1. Introduction New Balance is the second largest athletic footwear manufacturer in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the world. The company has had a strong focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) since its inception 100 years ago, although until recently it has not necessarily been adept at making the public aware of its “doing what’s right” culture (Veleva, 2010).
Dr. Veleva’s 2010 case study, “New Balance: Developing an integrated CSR strategy”, examines the company’s history and corporate culture, and describes how in 2006 it started to approach CSR more formally, creating a CSR steering committee. In 2008, the company engaged the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship (BCCCC) to help develop a framework, conduct
to reduce on-the-job injuries * Switching to “green” janitorial companies in all U.S. plants * Recycling 99 percent of its waste * Reducing energy use through lighting and manufacturing process changes * Specifically working to avoid layoffs during the 2008-2009 economic recession
These initiatives not only had beneficial effects on the environment, worker morale, and productivity, but they also saved the company money.
The apparel and accessories divisions were not quite as successful as the footwear division, due in large part to the number of suppliers and smaller volumes (and corresponding smaller amount of leverage with those suppliers). The smaller volumes also meant a larger proportionate cost of compliance, which was a challenge (Veleva, 2010). 2.4 Community Support
The culture of philanthropy stemmed from the company’s owners, Jim and Anne Davis. In 2007, the New Balance Foundation donated $6.49 million to charity and New Balance employees contributed 3,847 hours of volunteer work. The company’s job satisfaction survey the next year indicated that 96 percent of employees felt “good about the way they contributed[d] to the community”, demonstrating that the culture within the company was pervasive and broadly understood and appreciated (Veleva, 2010).
However, the community support initiatives were not