The need for impactful corporate citizenship could not be more urgent

How business supports society in key areas such as education and healthcare could make or break our country, which, to paraphrase our triumphant Springbok captain, is “a beautiful country with a lot of problems… but as soon as we work together, all is possible, we’re unstoppable, no matter in what sphere – in the field, in offices, in life in general.” Facing and tackling adversity is what we do. Our upper lip may occasionally tremble, but for the most part, we are experts at gritting our teeth, making a winning plan and bringing it home.?

The Oxford Dictionary definition of stoical is: “showing great self-control in adversity.” And the Stoics themselves, an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno c.308 BC, sought virtue as the greatest good and taught control of one’s feelings and passions. Which is where that ‘stiff upper lip’ comes in…

I’m interested in what the Stoics can teach us today about how individuals and organisations can deal with the considerable adversity currently stirring up our lives. One of the best known advocates of a stoical approach to life was Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor between 161 and 180AD, whose highly personal Meditations offer suggestions on how to build personal ethics, resilience and tranquility in a chaotic and unpredictable world.

Many life lessons have been taken from Meditations but a broad interpretation of their message is that a productive and balanced life requires the following virtues: wisdom, courage, justice, humility, self-control and a resilient acceptance of the natural order of things. Others have extended this list to include concepts of service, focus, ethics and responsibility.??

Ultimately the Meditations were a very personal take on a hugely powerful man’s challenges – indeed its original Greek title was Ta Eis Heauton, which translates as?“that which is to himself.” But we can still draw some general conclusions about how organisations can act ethically in the face of considerable adversity.??

Ethical corporate citizenship: the time has come

How does this relate to corporate citizenship in the present day? Or what is sometimes called corporate social investment or corporate social responsibility. The first question to ask in that context is why – or even whether – businesses have a responsibility to society in the first place. Capitalism does not have a great reputation for sharing its wealth – it would tend towards socialism, or even communism, if it did – and, without getting into complex ideological debates, it seems unlikely that its generally exploitative approach to wealth creation is going to change any time soon.?

In the face of that, corporate citizenship has emerged in response to those who believe business has a responsibility to improve society, as well as make a profit. Arguably, there is an increasing demand for corporates – in line with the growing emphasis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles – to make this responsibility considerably more tangible. Indeed, there is evidence that both shareholders and younger employees seek out investments and employers on this basis. Furthermore, it is not just what corporations fund and support that matters, it is rather how this support is communicated and how tangibly it changes people’s lives for the better. The social, environmental and ethical imperatives are no longer nice-to-haves… lip service is no longer enough.

Consequently, along with ESG principles as a whole, there are now an increasing number of programmes that companies can align to and measure their social and environmental impact – such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and various Race to Zero carbon reduction initiatives. This obviously talks in particular to reducing social and environmental impacts in the face of clear and present climate change.

When it comes to the ethical and governance practices of companies, leave alone governments, things are less clear. Vested interests cloud the picture. However, the more clearly companies can show their commitment to improving, in particular, here in South Africa, educational outcomes, in the face of a skills shortage, then the better for all of us. With world-leading inequality and youth unemployment, we really do not have a choice.

The need to address pressing human issues: hunger, clean water, clothing, shelter

More fundamentally, in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, in South Africa and other parts of the world, notably in the global South, there is the issue of food insecurity, i.e. hunger. As economies flounder, unemployment rises and the world heats up, hunger increases. Shoprite’s Food Index estimates that by 2025 nearly half of South Africa’s population will be food insecure, with 49% of the population potentially not having enough to eat. ?

Despite this gloomy picture, some initiatives are seeking out and showcasing the good news that is somehow still being produced in our country, despite our own particular challenges such as load shedding and corruption adding to global economic and environmental volatility, which in turn increases unemployment and social tensions. FeelSA is a business that seeks to share the heart of the South African story, telling positive human interest stories about individuals and businesses with big ideas and hearts. It is currently supported by ETV, AstraZeneca ,TIKTOK, Broll Property Group?, Red Rocket Energy

How corporate citizenship can help

Shoprite itself, mentioned earlier, has invested R50 million in 215 food gardens in South Africa and seven in other African countries, which have indirectly impacted 61 064 hungry people. It has also donated R226 million worth of surplus food to community partners in South Africa and on the continent, which equates to 67 million meals. It supports 114 early childhood development centres where 7 287 children were served 1.1 million nutritious meals, providing not only health benefits but better educational outcomes. ?

Shoprite also introduced a range of? R5 deli meals in 2017 and has been selling a 600g in-house bakery bread for just R5 since April 2016. A million loaves of the R5 bread are subsidised each week.?

However, as Sanjeev Raghubir, Head of Sustainability and CSI at the Shoprite Group says: “The numbers in the Food Index are unacceptably high and the trickle of people escaping food insecurity too low. That’s why we are intensifying our efforts to reduce hunger, a crisis that demands a collaborative effort from agriculture, manufacturers, retailers, government, NGOs and anyone who has the capacity to #ActForChange. Tackling hunger isn’t just a decent thing to do, it helps secure our future.”

So some of those learnings of the Stoics rise to the surface here, such as wisdom, courage, justice, humility, service, ethics and responsibility to the greater good. Certainly, for South Africa, it has become increasingly clear that business will have to play a role in saving us from those who are incapable of governing us, while individuals will also have to take it upon themselves, as small groups of South Africans tend to do, to beat a path to positive change. The Springboks and brands such as Afgri Group Holdings, Bic, Clicks Group, Harmony Gold , Famous Brands and Mc Donalds exemplify this commitment to South Africa as a country in which we are #stronger together. And we will look at each of these brands separately in upcoming posts.??

Some companies are better in this arena than others and there are a number of guidelines for making corporate citizenship more meaningful and impactful, which, again, we will expand on in other articles. Among these are the core concepts of clear brand alignment – sometimes called business-based social purpose – and measurable social impact. One might add to that the need to ensure that the impact has long-term benefits for people’s quality of life. And if those two principles – brand-aligned initiatives with long-term social impact – can be combined to the benefit of both parties, business and society, then, perhaps, truly just, ethical corporate citizenship can be a force for ongoing good.