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Stefan Blachfellner and Felix Weil, both members of the Change the Game Initiative held their talks "Change the Game - how organizations can win with innovation and ethics" and "Why CSR is so difficult in practice" at the VIII. Media Ethics-Symposium on Corporate Social Responsibility, Media University Stuttgart.
Once a special area for business ethics, today the topic of "Corporate Social Responsibility" (CSR) is on the agenda of most companies. The voluntary adoption of social and environmental responsibility by firms is increasingly recognized as a basis for sustainable management: In the actual business activities, in the area of environment and in relations with employees or shareholders CSR is not charity anymore but a strategic competitive advantage.
Versatile Talks illuminated the issue of CSR from different sides
At the VIII media ethics symposium at the Hochschule der Medien (HdM) speakers from academia and industry investigated the topic of "Corporate Social Responsibility" on January 15th, 2009. The talks embraced the challenges of holistic and sustainable CSR, how these problems can be tackled and how CSR shapes the entrepreneurial future. The symposium was opened by HdM-Rector Professor Dr. Alexander W. Roos and Professor Rafael Capurro. Dr. Wolfram Heger, Senior Manager Corporate Social Responsibility at Daimler AG, showed the operational need and the societal benefits of CSR. Professor Dr. Elisabeth Heinemann of the University of Applied Sciences Worms dealt with the optimization of business processes and the interdependence with the values of the employees. Dr. Herbert Heitmann, Chief Communications Officer, Global Communictions at SAP AG pictured CSR as the "4th wheel on the wagon". After the lunch break Stefan Blachfellner, INDABA Corporate Consulting e.U. clarified how enterprises can win with innovation and ethics, before Dr. Felix Weil from QUIBIQ GmbH devoted to the question, why CSR in practice is so difficult. Both speakers Blachfellner and Weil argued that it is not necessarily a question of moral values why organizations should emphasize responsible business practices. Responsibility gains benefits for all market participants, the companies, the customers, the employees, the suppliers, the states, and even the natural environment. Not acting responsible is equivalent to not acting for the business purpose. Blachfellner also suggested that everybody should make use of his or her customer-power, that everyone should make responsible choices in their consumption. If legal frameworks or the personal insights of business leaders will not change the way corporations act, the consumers behavior, their choices will change everything for sure.
(Group picture: Dr. Felix Weil, Manfred Blachfellner, Dr. Rafael Capurro, Stefan Blachfellner, Dr. Peter Lehmann (from left) All pictures: © HdM Stuttgart) Media ethics symposium as a mirror of responsible, entrepreneurial activities
The aim of the media ethics symposium was to provide young students as well as representatives from business, politics and society, successful examples of a vibrant corporate social responsibility and to give thought-provoking impulses. Following the symposium, the Media Ethics Award (META) for the exploration of ethical issues in the political context was awarded. The award META is a seal of quality for values-conscious and ethically-oriented media content. The Award is granted to the media industry, journalists, editors and other media professionals by students. The Media Ethics Symposium was held for the eighth time. It was supported by the Department of Technical and Scientific Ethics of the Baden-Württemberg Universities of Applied Science. |
