It’s hard to ignore corporate social responsibility, now that most students and professionals have embraced it as a necessary component of their organization’s brand. In addition to doing good for the environment, several studies show that employers with CSR initiatives do well financially—often better than employers that have paid little attention to their social and environmental responsibilities. A Goldman Sachs study showed that companies with strong environmental and social governance policies outperformed the stock market by 25 percent, and 72 percent of the companies on the list outperformed their industry peers.

In another recent study from IBM, two executives led a team that surveyed 250 global business leaders. They found 68 percent of the businesses they observed view CSR strategically, “as an opportunity and a platform for growth,” rather than as a bonus from the corporate philanthropy department. Fifty four  percent of the leaders surveyed feel CSR is giving them “a competitive advantage.” A surprising 49 percent of their companies have recently launched CSR activities focused on creating new revenue streams.
In this newsletter, we explore companies with social responsible initiatives to see just how they are interacting with students and current employees.

 - Salvatore Viola
Universum Marketing Director – US