CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY & SME’s

SMEs have an undisputed significance in driving Europe’s economic growth, accounting for 85% of new jobs and 66% of private sector employment. However, this economic importance is also reflected in Europe’s ecological and social footprint – unfortunately however with less positive indicators.

According to current research on CSR, it is still an area that many SMEs believe is reserved for large companies. They are not aware of the direct benefits of CSR, resulting in very low implementation rates.

The OBJECTIVES of CSR-READY therefore are clear:

1. to enable SMEs to analyse the impact of CSR on their company and to implement concrete actions
2. to increase the Social impact of SMEs by increasing the awareness for CSR
3. to professionalise training and advisory support structures and increase the CSR impact of their services

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

IO1:  INTERNATIONAL SME CSR-READY IMPACT FRAMEWORK – comprising an international study on CSR implementation by SMEs (challenges, benefits, best practice) and providing the framework for the subsequent Outputs.

IO2: 1 CSR-READY CURRICULUM AND VET PACKAGE: Including a curriculum, learning objectives, lesson plans, assessment guides, and access to a variety of original teaching content these resources provide business advisors a complete toolkit for teaching CSR Readiness as part of business development programmes, in the classroom or in blended (digital) learning formats.

IO3: INTERACTIVE CSR-READY SCORECARD + ACTION TOOLKIT: Based on the framework of IO1, we will produce a tool for the in-depth analysis of the individual CSR Readiness and the potential benefits. Based on the analysis a specific CSR Scorecard with relevant actions and related learning resources are provided.

IO4: CSR-READY KNOWLEDGE PLATFORM AND OERs adapting IO1, IO2 and IO3 and supplemented with additional learning materials and relevant information, comprised into a fully operational, self-directed learning course (OERs) on a state-of-the-art digital platform.