Campbell Soup: Make a Difference Week

“Campbell’s most inspiring achievements are not measured in dollars, but in the spirit of our employees who volunteer thousands of hours to build and sustain healthy communities. From the C-suite to the plant floor, Campbell’s people are motivated to enhance the quality of life in the areas where we live and work, starting right here in Camden.”--Denise Morrison, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company celebrates Make a Difference Week April 4 through 11. (The event started as a day-long celebration, but seven years ago, when more employees wanted to volunteer, the company expanded it to a full week.) Over 3,000 employees across the United States are expected to participate in one of the 70 projects planned for the week. Planting trees at a local school, reading to children, sorting and boxing food for food banks, building raised vegetable gardens, and preparing backpacks full of food for children who might not have anything to eat during the weekend are some of the activities planned for the eager volunteers. The company, its employees, and even some partner organizations are tweeting about Make a Difference Week using #CampbellMADW.

CEO Morrison told reporter Mark Abrams, "“We believe that employee engagement is really important and drives better performance, and so if we can get our people engaged in the community, they realize that you can make a profit and make a difference.”

Make a Difference Week is only one aspect to the portfolio of CSR initiatives sponsored by the company. Campbell's CSR activities stem from a reflective and thorough CSR philosophy with four strategic focus areas:

• Nourishing Our Planet: Environmental stewardship 
• Nourishing Our Consumers: Our interactions with customers and consumers 
• Nourishing Our Neighbors: Community service 
• Nourishing Our Employees: Building a high-performance workplace

(Using "nourishing" is a nice reflection of their core products and industry. Interestingly, too, the names are not tied to issue areas but to key stakeholder groups.) Each focus area is clearly connected to strategic goals with relevant and clear metrics. The Global Reporting Guidelines inform Campbell's reporting which is available for interested parties to download. The Sustainability/Community Affairs team maintains a separate twitter account.

Campbell's efforts in their hometown, Camden, New Jersey, may be particularly critical since a range of social and economic problems bedevil the city, which is the poorest in America according to 2011 census data. Additionally, it has the highest crime rate among cities in the United States. Children in Camden are more likely to live in poverty than those in surrounding cities, and only 49% of students graduate high school.

To revitalize their hometown, Campbell's created the Healthy Communities program. Camden is a signature town for the program, and Campell's has funded neighborhood improvements and a community soup kitchen as they provide nutrition education, advocate and assist in food access and physical education, and maintain cooperation with community stakeholders.

Of particular note, Campbell Soup Company also cultivates skill-based employee volunteerism. In the 2013 fiscal year, skills-based volunteering accounted for 20% of total volunteer hours, allowing Human Resource professionals to assist community members in writing resumes and preparing for interviews, while chefs and nutritionists provided healthy cooking and nutrition demonstrations for young people, and members of the Marketing group provided local non-profit organizations assistance with marketing and development plans.

Whether traditional or skills-based volunteerism, the Campell Soup Foundation provides eligible non-profit organizations with a $500 grant for every 25 volunteer hours contributed by an employee through the "Dollars for Doers" program. Employees also participate in design teams that develop innovative products to respond to issues related to hunger. These include the produce-to-donate products Just Peachy (a salsa sold to benefit the Food Bank of South Jersey), Super Smoothie (donated to children in need through non-profit partner organizations), and Nourish (a hearty, nutritious meal in a can donated to Food Bank Canada and Free the Children).

Based on their exemplary CSR activities and strong corporate ethics, for the fifth year, Campbell Soup Company has been recognized by Corporate Responsibility Magazine as a top corporate citizen. In 2010, Campbell Soup Company received the Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence from the Points of Light Foundation, which highlighted the company's skills-based volunteer efforts and the company's work in hunger relief efforts. Then-CEO Douglas R. Conant commented, "We deeply appreciate this award, as it recognizes the efforts and dedication of Campbell employees who freely give of their time and share their expertise to help others. Our company is absolutely committed to making a difference in the communities in which we operate and to nourishing peoples' lives everywhere, every day."

