Why Rwandan businesses need to be socially responsible

As we move closer to the end of the year 2013, business firms are looking forward to entering 2014 on a high.From the festive season’s perspective, one of the good things to share is your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) related activities both this year and the upcoming one.CSR is defined as a business outlook that acknowledges responsibilities to stakeholders beyond shareholders, including suppliers, customers, employees, as well as local communities in which it operates and the environment.The CSR movement also represents a growing awareness that the actions organisations take have unintended consequences outside the business, and the business has a responsibility to address them.In addition to being a good corporate citizen, having a well thought out and executed CSR programme becomes part of your appeal in the business development process. Therefore, showcasing it becomes a necessary complementing step.From world’s business leaders who demanded that their companies do more than just ‘business’ to those who decided that giving should be built into a business’s bottom line, these leaders have expanded our notion of how business can affect social change.Experts argue that there are mainly two reasons behind sharing and showcasing activities and plans related to CSR. The first being: to benchmark a company’s current operations and impact on society and the environment in order to know how and where they can improve. The second: to show public, employees and stakeholders that a company is investing in community and environmental stewardship. When sharing CSR related activities and plans, numbers are used as benchmarking tools and stories communicate what those numbers mean in terms of human and environmental impact.Some of experienced companies know that doing good is just good business.As people increasingly aim to do business with companies whose policies mirror their own commitment, your access to their business now or in the future could hinge on whether your company has a CSR policy that aligns with theirs.Your CSR policy can demonstrate your company’s commitment to upholding far-reaching and long-term sustainability standards. And with that establish the leadership, trusted relationships and positioning needed for successful future growth.There are several approaches of CSR and regardless of one or multiple ones you take, the end result is a more profitable company experiencing a higher level of engagement from the general public and employees to stakeholders.Although the CSR movement is relatively young in Rwanda, companies in various sectors have successfully impacted on lives of many citizens from supporting vulnerable orphans and widows to funding schools, from financing health equipment to promoting entrepreneurship and many more.The companies range from manufacturing, banking and telecommunication to brewery, insurance and retail, etc. Their stories need to be told extensively and their activities encouraged to go beyond the current trends.Those stories will also promote corporate social responsibility in the business community as well as bolster the impact businesses have in Rwandan society.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2014 to all members of the business community in Rwanda.The writer is a journalist and social media consultantTwiter: @semukanyam

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Why Rwandan businesses need to be socially responsible