Hawthorne Strategy Group closed out 2019 with an event at the University Club of Chicago to celebrate the launch of Talk is Chief: Leadership, Communication, and Credibility in a High-Stakes World by Jack Modzelewski, a public relations veteran and Hawthorne Advisory Board member.
The event included a Q&A session between Jack and audience members, as well as a discussion of the book, the public relations industry, and the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in today’s world between Jack and Hawthorne’s Chairman and Founder, Gene Reineke.
During the discussion, there were three main takeaways. Below are the Top Three Reasons Why Businesses Are Placing More Emphasis CSR:
1. The Moral Compass of Business Leaders
“I believe there are a lot of business leaders today who do have a moral compass and have a feeling of personal responsibility for some of the things they see going on in society, in their cities or countries. They just believe it’s the right thing to do for themselves and their organizations.”
2. Consumer Expectations
“We all know there’s been a big powershift from people who sell things to people who buy things in the digital age. When you’re addressing millions of customers, many have said in studies that they value just as much how a company behaves and what it does in society as they do the goods and services they provide.”
3. A High Number of Charitable Organizations
“There’s something like 1.5 million charitable organizations now in the United States. This sounds like an astounding number, but it means all of those organizations are knocking on corporate doors soliciting help. It gives companies more choices in terms of what needs are addressed in society and maybe a sense of guilt that we could be doing more with these organizations.”