Walking the Talk (via Edelman's Citizenship)

Given the current state of our environment we are constantly told and reminded that we have a moral obligation to do the greater good for our society, whether it be by reducing the amount of gas we use, switching our lights off, or eliminating excess use of paper etc. we're repeatedly encouraged to do whats best for our environment. Although were constantly preaching this social responsibility are we really practicing it? In simpler terms, anyone can talk the talk, but can you walk it?

Personally I believe that companies should feel some sort of obligation to give back to their communities, and practice philanthropy. In a utopian society all of our conglomerate companies such as Apple and Samsung would stray away from the use of facilities like Foxconn, but unfortunately our reality is far from it. The way that a company executes CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is very intertwined with the company's culture. In some cases the culture of the company/organization may be all work, no play and the ultimate goal is making money. In contrast a company's culture can emphasize philanthropy, make a difference within the communities they're located in, and instill social responsibility on micro and macro levels. Hypothetically speaking a company may create a website where employees can share and show case their philanthropic actions while working for said company and it might (hypothetically speaking) be called their "citizenship report".

Edelman does a fantastic at interacting with the community in which it finds itself in, whether its by giving money (5 million in 2012) or through volunteerism, Edelman consistently gives back to their community. "At Edelman, we envision global citizenship as the seamless merging of profit and purpose. We think it’s possible to strive for commercial success while serving a greater good. In fact, we view the two as both inseparable and interdependent." I believe Edelman certainly walks the talk, and practices what they preach. Edelman provides a model that many should follow, the company has managed to reach a level of synchronicity between "commerical success" and "serving a greater good".

Fernando Figueroa is a current undergrad at DePaul University majoring in Public Relations & Advertising. He is currently discovering his passion for public relations/the media and aspires to work in an agency. He can be reached at f.figueroa330@gmail.com or you can follow him on twitter; @furnandough