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Executive Interviews: Interview with Michael Hopkins on Corporate Social Responsibility
September 2007
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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. 
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:
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- 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. - 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. - 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. - 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
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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. |
