Heralding Women’s Work
 
International Women’s Day (IWD), which is commemorated annually on March 8 along with various global activities throughout the month of March, has brought sharp attention to a variety of women’s issues. The IWD movement has also advocated for focused attention and concerted efforts toward advancing the quality of life of women all over the world. This year’s theme of ‘Equal rights, equal opportunities: progress for all’ struck a chord of balance. This proclamation illustrated that a balance between the sexes is truly desired without advocating the progress of one gender to the detriment of the other.
 
At home, International Women’s Day was an opportunity for some organisations to herald the work of women who made contributions in their own sphere of influence. This included the Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago (AFETT) Women of Influence Awards, which honoured Grace Talma, reproductive rights advocate and professional development guru; the late Clotil Walcott, voice of worker’s and women’s rights; Dr. Elizabeth Quamina, first female Chief Medical Officer of Trinidad and Tobago; Angela Cropper, economist and sustainable development expert and Dr. Patricia Mohammed, lecturer and writer on gender and feminism development.
 
Contributing to Progress for All
 
In viewing the progress of women, it is important to acknowledge and use the power of women when contributing to real social change in homes, communities and the nation. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not just a concept for large companies but can be accomplished at every level of business. In fact, CSR is now seen as redefining what a sustainable business model looks like. This has led organisations such as the European Commission and the Global Reporting Initiative to promote guidelines for structured organisation of social programmes in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
 
SMEs are the lifeblood of community and commerce, accounting for the majority of businesses in the world. According to the United States Census Bureau, more than 90% of businesses are categorised as small. Like the women’s movement, real strides can be made in small and large ways, with all contributions adding to progress for all.
 
So, what does real change look like? Did the people the company set out to help end up better off in their area of weakness? Was the identified need of the community partially satisfied because of your efforts? Support and care come in many forms depending on the need and can be boosted by variables like time, effort, cash, products, service or opportunities. Unlike the usual image of the big cheque, handshake and smiles, small entrepreneurs can offer an apprenticeship for a young person in their community to learn a skill, or provide a product they manufacture for a home in need. All these contribute to making a difference in the whole.
 
But is CSR just that simple? Yes and no. The international drive is not just for us to give more to community but for an organised approach that goes to the core of the business idea. In the ideal scenario, small businesses are asked to start with business ideas that not only make money but also achieve some social developmental goal. For example, the green effort is not only a way to help our environment but provides a myriad of viable business opportunities. Alternatively, a small business that sells educational books and toys can decide to donate some of its products to schools in depressed areas for every order of a certain dollar amount it receives.
 
With giving and building positive social circumstances as part of the core operation, small actions can generate big results. Even in small enterprises, the medium to long term benefit of these actions should be top-of-mind. In the European Business Journal, management theorists, Ysanne Carlisle and David Faulkner noted that there is increased recognition of the relationship between CSR and the bottom line because overall corporate success is dependent on “image and reputation”, which are always enhanced by successful CSR programmes.
 
So, social responsibility is not for other people to do; it is something we can contribute to whether our hands/coffers are small or large. While communications management theorist, Nigel Sarbutts declared that “no sane CEO” would run a corporation without a CSR programme; I am declaring that no thinking business manager would plan a year of activity without adding something that he/she knows will contribute to community development. Progress for all is not just a theme but should be a pillar of business planning and practice.