Whenever I have my students analyze a company, the final question usually requires them to provide recommendations for improvement. I remind them that even companies that perform very well can always do something to improve. I myself have to turn a very critical eye to find areas for improvement. One suggestion might be to include all of the performance metrics in a single location, since some of the data distributed across the website isn't included in the formal CSR report. Though this might be available through a private employee volunteer portal, more information about employees' roles in CSR and a chance to interact with others could enhance employee engagement. Overall, Campbell's CSR program, as well as its sustainability initiatives and reporting, exemplify current best practices in the field. Their CSR portal provides valuable information about the content and communication of CSR activities that serve as a model for other corporations.

EVP at Aramark

"Delivering experiences that enrich and nourish lives is who we are and what we do. For ARAMARK, it's about making life better for those who matter to us most – our employees, our customers, clients, and communities. We're in the people business and we bring our unique skills and culture of service to our work and to our communities,"--Bev Dribin, Vice President, Community Relations  

ARAMARK, headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, provides uniforms, food, and facilities management to organizations across diverse industries including universities, health facilities, cultural attractions, correctional institutions, and conference and conventions centers. The company consistently receives honors such as listing on the "World's Most Admired Companies" by Fortune Magazine and most ethical company by Ethisphere Institue.

As part of their overarching CSR strategy which includes the focus areas employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement, employee volunteerism and philanthropy are administered under the ARAMARK Building Community (ABC) program. Regional STAR teams adopt community centers to help them build capacity. Other employee volunteers with expertise in human resources offer youth and adults provide career guidance. Given the large percentage of the business devoted to food services, organizing health and wellness education corresponds to one of the company's core competencies. Holding drives to collect basic necessities such as food, clothing, and toys represents another pillar of ABC. Employees can donate to non-profit organizations. In 2009, Aramark was recognized as a finalist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Corporate Citizenship Award.

This year, ARAMARK celebrated its first Global Volunteer Day on March 19. Across the globe. Aramark associates participated in activities to strengthen their communities. Employees in India worked with Mutally Beneficial Activities Foundation, a group that helps increase the self-esteem of disabled children. UK volunteers provided nutrition and healthy cooking education. Many other groups worked at food pantries, helped beautiful community centers, made healthy food packs, and painted murals. ABC 6 in Philadelphia covered the local Global Volunteer Day events at the Kensington Community Center.

ARAMARK volunteers at Atlanta Mission's My Sister's House

ARAMARK dietitian provides education about healthy food choices

ARAMARK volunteers from Ingalls Memorial Hospital prepared over 400 meals for those in need.

ARAMARK provides some explanation of the motivation behind their extensive employee volunteerism:

"Volunteerism can create stronger connections with employees. People want to work for responsible companies and to feel that they are part of a larger social effort. A focus on services can strengthen understanding of company values and history and also create relationships with co-workers and communities,"--ARAMARK Website

ARAMARK's employee volunteerism is also notable for its strategic and skill-based focus, whereby dieticians working for ARAMARK provide education about healthy eating, cooks provide cooking demonstration, human resource specialists provide career counseling and so on. Although not all volunteer events meet this criterion, all the events do fall under one of the four CSR focus areas that reflect the business's core competencies. Employees at all levels are encouraged to participate, not just on the Global Volunteer Day, but throughout the year. In conjunction with other employee awards, the company recognizes an Outstanding Employee Volunteer.

I was unable to find a blog or twitter account that promoted ARAMARK's CSR and linked it to the company's mission and strategic goals (though there is a Facebook page). This information might be on an internal network. Besides information for 2009, I couldn't find statistics about the impact of the community activities, though I did find that Aramark uses the Enablon platform to track its CSR activities. It's very possible my searches overlooked this, but I couldn't find a CSR report for the firm, either. Keeping this information internal might be deliberate. Some companies don't want to advertise their CSR activities too extensively for fear of accusations of greenwashing or profit-motives. At the same time, it's information that would be interesting for clients, potential clients, employees, applicants, and investors.

ARAMARK published an extensive toolkit for employees regarding the 2014 Global Volunteer Day which can provide insights and ideas for companies considering similar events.

The Social Responsibility of Corporations Is To....

