INSEAD Meeting In Asia: TNT & WFP Partnership
The theme for this year's INSEAD Meeting In Asia was Risk & Responsibility. When I saw the program had a session on Partnerships between Business and NGOs, and saw that one of the speakers was INSEAD alum and good friend Brett Rierson (he works at the UN World Food Programme), I became interested in attending. The rest of the programme, was pretty much business as usual -- much of the topics addressing risks as it pertains to the financial markets. The theme of the weekend and BR's session inspired me to sponsor copies of our Little Cream Book: Goodwill for the Councils Dinner, because I do believe that a lot of the risks that businesses face stem from social and political instability and that the corporate community can and should take responsibility for mitigating some of the risks through corporate & social responsibility programs.
As panel moderator, Luk van Wassenhove (Henry Ford Chaired Professor in Manufacturing, Professor of Operations Management at INSEAD) put it, "It's not about doing good; it's about doing what makes good business sense". While the bottomline benefits of a CSR program are not often immediately apparent, the business case that BR and Luke Disney, Global Director of Communications at TNT, presented made a strong case that doing good can be good for business. Their partnership has been a real success story. TNT's partnership with WFP is more than just about making a one-off cash donation. In fact, it is really an effort that started from the top and has gotten TNT employees of every level involved. The story on how it all started with CEO Peter Bakker reading an article with the appalling statistic that a child dies every few seconds from hunger is just one example of how great things can be inspired by simple things. Much of TNT's nearly EUR10 million annual support is helping WFP get food to where it's needed, especially in emergency situations such as when the tsunami hit. The key to the partnership's success, I believe, stems from the fact that TNT's management treats the partnership like a business unit; they expect the partnership to yield results and dividends for both parties rather than just seeing it as charity. The benefits for TNT can be measured in a boost in goodwill from the positive publicity, but more importantly, there is the boost in morale among TNT employees, leading to better employee retention, higher levels of job satisfaction and performance. On WFP's side, the TNT partnership has allowed them to feed on average 90 million people, 10% more than before. WFP has also benefited from TNT's knowledge transfer and investment in IT and training within their organization.
So now all this has got me thinking about what CSR programs companies in the travel industry such as airlines, hotels, tour operators, etc. can get involved in. Any ideas??
As panel moderator, Luk van Wassenhove (Henry Ford Chaired Professor in Manufacturing, Professor of Operations Management at INSEAD) put it, "It's not about doing good; it's about doing what makes good business sense". While the bottomline benefits of a CSR program are not often immediately apparent, the business case that BR and Luke Disney, Global Director of Communications at TNT, presented made a strong case that doing good can be good for business. Their partnership has been a real success story. TNT's partnership with WFP is more than just about making a one-off cash donation. In fact, it is really an effort that started from the top and has gotten TNT employees of every level involved. The story on how it all started with CEO Peter Bakker reading an article with the appalling statistic that a child dies every few seconds from hunger is just one example of how great things can be inspired by simple things. Much of TNT's nearly EUR10 million annual support is helping WFP get food to where it's needed, especially in emergency situations such as when the tsunami hit. The key to the partnership's success, I believe, stems from the fact that TNT's management treats the partnership like a business unit; they expect the partnership to yield results and dividends for both parties rather than just seeing it as charity. The benefits for TNT can be measured in a boost in goodwill from the positive publicity, but more importantly, there is the boost in morale among TNT employees, leading to better employee retention, higher levels of job satisfaction and performance. On WFP's side, the TNT partnership has allowed them to feed on average 90 million people, 10% more than before. WFP has also benefited from TNT's knowledge transfer and investment in IT and training within their organization.
So now all this has got me thinking about what CSR programs companies in the travel industry such as airlines, hotels, tour operators, etc. can get involved in. Any ideas??
posted by 10000miles at 10:43
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