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The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, with the support of the Hitachi Foundation and in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate Citizenship, has launched the 2005 State of Corporate Citizenship Survey.
This is the second survey being conducted, and follows on the 2003 survey and resulting report, the 2004 State of Corporate Citizenship. Addressing The Center's 2005 Conference, Joseph Kasputys, chair of the Hitachi Foundation's board of directors, said, "When the foundation first funded this survey of over 500 companies on the state of corporate citizenship in U.S. society, we found that four out of five corporations believed that corporate citizenship was important, and that the public has a right to expect companies to engage in corporate citizenship.”(View video of Kasputys address.)
The current 2005 effort uses a more focused and revised set of questions. It has been distributed across the country to businesses of all sizes, with hopes of receiving up to 1,000 responses.
The data collected in this survey are essential to moving the corporate citizenship field forward. Because there is very little data on business’ commitment to corporate citizenship, it is a story that goes largely untold. The survey and report present an opportunity to better understand this relationship, and are also useful in building an internal case within companies around corporate citizenship and why it is important.
Here we provide a first look at some preliminary findings based on the initial 125 responses to the survey. The final State of Corporate Citizenship Report will be released in fall 2005.
Initial Responses to the State of Corporate Citizenship Survey
Below are preliminary results based on 125 early responses to the survey. (It is important to note that the sample for these initial findings is highly representative of practitioners in larger organizations, while the final responses will likely include a broader range of company sizes and diversity in persons completing the survey. These differences may account for discrepancies in the final report from the initial findings below.)
The role of business in society
The following were rated “Very Important” or “Critical” by companies when asked how important these activities are to their role in society.
| Operating with ethical business practices |
99% |
| Managing and reporting company finances accurately |
96% |
| Ensuring employee health and safety |
90% |
| Improving conditions in your community |
81% |
| Maximizing long-run profits for owners |
80% |
| Providing employee benefits |
79% |
| Providing jobs |
78% |
| Protecting consumers |
76% |
| Building employee diversity within your business |
74% |
| Working with suppliers/vendors to ensure they operate ethically |
70% |
Companies indicated that they are acting or supporting the action taken by others to address the following issues to a “Large” or “Very Great” extent.
| Improving K-12 Education |
58% |
| Responding to disasters |
52% |
| Improving the safety and efficacy of products |
51% |
| Supporting community development |
49% |
| Providing training for the incumbent workforce |
44% |
| Improving community college and higher education |
43% |
| Improving the environment |
43% |
| Helping to support dependent care |
34% |
| Expanding international trade |
31% |
| Improving public health |
25% |
| Ensuring infrastructure development |
22% |
| Helping to safeguard civil or human rights |
18% |
| Developing alternative energy sources |
17% |
| Expanding access to affordable health care insurance |
16% |
| Addressing global climate change |
16% |
| Reducing poverty |
14% |
Drivers and Barriers of Corporate Citizenship
Companies cited the following as drivers of their company’s corporate citizenship to a “Large” or “Very Great” extent:
| |
2005 |
2003 * |
% Change |
| It fits our company’s traditions and values |
91% |
92% |
-1% |
| It improves our reputation/image |
74% |
66% |
8% |
| It’s part of our business strategy |
65% |
51% |
14% |
| It’s important to our customers/consumers |
58% |
53% |
5% |
| It helps to recruit and retain employees |
55% |
48% |
7% |
| It’s expected in our community |
52% |
47% |
5% |
| It responds to laws and political pressures |
23% |
21% |
2% |
Companies cited the following as barriers to their company’s corporate citizenship to a “Large” or “Very Great” extent:
| |
2005 |
2003 * |
% Change |
| Lack of resources |
36% |
46% |
-10% |
| Middle management does not support it |
11% |
8% |
3% |
| Not sure what being a good “corporate citizen” means |
10% |
10% |
0% |
| Top management does not support it |
10% |
15% |
-5% |
| No significant benefit to the business |
10% |
4% |
6% |
| Not of real interest to our employees |
4% |
12% |
-8% |
Corporate Citizenship Performance
Overall, 70% of companies rate their corporate citizenship performance as “Above Average” or “Excellent.”
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