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What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
According to Sheehy (2015) and Ismail (2009) the present-day CSR is private business self-regulation that makes “business organizations consider the interest of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders as well as their environment.”
The debate over the issue of corporate social responsibility has started in the 1950s and its definition has been changing in practice and meaning since then. The classical meaning of CSR was restricted to philanthropy, but then the emphasis was put on business-society relations involving the contribution that a company or corporation administered for coping with social problems. According to Sheehy (2015) and Ismail (2009), the present-day CSR is private business self-regulation that makes “business organizations consider the interest of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders as well as their environment.”
Generally speaking, CSR is a growing business approach of integrating sustainable development into a firm’s business model. It usually addresses economic, social, and environmental concerns on which it often has a positive impact.
The 4 Pillars (pyramid) of CSR
Following Archie Carrol’s (1991) pyramid, the company has four main pillars of responsibility:
- Economic.
- Legal.
- Ethical.
- Philanthropic.
However, under Baden (2016), currently, the CSR pillars should be prioritised in such a way: ethical, legal, economic, and philanthropic.
Archie Carrol (1991), for the first time, introduced a CSR pyramid, what since became a very popular CSR theory. Following Carrol’s pyramid, the company has four main pillars of responsibility: Economic, Legal, Ethical, and Philanthropic. Economic responsibility is the lowest level of the pyramid but essential to accomplish the other ones. Only a profitable company can provide jobs, pay its workers, survive long-time, and ultimately contribute to the welfare of society. Legal responsibility means that businesses have to follow the law in their activities, including tax, health and safety regulations, employment laws, etc. Ethical responsibility states that organisations not only have to respect the law but also maintain their business in an ethical way.
This level of responsibility is more about opportunity than an obligation of the business because it delivers positive feedback both from stakeholders and customers. The ultimate pillar of CSR, at the pyramid’s top, is philanthropy what basically means that business should counterbalance their negative influence on the environment and society by giving back to the community (Carrol, 2016). However, according to Baden (2016), currently, the CSR pillars should be prioritised in such a way: ethical, legal, economic, and philanthropic.
How sports organisations such as FAI have approached it?
- Three common modes of CSR implementation among football organisations are: in-house projects, outsourcing through charitable foundations, and through a partnership model with a non-profit partner (Zeimers, Zintz, and Willem, 2015).
- The most common initiatives launched are education, youth sports, health initiatives, community development and charities.
- CSR projects can be divided into environmental and social programmes.
CSR develops all over the world and encourages different football organizations to change their strategy, processes, and organisational structure in line with big corporations (Kolyperas, Morrow, and Sparks, 2015). Professional clubs are very similar to any other medium-sized international companies, and CSR provides them with value creation capacity. There are three common modes of CSR implementation among football organisations: in-house projects, outsourcing through charitable foundations, and through a partnership model with a non-profit partner (Zeimers, Zintz, and Willem, 2015).
Sports organisations such as the FAI have approached CSR with various initiatives to boost positive social changes. According to Erickson (2017), the most common initiatives launched by sport organisations are education, youth sports, health initiatives, community development and charities. It is quite natural that sports organisations address those types of initiatives because they have the strongest relation to their important stakeholders (Heinze, Soderstrom, and Zdroik, 2014). In general, CSR projects can be divided into environmental and social programmes. Social ones are those which deal with diversity, health, peace, anti-racism, reconciliation, or charity efforts.
Football clubs usually partner with local associations, UEFA, FIFA and other organizations such as UNICEF in order to join their CSR activities.
Football clubs usually partner with local associations, UEFA, FIFA and organizations such as UNICEF in order to join their CSR activities, such as the well-known campaign “Say No To Racism.” For instance, FC Barcelona has its own Foundation, which dedicates the 0,7% of club’s revenue to UNICEF, while FC Bayern Munich made its stadium the most-disability friendly in Germany (D’Amico and Cincimino, 2017).
The FAI itself has done a lot addressing the sports engagement of disabled people (Blind Football, Power Chair football), active participation of ethnic and cultural minority groups, anti-racism (Show Racism the Red Card), and reconciliation. To conclude, professional football organizations need to address CSR in order to maintain an image of a reliable brand and receive economic benefits.
The Football Association of Ireland and their Current Corporate Social Responsibility Policy
“We are passionately committed to being a responsible Organisation. This is driven from the very top of the Football Association of Ireland”
FAI – Corporate Social Responsibility Policy and Procedure Document – February 2013.
Many Thanks to Dannie and his comprehensive overview of the very fundamentals of Corporate Social Responsibility.
