 children in the
country.
n For more information, visit
www.healthykids.org.my

Sunday 16 November 2014

StarSpecial

6 CSR

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

HERE was a time not

too long ago when
taking part in corporate
social responsibility (CSR) set
corporations apart from their
competitors.
However, in the last few years
the spike in activities centring
around environmental concerns
and social responsibility has
caused a boost in CSR activities.
In fact, a company runs the risk of
losing appeal to stakeholders and
customers if it does not give back
to society.
When we think about CSR,
it is often associated with
philanthropy whether it is
volunteering, donating or taking
eco-conscious measures, it
involves the intention and act of
giving. Today, many companies
are moving further away from this
idea of CSR as charity.
First-hand experience from
entrepreneurs is changing the
common understanding of CSR
today.
It is no longer an annual
altruistic gesture but an
increasingly important
component of business strategy
that is being integrated into the
everyday running of several
corporations.
Recent research suggests
that more and more companies
are adopting CSR approaches
to help retain customers,
ensure efficiency and stimulate
innovation.
This has led to a paradigm
shift of sorts CSR can now be
viewed as an investment rather
than an expense, in a symbiotic
relationship between company
and community.

Engaging customers
and employees
Publicity stunts and green
washing (dissemination of
disinformation to present an
environmentally responsible
public image) have driven the
public to become increasingly
wary of the motive of corporate
social responsibility activities,
which places the onus back on
companies to start being truly
responsible.
By showing the community
that you are serious about
mitigating the adverse effects of
your business on the people or
environment, you are building a
bridge of trust and acceptance.
After all, a satisfied customer
tells three or four people while an
angry customer passes the bad
news on to 10 people.
Referrals by satisfied customers
can do wonders for the growth of
a company.
Retaining customers is just as
crucial as recruiting new ones,
and maintaining a solid client
base is more plausible when social
responsibility is exercised.
Global brand Nestl, for
example, recognises the
importance of firstly creating
long-term value for society
in order to do the same for
shareholders.
Through its Creating Shared
Value approach, Nestl focuses
on creating value for society in
three areas nutrition, water
and environment, and rural
development which have the
greatest potential and influence
for joint-value creation.
These areas are core to our
business and it is also where
we can contribute most to the
society, says Alois Hofbauer,
region head of Nestl Malaysia
and Singapore.

A mutually
beneficial responsibility
CSR is no longer
an annual
altruistic
gesture but an
increasingly
important
component of
business strategy
that is being
integrated into
the proceedings
of several
corporations.
One of its water and
environment efforts is Project
RiLeaf, a reforestation and palm
oil sustainability initiative in
collaboration with Sime Darby
Foundation.
The riverine vegetation
restoration efforts along the
lower Kinabatangan River unites
the needs of people, nature and
agriculture to demonstrate how
CSR can be an effort of mutual
interest and co-existence for all
stakeholders.
The project engages local
community members and oil palm
smallholders, strengthening the
relationship between the company
and the community it serves.
At the same time, Nestl is
able to do its part in protecting
the environment while building a
respectable corporate reputation
as a responsible member of the
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm
Oil.
Human capital development is
yet another return of CSR. Nestl,
for example, seeks to foster a
holistic approach to work with
its employees through promoting
social responsibility.
An important message is
conveyed to employees their
skills and contributions not only

benefit the company, but also

society as a whole.
Their jobs then start to have
a deeper meaning and become
more relatable on a human level. It
becomes less about a pay cheque
and more about working together
to accomplish something that
could create a positive change.
This builds character beyond
the workplace by allowing
employees to experience the full
impact of their participation in
the organisation while building
healthy corporate culture.
Corporate culture has a direct
impact on how individuals make
decisions affecting all aspects of
managing a corporation.
Ultimately, employees and
customers want to work with
a company they respect this
respect can only be earned if a
company acts with transparency
and responsibility.

Spearheading innovation
and sustainability
CSR is closely linked with
the principles of sustainable
development, calling on
corporations to consider the social
and environmental consequences
of their activities instead of
putting profit-making first.
Society expects companies
to be good corporate citizens
and with the expedient nature
of information transfer today,
are able to identify companies
that fail to address their social
responsibilities.
Businesses that create and
carry out effective CSR initiatives
are not just being philanthropic;
they are being smart.
With the increasing
significance of the people, planet,
profit triple bottom line, being
socially and environmentally
conscious is vital in todays
competitive climate.
Companies have found that
incorporating sustainable
measures in their business and
products spur innovation and end

up benefiting the company on a

larger scale while also reducing
costs by allowing them to operate
more efficiently.
Keeping affordability,
accessibility and social value in
mind when designing products
can result in a competitive
advantage for companies, proving
that sustainability is not merely
a buzzword but a viable business
strategy.
Customer feedback can also be
beneficial to product or service
improvement. Taking the needs
of lower income customers into
account can generate product
improvements, which could
benefit the target market as a
whole, yielding returns that profit
the company as well.
Companies may come across
various ways to improve their
offerings when processing
customer feedback and this
creates an avenue for innovation.
There are many ways of
practising social responsibility,
and companies that do it right are
able to benefit from the way it can
drive businesses forward.
Integrating green features into
products and services has long
been one of the more popular CSR
efforts but companies are now
exploring fresh ways to make their
businesses more environmentally
friendly.
Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific,
for example, has attempted
to considerably reduce its
carbon footprint by moving its
headquarters to a new green office
in Kuala Lumpur.
In order to continue our CSR
activities, we must be a strong
company from the financial
viewpoint as well, says Yoshio
Hanada, president of Fuji Xerox
Malaysia.
He acknowledges the symbiotic
nature of CSR, saying, Strong
CSR participation supports the
company in terms of brand
awareness and understanding
corporate attitude, while
improving financial results.

