News
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and
Social Enterprises in 2010: the relationship between government, business
and civil society
Beth Brewis, Managing Director, and Fraser Millar, Senior Consultant
with FSD recently visited Shanghai at the invitation of the British
Embassy to take part in its Shanghai Expo Civil Society Week: Speaking
at a Symposium in association with the Central Executive Leadership
Academy Pudong and sponsored by Barclays, FSD was asked to contribute
to the event to generate discussion and share expertise on the relationship
between government, business and civil society on corporate social
responsibility (CSR) and social enterprises in 2010 in the UK and China. The
focus provided by FSD was based on its extensive work with The Scottish
Government with the main topics being around the benefits to civil society
of social enterprises as service providers and how we measure the impact
we make. We were asked to comment on how the role of the Scottish Government
has facilitated social enterprises as service providers and how it enables
public sector purchasers to procure these services.
The Symposium, with presentations from representatives from experts
from the private sector and civil society was attended by representatives
from the government, the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, the media and
civil society.
A reception, held at the United Kingdom pavilion at Shanghai Expo was
hosted by Carma Elliot, British Consul-General Shanghai, to bring together
the Civil Society Week's participants. These included senior representatives
from Civil Society Organisations engaged in work on volunteering, people
with disabilities, elderly care and lesbian gay bisexual and transsexual
rights. As well as FSD representing social enterprise, other attendants
were experts from the private sector on corporate social responsibility
(Barclays, DLA Piper), CELAP representatives and officials from MoCA, Chevening
Alumni Scholars and participants on the Nottingham University/All
China Youth Federation Programme which is taking place over the summer. This
was a great opportunity for people from government, business, civil
society and academia, to come together and share their expertise and
experiences whilst celebrating the contributions they made to the week
and in larger society.
SROI Project Database on-line now.
Many
organisations can claim to make a difference but struggle to find
a method of demonstrating their impact clearly. In an effort to address
this, Forth Sector Development is pleased to announce the launch of
the Scottish Governments SROI Project. The aim is to develop, promote
and support the use of a standard form of measuring social return on
investment (SROI) and will be run in conjunction with the SROI Network
UK. more>>
