Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility
The Cranfield School of Management is dedicated to the improvement of the practice of management. As an integral part of the School, the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility aims to develop and then promote through teaching and practice, a distinctive “Cranfield take” on how to integrate Corporate Responsibility as an integral part of successful management practice.
The assumption is that Corporate Responsibility cannot be a bolt-on to business operations but must be built in to business purpose and strategy. If it is embedded, it should produce shared value: opportunities for the business and positive environmental and social impacts. Amongst particular aspects of Corporate Responsibility which are potentially of interest to the Doughty Centre, are:
Embedding CR In Organisations
DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES OUT OF COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY – building on Grayson and Hodges: “Corporate Social Opportunity” (Greenleaf 2004) to explore further how and why and when a commitment to Corporate Responsibility leads to new products and services; access to new and underserved markets; and/or new business models.
GOVERNANCE OF CR – How leading companies are arranging board oversight. What do directors – and particularly, non-executive directors need to know about CR and how do they keep in touch with developments?
INTEGRATION OF RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICE – Both for specific business functions and individual strategic business units; and overall within a business.
GOOD PRACTICE IN SPECIFIC AREAS OF RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICE – such as in stakeholder-engagement; and in communicating responsible business.
RESPONSIBLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP – how do motivations for / practice of responsible business differ in small and medium size businesses versus large companies – and how best to engage smes.
BLENDED VALUE – understanding of (i) CR; (ii) social enterprises; (iii) venture philanthropy has grown substantially in recent years. However, this has largely been in separate silos. What learning is transferable between these silos and how is this best achieved?
HOW DO BUSINESSES DEAL WITH MISUSE OF THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES? Sectors like gambling, food, alcohol, mobile telephony, consumer credit are all struggling with issues arising from what responsibility they have for the misuse of their products and services.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND CR – both in terms of how responsible businesses handle executive compensation and link remuneration and promotion to the achievement of CR; but also in terms of remuneration ratios and not rewarding failure.
ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS: How do companies engage stakeholders in identifying key CR issues and in tackling these issues successfully?.
EVOLVING ROLE OF CR / SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR AND DEPARTMENT – how does this specialist function evolve?What skills are needed for this? (Building on the CSR Competencies developed for the UK Government’s CSR Academy in 2003-04).
The establishment of the Doughty Centre is an exciting and significant increase in Cranfield’s capacity and interest in Corporate Responsibility - but it is not a case of Year Zero!
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