Maximising impact
to match needs
Tandemic is an enterprise
dedicated to innovation and
social change by engaging various
companies in building impactful
CSR strategies that address social
challenges.
Chief executive officer Kal
Joffres believes there are certain
approaches to maximising the
benefits of CSR to both company
and community.
The biggest impact happens
when a company adopts an
organisation for two to three
years getting to know them
and their challenges well and
implementing a whole set of
different projects to help them
grow, says Joffres. Companies
that focus their CSR initiatives
by investing for the long term
maximise potential impact on the
society they serve.
We need to move beyond
building good brand image as a
motivation for CSR, adds Joffres.
Instead, try to look for real
business benefits from doing
CSR. For example, a volunteering
opportunity can serve as team
building. A technology companys
prototyping workshops inspire
underprivileged teens to get into
electronics and they become
potential employees.
Companies have much to gain
from intelligently practising social
responsibility, which, considering
all the returns, is less of an
obligation and more of a smart
business move.
The best approach to CSR,
however, is still to give earnestly.
Joffres believes it all goes back to
the original intention.
These CSR initiatives cannot
be thinly veiled approaches to
selling products.
Instead, they need to be
grounded in the belief that if we
help people broadly, some of it
will come back to us.
>> TURN TO PAGE 7

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

CSR 7

Numerous ways to give back

C

ORPORATE social
responsibility encompasses
a three-fold bottom line that
involves people, planet and profit.
According to a 2013 report carried
out by the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology Sloan Management
Review on sustainability and
innovation, 70% of companies
across the US place sustainability
permanently on the top of their
management agenda.
Although providing aid to the
underprivileged is still one of
the most common CSR practices,
organisations have, over the
years, come up with creative and
innovative ways to carry out CSR
initiatives.
The main objective of any
business is to make money but for
this to happen, the business has
to interact with its employees, its
customers, suppliers and other
businesses.
CSR helps businesses maintain
good relationships, create a good
image and positive impact while
generating profit at the same time.
A good example is WPS Parking
Systems that is based in The
Netherlands. Quality, safety, the
environment, CSR and carbon
dioxide reduction are high on
the list of this international
organisation that offers parking
facility equipment as well
as maintenance and parking
management software and
services.
Carbon management, waste
reduction, and purchase and
supply of sustainable products are
all part of WPS Parking Systems
objectives and processes.

The organisation impacts the

communities where its offices are
based as it hires locals and also
offers charitable support.
KiKa, a Dutch foundation
for child cancer, is just one of
the many local charities that
have been supported by WPS
Parking Systems. In addition, the
organisation also donates its old
ICT systems to various charities.
Innovative CSR initiatives bring
great profits to an organisation, its
customers and the environment.
Consumer goods giant Unilever,
for example, invented a new
fabric conditioner that reduces the
amount of water needed to wash
clothes.
This product is especially useful
in countries where the supply of
water is scarce.
Unilevers Comfort One Rinse
fabric conditioner was released in
India and Cambodia before it was
introduced in Thailand, Vietnam,
Indonesia and the Philippines.
Comfort One Rinse products
recorded a total of 1.4 billion
washes in 28.7 million households
across the world in 2012. This was
a 66% increase compared to the
year 2010.
The Body Shop was one of the
first few organisations to publish
a full report on its CSR initiatives.
The late Dame Anita Roddick,
the Body Shops founder, was
an advocate for animal rights,
environmental protection,
community trade and human
rights.
This led to the setting up of The
Body Shops fair trade programme
and The Body Shop Foundation.

CSR helps
businesses maintain
good relationships,
create a good image
and positive impact
while generating
profit at the same
time.
Since 1989, The Body Shop
Foundation has been funding
various innovative charities. It has
also given funds to global projects
that are working towards social
and environmental change.

Giving back through sports

The 1Student 1Sport initiative
mooted by the Malaysian
government is an effective way
of encouraging organisations to
embrace sports as an effective
medium of CSR.
Organisations may sponsor
equipment that schools or
community teams require to
practise and play competitively.
The Sony Corporation used
football as a medium to spread
HIV/AIDS awareness in Cameroon
and Ghana, where the game is a
favourite among the locals.
During the 2010 South Africa
World Cup, Sony sponsored
screens for the matches to be
televised publicly.
The organisation knew that
these screens would attract
large crowds and made use of
this opportunity to air HIV/AIDS

awareness campaigns before and

after each match.
Sony reported that about 4,800
people out of the 24,000 people
who were present had themselves
tested for HIV. This number
exceeded its intended target of
1,800 by more than twice.

Initiatives to benefit local

communities
There are many companies
that endeavor to educate local
communities on specific issues
while others choose to start with
the grassroots.
An example of this is the
CSR initiative carried out by
Dominos Pizza Malaysia. The
pizza giant carries out the
Dominos Supports Schools
Programme that supplements
the Malaysian education system
through academic or co-curricular
activities and sponsorships.
The key features of the
programme are:
l Education seminars These
seminars were conceptualised
to help students enhance their
academic skills and also in their
co-curricular activities as wellrounded students stand better
chances at getting employed.
l Help-The-Needy-Programme
This programme helps schools
that are located within proximity
to Dominos Pizza outlets to
receive funds for students who are
financially underprivileged.
l Fundraising Incentive Scheme
This scheme is the latest
addition to Dominos Supports
Schools Programme. The scheme

provides incentives to schools that

participate actively in Dominos
fundraising projects. Dominos
will reward the top three schools
that raise the most funds at the
year. The coordinating teachers
at these schools will also be
rewarded.
l Annual Charity Drive
Dominos visits various charitable
organisations during festive
seasons to bring cheer and joy to
the needy and the less fortunate.
This also helps foster closer
ties between Dominos and the
community.
Malaysias premier postal
service provider Pos Malaysia
focuses its CSR policy based on
a two-pronged approach that
aims to bring value to both the
community and the nation. The
first part of its two-pronged
approach is enhancing education.
Through this approach,
Pos Malaysia intends to
contribute towards activities
that support nation building,
especially in enhancing human
capital development for the
underprivileged.
The second part of the
approach is to enrich communities
where it seeks to promote
commerce and entrepreneurship
in communities, especially in the
rural areas.
The many innovative ways of
carrying out CSR initiatives have
brought about greater change in
many communities across the
world.
We can certainly expect to see
more innovative and unique CSR
initiatives in the years to come.

