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 Enhancing Business-Community RelationsThe Role of Media inCorporate SocialResponsibility andSustainable Development
 by Lubna Forzley
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 August 2003
www.new-academy.ac.uk  www.undp.org.lb www.unv.org 
 
‘Enhancing Business-Community Relations’, Media Case Study, Lebanon.
1. Introduction
The corporate social responsibility (CSR) concept has recently become more heavily widespread and atthe heart of some companies agendas. One of the reasons for this heavy shift toward embracing socialresponsibility can be attributed to globalization, and pressure from many stakeholders (among them themedia and the pubic) to ensure that companies’ practices do not negatively impact the environment andsociety. “Terms like ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ and ‘triple bottom line’ began to appear inEuropean media in the mid – 1990’s. At that time, the media focus has either been on the thinking andinitiatives of a handful of socially responsible entrepreneurs, among them Anita Roddiick of The BodyShop International and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s or on the mishap that have befallen a succession of the major companies in the area. Examples that spring to mind include Norsk Hydro (environmental contamination), Shell (marine ecology, human rights), Astra USA and MitsubishiMotors (sexual harassment) Texaco (racial discrimination), Monsanto (GM foods), Nike (child labor) andExxonMobil (climate change).”
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Research Project Background
This case study is one of ten that were chosen as part of the ‘Enhancing Business-CommunityRelations’ project in the Lebanon implemented in collaboration with the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP).
This case study explores the “Role of Media in CorporateSocial Responsibility and Sustainable Development” by addressing some questions and challenges objectively in a manner that will encourage different sectors to work morecohesively together to contribute to Lebanon’s socio-economic development.
The Enhancing Business-Community Relations project is a joint international initiative between the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and the New Academy of Business.Implemented in seven developing countries, the purpose of the initiative was to collect anddocument information on business-community practices as perceived by all stakeholders, build partnerships with them and promote corporate social responsibility practices. It is alsointended to enhance international understanding of business-community relations throughinformation sharing and networking with other countries especially those participating in the project - Brazil, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa and Lebanon.The enclosed case study was written based on a detailed inquiry including a series of one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions with various stakeholders (employees andcommunity members), as well as collection of documentation on the company’s operations andsocial activities through secondary sources, company documentation and media sources. Thefindings and recommendations reflected in the document are those of the author and do notnecessarily reflect those of UNDP, UNV or the New Academy of Business. It is important tonote that these cases were written as examples of business-community initiatives. They do notconstitute a comprehensive assessment of the company’s social responsibility.1
 
‘Enhancing Business-Community Relations’, Media Case Study, Lebanon.2‘
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lways fight for progressand reform; Never tolerateinjustice or corruption; Never lack sympathy for the poor;Always remain devoted to public welfare; Never besatisfied with merely printingthe news; Always bedrastically independent, andnever be afraid to attack wrong.’Joseph Pulitzer,‘Good and Bad News’ report ‘
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he key is to addressspecific interests with piecesthat hit home and explain tothe audience what thingsmean to them’
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 ‘Good News & Bad’ Reort As the range of issues grew through the1990s, we saw a new trend – with some of the companies listed earlier, leading thechange into the brave new world of corporateenvironmental and sustainable reporting.DefinitionsCorporateSocialResponsibility‘CSR (implies) continuingcommitment by business to behave ethically and contributeto economic development whileimproving the quality of life of the workforce and their familiesas well as of the localcommunity and society atlarge’
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 Sustainabledevelopment‘Development is sustainablewhen it ‘meets the needs of the present without comprising theability of future generations tomeet their own needs’
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 Triple bottomline‘The basis of integratedmeasurement and managementsystems focusing on economics,social and environmental valueadded – or destroyed.Sometimes distilled to ‘People,Planet, Profit.’
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 This community involvement has made companies realize that in order for them to remain competitiveand ensure sustainability, they must address the needs of their shareholders in their business.’
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It has alsomade them realize that this type of involvement can bring them many benefits, among them enhanced publicity.Due to the fact that the media has an influential role on companies, and the public, this case study wasselected to further explore the type of relationship that exists between the media and the private sector  both globally and locally. It will shed light on the way the media perceive, prioritize and cover issuesrelated to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development (SD). It will also addresssome of the challenges faced by the media sector and provide some recommendations that will hopefullyinspire all stakeholders to work more cohesively together to contribute to Lebanon’s socio-economicdevelopment.
2. Global Media Coverage of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development
To further clarify the picture on the role the global media play in portraying CSR and SD initiatives, the ‘Good News and Bad’ reportwas used. According to this report: ‘Progress with sustainabledevelopment requires the involvement of all sectors of society, not just business. The media’s understanding and sustained intelligentcoverage of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) andSustainable Development (SD) agendas is a necessary preconditionfor real progress.’
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