GSR is a new concept developed in Japan that goes beyond conventional notions of corporate responsibility, such as legal compliance and risk management. It is a way of thinking that focuses on “aggressive CSR”.proactive behaviors aimed at bringing about a better society. Under this concept, companies collaborate globally with governments and civil society in working within their business processes to resolve global issues, such by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and developing renewable energy to combat global warming, taking steps to reduce poverty, and acting to address water issues.
Corporations are in a position to play a major role in resolving global issues and problems relating to the governance of the global community, and the number of companies in Japan addressing such issues from a business perspective is gradually increasing.
At the same time, bodies like the United Nations and its affiliated organizations, NGOs, and NPOs have been initiating collaborative activities with global companies around the world at a tremendous rate, based on a recognition that cooperation with the business world is indispensable. In this sense, GSR is set to become an essential element of corporate management in the global age.
At the GSR Study Meetings, case studies are presented not just of GSR and philanthropic activities carried out from a corporate perspective but also of companies working to resolve global issues through their main business activities. These case studies pave the way for discussion and investigation of norms of conduct for global companies.
- GSR Research Group Member
- Representative: Junichi Arai
Chairman, Japan Center for Economic Research - Chair: Heizo Takenaka
Senior Research Fellow, Japan Center for Economic Research/ Professor, Keio University - Vice Chair: Hirotaka Takeuchi
Professor, Harvard Business School, Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University - Vice Chair: Hideaki Takahashi
Professor, Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance - Vice Chair: Hirotsugu Koike
Kwansei Gakuin University - Vice Chair: Mitsuhiro Umezu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University - Vice Chair: Katsuhiro Harada
Senior Staff Writer; NIKKEI Inc., Professor, Meiji Gakuin University - Vice Chair: Takeshi Miyamoto
Secretary General, Global Compact Japan Network - Advisor: Iwao Taka
Reitaku University, the Graduate School of Economics and Management - Secretary General: Masaki Yamazaki
Senior Economist, Japan Center for Economic Research - Company Members
Mar.2012
April 26, 2011
“Global-Scale Disaster and GSR: What Companies Can and Must Do”
Tadashi Saito, Director, Political & Social Affairs Bureau Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation)
May 25, 2011
"Global-Scale Disaster and GSR: What Companies Can and Must Do"
Keiko Kiyama, Chairperson of Japan Platform (JPF) and secretary general of JEN, both authorized nonprofit organizations (NPOs)
June 15, 2011
"Responding to the Great East Japan Earthquake"
Motoo Tomomura, Secretary General, AEON １％ CLUB
July 13, 2011
"CSR in emerging economies in Asia: What is the role for Japanese companies?"
Richard Welford, Chairman of CSR Asia (Hong Kong)
August 2, 2011
Nondisclosure
September 20, 2011
"Inclusive Prosperity Beyond Consumption Led Growth"
Chandran Nair, the Founder and CEO of the Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT)
November 15, 2011
"GSR and the Inclusive Business Model"
Hideaki Takahashi, Professor at the Keio University Graduate School of Media
Yasuhiko Toride, Director of the company's R&D Planning Department, Ajinomoto Co
January 17, 2012
"Nurturing Global Talent in Universities : Raising the Issue of University Social Responsibility(USR)"
Shigeki Sadato, Professor at the institute of business and accounting of Kwansei Gakuin University
February 20, 2012
"Japanese Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from a Global Perspective"
Toshihiko Fujii, Consulting Fellow at the Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry and visiting professor at Saitama University
October 24 and 25, 2011
Nikkei Global Management Forum GSR Session
Senior executives from some of the world's leading companies spoke at the 13th Nikkei Global Management Forum, held at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo on October 24 and 25, 2011 under the joint sponsorship of Nikkei Inc., the Swiss-based business school IMD, and the Japanese Center for Economic Research. A session on GSR was held, titled "Global Social Responsibility (GSR): From Japan to the World." Masatoshi Satō, Chairman of Sompo Japan Insurance, Inc., delivered the keynote address, and then participated in a panel discussion along with Dominique Turpin, president of IMD, and Harvard Business School professor Hirotaka Takeuchi.
December 8, 2011
Creating Our Planet's Future with Students: Summary of Presentations 2011
A "global social responsibility" idea contest for students on the theme of "Creating Our Planet's Future with Students" was held on December 8, 2011, at Meiji Gakuin University in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The competition called on teams of university students to create a business plan using the resources of two major companies that would contribute to the solution of pressing global issues.
Supported by EDUCA & QUEST
Participating companies: Itochu Corp.; Shiseido Co., Ltd.; Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.; Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.; Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Chiyoda Corp.; Toshiba Corp.; and Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.