We can now examine our assigned corporation – The Football Association of Ireland – within this context. Now, the FAIs’ current corporate structure is in a state of some disarray at present. This may be symptomatic or indeed more likely as a direct result of their stated CSR aspirational objectives not been given the absolute respect and attention that they demand. This is illustrated effectively by the fact that their entire CSR policy has not been reviewed or updated since February 2013! – This observation is compounded again by the fact that it took over two weeks, over a dozen e-mails and many follow-up phone calls to management at the organizations head quarters in Abbotstown before their communications department were eventually able to actually locate the said document – (A document that incidentally runs to a mere page and a half!) – Now there are those out there who may be somewhat cynical with regards to the inherent benefits of CSR as a concept – But the FAIs’ current state of affairs could be a case in point to illustrate what can happen to any socially interactive organization if such concepts are ignored by management and a myriad of opportunities are subsequently lost… – But let us not dwell too long on the negatives.. – There are a lot of extremely well intentioned, hardworking and conscientious people involved in the FAI at grass roots level and beyond who instigate and execute CSR initiatives as a matter of course in their endeavors to progress the game and in doing so contribute significantly to the social fabric of their communities.. – It would appear however that due to an unwillingness (or actual negligence??) to date at corporate level to promote the CSR concept, the “folks on the ground” are simply are unaware of their contributions to this particular realm… (a point Barry will develop on later in our examination of how the FAI may promote and implement CSR revisions going forward).
The Four Cornerstones of the FAIs’ Current Corporate Social Responsibility Policy
The Football Association of Ireland CSR document covers four broad areas:
- Community.
- Responsible Sourcing.
- Environment.
- Our People.
According to the officially issued CSR document there are 4 stated FAI CSR policy focuses – Let us now examine each in brief to establish their current relevance and effectiveness.
Community
The FAI is active in communities throughout Ireland through its network of development officers and works in partnership with local authorities and national agencies using football as a tool to address important social issues. Their commitment to corporate citizenship is demonstrated on a daily basis through social initiatives in disadvantaged areas, working with people with disabilities through the Football for All programme, using sport to combat racism through its social integration programmes and tackling anti-social behaviour and substance abuse through local authority and Garda liaison programmes. The Association also works with its players and uses their national reach to raise awareness of important social issues through charitable partnerships and the work of the John Giles Foundation.
Through its work in communities nationwide, the Association is committed to ensuring that everyone, irrespective of their ability or disability, colour, creed or gender is able to participate in our sport.
Late Night League – Sports Industry Awards nomination for best CSR Initiative in Sport 2016 – 55 centres – Nearly 3000 participants.
FAI/HSE Kickstart 2 Recovery Mental Health outreach programme – Also nominated for Sports Industry Award.
Responsable Sourcing
- Employment is freely chosen and regular.
- There is no child labour or no harsh or inhumane treatment.
- No discrimination.
- Working hours are not excessive.
- There are good health and safety standards.
- People have freedom of association & living wages are paid.
- Environmental impact is kept to a minimum.
Responsible sourcing covers ethical and environmental issues in our supply chain. The Football Association of Ireland Responsible Sourcing Code of Practice sets down standards suppliers are expected to work towards.
Envirnoment
“We understand and manage the impact of the Association on the environment and consider the carbon footprint of our developmental works, offices and storage areas, the waste we dispose of and the packaging of the products we consume”.
This is the FAI’s CSR documents environmental consideration in entirety…! – They “understand” and will “consider”… – This is lip service at best… – No elaboration, road map, specific criterion or initiative is detailed or progressed in this regard within the entire document… – This is a further key area that Barry will develop in respect of potential future FAI CSR specific strategies…
Our People
The FAI insist that “We treat our people fairly, equally and invest in them to make sure everyone can contribute and develop. This ensures, so far as is practicable, that we have a safe environment for our employees through the adoption of consistent health & safety policies”. Programmes such as the coaching development programmes – Sub-set organisations such as the FAI Coaches Association all help to educate and enhance the professionalism and effectiveness of the corporations representatives within the community.
Grassroots programmes such as the previously mentioned Late Night Leagues along with Kick Start and the Football for All programmes are a credit to the corporation and the people who organise such events locally and nationwide. They promote inclusivity that demonstrates a social responsibility and outlook seldom achieved by any organisation.
To this end the FAI 2013 CSR document states “Our employees, affiliates and suppliers expect the Football Association of Ireland to maintain high standards of ethics in its business operations. We therefore expect employees to uphold these high standards and preserve the integrity of our people, the reputation of the Association and the trust and confidence of the public.”