Milton Friedman (1962, 1970: 33) famously asserted, "There is one and only one social responsibility of business–to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud." His 1970 article in the New York Times Magazine elaborates his rationale, including the misuse of principal's investment capital by the agent and the notion that social responsibility equates to a pseudo-tax of the corporation.

In the past decade or so, though debates about corporate social responsibility (CSR) remain (May, Cheney, & Roper, 2007), most practitioners and academics have moved beyond Friedman's thinking, determining that CSR provides numerous benefits both to the organization and to multiple stakeholders. Job applicants find organizations with CSR programs as more attractive places to work, customers value the community commitment implied by CSR, and CSR initiatives bestow a license to operate in the local community. Some research suggests that CSR programs can provide a financial advantage or a tax reduction. (I won't even mention how CSR can't possibly make up for the externalities involved in industry.) In 2013, India mandated that corporations meeting certain criteria spend 2% of its profits (determined by averaging profits in the past three years) on CSR programs. Even without these incentives or requirements, some executives firmly believe that good ethics demand investment in CSR.

This is not to say that CSR programs give firms leave to perform irresponsibly in other areas or that all CSR programs are created equal. In some cases, companies with a reputation for CSR can pay a penalty in reputation costs when they engage in harmful behavior. If CSR initiative are seen as inauthentic or fail to resonate with the company's strategic mission, values, or core competencies, stakeholders will be suspicious of them. Overall, though, investment in CSR should be viewed as a necessary strategic initiative.

Although companies provide varying levels of detail on public pages, then often like to tout their CSR and environmental programs with extensive information and photographs. I was surprised , when I was researching Amazon's CSR activities for this blog, to find very little on their website relating to community involvement and corporate philanthropy. After some digging, I found a very sparse section on "Amazon in the Community." There, the company summarizes their philosophy on CSR:

At Amazon, if we do our job right, our greatest contribution to the good of society will come from our core business activities: lowering prices, expanding selection, driving convenience, driving frustration-free packaging, creating Kindle, innovating in web services, and other initiatives we'll work hard on in the future.

I couldn't really believe it: this credo seems straight from Friedman! As reported by Slate, complaints about Amazon's penuriousness were published as early as 2007. In 2012, The Seattle Times called Amazon a "virtual no-show in hometown philanthropy." Their article reported, "several current and former Amazon employees said they have wanted to change the company culture to encourage more giving. But colleagues told them not to bother — they'd be better off figuring out how to do good on their own." One employee who asked if he could arrange for a donation to a non-profit directly from his paycheck was informed he would be charged a 6% fee by the payroll provider.

Since these exposés, Amazon seems to have increased its CSR activities. Their community page lists a number of non-profit organizations who have received grants or in-kind donations. Amazon also mentions employee volunteer efforts, but provides no details. Even before Amazon was criticized for their lack of largess, they did use their visibility to increase donations from individuals. After 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese Tsunami, and Hurricane Sandy, Amazon posted notices that allowed their customers to make 1-click donations to the American Red Cross.

More recently, they have introduced Amazon Smile. When customers shop through the smile.amazon.com portal, 0.5% of their purchase total is donated via the AmazonSmile Foundation to a non-profit selected by the customer. (On Huffington Post, Brady Josephson warns how this program might prove disadvantageous to charities.)

Though Amazon has made some positive strides in the past few years, primarily by encouraging giving through customer efforts, as well as through increased donations to non-profit organizations, to meet the minimum expectations of key stakeholders, they need to increase their CSR efforts. Some stakeholders who are dissatisfied with current efforts include employees, vendors, and the local community. Simply by listening to the needs of these groups and determining how they might meet these needs through their core competencies would be a productive starting point. Outlining strategic CSR focus areas can maximize the impact of the CSR initiatives. Employing a corporate social responsibility professional can give CSR a higher profile in the company and give a centralized point for coordination and logistics and offer consistency and better communication.

As both an intrigued observer and Amazon customer, I am hopeful that Amazon will continue to build on the momentum generated by the launch of AmazonSmile.

References

Friedman, M. 1962. Capitalism and freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 

Friedman, M. 1970. "The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits," The New York Times Magazine: 32-33.

May, S., Cheney, G., & Roper, J. 2007. The debate over corporate social responsibility. Oxford: Oxford University Press.