Royal Dutch Shell Plc  .com Rotating Header Image

Irish Times: A weighty proposition

Ciaran Hancock
Published: Jul 09, 2007

CSR: The merits of corporate social responsibility have been debated for decades but the concept is becoming popular in corporate Ireland.

Earlier this month, energy giant Shell said it had spent $273 million (201 million) worldwide on CSR in 2006.

Susan Shannon, who heads Shell’s social investment initiatives in Ireland, says independent research it has commissioned recently suggests that trust is gradually being rebuilt after recent low points in public relations over its plans to build a natural gasline in Co Mayo.

“Others would argue that that isn’t the case but we feel strongly that it is the case and we have independent studies to back it up.”

Shell recently announced a university scholarship programme with four secondary schools in Mayo that will benefit 10 students. The cost is about 500,000 to the company. It also employs a number of community liaison officers.

Shannon admits, however, that it is difficult for companies to quantify the benefit to their business from CSR. “You can’t measure it . . . but this is not really an option for businesses anymore. It’s a must-have in today’s world,” Shannon says.

The above are extracts relevant to Shell…

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comment Rules

  • Please show respect to the opinions of others no matter how seemingly far-fetched.
  • Abusive, foul language, and/or divisive comments may be deleted without notice.
  • Each blog member is allowed limited comments, as displayed above the comment box.
  • Comments must be limited to the number of words displayed above the comment box.
  • Please limit one comment after any comment posted per post.