>> FROM PAGE 6

Starting small towards a greater goal

He goes on to elaborate that
corporate team building activities
should be conducted regularly as
it takes more than one-off events
to build a great culture within the
organisation.
Consistency and continuity
is important in working with
NGOs. Joffres explains that this
is because when NGOs train
volunteers or set up events, it
is an investment on their part
that usually only breaks even

CSR initiatives for

small and medium
enterprises (SME)
may require
different strategic
decisions but
should be practiced
nevertheless.

if volunteers come back to

contribute several times.
It is also crucial to pay attention
to the most pressing needs of the
community being supported and
identify which segment needs
contributions the most.
CSR practitioners can utilise
platforms such as Hati (www.hati.
my), the largest open database of
non-governmental organisations
in Malaysia, to identify those most
in need of benefaction.

Finding strength in differences

WHILE corporate social
responsibility (CSR) is not
the panacea for all corporate
challenges, its returns help
in moving towards a more
sustainable business and economy
as a whole.
CSR initiatives for small and
medium enterprises (SME)
may require different strategic
decisions but should be practised
nevertheless. SMEs can get
involved in supporting nongovernmental organisations
(NGOs), many of which are in need

of volunteers, not just donations.

The investment of time and
energy is more feasible for a
smaller organisation that cannot
set a separate budget for CSR due
to insufficient resources.
It is hard to afford team
building retreats as a SME, says
Kal Joffres, chief executive officer
of Tandemic, which is an SME.
Instead, consider doing joint
volunteering outings with an
organisation on a regular basis as
it can really help bring the team
together.

SMEs have fewer resources than

larger companies. The latter are
generally more motivated to
carry out CSR activities due to
proven benefits to reputation
and brand awareness.
However, this does not
mean SMEs cannot fulfil their
social responsibility. In fact,
they should leverage on their
differences to leave their own
unique mark on society. Here
are a couple of ways SMEs can
do this:

l Raise awareness of ways

in which the company is
already fulfilling its social
responsibility Smaller
enterprises, especially start-ups,
often have some societal need

in mind that to which they are

seeking to cater.
William Lever, for example,
simply aimed to make a soap
that would make cleanliness
more commonplace when he
started the consumer goods
company now known as
Unilever.
Aligning CSR measures with
the companys vision will prove
to be more effective as social
responsibility will take on an
important meaning within
the organisation, which it then
echoes to its target market.
l Forge ties to relate with
communities on a personal
level Given their size, SMEs
tend to consist of a closer-knit

group of employees likely

to know each other and the
management.
This dynamic can be
beneficial externally as well.
This meant that SMEs can be
more deeply involved with their
local communities.
They contribute in terms
of employment and rely on
business relationships with
customers and suppliers within
the community. Given this
interconnectedness, SMEs can
invest in the local community
to a much greater extent than
larger companies although
the reach may be limited,
they have the potential to
create greater changes within
that circle.

8 CSR

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

Inspiring hope through education

T

AN Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, AO,

founder and chairman of
Sunway Group, believes that
education brings out the best in
people. Quoting Nelson Mandela,
he says, Education is the most
powerful weapon you can use to
change the world.
Working in tandem with these
principles, the Jeffrey Cheah
Foundation (JCF), formerly known
as the Sunway Education Trust
Fund, was established in 1997.
Today it is Malaysias largest
education-focused social
enterprise and the first of its kind
in the country within the private
higher education field.
JCF owns and governs the
Sunway Education amalgam
of 12 learning institutions,
including Sunway University,
Monash University Malaysia,
Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine
and Health Sciences, Sunway
Colleges, Sunway TES and Sunway
International School.
JCF aims to safeguard these
institutions by ensuring the
assets and operating surpluses are
used to perpetuate the cause of
providing and sustaining quality
education.
The operating surpluses from
the business are reinvested
into Sunway Education for
scholarships, grants, research and
development, and expansion of
faculty and facilities.
JCF has disbursed in excess of
RM165mil in scholarships to more
than 20,000 deserving students
to date.

Opportunities aplenty
JCF is designed to help
marginalised and disadvantaged
students in accessing quality
higher education while moulding
them into dynamic leaders and
innovators.
The award is given to students
who have excelled academically
in school and are looking to obtain
an undergraduate degree from an
accredited institution of higher
learning.
Scholarships offered under
Sunway Education include
the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation
Community Scholarship, Jeffrey
Cheah Foundation-Sunway Group
Scholarship and Sunway Talent
Scholarships.
The Community Scholarship is
open for students 18 to 25 years
old from child welfare homes,
non-governmental organisations

(From left): Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, AO, Jeffrey Cheah Foundation founding trustee; Tan Sri Datuk Muhyiddin Mohamad Yassin,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education; Henry Lee Min Rong, JCFs outstanding scholar who was given the opportunity
to pursue a four-year masters degree in engineering science at University of Oxford; and Liew Ziqing, the first Jeffrey Cheah
Foundation scholar to pursue a four-year masters degree in engineering at University of Cambridge.
or poor communities.
This award provides an
opportunity for underprivileged
young Malaysians to pursue
higher education on par with their
peers.
The JCF-Sunway Group
Scholarship is offered to promising
students in recognising and
rewarding their efforts and
achievements.
Sunway Talent Scholarships
on the other hand, recognise
co-curricular talents by offering
students a chance to undertake
university studies that suit their
learning abilities and interests.
It is open to students with
outstanding achievement in
sports and music who have
been successful in their chosen
discipline at state and national
levels thereby encouraging a
holistic education.
Besides scholarships for
outstanding students, there
are also several collaborative
initiatives with local media
entities and separate awards
available to Monash University
Malaysia students. Monash
University Malaysia is jointly
owned by JCF and Monash
University Australia.
Undergraduate, postgraduate
and research students stand a
chance to receive scholarships to
aid their pursuit of quality tertiary
education.
JCF takes its educational

Education is a
powerful lifetransforming
enabler, and it
acts as a tool to
enrich and improve
lives.
TAN SRI DR JEFFREY CHEAH, AO
corporate social responsibility
initiative one step further by
establishing ties with prestigious
foreign universities such as
Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford,
enabling a two-way flow of
scholars and researchers between
these institutions and Malaysia in
an effort to promote educational
advancement and excellence in
the region.
Sunway also offers reputable
programmes in partnership with
world-class institutions such as Le
Cordon Bleu, Lancaster University
and Victoria University.
The group aims to change
the landscape of education in
the country having pioneered
twinning programmes to propel
deserving scholars to the global
stage.

