I. Breakout Session on BPOs and CSR (July 17, day 2, Makati Shangri-La Hotel)
BPOs and CSR: “Addressing the Industry’s Unique Needs through CSR”
II. The session discussed how BPOs address unique challenges and issues faced by the industry through CSR programs. Several CSR programs of companies were discussed to somehow inform the public of how these kinds of CSR activities make an impact in the society.
Moderator: Ms. Catherine Ileto- BPA/P
Speakers: Ms. Beth Lui- Country Managing Director - Accenture
Mr. Dan Reyes – President - Sitel
Ms. Josie B. Gonzalez- Executive Director – Spi
III. I have had a different thinking towards Corporate Social Responsibility before. I thought of it as a way in which companies use just to strengthen their company name and to be known by many. I also asked during one of our Business Ethics classes if it’s possible for businesses to make abuse of the CSR just to be on the top. Good thing that I was able to attend the expo the following day. I completely understood what CSR is really intended for and what it really is. If I were not able to do it, perhaps, until now I still have that kind of obnoxious attitude towards CSR.
To be honest, I was not really aware about how big deal CSR is for an organization. I thought joining, let’s say for example, Gawad Kalinga is just a form of recreation and team-building. As what I have learned, CSR is being taken into action not just to improve corporate image of a certain company, increase sales, etcetera, but also companies do it with a heart and with intention of helping people.
The three speakers were really informative and enticing. They really captured my attention as they showed each of their CSR initiatives. Like, I hold to my seat impressed of how they were able to think of such. I really appreciated their CSR programs since, as learned, choosing everything for your CSR is a hard thing to do. Among them, I was so astonished with Ms. Beth Lui’s presentation. Hearing the name of your school as one of their first priorities for employment in Accenture was really good to hear to think that we are the second, next to La Salle, exceeding UP, Ateneo, and UST. Not just that, I really liked their initiatives to support the Barobaybay Academy, Samar. The idea behind “Maong para Makatulong” was a smart one. Accenture employees have been allowed to wear “maong jeans” every Friday with a fee of 50 pesos. To that, they were able to raise 1.7 million to sustain the expenses for the project. Another thing with Accenture that impressed me was their Project UMAK. They gave a set of IT curriculum to University of Makati. This will be a huge help with Makati’s aim to maintain the 97% literacy and helpful as well to those students who are incapable of paying for tertiary education in private universities.
Doing good should not only be seen in the CSR programs. It is therefore prevalent in the daily course of every business. CSR programs are not made to impress but its core is to share a part of the company’s heart. It is about the willingness of the company, and itself, as the amorous giver, extending its loving arms to the people in need in its area of responsibility, or better, to the whole society.
