Business and Social responsibility

In a discussion this week with a young entrepreneur, he clearly told me that from the start his business would have a social side to it as well. We discussed setting up a foundation that the company can feed money into when it can, and which can then be used for social projects that are close to his heart. It was very clear to me that this was not a proposal meant to make him "feel good", it was more that he, and hopefully his generation of entrepreneurs, feel that this is a given for any business.

Many entrepreneurs of older generations have long supported the notion of "giving back"; as an example look at some of Scotland's leading business figures who have created foundations or programmes to make things happen. In 2008 I delivered a speech in Dubai on behalf of the Global Trees initiative which is led by Peter Grant, and which has planted hundreds of thousands of trees on a global basis. See www.globaltrees.co.uk for more information.

Larger businesses have also become aware of the notion of "CSR" over the last 20 years, however it is interesting and impressive that the younger entrepreneurs starting out have this goal. I will support this project whole-heartedly, and it is to be hoped that other mentors, investors and non executive directors also are able to assist today's young business leaders to do the same. It is a tough environment at the moment for start ups as well as established SME's, but if small companies are the engine of the economy, lets hope that they can also be the force that forever establishes the wider role that business can play in society.