Community building
The foundation represents the

vision and passion of its founding

trustee Dr Cheah in improving the
lives of bright Malaysian students.
As a non-profit organisation,
it seeks to establish a timeless
commitment to benefit future
generations while holding true
to one of its founding principles Giving to Society.
Apart from the scholarships,
Sunway Group has also been
actively involved in the
improvement of several schools in
the Klang Valley.
Together with the Jeffrey Cheah
Foundation, the group has donated
more than RM13mil towards six
schools to fund restoration works
and improve the environment for
students.
These schools are SMK Bandar
Sunway, SK Bandar Sunway, SJK
(C) Chee Wen, SMJK (C) Yuk Choy
Perak, SK Convent Klang and SJK
(C) Gunung Hijau.
Sunway Group also funded SMK
Bandar Sunways special education
class (Kelas Khas), which was
established for students with
learning disabilities.
Subsequently, Sunway together
with JCF, have been involved in
collaborations benefiting special
and underprivileged students
from various non-profit and nongovernmental organisations.
This reaffirms the groups
efforts in corporate social
responsibility under its education
pillar.

Another successful educational

initiative was the nationwide
inaugural Sunway-Oxbridge Essay
Competition 2014, which saw
2,000 entries from secondary
schools around the country.
The group has also set health
care goals for Sunway-owned
buildings within Sunway Resort
City to be completely smoke free
by 2018.
In light of this effort, Sunway
supported the Blue Ribbon
Campaign last year to promote
awareness of the benefits of a
smoke-free environment.
Sunway Medical Centre,
Sunway University and Monash
University of Malaysia were
among the first 16 establishments
to be awarded the Blue Ribbon
Certificate in recognition of the
successful implementation of
smoke-free policies.
Sunway Group also strongly
engages in its Community Aid,
Reach-out and Enrichment
(C.A.R.E.) projects, including
building an elevated Bus Rapid
Transit-Sunway Line, an elevated
covered canopy walk and road
widening works to ease traffic
flow in Bandar Sunway, USJ and
Subang Jaya.

Greater good
Sunway Group believes in the
importance of nurturing wellrounded students by providing an
avenue of holistic learning.
At Sunways institutions,
students are exposed to a wide
range of clubs, societies and sports
that provide an extra edge to
students who seek knowledge and
experience in diverse fields.
Coupled with world-class
academia, students are primed
for a rewarding experience, which
will equip them for the future.
Guided by the philosophy of
giving, graduates are nurtured to
be socially-conscious individuals.
JCFs philanthropic efforts
are structured in perpetuity to
advance educational pursuits.
Through this foundation,
Sunway Education has conducted
substantial community works
by adopting a proactive role
in promoting and developing
sustainability, and continues to
do so until today.
n For more information, visit
www.jeffreycheahfoundation.
org.my or www.sunway.edu.my/
university/scholarships

Cultivating budding talents

Sunway Job Training Programme graduation ceremony.

EDUCATION is a powerful lifetransforming enabler, and it acts

as a tool to enrich and improve
lives, says Dr Cheah. It is in this
spirit that the foundation seeks
to develop young Malaysians
of great potential into leading
members of society in their
own right.
Throughout the years,
Sunway Group has played a
pivotal part in assisting young
Malaysians to greater heights
in education. Sunway A-Levels
students Henry Lee Min Rong
and Liew ZiQing performed
exceptionally well in their
programmes at Sunway College.

This year, Lee was presented

with the annually awarded
Jeffrey Cheah FoundationSunway Group Scholarship and
is now pursuing his masters
degree in engineering science at
University of Oxford.
Last year, Liew fulfilled his
dream to study at University
of Cambridge and is currently
pursuing a four-year masters
degree in engineering.
A former recipient of the
Community Scholarship,
Jagadesan C. Mohan, is today
the owner and manager of
Mitra IT Solutions, an official
partner of Microsoft.

Jagadesan pursued his

undergraduate studies in
Bachelor in Information
Technology at Sunway
University and went on to
complete his MBA.
Another exceptional
recipient of the Community
Scholarship is Azerena Nediba
Zainal Abidin who graduated
with a Diploma in Hospitality
and Tourism Management in
2009.
She currently serves in the
Housekeeping Department at
Casuarina Meru Hotel, Ipoh, and
contributes in her own way to
her Semai tribe community.

Sunday 16 November 2014

StarSpecial

10 CSR

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

Broadband champion in nation building

A

S Malaysias leading
telecommunications service
provider and broadband
champion, Telekom Malaysia
Berhad (TM) continues to play
a pivotal role in nation building
and its business and services have
made a positive impact, touching
the lives of communities and all
Malaysians that it serves.
TM is committed to creating
sustainable value for all its
stakeholders and in support of the
governments vision of nurturing a
knowledge-rich and skilled nation,
pays particular attention to its role
in helping to develop the nations
human capital through ICT,
innovation and entrepreneurship.

Joint Organising Committee.

This year, TM initiated a
G-FiWi 2 project to integrate both
uplink and downlink systems
for better project demonstration
and improve current wireless
transmission distance.
The project will also
demonstrate a bi-directional
40GHz ROF system with a single
optical fibre. The new prototype
will boast wireless Internet
browsing capability, which is
desirable due to vast bandwidth
capacity of the hybrid wirelessoptical link.
G-FiWi 2 is expected to have
greater potential applications as a
result of point-to-multipoint and
multi-service activities providing
more connectivity for future
high-speed wireless distribution
systems.

The TM Earth Camp

aims to create
environmentel
awareness among
school students.

Empowerment and equality

TM is an equal opportunity
employer. Its non-discrimination
policy covers ethnicity, gender and
disability. The principles of equal
opportunity and the empowering
of women is reflected within and
outside TM.
This can be seen with the
setting up of Tiaranita, an
organisation for female employees
and wives of TM staff, which aims
to enrich the lives of its members
and their families.
The organisations main
objectives include cultivating
the spirit of muhibbah (harmony)
among its members who are from
different races and backgrounds.
It also aims to increase the
knowledge and develop the
skills of members through selfmotivation programmes, talks,
seminars and courses.
Tiaranita began with only 50
members when it was first formed
in July 1992 and currently has
almost 3,000 members.
Since 2009, TM has also been
conducting an empowerment
programme that focuses on single
mothers. Program Sejahtera helps
single mothers be financially
independent and provide for their
families.
TM provides small grants to
help them establish their own
businesses to supplement their
income. Single mothers under
this programme have been
sent for courses to gain new
or additional vocational and
entrepreneurial skills in tailoring,
baking, ICT, financial literacy and
management.
At the workshops, these
women are also exposed to
networking and business
opportunities.
A total of RM20,000 in cash and
in kind has been allocated for each
family to help them operate their

Greener footprints

businesses based on their skills

and interests.
Their business premises have
also been enhanced to further
facilitate the development of their
business.
In addition, qualified children
from these families are enrolled
into either Multimedia College or
Multimedia University, both fully
owned subsidiaries of TM,
to further their studies.

