How to be a competent corporate citizen in a harmonious society

Recently, the annual two sessions were held in Beijing. At this conference that concerns the national economy and people's livelihood, a topic of "including corporate social responsibility in the performance evaluation of state-owned enterprises" aroused heated discussion among the delegates and committee members. In fact, in today's economic boom, both native Chinese companies and foreign companies rooted in China have clearly realized the importance of fulfilling corporate social responsibility. At this moment, what corporate decision makers need to think about more is what is the effective way for companies to give back to society? How can such feedback be guaranteed to be healthy and sustainable? And where should our path of social responsibility go?

For a long time, we have always been paying attention to the development of enterprises in terms of social responsibility, because I firmly believe that this is not only a sign of a mature enterprise, but also a weather vane of the continuous improvement of the social environment. Looking around the world, in the historical process of commercialization, those enterprises with a good social reputation not only have a development trajectory with a clear footprint, but also experience continuous self-improvement and breakthroughs in their corporate growth path in the repeated tempering of fierce competition: whether it is Walmart, which closely integrates the upstream and downstream industrial chains to create sustainable development, or Procter & Gamble, which has donated hundreds of Hope Primary Schools in China, or Mengniu, which has benefited more than a thousand primary schools in China through the China Milk Charity Action, all have the characteristics of public welfare development.

I have participated in public welfare activities of all sizes organized by enterprises. When comparing and analyzing their public welfare investment methods, focus points, and actual results, Mercedes-Benz's public welfare development path aroused our interest. In recent years, with the continuous expansion of the Chinese automobile market, Mercedes-Benz has also developed rapidly in China, especially in 2009, the year of automobile blowout, which seemed particularly eye-catching: it has been leading in sales and is regarded as the fastest growing luxury car brand in the Chinese market. It has also been frequently seen in the selection of major public welfare awards. So, is it the outstanding market performance that has boosted its public welfare investment, or is it the positive efforts that have helped it win reputation? As a multinational enterprise in China and a corporate citizen of China, is Mercedes-Benz representative in its social responsibility? What is unique about it? In the trade-off between corporate investment and benefits, what is Mercedes-Benz's unique strategic vision?

●The core: Incorporating corporate social responsibility into the strategic system

As globalization continues to deepen, enterprises have to shoulder a comprehensive responsibility, which requires enterprises to think about the proposition of social responsibility with a holistic and long-term strategic vision, and to incorporate it into the framework of the strategic system for overall planning. As Ms. Jiang Heng, deputy director of the Multinational Corporation Research Center of the Ministry of Commerce Research Institute, said at a forum on the road of corporate social responsibility: "There is a complementary relationship between corporate social responsibility and its competitiveness. Corporate social responsibility is not only a strategic issue, but also a system, including "knowing", that is, strategically recognizing the issue, "doing", that is, using scientific mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the strategy, and "speaking", that is, effective communication. "

Looking at companies like Mercedes-Benz, which have a century of successful development experience, we find that they have globally unified strategic requirements for the fulfillment of corporate social responsibility, among which sustainable development in the field of environment is of greatest concern. As Mr. Miles, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz (China) Automobile Sales Co., Ltd., said, "As the inventor of the automobile and the leader of the development direction of the automobile industry, the reason why Mercedes-Benz, with a history of 124 years, has been so prosperous is that it has played a leading role in different stages; Mercedes-Benz certainly has an obligation to protect the environment, which is of great concern to today's society. In this regard, we have formulated a diversified strategic roadmap for sustainable transportation, and in practice we have always adhered to the core values ​​of Mercedes-Benz - seeking a balance between technological development and nature protection." Perhaps it is precisely because of his profound understanding of the "path of harmonious development of people, cars and nature" that this corporate helmsman who has worked for Mercedes-Benz for nearly 20 years announced in his first year in office in China that he would join hands with UNESCO to launch a nature protection project called "Mercedes-Benz Way of Nature". This makes Mercedes-Benz the first automobile manufacturer to donate funds to China's World Natural Heritage Sites. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz has continuously stepped up its efforts in introducing comprehensive environmental protection technologies to China and launching a series of environmentally friendly models. This organic strategic deployment has created Mercedes-Benz's unique green competitiveness.

