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society as a whole. If there are conflicts of interest between an organization and a particular [key] 2844
stakeholder, partnership approaches may not be relevant or possible. 2845
Meaningful engagement with [key] stakeholders is not simply an isolated activity. It is a decision-making 2846
method that may involve a degree of cultural and procedural change within an organization. It has the 2847
potential to result in continuous learning within and outside an organization. This mutual learning process is 2848
likely to strengthen trust between an organization and its [key] stakeholders. Trust, in turn, fortifies 2849
credibility. 2850
When [key] stakeholders are engaged in the context of social responsibility, decision-making should be 2851
based on consensus. If a consensus solution cannot be reached, best efforts should be made to overcome 2852
the differences. Irreconcilable differences should be communicated transparently to other stakeholders. 2853
7.4 Integrating social responsibility into an organization’s goals and strategies
2854
7.4.1 Key considerations 2855
Social responsibility should be integrated into an organization’s overall goals and management strategies. 2856
This process of integration only succeeds if it is supported by top management, developed through 2857
interactive dialogue with stakeholders and explained in the context of an organization’s mission and 2858
policies. 2859
From the beginning of the implementation process, top management should have a specific role and be 2860
committed to improving an organization’s performance on social responsibility. To make the development 2861
and implementation of activities related to social responsibility meaningful and successful, management 2862
commitment should represent a level sufficiently high in an organization to resolve any challenges that 2863
could arise. 2864
7.4.2 Adopting principles of social responsibility and connecting them to an organization’s 2865
statements
2866 An organization’s activities related to social responsibility should be based on principles of social
2867 responsibility connected to its values and rules of behaviour. These principles should be specified and
2868 clearly defined see Clause 5. Many organizations have a written mission statement andor vision
2869 statement to define their overall values and goals. Those organizations should review their existing
2870 statements to determine how principles of social responsibility might be integrated into these statements.
2871 An organization without a written mission or vision statement should develop one as a starting point for
2872 integrating principles of social responsibility. An organization’s mission and vision are key statements that
2873 provide stakeholders with a basis from which to evaluate an organization’s commitment to social
2874 responsibility.
2875 An organization may also find it useful to have a written code of conduct and have it approved by top
2876 management. A code of conduct provides general guidance to employees and other stakeholders on how
2877 an organization should behave in accordance with its values, mission, vision and principles. It can also
2878 serve as a reference to assist an organization’s employees in daily decision-making. In addition, a code of
2879 conduct, made publicly available, can give external stakeholders a basis upon which to evaluate an
2880 organization’s commitment to social responsibility.
2881
7.4.3 Developing objectives and strategies 2882