A big thank you to TM

for its continuous support
and contributions to me
and my family. The skills
that I have gained have
given me confidence to be
independent and support
my family. I am humbled
and thankful for the bread
mixer contributed by TM,
which has helped improve
my cookie business.
Siti Kartini Ismail

Creative thinking
TM is collaborating with
Sasbadi Sdn Bhd on its new
initiative TMs Robotics
Programme under TMs Pintar
Programme.
Robotics is one of the
co-curricular activities under
the Ministry of Education and
it encourages students to be
creative and innovative through
experiential learning with the
Each TM Earth Camp
is held at six zones
across the nation.

TMs Robotics Programme encourages creativity and innovation.

added elements of fun and
interactivity.
This programme runs in
tandem with the governments
efforts of transforming
the education system in a
comprehensive and systematic
manner based on the Education
Development Plan 2013-2025.
Four of TMs adopted
schools that participated in this
programme were:
l SMK Chenderiang, Perak
l SMK Munshi Abdullah, Selangor
l SMK Orang Kaya Haji, Pahang
l SBPI Tun Abdul Razak, Pahang
In this programme, students
were required to design, build and
programme an innovative robot
with functionality that would
compete under specific situations.
Higher-order thinking, creativity
and various strategies were
employed throughout the process.
TM hopes to help these
students become science and
technology leaders and be
more well-rounded individuals
by enhancing their selfconfidence and improving their
communication and leadership
skills.

Innovation
TMs continuous investment
in customer and supplier-related
ecosystems helps the organisation
deliver exceptional customer
experience.
TM is always willing to go a
step further for its customers and
has created an exciting and lively
marketplace while providing
compelling and relevant lifestyle

TM is committed
to enriching
the lives of its
stakeholders and
building Malaysias
human capital,
in support of the
governments
vision of nurturing
a knowledge-rich
and skilled nation.
and business communication
services.
The Radio over Fibre (ROF)
technology, G-FiWi, is an
alternative access network
technology. It has the potential
to support faster network
deployment at a lower cost,
especially in challenging
geographical environments.
TM R&D, a wholly owned
subsidiary of TM, has completed
the proof of concept by
transmitting triple-play content
at a minimum speed of 500Mbps.
TM R&D has been successful in
patenting this technology.
G-FiWi also received the
merit award for Best Research &
Development at the 2013 MSC
Asia Pacific ICT Awards. This led
to TM R&Ds accreditation with
an Order of Merit in material
engineering at the World Inventor
Award Festival (WIAF) 2013,
which was recognised by the High
Commission of the 2013 WIAF

For the past five years, TM has

collaborated with the Malaysian
Nature Society to organise TM
Earth Camp, a three-day nature
camp to create awareness
of environmental issues and
Malaysias rich biodiversity.
The camp allows school
students across the nation to
appreciate nature through real-life
experiences in the hope that they
will spread this knowledge
to their peers.
Each camp is held at six
zones nationwide and features a
prominent theme such as earth,
water, air, fire and community,
which represent vital components
of the environment.
Activities at the camp include
campaigns on habitat protection,
water testing, climate change
awareness, nature crafts and
local community engagements.
Since its inception, the camp
has benefitted more than 5,278
individuals, including 560
students, 90 teachers, 55 TM
volunteers and their children, and
600 local community members in
each camp.
Last year, the cross-zone
concept was introduced allowing
participants in the northern zone
to explore differences in the flora
and fauna in the central zone.
The involvement of government
agencies such as the Ministry of
Education, Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment, and
the Sabah Forestry Department,
as well as other organisations add
value to the camps, which have
grown tremendously over the
years.
A big thank you to
TM for giving me the
opportunity to be part of
TM Earth Camp Borneo
zone. It was a valuable
experience for me as it
made me appreciate nature
and especially the beautiful
biodiversity of our
country. I really enjoyed
the programme and I
look forward to joining it
again in the near future.
Onamery Benjamin
Yanggau, student,
Sekolah Menengah St
Michael, Penampang

Sunday 16 November 2014

StarSpecial 11

12 CSR

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

Developing CEOs of tomorrow

W

HEN the Axiata Young

Talent Programme (AYTP)
was established, the
organisation wanted to focus
specifically on nurturing talented
young individuals to become the
CEOs of tomorrow.
Our philosophy is to extend
the talent management work
that we do in Axiata to create a
sustainable leadership pipeline
for the benefit of the society our
businesses are in, says Datin
Badrunnisa Mohd Yasin Khan,
group chief talent officer at
Axiata Group Berhad.
Based on Axiatas strength
in talent management, AYTP
presents students with the chance
to obtain a holistic leadership
development programmme
that complements conventional
schooling curriculum and
methods.
We feel that if we do not
prepare the young before they
enter the workforce, then certain
educational opportunities are
lost, she continues.
The opportunities that
Badrunnisa refers to are personal
and leadership skills that will
assist the youth in their pursuit
of becoming top-notch corporate
leaders.
By building the essential values,
attitudes and competencies,
students who are part of AYTP
would be more well-prepared to
be future CEOs for the nation.
In order to ensure that
promising students have the
chance to develop such skills,
the Ax-Factor curriculum was
developed under AYTP.
Ax-Factor is offered at three
tracks the National Secondary
School Programme, the PreUniversity Programme and
the University Leadership
Development Programme each
focusing on students at different
academic stages.
For the National Secondary
School Programme and the
Pre-University Programme,
Axiata collaborates with partner
schools and colleges to seek out
students who will be part of the
programme.
The duration of the programme
is more than five years for the
secondary school programme and
more than one year for the preuniversity programme.
The university programme
is based on an open application

Participants of the Axiata Young Talent Program are thrown into real-life situations to improve their ability to think on their feet.