I believe that when a company realizes that social responsibility is no longer a marketing tool to win market favor when expanding its business territory, nor is it an optional extension of corporate strategy, but has become one of the elements of its core competitiveness, the company has already incorporated the return to society into its strategic system and completed a conscious cognition. However, mere cognition is far from enough. On this basis, how to truly practice these concepts has become a topic that needs to be seriously considered in order to be a truly responsible corporate citizen.

●Perfect management system + scientific operation mode = effectiveness

Mencius said, "Without rules, nothing can be accomplished." This ancient saying is still relevant today. Its simple connotation is not only applicable to individuals, but is also an important principle that companies should abide by in promoting the development of various undertakings, including in the process of fulfilling their corporate social responsibilities.

"Giant pandas are a precious gift from nature to us humans, and the home where they grow up is a precious relic that has been accumulated over hundreds of millions of years. It is fragile and cannot be replicated. We thank the "Mercedes-Benz Way of Nature" project for its uninterrupted investment in the giant panda habitat over the past three years. We believe that behind Mercedes-Benz's long-term close attention and investment in the project, there is a complete set of corresponding management systems to ensure the steady progress of this project; their well-organized operation model and steady working style have indeed impressed us!" - This is the emotion expressed by Mr. Pu Zhengxiang, Director of the Ya'an World Heritage Office of Sichuan Province, after personally experiencing the project for three years.

The Ya'an Giant Panda Habitat in Sichuan is the first recipient of the Mercedes-Benz "Mercedes-Benz Way to Nature" nature conservation project and is also the world's largest and most complete giant panda habitat. With the joint efforts of Mercedes-Benz, its partner UNESCO and the local government, local nature conservation work has achieved more and more gratifying results, thanks to the long-term basic principles that Mercedes-Benz has adhered to in this project.

In fact, the donation model of the "Nature's Way Mercedes-Benz" project is: since the establishment of the project, donations will be made to a world heritage site in China every year. When each new project is launched, additional funding will be made based on the progress of the previous project and specific needs, maintaining uninterrupted investment to help these heritage sites improve their protection systems and lay a solid foundation for longer-term sustainable development.

It should be said that this is a fruitful form of operation for enterprises in public welfare investment, that is, taking the project as a platform and forming a complete management system with it as a fulcrum. During the implementation of the project, they join forces with authoritative departments, use their professional strength to guide and evaluate the project, and set up a special organization department to strictly follow up to ensure the effectiveness. In the project of "Nature's Way to Mercedes-Benz", the strong expert team of UNESCO and the organic organizational network of the local heritage office have made the project scientific and orderly.

In the three years since 2007, Mercedes-Benz has donated to three destinations for the "Mercedes-Benz Way to Nature" project, namely the Ya'an Giant Panda Sanctuary in Sichuan, the Southern Karst of China, and the Lushan Nature Reserve in Jiangxi, with a total donation of 14 million yuan. At the third phase donation ceremony of the project held in Lushan last September, Mercedes-Benz announced that the donation amount for the third phase of the project was 3 million yuan, of which 1 million yuan was used for the protection of the Lushan heritage site. According to local needs and repeated discussions and demonstrations with project partners, the project's work focuses on local sewage treatment and the restoration of villas, churches and other buildings with extremely high aesthetic and historical significance.

The additional 2 million yuan will be used for continued investment in the first two donated sites, including the Sichuan Giant Panda Habitat and the South China Karst, to further consolidate the protection results of the heritage sites.

Among them, taking the Sichuan Giant Panda Habitat and Giant Panda Protection as an example, not only has an advanced GIS database system been established in the reserve, which is the first time in the world that this system has been used in a giant panda habitat; 8 field monitoring stations and database systems including GPS, meteorological monitors, thermometers and hygrometers, and water quality pH testers have also been set up, as well as 3 "Giant Panda Ecological Corridors" with a total length of about 49 kilometers, providing effective assistance for the survival of wild giant pandas and precious species.

On the basis of the project's routine capital increase, Mercedes-Benz invested another RMB 1 million last year to cooperate with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, extending the protection of pandas from the wild to artificial breeding: With the official opening of the Mercedes-Benz Giant Panda Park, "Nature's Way Mercedes-Benz Way" is striving to build a 360-degree all-round protection for the national treasure. The 10 "Expo Giant Pandas" that set off for Shanghai in early January this year came out of this warm "home".

