Small businesses seeking to grow and reap the benefits of adopting a proactive corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy will have the opportunity to attend a series of seminars focused on how to get started.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) announced it will hold seminars in East Lancashire, Sheffield, the North East, Derbyshire, Liverpool and Leeds in an effort to show small firms that taking on such a policy is something they can do despite their size.
The seminars will be run in conjunction with the CSR Academy and will address themes such as increasing reputation, boosting sales, reducing costs, increasing innovation, risk management, developing skills and improving relationships with the local community and clients.
“CSR is often misunderstood as something only big companies engage in,” said Andrew Dunnett, CSR project director at the CSR Academy.
“In reality, businesses of all sizes can get involved and realise a wide range of benefits, including a positive and direct impact on their bottom line.”
Small firms often cite costs, bureaucracy and a lack of time as their main obstacles toward adopting a CSR policy, the BCC said, yet more are finding themselves under increasing pressure to show evidence of their environmental policies and social and community activities.
“This need not be the case,” said David Frost, director general of the BCC. “These seminars will help companies see that they can’t really afford not to get involved.”
Further information on the seminars is available at www.chamberonline.co.uk.