If we are a country
that aspires to be
a major economic
player and do
businesses on
a regional and
international scale,
we definitely need
competent CEOs.
That is the reason
we are reaching out
to the students to
develop the talent
pipeline even when
our future CEOs are
still in school.
DATIN BADRUNNISA
where the residential University
Leadership Development
Programme is delivered over
two weeks during the summer
holidays.
We select academically sound
students with leadership potential
based on evidence of them having
exercised leadership capabilities
in school. We then develop them

(From left:) Benjamin Ooi Tien Wei, Ain Nurfitrah Aidrul Hisham and Divya Darshini
Sivanandan have benefited from AYTP.

further in their leadership journey

through AYTP, says Badrunnisa.
The premise of Ax-Factor lies
upon the principles of emotional
intelligence, which emphasises
managing oneself before leading
others effectively.
The programme is designed
based on self-directed and active
learning, progressive deepening
of competencies, problem-based
and experiential learning, learning
through social interactions,
integration with academic
programme and structured
assessment and evaluation.
The students in this
programme are in their formative
years and are more eager to
learn making them the right
target age group that is receptive
towards this tailor-made
approach.
Young adults who enter
the workforce upon graduation
may have already formed their
attitude and motivation. If we
start younger, it is easier to create
the right mind-set to start on their
leadership journey, she says.
Axiata has been consistently
implementing and improving the
programme for the benefit of the
students.
The organisation recently held
an Ax-Factor workshop for its
Form 3 students that encouraged
them to apply the learnings from
past workshops through a series

Datin Badrunnisa believes the AYTP

helps nurture young individuals to be
CEOs of tomorrow.
of fun and challenging activities of
a grand finale.
The workshop focuses
on developing leadership
competencies, communication,
critical thinking, creativity as well
as attitude.
I know by developing these
focus areas, I can be a better
corporate leader in the future,
says participant Ain Nurfitrah
Aidrul Hisham.
Another participant, Divya
Darshini Sivanandan, concurs and
adds: The objectives of what I

Alicia Tan Yen Fern (left) and Mohd Akram Mohd Yusof gained valuable experience
through the University Leadership Development Programme.

want to achieve definitely revolves

around the competencies.
Before this I was not a good
communicator but after having
gone through the programme, I
am getting better.
I was an over-confident
person before enrolling in this
programme. After I joined AYTP, I
learnt not just to be humble but to
cooperate and be more inclusive,
shares Benjamin Ooi Tien Wei,
one of the participants of the
workshop.
Themed Putting Yourself in
Others Shoes, the workshop for
the Form 3 year group utilised
The Hunger Games concept that
is currently popular among the
youth.
Besides the recent workshop,
the curriculum includes an array
of activities including critical and
creative thinking workshops,
public speaking and community
services.
AYTP was established in 2011
as a leadership development
programme but was restricted to
Axiatas own scholars.
It was only last year that the
programme was offered on a
stand-alone mode to a much
bigger audience.
This is to ensure that the
organisations pledge of RM100mil
over 10 years will reach more
students, thus creating more
impact. Only in its fourth year,
the AYTP has benefited about 470
students across the three tracks.
The aim is to reach 2,100 students
in 10 years.
The programme has indeed set
new standards for building young
leaders to do more and be more
open to develop their potential to
lead the nation in the future.
Mohd Akram Mohd Yusof,
an undergraduate student from
Universiti Tenaga Nasional, says:
Theres a saying if you want to
go fast, you go alone; but if you
want to go far, work as a team.
That is what the programme has
taught me.
Another student from Monash
University Malaysia shares a
similar view.
The programme not only
helped me to discover myself but
also the people around me. We
formed valuable friendships in our
own little family, shares Alicia
Tan Yen Fern.
Axiata stops at nothing to
deliver the students with the
best. The organisations talent
management programme within
the organisation also provides
the students with a unique
mentorship experience.
The organisations employees
who are enrolled in the talent
management programme have
the opportunity to coach and
nurture the younger students in
AYTP a win-win situation
that develops the leadership skills
of Axiatas employees as well as
providing the students with role
models to look up to.
If we are a country that aspires
to be a major economic player and
do businesses on a regional and
international scale, we definitely
need competent CEOs.
That is the reason we are
reaching out to the students to
develop the talent pipeline even
when our future CEOs are still in
school, says Badrunnisa.

Sunday 16 November 2014

StarSpecial 13

14 CSR

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

ECENTLY, an online video

featuring labourers in the
United Arab Emirates using
a special phone booth to make an
international phone call to their
families went viral.
The Coca-Cola advertisement
showcased the beverage
companys Hello Happiness Phone
Booth that accepted Coca-Cola
bottle caps instead of coins to
make a free three-minute phone
call to help foreign workers to
connect with their loved ones
back home more often.
Similarly, in the spirit of
fighting against breast cancer,
sporting apparel company Puma
pledged to donate 100% of profits
from the sale of its Project Pink
gear as well as US$1 (RM3.20)
for every project pink hashtag on
Twitter and Instagram to support
breast cancer research.
These are only two of many
instances when companies are
embracing social media and the
Internet to deliver their social
responsibility messages and CSR
campaigns.
Indeed, social media has
played an important role in many
successful social responsibility
programmes in recent years.
Two decades ago, the Internet
was a new way to gain access to
information that would have been
unreachable before.
The number of Internet users
at the turn of this century was
360 million and 14 years later
this year the latest statistics
by Internet World Stats showed
a 676.3% growth to 2.8 billion
Internet users.
As the content on the Internet
grows, Internet users are no
longer interested in being flooded
with information and advertising.
Users are now more interested in
social interactions and above all,
proactive actions.
On top of that, social media
users are far more outspoken
and influential towards business
ethics than ever before.
When consumers are
dissatisfied with a companys
performance on social or
environmental issues, they create
online pressure through social
media which makes the reaction
immediate, inerasable and most of
all, publicly accessible.
This also makes it difficult for
companies to ignore any public
feedback.
One recent example of how
businesses moved into more
sustainable and ethical practices
due to social media influence was
when fashion retailers banded
together to create a safety plan
to improve working conditions in
Bangladeshi factories.
The incident that took place
last year was a result of a social
media outcry after disaster
struck when a Bangladeshi
garment factory collapsed,
killing more than 1,000 workers.
Consequently, H&M, Zara, Gap
and Abercrombie & Fitch endorsed
an agreement to practise public
accountability, mandatory repairs
and renovations to improve and
ensure factory safety.

