The press release in the url below contains the announcement for the first annual “Corporate Citizenship Film Festival” organized by Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship. Rather than criticizing corporations, the Festival’s goal is to celebrate the social value they add. On the surface, this appears to be a good idea:
“Since so much media focus has been on the negative, it's easy to overlook the positive contributions business makes to society," said Bradley K. Googins, executive director of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. "We've launched this annual film festival to provide the public another dimension of business.”
Too often, the CSR debate fails to recognize that the relationship between business and society is symbiotic—society needs and benefits from business in the same way that business needs and benefits from society. Both sides have value to add; both sides also fall short in some respects. The way the Festival is currently structured, however, indicates that it is likely to fail to live up to its potential. I am trying not to be too cynical, but by allowing firms to submit their own films (rather than have a Festival for independent film makers, for example), my sense is that the films will largely be social responsibility ads:
“Each video is between 1 and 3 minutes in length and captures how each company is having a positive impact, typically in partnership with nonprofits, customers and employees, on social and environmental challenges.”
Those firms willing to commit the most money to the project will produce the best infomercials. What will be lost in the process is an objective evaluation of the net value added by any given firm.
This year’s competition was won by FedEx (http://www.csrwire.com/News/14981.html).
Have a good weekend.
Dave
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
http://www.sagepub.com/Werther/
CSRWire Press Release
Press release from: Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
March 12, 2009
Caught on Video: Companies Doing Good
Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship sponsors Film Festival; vote at www.BCCorporateCitizenship.org/filmfestival
http://www.csrwire.com/News/14806.html
