The Symes Report 2 | Page 51

Professor Ian Williamson's presentation at the World Business Forum was the highlight of the conference for Symes Group.

His views on staying relevant were radical but once he made his case they were remarkably logical.

He said social challenges and having social impact was the key to relevancy – that corporate social responsibility was no longer an add-on or even must-do element for organisations but was key. By answering society's toughest questions about social problems, the environment, health and community, organisations could determine how they could best serve their community and forge their products/business/industry around that focus.

Professor Williamson claimed that success would be determined by an organisation's willingness and ability to address social issues. challenges.

According to Professor Williamson, the two questions organisations should be asking are:

• What are the social issues faced by the community our organisation serves?

• What opportunities might be created if our organisation addressed those issues?

SOCIAL IMPACT

Highlight for Symes Group

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