Virtual presence is critical

Receptive organisations
that provide and respond
to engagements through
social media are effectively
creating value in customer
communication.
The possibility of influencing
a sustainable lifestyle is great
when one considers the potential
communities that these

Companies are
embracing social
media and the Internet
to deliver their CSR
messages.

Social media shapes

CSR strategies
organisations can reach via the
World Wide Web.
Take into account several
well-known brands presence on
Facebook, for example. H&M and
Zara have more than 20 million
fans each while Starbucks (38
million), Dove (24 million) and
Coca-Cola (90 million) also have a
sizeable share of online audience.
Interestingly, some chief
executive officers have far more
fans and followers than their
companies.

Tools to make or break

Richard Branson, for instance,
has more than 4.5 million Twitter
followers, compared to Virgin
Groups 164,000 followers; while
Dell (404,000) has less than half of
Michael Dells followers (864,000).
These companies know that
their consumers are observing
every business decision and will
not hesitate to hold their leaders
accountable for each move.
Thus transparency and
immediacy in disseminating
information become a huge factor
in the likeability and success of
brands.
One business leader who was
taken to task for his social media
faux pas was Abercrombie &
Fitchs CEO Mike Jeffries.
In a 2006 online video that
eventually went viral last year,
Jeffries stated that the brand was
meant only for cool kids and that
it was exclusionary implying
that the company did not cater to
fat or ugly people.
This was said despite the

Social media
has played
an important
role in many
successful social
responsibility
programmes in
recent years.
Two decades
ago, the Internet
was a new way
to gain access
to information
that would have
been unreachable
before.
companys touted philosophy that
purportedly embraces diversity
and inclusion.
After a huge public outcry,
Jeffries eventually issued a formal
apology but the damage was done.
The company still suffered
losses in profits and its reputation
suffered among its target
consumer group of those aged
between 18 and 34.
Share price for the brand
dropped by 40% last year.
On the other hand, one of
the earliest and most successful
companies that had improved
consumer awareness of its
products is Unilever, which,
through its Dove brand, tackled

societal issues related to body

image and self-esteem with the
Real Beauty campaign.
Partly entertaining and
partly provoking, the series of
advertisements it put out is a
good example of delivering a CSR
message in a way that consumers
can relate to and embrace warmly.
There were also instances
where a company shows another
how online-based CSR should be
done such as the case with the
2010 Gulf oil disaster.
Oil and gas company BP, that
was responsible for the oil spill,
experienced severe backlash on
social media that included antilogo competitions and online
protests, resulting in a 50% drop of
its share prices in just two months.
Instead of admitting its
mistake and cleaning up the
mess it created, BP went with
the traditional route of defensive
communication and took
more interest in polishing its
unsalvageable reputation.
Pepsi, on the other hand, saw
a missed opportunity and kickstarted the Refresh campaign
that invited people to vote for
the best solutions to aid in the oil
spill clean-up, offering US$1.3mil
(RM4.1mil) for the effort.

Online engagement
matters
Social media is a relatively new
medium for businesses to reach
out to its consumers, potential
consumers as well as the society at
large. Some businesses are doing it
well, while others are still playing

catch up.
Regardless, social media is a
critical communication medium.
With this medium, companies
will need to not just improve their
business procedures, supplies and
products but they will also need
to meet the expectations and
behaviours of their consumers
that demand fair business
practices.
Yet, despite the growing
concern for social and
environmental issues that
further spur the interest in CSR
activities, 63% of respondents
in a 2012 CSRWire study said
that they do not know where
to find information regarding a
companys CSR efforts.
Furthermore, 55% of them
also claimed that they do not
understand the impact of buying
socially responsible products.
Evidently, there is clearly still a
lot of grounds for organisations to
cover to ensure that the message
of their CSR campaigns reach their
audience clearly and effectively.
Utilising social media as a
communication platform will
allow companies to engage with
a following of online users on a
more personal level, allow realtime performance monitoring and
share CSR-related information
concisely.
Social media is here to stay
as the new frontier in business
communication but unlike
traditional communication tools,
this is the one that consumers
use to discuss brands openly and
one the world pays instantaneous
attention to.

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

CSR 15

The sustainability journey

C

ORPORATE social
responsibility has been part
of the long history of Fuji
Xerox and is deeply ingrained into
its DNA and culture.
Joseph C. Wilson, founder of
Xerox Corporation, describes
Xeroxs corporate value and
business domain, Our value is
creating better understanding
among men. Our business
domain is promoting better
communication.
Former chairman of Fuji
Xerox Yotaro Kobayashi says,
Companies exist to serve society
and contribute to creating a better
society.
Kobayashi also established the
good company concept. Fuji
Xerox would be strong company
for shareholders, a kind company
for local communities and future
generations, and an interesting
or exciting company for its
employees.
These principals were
established 34 years ago and since
then all subsequent presidents
have set the same tone from the
top.
Tadahito Yamamoto, current
president of Fuji Xerox, teaches
the leaders and managers of the
company that CSR at Fuji Xerox
is synonymous with corporate
management and hence, they
aspire to live it out in every aspect
of the business on a daily basis.
Fuji Xeroxs journey started
in 1960 when there was a need

Fuji Xeroxs green office aims to reduce its environmental footprint.

to conserve paper. In 1969, the
company obtained its first doublesided copier.
In 1995, Fuji Xerox started
recycling parts and consumables
and in 2000, it had achieved its
zero-landfill objective.
In 2004, it built its integrated
recycling plant in Thailand and
for the past three years, Fuji
Xerox Malaysia has shipped 218
40ft (12m) containers of used
supplies and trade-in machines
to Fuji Xerox Eco Manufacturing,
Thailand.
Earlier this year, Fuji Xerox

Companies exist
to serve society
and contribute to
creating a better
society.
YOTARO KOBAYASHI
Malaysia launched its first
Sustainability Report 2013 and the
journey continues.
Fuji Xerox Malaysia continues
to embark on its CSR journey by

practising Genko itchi. Genko itchi

is the Japanese term for unity of
word and deed.
In other words, there is a need
to walk the talk. Just as Fuji Xerox
Malaysia helps its customers
improve their productivity and
efficiency, the same must also be
reflected in its own operations.
In the spirit of genko itchi,
Fuji Xerox Malaysia is building
new solutions for its internal
stakeholders to improve work
flow.
The new green office
established in Kuala Lumpur city

centre has helped Fuji Xerox

Malaysia reduce its environmental
footprint considerably and strives
to encourage further reductions in
carbon and paper use.
Sustainability is a journey that
needs to be undertaken by asking
ourselves what the ultimate
purpose is and setting that as an
end-goal with defined milestones
to get there.
We should still strive to attain
the ultimate goal by narrowing
the gap year by year and people
are at the core of making this
journey successful.

