Corporate Social Responsibility key to Aberdeen’s future
05 October 2020
Community Planning Aberdeen (CPA) in partnership with Business in the Community (BITC) are reaching out to responsible businesses across Aberdeen that share their aspirations for better outcomes for everyone in the city.
Businesses are being invited to attend a special corporate social responsibility online event organised by CPA and BITC on Thursday 08 October 2020.
Being recognised as a socially responsible organisation has never been more important with people becoming increasingly influenced by environmental and ethical considerations when making decisions such as where to purchase goods and services or even which employers to pursue a career.
The online event will promote the benefits to businesses of working in partnership with CPA, which include making a difference, access to partner expertise, improvement tools, healthy working advice, and recognition for helping make Aberdeen a place where all people can prosper.Businesses will be presented with a range of opportunities to support current improvement activity, as well as the chance to engage in more strategic level discussions with Community Planning Partners as members of improvement teams or outcome improvement groups.
Over the course of 2019/20, discussions had taken place between Community Planning Aberdeen, business leaders across the city, and colleagues from Business in the Community (BITC) about how CPA can better connect the private sector’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda with the shared priorities set out in the city’s Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP).
The LOIP has three themes: Economy, People and Place and there are many ways that a responsible business can help contribute to improved outcomes for the people, place and economy of Aberdeen; now and in the future.
This led to the recent launch of a Corporate Social Responsibility platform on the CPA website and this special online event, both in partnership with BITC. The aim being to connect with businesses and by doing so encourage them to contribute their social responsibility efforts towards genuine and lasting, transformational change in Aberdeen for the people, families and communities living here.
This online event and CSR platform come at a critical time for Aberdeen. The precise implications of Covid-19 and oil price fluctuations on the city’s economy are yet to be fully understood but it is clear that Aberdeen faces an even more significant economic shock than previous downturns. It is anticipated that the impact on businesses, individuals, young people and vulnerable groups in the city will be considerable.
Chair of Community Planning Aberdeen Board Councillor Jenny Laing, said: “One of the barriers to Corporate Social Responsibility which has been identified by the business sector is not being sure about the needs of the city or how to get involved, which is why this special CSR online event will provide a range of opportunities for businesses to get involved in the Community Planning Aberdeen Partnership and contribute to positive societal change.
“Aberdeen has an engaged business community who are proud of our city and already routinely support a wide variety of causes across Aberdeen, however, no single organisation has the solution to the challenges that many in our society face, however by working together the public, private, and voluntary sector can harness the power of the collective and deliver something truly remarkable.
“By working hand in hand with the business sector, and other partners, now and in the longer term, will offer the best chance of recovering from the pandemic crisis as quickly as possible and ensure that Aberdeen is a place where all people can prosper.”
The event is being held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CPA is a partnership of organisations that come together to take part in community planning in Aberdeen. CPA sees the public, private and third sector working together with community groups to achieve the key priority of the Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) to create ‘a place where all people can prosper’.
Learn more about Community Planning Aberdeen (CPA) and Business in the Community (BITC) and the online event, and review current opportunities for businesses to get involved with improving communities on the CSR platform.
BITC is a national business response network that links business resources to community need.