Caleb Wall

With business under unprecedented pressure from a range of stakeholders to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR), those working in dirty industries, developing countries and the extractive sector are finding themselves exposed to great strategic risks. Many of these companies are endeavouring to practise CSR and sustainability, but lack the knowledge to do so convincingly. Much of what has been published to date tells companies they must "do" CSR, without explaining how best to implement CSR-related policies and why this is very much in the corporate interest. Buried Treasure sets out in a series of case studies from different industries around the world a clear demonstration of how it is possible to create "shared value" for companies, communities and other stakeholders by putting CSR at the core of the business model.

In implementing CSR, companies need to look beyond philanthropy, delving deeper to find the "buried treasure" of shared value creation. This is much more than finding the simple "win–win" solutions. It is about companies engaging seriously in the challenges they face in their operations and finding competitive advantage from working with stakeholders to solve these common problems. This is not easy - but where companies have done it well they have found new corporate opportunities and enhanced brand value.

Buried Treasure presents a series of steps, each accompanied by an in-depth case study, to demonstrate how different companies have managed to uncover the value of CSR. They include: Anglo-American's "Zimele" programme of enterprise development in its coal and platinum mining areas in South Africa; Montana Exploradora, showing how community co-monitoring of the environment has helped build trust for a gold mine in Guatemala; Gildan, a leading sportswear manufacturer, demonstrating how garment manufacture in Honduras created meaningful local opportunities; Scandic Hotels, which has used environmental stewardship and "omtanke" to create comparative advantage in a competitive industry; and Turner Broadcasting, using corporate core competences in partnership with an NGO to leverage staff skills, enhancing public perception and staff retention.

This short and accessible book will be an invaluable aid to managers and students searching for clear proof of the advantages of corporate social responsibility for business and its many stakeholders and for guidance in how to action best-practice policies.