Community and CSR

Harrison defines community as: ‘any group of people with a common interest as either stakeholders or publics’(2011). Further Harrison, quoting Peak, describes community relations as: ‘an institution’s planned, active, and continuing participation with and within a community to maintain and enhance its environment to the benefit of both the institution and the community’ (2011). Community relations differ from community engagement, which typically involved consultation for decision making. 

Understanding community is an important part of carrying out effective Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The definition for CSR has remained somewhat of an enigma for todays PR professionals (Harrison 2011, 759), and I will not try and define it. However, I do tend to agree with Carroll’s summation that CSR is comprised of ‘economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic’ actions (1999).

The business that I am interning for provides professional services and, as a result, they value their corporate reputation. They are heavily involved in their local community and supporting fundraising efforts for charities. They have a number of events that they run each year. The most recent fundraising effort was ‘Loud Shirt Day’ which raised money for Telethon. Each team member wore their loudest shirt to work, and there were some hilarious garments to say the least.

However, what I noticed most about this day wasn’t the shirts, it was the internal impact that this community engagement activity had in the business. To link this experience back to our course, this week in Contemporary Practice we looked at Employee communications. It was interesting to see how a CSR initiative had the added outcome of improving team morale (everyone was in a great mood) and internal communication between staff.

From an external communications perspective, it was also great to that the team’s efforts received recognition in the local paper (see below picture).

References: 

Carroll, A. 1999. ‘Corporate social responsibility: Evolution of a definitional construct’. Business and Society 38(3): 268-95.

Harrison, Kim. 2011. Strategic Public Relations: A Practical Guide to Success. Palgrave Macmillan: Sydney.

Need some social goodness? You got it!

 I had the privilege of being involved with SOPB's corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and it was a broadening experience. When CSR is done properly and with a company that embraces the strategic and integrated nature of CSR, public relations is a vehicle of sharing with the world the progress the company is making, or what the world may not know about them.

There were two main CSR programs that the PR department handled; Young Achievers' Award (YAA), Student Adoption Program (SAP) and Mother's Day Blood Donation. 

YAA is a way for the company to recognize and reward high achievers from rural schools and for SAP, SOPB helps students from low income families. My task was to liaise with the rural school authorities, sorting out the students' qualifications for the awards and donation scheme, creating a floor layout, setting the dates as there were different regions involved, preparing school bags, students' name list, seating arrangements, the list goes on. The tasks delegated to me was not as simple as I thought. I had to minimize the mistakes made as we were representing the company's image. Being the "fresh, non-experienced" one, I did make a mistake or two but it was a learning experience and one I would always remember. The closing handover ceremony was held at SOP's Lambir Training Center a day before the blood drive. I was in charge of students' registration and ushering them to their seats. 

The working committee for the event. Yes, that's me on the right as I don't have a uniform.

 

Some pictures taken during the event. The hall was packed and look how cute the kids are!

SOPB's Group Plantation Controller handing over cash and school supplies to a young boy eligible for SAP, alongside Group Chief Executive Officer.

There was also a blood donation drive held in conjunction with Mother's Day last week! And it was SOPB's first external blood drive. Planning for the blood drive was not as tedious as YAA and SAP but still a very educational one indeed. We were in charge of asking for sponsors for banners and the venue, designing for promotion purposes, liaising with the Blood Bank with their available dates, liaising with administration department, getting ready goody bags that consisted of healthy snacks for successful blood donors etc. The event was a pretty successful one! We had 9 organ donor pledges and 93 pints of blood donated.

 

        Carnations and goody bags ready to be given to successful donors. 

All chairs were occupied from 10am-3pm!

Group photo consisting of SOPB staffs, Blood Bank, Miri Red Crescent Society and Permaisuri Imperial City Mall representatives. I'm the one on the bottom second right.

CSR is about smart business practices. It is about constant improvement and integrity. PR is about reporting on the events as they occur or showcasing a history of events and trending. The danger is when the showcasing precedes the actual work.

Hope all of you enjoyed your placements and drop a comment below if you'd like!

