A public lecture in Wellington by a visiting Professor of Marketing will focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and whether it matters to stakeholders.

There is worldwide consensus that a company’s commitment to maximising long-term societal and environmental well-being through its business practices is a strategic imperative, says Professor Sankar Sen, Professor of Marketing at Baruch College, City University of New York. This is because of its ability to not only do good, but also elicit company-favouring responses from important stakeholder groups. However, polls reveal that most companies are still struggling to optimise their CSR efforts.

Professor Sen will draw on his own research and that of many others in this area to focus on three questions that all managers engaging, or hoping to engage, in CSR must answer:
1. What is CSR?
2. Why do, or should, companies engage in CSR?
3. How can a company optimise its CSR efforts to create value for both itself and society?

About Professor Sankar Sen
Professor Sankar Sen has held positions at Temple University, New York University, Boston University, and the Sasin Institute of Management at Chulalongkorn University.

His research interests lie in the areas of consumer decision making and corporate social responsibility. In particular, he investigates when, how and why consumers and employees respond to companies’ corporate social responsibility/sustainability endeavours.

He has lectured extensively on this topic in academic, company, and industry forums in North and South America, Europe and Asia, and his book, Leveraging Corporate Responsibility: The Stakeholder Route to Maximizing Business and Social Value, was published by Cambridge University Press.

His research has appeared in both academic and practitioner-directed journals and been cited in leading media outlets, and he has consulted with various companies.

Professor Sen teaches marketing classes at undergraduate, MBA/MS, Executive MBA/MS and PhD levels, and has received numerous teaching awards from various institutions over the years.

What: Corporate Social Responsibility: Do Stakeholders Really Care? Public lecture by Dr Sankar Sen
When: Tuesday 17 March 2015, 5.30pm-7.00pm
Where: Level 1, BNZ Harbour Quays Building, 60 Waterloo Quay
RSVP by 16 March to commerce@vuw.ac.nz
Please arrive in time to be seated by 5.30pm.
Light refreshments will be served following the lecture.