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Less government regulation could increase CSR projects
The raison d’être for the gathering was a visit by Sten Anders Berge, head of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry’s department for economic and commercial affairs.
The event was hosted by Ambassador Cecilie Landswerk and brought together representatives from Ankara’s presidential palace, Turkey’s State Planning Authority (DPT), the Turkish Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, academia and the media to name a few. The Chatham House Rule applied to a limited extent while three guests agreed to be referred to by name and organization.
The lunch guests -- including a Today’s Zaman columnist as part of the Turkish media representation -- exchanged views about corporate social responsibility (CSR). Participants heard from the Norwegian government that an administration’s position can include “the policy of not having a policy,” with CSR as one such example of when less of a legal framework paired with more of a company’s own initiative makes good sense. A government should nevertheless provide for guidance and information on how businesses can work and produce more ethically and socially responsibly without patronizing them. CSR could become a perfect example for encouraging as much involvement by entrepreneurs in society as possible, by providing as few government regulations as feasible.
In order to better illustrate what CSR stands for, Mr. Berge introduced his government’s White Paper on corporate social responsibility. One definition that surfaced during the meeting said that CSR means more than simply donating a few parks to the local municipality. It includes the manufacturing of environmentally friendly goods as well as ethical considerations to be included in one’s everyday business decisions. It can lead to the training of unemployed youngsters or the sending of young girls from Turkey’s more remote regions to school.
CSR can thus be seen as both an internal activity (the actual business inherent dimension of how to produce differently) and as having an external functionality (the local community dimension).
Corporate Social Responsibility Association of Turkey (CSR Turkey) President Serdar Dinler stated that he wished the Turkish government would prepare a similar White Paper on CSR.
The Turkish media can play a very influential role in creating awareness in both the business community as well as the wider public about the benefits of CSR while at the same time exercising its monitoring function by observing whether what is written on paper is actually put into practice, too.
Another comment made during the meeting was about smaller companies, as they often have the advantage of proximity to both their customers and the local community from which they operate; Turkish SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises with up to 250 employees) should thus become part of the efforts to increase the relevance of CSR in Turkey.
The luncheon underlines not only that European states are taking great interest in Turkey’s future economic trends and related policies, but also that Turkey has now established itself as a showcase nation that survived the most recent global economic meltdown relatively untarnished. Learning from best practices seems to have become a two-way approach!
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