These aspirational objectives are further developed within Kieran Foley’s May 2019 report examining and detailing recommendations for the Association as a whole. This document outlines future proposed pathways and deals – as could only be expected given current circumstance – primarily with Operational Governance issues. A notable point here is that although recommending many commendable initiatives firmly grounded in the CSR ethos, at no point in the entire document is term Corporate Social Responsibly actually even mentioned…
“futbol es para los vivos.”
And so to conclude this section examining the “Here and Now” of the FAI & CSR before handing over to Barry to examine potential implementation of proposed future initiatives – We can perhaps summaries the situation as follows…
South American saying that Football is won by the person who is alert, who’s quick, who’s quick-thinking. Soccer is for the person who can think on their feet both literally and metaphorically.
Which is how the Fai need to approach CSR, Act fast, think on its feet, let the world know what their doing.
Not to say that CSR is sport is easy as it does need to be managed and promoted but when done properly the benefits far out weight.
The negatives.
Clubs from towns, cities or regions command the hearts and minds of their fans. Each club, so its followers believe, embodies the local character, traditions and spirit that define the community. […] Football teams can be fashioned to reflect local and national ideologies,
characteristics, spirits, beliefs, practices, and symbols that constitute cultures”. Whatever its sporting results, a football club cannot remain uninfluenced by the society, by the local community. In its activity, the club takes over values of the community of which it is a member and reproduces them onto the football pitch or in each ever other activities it runs.
We have heard the fundamental idea behind CSR and where the FAI currently stand within it, We are now going to use the next few mins to outline what we think would be a viable plan for the organisation going forward.
I’m sure were all aware of the FAI current position, financially broke, and going through a major transition in how its run, We have deliberately avoided including plans that would require major investment or further upheaval to existing structures, Instead we recommend making the most of existing structures and partnering with other organisations such as Linking FAI schools to the Green schools program, LOI clubs with the SEAI, We also think there is a great opportunity to source funding through the likes of the SEC scheme and SEC system. Lastly we hope to show that by embracing a strong CRS policy the FAI brand can grow and strengthen.
- Energy projects such as lighting, Solar PV installation, Insulation upgrades etc.
- Education and Training.
- Energy Audits.
CSR principles insist upon the reality that businesses – hence, football clubs also – must realize that they have an impact on society and they must be responsible for it (Walker & Parent, 2010; Mohr, Webb & Harris, 2001; Quazi, 2003).
One of our most important recommendations would be to work with the SEAI to help promote the SEC scheme.
What is an SEC?
A Sustainable Energy Community in simple terms is a tidy towns committee for energy, Through the league of Ireland the FAI have a present in almost Every big town in Ireland, a partnership with the SEC scheme could be a win win for both sides, the SEAI get access to a huge network of people and it Gives the FAI a chance to promote themselves within the local community with little investment.
The social dimension of corporate responsibility involves the relationship between your Club and society as a whole. When addressing the social dimension, the FAI should aim to use their influence to benefit society as a whole.
When initiating CSR, give the Communities a voice by involving them in the decision-making process. Create an internal team to spearhead the efforts and make the FAI something care about. Contributing to something the Communities are passionate about can increase engagement and success.
Another inactive that could be mutually benefiter would be to partner with green school, Healthy Ireland, active schools campaigns throughout the country.
Once again this gets right down to the grass roots Getting children when their young to promote three huge objectives environmental awareness, health and playing soccer, The important part of this partnership is that’s its not a one size fits all project, The FAI and the schools can provide support But it has to be embraced by the community and the best way to do that is allow the community decide whats best for them weather its A green garden to one side of the pitch if a school is stuck for space or training sessions with league of Ireland players or nutrition advice All this helps embody the club into the community create fans for life.
FAI & CSR – They are doing it – They just don’t know that they are doing it…!
Promote & Promote & Promote
Lastly and most importantly there is little point in doing all this work if your not going to promote it, let the country know you care and were in this together.
Highlight what has been done and what the plans are for the future.
The aim of the FAI should be that every child in Ireland that owns a Premier league shirt and supports a premier league team should also own an Ireland jersey and a league of Ireland jersey,
The fact remains that the FAI can not compete with the money, players or spectacle that is the premier league but “FutBol cs para los vivos” (football is for the quick thinking) so the FAI must fight the battle in areas where it can win, by getting into the communities, making them part of the club, getting kids engaged. No matter how good the game the average kid can’t rock up to Anfield to watch it. They can however go to Oriel park, or turners cross etc to watch and in turn go to the Aviva to watch the international team.
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