Business Case Studies, Executive Interviews, Michael Hopkins on Corporate Social Responsibility

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Executive Interviews: Interview with Michael Hopkins on Corporate Social Responsibility
September 2007 - By Dr. Nagendra V Chowdary


Dr. Michael Hopkins
CEO and Chairman of MHC International Ltd. (London & Geneva).
He is a part-time Professor of Corporate Responsibilty
Business Performance (VRBP) at Middlesex University Business School
Visitng Professor at Brunel and Geneva Universities.


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    Yet, such a suggestion is not wildly off beam. An important suggestion of the Higgs report, now incorporated into the combined corporate governance code in the UK, was a call for appraisal reforms to make boards more effective. There is a trend to make management of the largest companies more accountable.

    What could a CSR clause look like in a CEO contract? The lawyers will have to take over here, but elements of what could be included can be found in the World Economic Forums CEO Statement on Global Corporate Citizenship of 2002. It recommended that CEOs and boards exert leadership in four basic areas:

  1. Provide Leadership
    Set the strategic direction for corporate citizenship in your company and engage in the wider debate on globalization and the role of business in development.
  2. Define What it Means for Your Company
    Define the key issues, stakeholders and spheres of influence which are relevant for corporate citizenship in your company and industry.
  3. Make It Happen
    Establish and implement appropriate policies and procedures, engage in dialogue and partnership with key stakeholders, encourage innovation and creativity in problem solving, and build the next generation of leaders.
  4. Be Transparent About It
    Communicate consistently with different stakeholders about the companys principles, policies and practices in a transparent manner, within the bounds of commercial confidentiality.
  • What is the role of business schools in sensitizing their students to the importance of corporate social responsibility?
    In the mid 1990s when I first started working in this area, few business schools, if any, had basic ethics courses, all around the world. This has certainly changed and rare, indeed, it is to find a business school that does not include some element of CSR in their courses. The number of dissertations and doctorates has increased exponentially and there now exist MBAs in CSR. I, myself, started a research center at the Middlesex University Business School and shall also direct a diploma course on CSR at the University of Geneva starting in January 2008.

    So, in reply to the questions, the role is important and so is growing of business schools in teaching and researching aspects of CSR. Influence of their graduates on CSR will not be far behind.

1. Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study
2. ICMR Case Collection
3. Case Study Volumes


The Interview was conducted by Dr. Nagendra V Chowdary, Consulting Editor, Effective Executive and Dean, IBSCDC, Hyderabad.

This Interview was originally published in Effective Executive, IUP, September 2007.

Copyright © September 2007, IBSCDC No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or distributed, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or medium electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the permission of IBSCDC.

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