CSR: European Commission CSR strategy
Thursday, March 1st, 2012The European Commission’s new CSR strategy encourages businesses to uphold the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact in order to create sustainable growth. agendaNi examines its recommendations. A renewed corporate social responsibility strategy has been published by the European Commission in response to the economic crisis and its damage to consumer confidence and levels of trust in business. It claims that it is in the interests of enterprises to deal with CSR because, by engaging with its consumers, investors and the general public, businesses can anticipate and take advantage...[full story]
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CSR: Business Models
Thursday, March 1st, 2012CSR means different things for different sized business. Stephen Dineen reports. Few if any companies will publicly state their opposition to CSR, yet academic arguments against it include the claim that a business’ job is to make money not re-distribute it. Governments’ role is to regulate, say some; corporations shouldn’t be responsible for the ethics of others on the supply chain. As Tim Ambler of the Adam Smith Institute blogged in light of Davos debates on capitalism: “It’s actually quite simple: make money and do not be distracted by corporate responsibility. Making...[full story]
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CSR: Amey’s having a positive impact
Thursday, March 1st, 2012Practical examples of responsible business being good business. Leading public services provider Amey, which employs over 250 people across seven contracts in Northern Ireland, has launched a Community Engagement Plan to bring together all its community initiatives across the country. Amey is working in partnership with several key public sector and charity organisations including the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Sustrans and the Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB) to deliver a series of community projects. These include road safety campaigns, environmental clean-ups...[full story]
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CSR: Phoenix LIFE
Thursday, March 1st, 2012Phoenix is the pre-eminent natural gas distribution, supply and service organisation in Northern Ireland. Coupled with the recognised impact it has made through the introduction of natural gas locally, Phoenix has also been recognised for its significant impact in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Simon Little, Phoenix Communications Manager, explains why CSR and community initiatives remain such an integral part of Phoenix’s operations. Phoenix’s award-winning CSR programme is called ‘LIFE’ and stands for: Leadership in the marketplace, Investing in our people,...[full story]
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CSR: Trade union approaches
Thursday, March 1st, 2012Despite instinctive suspicions, CSR has been better than expected for trades unions in Northern Ireland. Trades unions have historically been suspicious of CSR, often categorising the seemingly altruistic, consumer- and employee-friendly actions as by-products of de-regulation and brand image management. “Instead of firm legislation and inspection,” a 2006 ICTU guide to CSR stated, “aimed at keeping the behaviour of corporations within acceptable boundaries, CSR developed.” Some see CSR as privatisation “promoted by governments seeking low-cost maintenance solutions themselves...[full story]
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Children: An overview
Thursday, March 1st, 2012Tackling child poverty and providing permanent homes for children in care are important areas in the Executive’s children’s policy. Meadhbh Monahan summarises its approach. Overseen by OFMDFM, which is responsible for “promoting and protecting” the interests of children, children’s policy also straddles the 12 government departments. A ministerial sub-committee for children and young people is chaired by junior ministers Jonathan Bell and Martina Anderson. Its priorities are tackling child poverty, an early years strategy, provision of mental health and disability services...[full story]
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Children: Demographics and definitions
Thursday, March 1st, 2012A summary of population projections for children. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) projects that the number of children aged 0-18 will increase from 458,000 in 2012 to a peak of 472,000 in 2023 although the percentage within the population will fall from 25.1 to 24.4 per cent. Significant decreases are expected from that time onwards, down to an estimated 422,000 (20.7 per cent) in 2060. Meanwhile, the number of people aged over 60 (currently 367,000) would overtake the number of 0-18s in 2024, pass the 500,000 mark two years later and could eventually reach...[full story]
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Children: CiNI-Integrating children’s and young people’s services
Thursday, March 1st, 2012By Pauline Leeson, Chief Executive of Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI), the umbrella group which has been representing the children’s sector in Northern Ireland for the last 25 years. Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) is seeking greater commitment from the Executive to children and young people in the current Programme for Government, and has been reassured that momentum is building to get the Executive’s over-arching Ten Year Strategy for Children and Young People back on track. This will help to ensure a cohesive response to children’s needs across all aspects of their lives....[full story]
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Children: Child poverty increasing
Thursday, March 1st, 2012Northern Ireland’s child poverty rate is rising, and the Executive’s action plan for the child poverty strategy remains unfinished. 122,000 children in Northern Ireland are living in child poverty, according to official statistics, and parts of the province remain among those with the highest rates in the UK. According to the DSD’s survey on households below average income for 2009-2010, 28 per cent of children were in households with incomes below 60 per cent of the UK median net household income (before housing costs), a standard measurement of relative child poverty. This represents...[full story]
Tags: Children
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Children: Steven Agnew–Working together for children
Thursday, March 1st, 2012Green MLA Steven Agnew outlines his planned private member’s Bill on joined-up children’s services. Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in our society and we have a duty to ensure that their basic needs are met and their rights are protected. I have been a member of the All Party Group on Children and Young People since November 2007 when I represented the then Green Party MLA Brian Wilson. Now as an elected MLA, I sit on the group in my own right. Many issues have been discussed in the group including child poverty, youth justice, child and adolescent mental health and...[full story]
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