Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity

1. Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity -A corporate view on diversity and cross-national differences Petter Vilsted, DNV Strategic Research

2. DNV Senior Managment group

3. ”I support diversity, but not at the expense of passing on the best person for the job simply due to diversity goals” ”This is currently a raging debate in the US and, although it is not settled, it is clear that diversity for diversity's sake is highly questioned” CSR action plan - Diversity Executive board to communicate an ambition level and develop plan for diversity in senior management and governing bodies: -gender -multi-localism -competence, experience

4. Perception of diversity in business ”Nice to have, but not a risk- management activity…” Eva Joly: -”Bubbles” -logics of appropriateness

5. Drivers for diversity in business? • Socially Responsible Investing • growing focus on diversity • part of most screening companies’ investigations • apart from discrimination, not typical for negative screening/exclusion of companies • increasingly looked at from a positive screening perspective • Global Reporting Initiative • some focus on diversity • description of equal opportunity policies and programmes (LA10) • composition of senior management (LA11) • new guidelines in 2005

6. Partnering Mandating Facilitating Mandatory reporting requirements Awareness raising Public-private partnerships Dialogue and multi-stakeholder processes Minimum legal standards Procurement practises/incentives Role of governments Departmental organisation of CSR is important: Denmark: Ministry of social affairs CSR response to weakend welfare state Norway: Ministry of foreign affairs CSR response to externalities of market forces

7. European Union • Ongoing powerstruggle Commision – Parliament on CSR >Parliament urging Commision to focus more strongly on diversity as part of CSR • 6th framework program – applications for funding must state gender balance of researchers

8. Conclusions: • Increased efforts to communicate to business and SRI-community that: diversity = risk management • Support for the GRI • Governments must have a conscious approach: • Actively shaping business’ CSR efforts is a way of conducting politics • Organising and defining CSR in government has implications for business’ interpretations

9. It’s fun to work at the…