● Fulfilling corporate social responsibility VS reflecting one's own brand value

It is true that corporate social investment based on a long-term, sustainable development perspective and backed by a strategic system will achieve good results in a steady progress. However, how can such long-term investment not become a passive extension, but full of vitality and vigor?

I believe that we should choose corporate social responsibility projects that reflect our own brand value, because this will help companies to give full play to their own advantages when contributing, thus promoting the continuous development of the project. At the same time, the humanistic spirit embedded in the corporate brand has the power to nourish society, and the positive feedback from society can in turn reflect the light of the brand, thus forming a virtuous interaction of reciprocity.

It can be said that Mercedes-Benz has a long history. Its brand has been accumulated for hundreds of years and has rich heritage and connotation. It is undeniable that Mercedes-Benz, born in Germany, the cradle of art, has engraved the elegance and classic beauty of art into each of its products. The meticulous craftsmanship condenses something of the soul. In other words, culture, art, and sports have been deeply rooted in the blood of Mercedes-Benz for more than a century, becoming an indispensable element in its core values.

Based on this, Mercedes-Benz has been very active in supporting various cultural and artistic activities, and has worked hard to bring many different types of art forms and world-class performances to the Chinese public. Among them, it is worth mentioning the strategic cooperation between Mercedes-Benz and the top art hall China National Center for the Performing Arts. In the words of Yang Jingmao, vice president of the National Center for the Performing Arts, "art can enlighten the soul and inspire life. The purpose of the National Center for the Performing Arts has always emphasized the combination of artistry and people-orientedness. This in-depth cooperation with Mercedes-Benz is the best embodiment of the essence of this purpose."

Since then, as the first strategic partner of the China National Center for the Performing Arts, Mercedes-Benz has sponsored the New Year Concert of the National Center for the Performing Arts for two consecutive years, sending New Year greetings to the audience with high-level musical enjoyment. At the same time, with the help of such a platform, Mercedes-Benz also joined hands with the China National Center for the Performing Arts to play the prelude to the "Weekend Concert" series of public welfare performances. Since its launch at the end of 2008, this series of public welfare performances has been successfully held for 26 times, and nearly 50,000 people have listened to classic Chinese and foreign symphonic works.

During this period, Mercedes-Benz not only created an opportunity for 1,500 music teachers to get close to fine arts through free tickets, and promoted the popularization of fine arts by allowing them to share their feelings and insights with people around them; it also warmly combined fine arts with disadvantaged groups: including the "Listening to Mozart" Children's Day special concert specially arranged for blind children and Hongzhi class students, and the teachers' special performance held for special school teachers - "The Charm of Pointe - French and American Ballet Music Appreciation", all made these special audiences feel the light, happiness and people's love, and also drew motivation for life.

As a teacher from a special school who attended the concert said, "It feels very relaxing and wonderful to be able to enjoy such high-level music at the National Grand Theater. I know that my students and I have not been forgotten by society. I am grateful to Mercedes-Benz for its care and love for us. We will also work harder to pass on this love to our students."

One year later, in response to the magnificent National Grand Theater, a fashionable landmark building has been erected on the bank of the gorgeous Huangpu River. It is reported that since 2011, this building, which will be named "Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center", will become a fashionable cultural gathering area integrating performance, exhibition and entertainment - undoubtedly, this is another full investment of Mercedes-Benz in the field of culture and art in China.

In addition, Mercedes-Benz and motorsports are also destined to be together. As early as 114 years ago, it began to devote itself to motorsports and became the world's first automobile company to engage in racing. In the half century since 1950, it has become the "Silver Arrow" legend that will be passed down forever in the hearts of F1 fans. Today's "Silver Arrow" comeback has made thousands of fans look forward to it.

Mercedes-Benz has always been associated with sports to show the passion for sports in its brand DNA. The elegance, dynamism and passion of tennis are very consistent with the brand style of Mercedes-Benz, and the spirit of tennis players to be proactive and strive for excellence is also consistent with the life philosophy advocated by Mercedes-Benz. At the same time, Chinese tennis has great development potential and a good sports foundation. With the support of this concept, Mercedes-Benz decided to make a long-term investment in China's tennis industry, hoping to cultivate tennis talents and promote the development of tennis in China through a series of tennis activities.