Best regards,
Sabrina Lim
15648576

Ending an Eventful Journey

In three words, I'd sum my internship experience with Edelman Malaysia as An Eventful Journey. Being placed under the Corporate practice, my team members were telling me about how fortunate I was to get the chance to be a part of three clients' events and a few company events. But that's besides the point, I am also grateful for all the opportunities I was given; work I was assigned into doing, clients that I got to personally meet, events that I got to attend, as well as liaise with the media. There are things that we need to experience to appreciate, and I believe these are some of them. 

Throughout my internship period with Edelman, I didn't only get to see the theories I have learned in class come to life, but being exposed to the real world actually enhanced my personal growth. Albert Camus once said, "You cannot create experience. You must undergo it." I now know why a lot of people say that experience is a great teacher.

Great experience, great people - Corporate Team during Edelman's 2015 Trust Barometer Malaysia Results Release 

My very basic knowledge in media relations were put to good use when I had to deal with the media - not just when I had to talk to the editors and journalists, but to also have basic information about each publication. Always keep in mind that the media always think of rationales - why would this event matter to them, why should they publish your story? Does it benefit them or their readers? Prepare few key points before pitching anything to them. 

Media Interview with Datuk Zainal, CEO of InvestKL during one of InvestKL's events. 

Besides that, I was also privileged to have been given the opportunity to be a part of few brainstorming sessions for our clients' strategic development. Similar to what we have learned in class, each strategy has to be in line with the key messages we are sending across, as well as supported by strong and firm tactics. Also, always remember to state your rationales - how would this specific strategy help what the company wants to achieve? It may sound tedious in paper, but trust me, in real life, people actually want to know all these.

In short, it was a great placement experience. If I didn't take up the challenge to get out of my comfort zone and fly to KL, I probably wouldn't have had experienced any of these. But I'm glad that I did - it was a brief three months, but trust there's more to come in the future and I wouldn't replace this experience for any other!

Before I end, let me know about your experience and sum it up in three words - feel free to drop comments!

This is my last post,

Celeste.

It's Not What It Seems..You Have Got To Look Deeper..

Dear fellow PR Interns,

It has been a few weeks since I started my internship at Interhill Group, in a small oil town called Miri. It is located on the eastern part of Malaysia. Interhill Group, though they call themselves a property development company, it is actually involved in the timber trade.

I am an animal activist and an environmentalist. "So why are you working there? 

This is the question I have been getting from the people around me.

I remember a wise PR lecturer once said, "if you do not agree with a company's way of business, why not go in and change it." 

Those words were constantly juggling through my thoughts. The struggling decision to work with Interhill or not was something I then understood from what we have learnt in the PR units of making ethical decisions. The question was, do I work with them and protect the big corporate greed and bend my believes or work somewhere else. Here is a link to guide us PR practitioners into make the right decisions http://www.prsa.org/aboutprsa/ethics/#.VMrugWiUdmw

I then decided to research the company further to help me conclude my choices. Wonderful enough, I found that they have a CSR department, which is my area of interest. Most people would think that a large corporation having a CSR department, is just to cover up the ugly truth of their wrong doings. However, during my interview with the manager of this department, Agnes, she glows when she talks about helping the indigenous community of Sarawak (Penan Community, who are the last hunters and gatherers), the orphans, the wild life animals and more. 

The projects Interhill group has initiated includes: The After School Project, which I am personally involved in, Local Community Support, Women Empowerment Programs and Education Initiative. All the above projects target the less privileged children such as orphans and also the rural indigenous communities.  

Interhill Group also focuses on Women Empowerment which I personally worked on.

It is very evident that the CSR department leads the corporation and their involvement with the timber trade are strictly being bounded with ethical guidelines! 

With that, I have decided to join the company. I am always passionate about social work and I am truly happy and joyed that I am able to perform my PR skills in my area of interest!

I am glad to have found a company who looks up to their CSR department and we are blessed to have a manager who allows us to come up with new ideas on how to perform good deeds to help the animals and the less fortunate.

I will be organizing a few events for the orphans in Miri under the After School Project and I am very excited!

Till next time! Stay tuned for the next update on how my event went! 

If anyone is interested in checking out the company that I am working with, here is the link:http://www.interhill.com.my/

Below are a few photos so u guys can see what we are involved in!

Visiting the Penan communities at the Village 

The After School Project Poster

Interhill Group Local Community Outreach 

Interhill Women Empowerment Program 

Cheers.

Sterwina Kho

Curtin Sarawak