CSR in Japan, Europe and US

CSR is one of the catchwords currently everybody is talking about – whether it is in Europe, the U.S. or Japan. The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility covers a broad range of aspects – it is applied as a risk management tool or to enhance the corporate image in the public. Because it includes many facets, the definition on what is the core of CSR differs widely between companies and countries. In order to deepen the mutual understanding about CSR and learn from each other, TÜV Rheinland Japan Ltd. and the German Institute for Japanese Studies are organizing a joint workshop. The objective of the workshop is to illuminate trends and activities in the different regions and identify the driving forces behind the CSR activities. Differences in focus and CSR implementation should be detected. By bringing together participants from different national backgrounds as well as from the academic and the business world, we expect an open discussion about current issues and future trends. This could include for example the discussion what activities are part of CSR, how CSR can lead to more efficiency in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, or how CSR can become more credible by introducing measurements.

This workshop is a closed event, limited to a small group of person or company representative, which are willing to share their experience.

The workshop is planned as a 1-day event on Wednesday, 12th of November 2008 at the German Institute for Japanese Studies (ドイツ-日本研究所 ) Tokyo. (Please see the details of the location on the last page). The participants should be a mixture of academic experts and business practitioners, representing different national backgrounds. Short presentations will be followed by extensive discussions to exchange opinions, experiences, best practices etc.