Soft Launch of a CSR Monograph entitled, “The Corporate Social Responsibility Experience of Intel Corporation in Asia: A Compilation of Case Studies”

Last September 27, 2007, the Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. Center for Corporate Responsibility (RVR Center) launched a CSR monograph entitled, “The Corporate Social Responsibility Experience of Intel Corporation in Asia: A Compilation of Case Studies” at the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR) conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Present at the event were Prof. Felipe B. Alfonso, Executive Director of the RVR Center and Dr. Anjan Ghosh, Regional Director Corporate Affairs Asia Pacific of Intel Corporation.

Through Intel Corporation’s initiative to share its experiences and best practices, the RVR Center developed the monograph. Prof. Alfonso observes that, “Intel has adopted a sustainable approach to CSR, which enables the creation of favorable business environments, while empowering its host communities.” He further concludes that, “The best lesson that we learned is that companies, who partner with governments and civil society, can fashion CSR as a powerful instrument for the development of Asian societies.”

On behalf of Intel Corporation, Dr. Ghosh stated that, “We are glad for the opportunity not only to share our experience in CSR but also to learn how we could do it better.”

THE MONOGRAPH

The monograph is a significant leap in advancing the body of knowledge in the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Asia. A compilation of four (4) case studies on India and the Philippines, it features Intel Corporation’s experiences in managing its long-running CSR programs that aim to foster employee involvement in community development and to mainstream 21st century school education, which is needed by developing countries to be able to compete in today’s knowledge economy.

Based on in-depth interviews with Intel’s CSR managers and the program’s external stakeholders, as well as on available program evaluation reports and case studies, the monograph provides a rich consolidation of experiences on managing CSR programs in a manner that generates concrete development benefits, not only for society, but also for the company that is sincere in performing its social responsibility. To a large extent, the case studies contained in the monograph demonstrate a very important insight--that CSR practice could be fashioned as a powerful instrument for the development of Asian societies and for establishing the conditions for the long-term stability and success of companies.

The case studies focus on Intel’s two global CSR programs: the Intel Involved in the Community and the Intel Teach Program. They discuss CSR strategy formulation and program implementation, outline the key challenges in running CSR programs, and discuss the company’s responses and plans in managing these challenges. The experiences shared by Intel’s CSR program managers and beneficiaries during the conduct of the case studies provide a holistic and rich view of the evolution, management, and impact of CSR programs.