Giving Compass' Take:

• Daniel Korschun, associate professor at Drexel University, offers advice to companies that want to engage in corporate social responsibility. 

• How has this trend changed the landscape of business practices? 

• Read about the other approaches to corporate social responsibility that are also working to help companies grow their role in CSR. 

Social and political events of today are forcing many businesses to rethink their role in corporate social responsibility.

But today, consumers often want to know your brand’s position on current issues, says Daniel Korschun, Stephen Cozen Research Scholar and associate professor, Drexel University. And they are motivated when you are willing to speak out.

The last couple of years have demonstrated that the consumer’s expectations for companies is changing. Corporate involvement in movements like the WeAreStillIn campaign, which was endorsed by more than 900 businesses at the time of its launch, and the growing success of companies like Patagonia which kick-started a petition against the Trump administration’s effort to delist national monuments and parks were hallmarks to that changing attitude about how the “right way” companies should respond to political controversy.

Political events and increasing polarization of consumer views are leading companies to realize that it’s no longer OK to try to evade taking a stand, said Korschun.In fact new research into consumer buying trends suggest that some customers will be more apt to make incidental purchases if they know the store is a “value-oriented” company and consistently lives up to its values.

Korschun shared a number of tips that CR managers can use to determine the best approach to corporate responsibility for their companies, each reflecting new research about the way that consumers tend to view corporate advocacy in today’s marketplace:

  • How advocacy at the point of purchase can be beneficial to your brand
  • Ways that companies can measure the anticipated response from consumers given your values-oriented approach
  • Lessons CR managers can gain from companies that are now shifting their approach toward advocacy and the benefit they are reaping from that change.

Read the full article about political corporate social responsibility by Jan Lee at TriplePundit