Corporate Social Responsibility: SDG 8 & Sustainable Business

This report examines the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8), which focuses on decent work and sustainable economic development. It emphasizes the responsibility of businesses, like Singtel Optus Limited, to contribute to the societies in which they operate. The report highlights the importance of decent work opportunities, productive work, equality in the workplace, and safety as key dimensions of CSR. It explores potential CSR solution approaches, drawing examples from companies like Monsanto and Google, and suggests strategies for Singtel Optus to promote economic empowerment, invest in the informal sector, leverage technology, and address gender inequality. The report concludes that businesses play a crucial role in realizing the SDGs by complementing government efforts and creating employment and wealth within their communities. Desklib provides access to similar reports and study tools.

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
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Table of Contents

Corporate Social Responsibility 2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Understanding SDG 8......................................................................................................................3
Decent work opportunities...............................................................................................................3
Potential CSR Solution Approaches................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
List of References............................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
As responsible corporate citizens business organizations are expected to give back to the
societies in which they do business and derive profits. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is
a concept that defines the actions taken by business organizations to contribute to the sustainable
development goals in the places where they are located. CSR takes on many approaches in
different countries and is understood differently in different countries and could address several
Sustainable Development Goal initiatives such as poverty reduction, education and healthcare
provision, promotion of good governance, human rights protection, economic development and
environmental conservation. This paper takes a look at some of the possible CSR actions that
could be taken by Sintgtel Optus Limited businesses in order to promote the SDG 8-Decent work
and Sustainable economic development. Businesses are powerhouses for creation of jobs and
wealth. Business entities make a significant contribution to economic development by creating
employment opportunities for the citizens all through its value chain. Given that these efforts are
not adequate; this is where CSR comes in.
Understanding SDG 8
It is necessary to underscore the stipulations of SDG 8; according to Scott, 2018 p. 4, it
advocates the realization of decent work and sustainable economic development and in getting a
clear picture of the situation as is, some facts and figures will come in handy. The expansion of
employment opportunities since after the global recession in 2008 has been estimated at 1%
every year. More than 60 % of all employed people do not have any form of employment
contract (Tomei & Belser 2011, p.3). The percentage of workers employed on a permanent and
full time basis is lower than 45% and is on the decline (Webster, Budlender & Orkin 2015, p.

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128). Further, it is projected that by the end of 2019 more than 212 workers will be out of
employment; it is unrealistic to talk economic development with such high rates of
unemployment. Finally according to Hughes &Haworth (2011), at least 600 million new jobs
ought to be created by 2030 to match the rate of growth in the employable age population.
CSR issues relating to SDG 8
Decent work opportunities
As stipulated by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the promotion of decent work
agenda is a social responsibility of every corporate entity as part of the larger agenda of
promoting sustainable economic development (Hughes &Haworth 2011, p 38). The UN
Organization reiterates the centrality of decent work opportunities in the realization of economic
development. The rationale is simple; in order that sustainable economic development is
achieved the people must be engaged in gainful employment or other income generating
activities. According to ILO estimates as at 2016, 3 out of 10 people or 783 million workers are
not able to rise out of poverty despite working because of poor work conditions that could be
solved by provision of decent work (Kakwani & Son 2016, p. 178). In this regard, there are a
number of dimensions to the CSR role that could be undertaken by organizations such as Singtel
Optus Limited towards in decent work. They include job opportunities, productive work,
equality in the workplace and safety.
The first dimension acknowledges the fact that there can be no talk of decent work in the absence
of job opportunities; as such, corporate entities should create job opportunities for as many
people as are willing to work. According to Persson, Weitz & Nilsson (2016), Job Opportunities

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advocates that Singtel Optus Limited to find ways of increasing income generating activities in
the economy in the formal as well as informal sector so as to increase the number of individuals
engaged in wealth creation. The second dimension-Productive Work mandates Singtel Optus
Limited towards achieving a threefold objective; provide workers jobs that reward them with
reasonable income hence boosting sustainable economic development and promoting the
sustainable economic competitiveness of the business and the country as a desirable employer
(Hughes &Haworth 2011, p 38).
As outlined in dimension 3 (equality), Singtel Optus Limited is tasked to the pursuit of fair and
equal treatment of all employees at the workplace with regards to equal pay for equal work, non-
discrimination against either gender, fair administrative actions such as promotions and salary
increase. As Freistein & Mahlert (2016) submit all these have a bearing on the workers’
economic power and hence an impact in economic development. According to UN estimates,
only about 49% of women are part of the labor force as compared to their male counterparts
75%, indicating a disparity of 26% while some regions have a disparity as high as 50%
(Witkowska 2013, p. 338). With close to half of the world’s population not engaged in income
generating activities sustainable economic development remains elusive. Workplace safety
charges Singtel Optus Limited to ensure not only the health of workers but look into social
security issues which include job security as well as the protection of workers right in retirement
as well as in illness. As outlined by Queralt, Fu & Romano (2017), these aspects are instrumental
to ensuring that the workers economic abilities are not hampered in any circumstance.

