2Sustain

There’s no doubt that it has been a deep and difficult recession. But even in these tough economic times, a new study conducted by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship shows that companies continue to value corporate citizenship as a business driver. In fact, more than half of the business leaders polled said that corporate citizenship is even more important in a recession.

The survey, sponsored by The Hitachi Foundation, is the fourth in a series of biennial surveys about the attitudes and actions of senior executives regarding corporate citizenship. (Previous surveys were conducted in 2003, 2005, and 2007.) This year’s survey polled business leaders from 756 small, medium, and large companies, and the results are analyzed in a 48-page report, titled “Weathering the storm: The State of Corporate Citizenship in the United States 2009.”

Here are a few of the key findings:

• 54% of senior executives polled believe corporate citizenship is even more important in a recession.

• According to survey respondents, the most important areas of corporate citizenship are: operating with ethical business practices (91%), treating employees well (81%), and managing and reporting company finances accurately (76%).

• Most of those polled said business should be more involved than it is today in addressing major public policy issues, such as health care, product safety, public education, and climate change.

• 70% identified reputation as the number one driver of corporate citizenship.

• More than half (52%) of companies in the poll are designing and offering sustainable products or services.

• 72% are reducing costs through improved materials efficiency.

This study is more evidence that businesses are beginning to understand that the consumer concept of “value” is expanding to reflect an awareness of both environmental and even broader CSR goals. The data on both consumer expectations and competitive advantage is clear: consumers are seeking out companies that act responsibly. Successful businesses are capitalizing on this trend by re-working their traditional business models to include CSR goals. Consequently, these businesses are positioning themselves to succeed, even in these tough economic times.

The full report is available here.