16 CSR

StarSpecial, Sunday 16 November 2014

Aid along the path less taken

T

HERE are numerous

charitable foundations
all over the world whose
business is to provide some kind
of assistance monetary or
otherwise to those that need it.
These foundations come
in two forms the non-profit
organisation and the private
foundation that is set up by an
individual, a family or a group of
individuals.
In lay terms, there is really not
much difference between the
two except who founded them
and certain legal and reporting
requirements.
Private foundations are also
actually non-profit, with their
funds managed by their own
directors or trustees.
These foundations usually do
not request funds from the public;
the funding for their charitable
projects comes from an individual,
family or a single corporation run
by that individual or family.
Typically, private foundations
are established by economically
well-to-do individuals who are
more often than not big names in
the global business community.
The intent is to use their
economic independence and
influence to affect change in local
and international communities in
areas such as poverty, health care,
equal rights and opportunity and
climate change.
As with any charitable cause,
there are those that can be
considered to be more popular
than others.
An obvious example is the glut
of breast cancer awareness and
health care funding campaigns
that pop up every October,
which is national breast cancer
awareness month in Malaysia and
in several countries around the
world.
Another example is the number
of projects that deal with the issue
of the availability of clean water in
developing countries.
Though these are certainly
worthy causes and vital public
issues that need to be addressed,
sometimes the bandwagon leaves
behind other issues that are just
as critical but may not get the
attention they require.

The Ford Foundation

funds projecst that
bring effective and
affordable health
care solutions to the
worlds poor.

Typically, private
foundations are
established by
economically
well-to-do
individuals who
are more often
than not big
names in the
global business
community.

that only 10% of all medical

research is dedicated to conditions
that account for 90% of the global
disease burden, and limited
support for research that does
address otherwise neglected
diseases and populations is
severely limited.
The Gates Foundation therefore
supports and funds projects
that work to solve these health
problems and consider the path
through development and delivery
of a solution by promoting
cross-discipline collaboration and
coordination among researchers
and funding.

solutions and too little funding

is directed toward problems that
disproportionately affect the
worlds poor.
It quotes research that states

Economic development
The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea
Foundation was established
by the former president of the

United states to bring businesses,

governments, NGOs and
individuals together to create
economic opportunity and growth
of communities all over the world.
The foundations work also
includes improving health,
increasing opportunities for
women and girls and helping
communities address the effects
of climate change.
Though economic
improvement is the eventual
end product of most activity to
alleviate poverty and mitigate
the effects of climate change,
the Clinton Foundation is one of
the few foundations that state
economic development as a
specific issue that it wishes to
address in its works.
Of course, the foundation
achieves this goal through
projects that focus on providing
better opportunities for education
and employment as it believes
that increasing access to these
resources and to investment
capital and markets gives
individuals the opportunity to
work their way out of poverty
and uplift their communities,
thus affecting the economic
development of the larger society
and the country.
The Clinton Foundations
various programmes under its
economic development initiative
provide training in different skills
sales skills or specific types of
farming, for example and work
to ensure that the people in the
communities the programmes
are active in have fair access to
markets.

Transparency
Economic growth and equal
opportunity cannot really happen
in a country with an unstable
government.
Two foundations that
fund projects that focus on
development programmes on
accountable and democratic
governance are the William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation and the
Ford Foundation.
Established by the co-founder
of Hewlett-Packard William
Hewlett and his wife Flora, the

Hewlett Foundation generally

awards grants to liberal and
progressive causes that it believes
can have a significant impact on
local and global communities.
Its Global Development and
Population Program promotes
transparent and accountable
governance around the world and
seeks to foster the use of highquality research and analysis to
create sound policy in developing
countries as well as improve the
quality of education and childrens
learning and ensure access to
family planning and reproductive
healthcare.
The Ford Foundations
Democratic and Accountable
Government focus area seeks to
strengthen the right of people
to assemble and advocate
and promotes government
transparency on several issues, not
least of which is public spending
and the reform of key global
institutions that govern the flow of
resources.
Both these foundations do not
limit their work on accountable
governance to developing
countries or the so-called third
world; they also support projects
that seek to reform democratic
processes or public health policies
in their native United States.
Similarly, the Open Society
Foundations, founded by investor
and philanthropist George Soros,
is a network of institutes that
award grants to projects that
focus on, among other things,
independent media.
A free and independent
press helps ensure government
accountability, so the Open
Society Foundations support
projects that expand freedom of
the press, increase public access
to knowledge and information,
and include minority voices in the
media.
Their focus on public access
to knowledge includes access
to classroom textbooks,
scholarly research, legal
information, scientific data and
new technologies, all of which
can bring new opportunities
for knowledge creation and
dissemination, especially among
disadvantaged groups.

Health
Health care is a big issue
globally, but especially in third
world countries where facilities
and the requisite skills to use
them are lacking, and, even if they
are available, millions do not have
proper access to them.
Many private foundations
dedicate some of their efforts
to improving the state of health
care in these countries. The Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation,
for example, funds projects that
address immense global health
issues such as HIV, malaria and
polio.
It also brings attention to areas
that are not commonly given focus
but are nonetheless significant
infectious diseases that are
rare and therefore, somewhat
neglected, and discovery and
translational sciences.
According to the Gates
Foundation, many health
conditions in the developing
world lack effective and affordable

The Clinton Foundations initiatives provide skills training to farmers and work to
ensure they have fair access to markets.

The Ford Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation both fund programmes that
promote transparent governance and policy making.