Green friendly

Tuesday, 8 October, 2002 - 22:00
GOING green can leave your competitors green with envy but it requires knowing how the environment can give you a competitive edge. In a free business briefing seminar on Eco-Entrepreneurship, Dr Michael Schaper will discuss contemporary environmental issues relevant to present and future managers. He will also explain how going green has helped local and international businesses increase profits, create new markets and improve employee motivation. The seminar is presented by Curtin Consultancy Services and will be held at Curtin University on October 24.

Downsize dilemma

COMPANY downsizing has become an accepted part of modern business practices but, according to a recent recruitment survey, companies are still going about it the wrong way. The Lee Hecht Harrison survey found lack of communication was a primary fault for 100 per cent of WA companies. The survey says 70 per cent of companies did not explain the criteria for those who were terminated and 15 per cent of employers failed to offer any explanation at all. Lee Hecht Harrison chief executive officer Karen Pond said organisations should plan a communication strategy to enable a better transition process for the remaining employees.

IR seminars

THE new industrial relations landscape forms the backdrop of a series of seminars by Jackson McDonald’s workplace relations team. The focus of the next seminar is on the enterprise bargaining regime established under the new legislation. Participants will be provided with a summary of their obligations under the new enterprise bargaining regime and the processes to be followed as part of enterprise negotiations. The seminar takes place on October 24 from 5.30pm to 7.00pm at a cost of $50.

B Digital win

WA mobile phone company B Digital has won a Teleperformance CRM Grand Prix award in recognition of the company’s high standard of customer service. B Digital was judged on the speed at which its call centre staff answer calls, the quality of greeting, the levels of product knowledge displayed, the ability to listen effect-ively and the overall warmth of welcome during the call.

Cause and effect

A COMPREHENSIVE study by the Australian Graduate School of Management’s Dr Mark Orlitzky has confirmed a positive link between corporate social responsibility and financial performance.

Dr Orlitzky said most companies did not take corporate social responsibility seriously enough and were limited in terms of sponsorship and philanthropy.

“To reap the full economic rewards of CSR, companies will have to integrate their activities into their strategic decision-making processes and ethical cultures. The data reveals that the highest performers were those corporations that did not think of stakeholders as forces to be ‘managed’ by public relations, but that took their moral obligations to all the communities in which they operate very seriously,” he said.