Does your company have a Green Director? Does it have a Director of Diversity? There are some companies that do have such portfolios; corporate social responsibility is a big thing to them and goes beyond volunteering at the local soup kitchen. Social responsibility or corporate social responsibility is the same thing that has different names.

To be truly aware and a player in the corporate social responsibility field, a company has to care about diversity in the workplace, its environmental impact, to whom it is selling, ethics and public policy as well as the community it serves. Being socially responsible is a big accomplishment, and it is one that many companies are serious about.

Time Warner

Time Warner is a media company that was founded in 1983. It started off as three separate companies: Time Inc, Warner Communications, Inc, and America Online Inc. Time Inc and Warner Communications, Inc merged in 1990 and was later joined by America Online.

Why we’re including them:

Time Warner has a track record of corporate responsibility. Diversity Inc, which is a publication on diversity and business, placed them on their list of 50 companies in 2007. The company, through its employees, has received two Woodrow Wilson Awards for Corporate Citizenship: one went to RE ‘Ted’ Turner; the other one went to Steve and Jean Chase.

McDonald’s

It started in 1940 in San Bernardino, California and quickly became one of the biggest fast food companies in the world. There are more than 31 000 McDonald’s restaurants worldwide and they serve about 47 million customers in 119 different countries every day.

Why we’re including them:

McDonald’s has a detailed social responsibility, or corporate responsibility plan and released its fourth yearly report just last week.  The company gives back to the community, has a well developed employee programme, and it tries to protect the environment by starting where it counts: at the restaurant level. The Swiss lay claim to the first green McDonald’s restaurant that opened in 2000. Other such restaurants to follow will be in the US, France, Brazil and Canada.

IBM

‘Big Blue’ aka IBM, began life in the late nineteenth century as Tabulating Machine Company and only became the IBM we know in 1924. It is one of the biggest computer companies in the world and is a leader in the fields of technology, computing and science.

Why we’re including them:

Samuel J. Palmisano, the President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM feels strongly about corporate responsibility and wants to give power back to the consumer. The On Demand Community gives members of staff the opportunity to engage in their communities. They have contributed more than 6 million hours since the launch of the programme in 2003. IBM has made progress in its diversity programme, too: African American and women executives have increased by 130 and 393 percent respectively.

Starbucks

The rip-roaring seventies saw the opening of the first Starbucks at 2000 Western Avenue. It stayed there until 1976 and then moved to 1912 Pike Place. It has grown to become the largest coffee house in the world, even after closing 600 stores in July 2008.

Why we’re including them:

Yes, their purchase of Ethos Water impressed us but this Seattle-based company has been trying to do good for a number of years. We are, however, wondering whether it was started by three creatives that spurs them on to do good. It is seventh on the 2008 list of 100 Best companies to work for. It sponsors environmental and social programmes such as African Wildlife Foundation, Save the children, Mercy Corps and Conservation International.

Google

Ten years old this year, Google is now not only a noun, it is a verb as well. It is the most well known search engine and is expanding into other areas of the internet. The head office is in Mountain View, California and the company employs more than 20 000 full-time employees.

Why we’re including them:

Google has been the number one company to work for since 2007: we all love free iPods and scuba classes. Their contribution to philanthropy is difficult to match: $1 billion went to form Google.org and the company got the most recognition for social responsibility in a recent survey.

Nokia

The Nokianvirta river in Finland is the birthplace of the forerunner of Nokia, which is the largest Finnish company. It has more than 110 000 employees, has sales in more than 150 countries, and is the 5th most valued brand in the world.

Why we’re including them:

They have programmes such as the Global Youth Programme, has been named in a new ethical index, and joined Plan International to raise African children’s awareness of their rights and opportunities. The ethical index rates companies based on the following:  working towards environmental sustainability; developing positive relationships with stakeholders; and upholding and supporting universal human rights. The best news of course is that there is a global recycling programme.