Among them, the Mercedes-Benz "Star of Tomorrow" youth tennis development program, which aims to cultivate China's tennis reserve force and targets young tennis players under the age of 12, is a star project created by Mercedes-Benz in its tennis investment. Today, the project has achieved fruitful results. Not only has it produced the world champion of the US Junior Tennis Masters Cup, but it has also continued to make substantial progress in the scale and composition of the project.

Ms. Sun Jinfang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Tennis Association, spoke highly of the efforts made by Mercedes-Benz in the development of Chinese youth tennis: "Mercedes-Benz has chosen to cooperate with the 'Star of Tomorrow' youth tennis development project with a strategic vision for the future, and this project will have a very important impact on the development of Chinese youth tennis players in the long run."

It is not difficult to see that Mercedes-Benz pays great attention to the alignment with the brand connotation in the design of public welfare projects. The brand helps public welfare and is also more deeply interpreted in the process of promoting public welfare. This mutual echo makes the power of brand and public welfare stimulate each other and make the strongest voice.

●Let the society hear your voice

From the above examples, it is not difficult to see that Mercedes-Benz's public welfare investment has achieved positive results. However, society is like a complex machine, and it is difficult to achieve smooth operation by one's own efforts. As an enterprise, it is necessary to have forward-looking thinking, that is, how to make more people hear their voices and join the ranks of social welfare, because only when the whole society is paying attention and taking action can the problem be solved.

Mercedes-Benz has built a very good platform in this regard. For example, when Mercedes-Benz first came up with the green concept of "Nature's Way Mercedes-Benz Way", it had a clear awareness that it must form a public welfare bond to closely and effectively connect the vital forces of all sectors of society, so as to achieve the whole society's extensive attention to natural heritage sites and other public welfare undertakings in China.

The power from within the company is undoubtedly crucial. A company's corporate social responsibility will not be successful if it does not receive the recognition and support of its employees. Mercedes-Benz has an internal project called "Green Star Action" to raise employees' environmental awareness and encourage them to participate in the cause of protecting nature. In addition, Mercedes-Benz has cleverly used the platform of "Nature's Way Mercedes-Benz Way" to mobilize employees' enthusiasm for environmental protection and public welfare. For example, the twin panda brothers they adopted in August this year, the elder brother is named "Xinghui" and the younger brother is named "Xingrui". These two lovely names stood out from hundreds of proposals submitted by Mercedes-Benz employees. In addition, they will go deep into the heritage site with employee volunteers to investigate, and let these volunteers from among the employees take back the interesting stories they found during the investigation and share them with their families and other colleagues. Mercedes-Benz believes that this method will make more people aware of the importance of this protection work.

In addition, the enthusiastic response of Mercedes-Benz dealers is an important reason for the rapid development of the project. Two years after the dealers actively participated in the project through the establishment of special funds and in-depth heritage site inspections, Mercedes-Benz held the first dealer cooperation award. This is the first time that Mercedes-Benz has used the public welfare platform "Nature's Way Mercedes-Benz Way" to recognize and commend the efforts made by Mercedes-Benz dealers in nature conservation and social welfare. 8 dealer partners received special public welfare funds provided by Mercedes-Benz to encourage and effectively help dealers make greater contributions to public welfare such as environmental protection.

In this regard, Mr. Liao Zhiqiang, Chief Operating Officer of Mercedes-Benz dealer Li & Fung Star Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., was deeply touched: "What Mercedes-Benz is doing now is very meaningful. The most important thing is the influence of its public welfare model. It has driven hundreds of dealers in the Mercedes-Benz family. Dealers drive employees, and employees influence customers. In this way, a healthy cycle is established, and the radiation will become wider and wider. I think in this regard, Mercedes-Benz has given us dealers a platform and an outlet for public welfare, which allows us to trigger more social repercussions through this outlet, thereby generating positive social effects."

In summary, as the main body of wealth creation in society, enterprises fulfilling their economic responsibilities will directly promote the prosperity of social material and culture, create the material foundation required for social stability and development, and form the cornerstone of building a harmonious society. Take Mercedes-Benz as an example, how should a truly successful enterprise influence our social life, how should it assume social responsibilities, and how should it be a competent "corporate citizen" in a market economy society. However, no gold is pure, and any enterprise must constantly explore and examine itself in the process of development, and fulfill its obligations as a corporate citizen through a continuously deepening and improving management system and a scientific and systematic operation model. In 2010, what new direction will Mercedes-Benz's corporate social responsibility take, and what new propositions will it put forward? Let us wait and see...