AIM and Intel forge understanding to further CSR Academe and microchip giant work together to mainstream best practices in CSR

From The Asian Institute of Management, AIM-Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. Center for Corporate Responsibility (AIM-RVR Center) and Microchip giant Intel, signed a memorandum of understanding on July 30, 2007 for institutional cooperation with microchip giant Intel to collaborate on various endeavors to further mainstream the practice of corporate social responsibility in business.

The MOU institutionalizes several joint activities that are designed to push corporate responsibility to fore. The very first Intel-AIM Corporate Responsibility Award (IACRA), honoring a specific organization for excellent CSR projects, is among the highlights of the forthcoming 6th Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on 27-28 September 2007. Intel is also the strategic technology partner of AIM in said regional forum. The AIM-RVR Center is also writing around 10 cases on Intel's corporate responsibility efforts in Asia (Malaysia, India, Philippines, Vietnam and China). Other joint undertakings promoting CSR may be announced at a later time.

Says Anjan Ghosh, Intel's Director for Corporate Affairs in Asia-Pacific, "Working with AIM is a good avenue for Intel to entice other organizations to pursue corporate responsibility efforts. Our corporate credo is to give back to the community, and we hope that by working with AIM, we are able to share this with other stakeholders, too."

Professor Felipe B. Alfonso, Executive Director of the AIM RVR Center, is optimistic that collaborating with Intel, a global giant in the semiconductors industry, will be a resounding call for other business to engage in CSR. "CSR is taking on a new face. And Intel is among the prime movers in the new paradigm of CSR. That is, Intel provides a wide array of semiconductors to its clients, as it addresses challenges like natural resources conservation, community development, and education. "