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Potential CSR Solution Approaches
This section will take a look at some of the CSR strategies that Singtel Optus Limited can
implement in order to actualize the SDG 8. It will attempt to provide an evaluation of the said
strategies as well
From the very onset it is necessary that Singtel Optus Limited CSR has a strategy that promotes
the economic empowerment for their employees. The comany should offer decent working
opportunities which acknowledge and promote the 4 dimensions of decent work discussed before
as Munro (2013) submits that a responsible business organization ensures workers are
compensated adequately for work done, that performance is rewarded, reasonable employment
contracts are signed, job security is observed and workers’ welfare is protected in retirement.
This helps in the professional development of workers allowing them to give their best to their
jobs, hence the economy while their own capacity to take part in sustainable economic activities
is not impaired.
Breuer, Lüdeke-Freund & Brick (2018) underscore the fact that the formal sector can only
employ a given number of people; Singtel Optus Limited should focus on creating job
opportunities (dimension 1) by investing in the informal sector. Monsato, an agricultural
biotechnology firm realized the potential of rice farming as an employment sector in Vietnam. In
2008, it undertook to train 5 million small holder poor farmers on biotech farming of rice by
2020. As at 2016, 4.2 million resource poor rice farming families were already on board yielding
an extra $ 50 billion for the Vietnamese farmers (Kowitt 2016, p. 98). Given the rise of demand
for Vietnamese rice in recent years, Monsato through this CSR strategy has helped create job
opportunities for over 5 million families in Vietnam.

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Singtel Optus Limited should execute CSR actions that target technology, as it is very
instrumental to the realization of the agenda of SDG 8; borrowing from Google which has
acknowledged the role that Small and Medium Enterprises play in many economies across the
globe. According to Maheswari, Nandagopal & Kavitha (2018), SMEs are estimated to account
for over 70% of self-employment. Google is targeting small businesses enterprise owners in
several developing countries with a view to helping them establish an online presence to help
them reach more potential customers and make more profits. Google intends to work with at
least 20 million small and medium enterprises in India alone in 2018. Google has also created a
business application called Google My Business which is allowing SMEs to create as well as
manage the content regarding their business online and is available in both Hindi and English
languages. This is another classical example of what Singtel Optus Limited can do in order to
help SMEs holders to achieve sustainable development.
Sustainable economic development requires that economies shift towards becoming 24 hour
operational. In most developing countries in Africa and in Asia, business closes with nightfall.
This is only achievable if the provision of electricity or other sustainable lighting forms are
available. In this regard, Singtel Optus Limited could borrow a leaf from Abzesolar S.A which
under its brand MAMA-LIGHT provides sustainable energy and lighting for women. 84% of
women are employed in the informal sector as opposed to men 63% (Witkowska 2013, p.340).
This are ways that Singtel Optus Limited could help close the gap in gender inequality in
employment (dimension 3) and help create new jobs (dimension 1) in order to spur economic
development.

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Conclusion
It is demonstrated from the foregoing that businesses have a major role in the realization of the
SDGs because they owe a responsibility to the communities in which they work. As a
responsible corporate citizen Singtel Optus Limited has to complement the government efforts to
make the goals achievable. The said approaches are just some of the areas where corporates
could come in to help create employment and wealth.

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List of References
Breuer, H, Lüdeke-Freund, F & Brick, C 2018, ‘Business Model Innovation in the Era of
Sustainable Development Goals’, Proceedings of ISPIM Conferences, pp. 1–27, viewed 2
October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=130639873&site=ehost-live>.
Freistein, K & Mahlert, B 2016, ‘The potential for tackling inequality in the Sustainable
Development Goals’, Third World Quarterly, vol. 37, no. 12, pp. 2139–2155, viewed 2 October
2018, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=118992244&site=ehost-live
Hughes, S. and Haworth, N. (2011) ‘Decent Work and Poverty Reduction Strategies’, Relations
Industrielles / Industrial Relations, 66(1), pp. 34–53. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=60126275&site=ehost-live
(Accessed: 2 October 2018).
Kakwani, N & Son, H 2016, ‘Global poverty estimates based on 2011 purchasing power parity:
where should the new poverty line be drawn?’, Journal of Economic Inequality, vol. 14, no. 2,
pp. 173–184, viewed 2 October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=115159613&site=ehost-live>.
Kowitt, B 2016, ‘Can Monsanto Save the Planet?’, Fortune, vol. 173, no. 8, pp. 94–104, viewed
2 October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=116041010&site=ehost-live>.

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Maheswari, BU, Nandagopal, R & Kavitha, D 2018, ‘Sustainable Development Practices
Adopted by SMEs in a Developing Economy: An Empirical Study’, IUP Journal of Management
Research, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 7–19, viewed 2 October 2018,
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=131598357&site=ehost-
live>.
Munro, V 2013, ‘Stakeholder Preferences for Particular Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Activities and Social Initiatives (SIs)’, Journal of Corporate Citizenship, no. 51, pp. 72–105,
viewed 2 October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=94230477&site=ehost-live>.
Persson, Å, Weitz, N & Nilsson, M 2016, ‘Follow-up and Review of the Sustainable
Development Goals: Alignment vs. Internalization’, Review of European Comparative &
International Environmental Law, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 59–68, viewed 2 October 2018,
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=114817428&site=ehost-
live>.
Queralt, J, Fu, J & Romano, M 2017, ‘Financial inclusion and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development: a missed opportunity’, Enterprise Development & Microfinance, vol. 28, no. 3,
pp. 200–211, viewed 2 October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=125323241&site=ehost-live>
Scott, L 2018, ‘Reporting: UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) explained’, Accountancy,
no. 1500, pp. 1–6, viewed 2 October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=130529058&site=ehost-live>.

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Tomei, M & Belser, P 2011, ‘New ILO standards on decent work for domestic workers: A
summary of the issues and discussions’, International Labour Review, vol. 150, no. 3–4, pp.
431–438, viewed 2 October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=71933764&site=ehost-live>.
Webster, E, Budlender, D & Orkin, M 2015, ‘Developing a diagnostic tool and policy instrument
for the realization of decent work’, International Labour Review, vol. 154, no. 2, pp. 123–145,
viewed 2 October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=108466221&site=ehost-live>.
Witkowska, D 2013, ‘Gender Disparities in the Labor Market in the EU’, International Advances
in Economic Research, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 331–354, viewed 2 October 2018,
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=91842998&site=ehost-
live>.