The role of CSR on the partnership between KPN and Accenture in the PhilippinesSefa Research Project 2015

Amsterdam, December 7 2015

“The world we have created

is a product of our thinking;

it cannot be changed without

changing our thinking.”Albert Einstein

Content

Executive Summary

1. Introduction

2. About the Philippines

3. Research Method

4. Survey Statistics

4.1 Regression Analysis

5. Skills and Resources

5.1 KPN

5.2 Accenture NL

5.3 KPN/Accenture Manila

6. Successful Partnership

6.1 Factors influencing the KPN/Accenture partnership

7. CSR and Manila

7.1 Types of CSR

7.2 CSR activities KPN/Accenture Manila

7.3 Awareness of the CSR activities

8. Findings

9. Recommendations

Epilogue

Appendices

1. Interview question list

2. Survey KPN

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Executive Summary

Objective

This report aims to answer two key questions:

• Can cooperation on CSR level influence thebusiness relation between a provider andclient and if so: how?

• How can a combination of two specific skillsets (of two separate companies) enhanceeach other to maximize impact?

Methods

The above questions were answered by usingacademic research, surveys, corporateinformation, our own observations andinterviews with employees from KPN,Accenture and other companies active in theBPO sector or CSR in the Philippines.

Findings

Combining academic research with the specificcase of the collaboration between KPN andAccenture, we found that the most importantfactors determining the success of thecollaboration are knowledge sharing(communication), trust and culturalunderstanding. It was found that CSR canpositively affect each of these factors, andthereby improve the partnership between KPNand Accenture. The (potential) effect of CSR issummarized in six findings:

1 An increase in effective knowledge sharing isfostered by incorporating updates about CSRactivities in operations.

2 The CSR activities are communicated throughvarious channels, but does not achieve its fullpotential.

3 CSR fosters cross-divisional collaboration. Toextend the effect, communication channelsrequire attention and structure to create abroader reach.

4 The attention given to the CSR activities in thePhilippines during update calls improves trustbetween colleagues and indirectly positivelyinfluences partnership on business level.

5 More understanding for one another iscreated, when both KPN and Accentureexpresses and share their believes anddifferences in cultures.

6 Employees at KPN/Accenture Manila feel veryprivileged with their job and this encouragesthem to give back to the community and fellowcountryman.

Furthermore, KPN and Accenture’s CSR strategyand their skills and resources were compared.This led to the conclusion that combining KPN’sinnovative mindset and highly moderntechnology, Accenture Netherlands’ know-howon project management and on developing andproviding trainings and KPN/Accenture Manila’senthusiasm and dedication would yield animpactful combined CSR strategy. Additionally,to align a combined CSR strategy with bothindividual CSR strategies, new projects shouldhave impact in both the Philippines and theNetherlands.

Recommendations

To realize maximum impact on the partnershipbetween KPN and Accenture and also on thelocal reputation, several recommendations aremade. First, the partnership should balance thetype of CSR activities that are performed.Whereas current activities are mostly charitableor philanthropic, future projects should focuson strategic and social investments.

This report presents the findings of research on whether cooperation on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can influence the business relation between two companies engaging in the Business Process

Outsourcing (BPO) sector, namely KPN and Accenture. It also analyses how each set of skills can be used to maximize impact. For the duration of one month, four student consultants of the Sefa Research

Project aimed to investigate this relationship.

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Next, besides using only time and money, allparties should shift to using their personal andprofessional skills to a greater degree. It is vitalto let employees search for potential CSRproject to ensure involvement of the entireorganization.

Further, a steering committee representingKPN, KPN/Accenture Netherlands andKPN/Accenture Manila should be established.This committee will decide on which projects toundertake and how to monitor and evaluateprojects. This should be done by determiningproject ‘approval gates’ with pass and rejectcriteria.

Finally, all parties involved should set up aninternal, as well as external communicationprogram to get all relevant stakeholdersinvolved in the activities.

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Introduction

The Sefa Research Project

Every year the Sefa Research Project, organizedby the study association Sefa of the Faculty ofEconomics and Business of the University ofAmsterdam (UvA), offers Dutch companies thepossibility to have tailor-made researchexecuted in an emerging market. This year, thatcountry was the Philippines, a countrycharacterized by high economic growth, a largepopulation and a high level of Englishproficiency and literacy.

In June 2015, facilitated by Develop2Create,KPN and Accenture decided to hire a team offour student consultants to do research on thesubject of CSR, and whether this can have apositive impact on the partnership betweenKPN and Accenture. Considering the fact thatthe BPO industry is one of the fastest growingindustries in the Philippines and therefore has amajor economic and social impact on thecountry, it is important to investigate the effortsmade in CSR activities. Not only is it argued toalso have an impact on the beneficiaries, butalso a strategic impact on the partnershipbetween the two organizations involved.

In order to investigate these claims, deskresearch and a month of field research havebeen conducted. During this period, academicliterature, interviews and company visits gaveus the information to analyze the effect of CSR .

Main research questions

The research focusses on the currentpartnership between KPN and Accenture inManila. In cooperation with Accenture, thefollowing research questions are key to thisresearch:

• Can cooperation on CSR level influence thebusiness relation between a provider andclient and if so: how?

• How can a combination of two specific skillsets (of two separate companies) enhanceeach other to maximize impact?

Storyline of the report

This report will first briefly introduce on thePhilippines, its economy and background isgiven. This is followed by the research methodand the set-up of the research, followed by thestatistics of the survey target groups. Afterelaborating on this, the skills and resources ofall parties involved are summarized andanalyzed.

This then leads to the factors of trust, culturalunderstanding and knowledge sharing, allidentified to define a successful partnership,and more specifically how the partnershipbetween KPN/Accenture is influenced by thosefactors.

After that the scope is narrowed to the topic ofCSR, and how a distinction can be madebetween various types based on for examplethe impact on the organizations involved.Thereafter the CSR activities of KPN/AccentureManila are examined up close, and howengaged and motivated the involved employeesare.

This results in the summary of the findings of allconducted research, interviews and thesurveys, and is subsequently followed byrecommendations.

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Throughout this report, we use the followingdefinitions:• KPN: The entire company of KPN• Accenture: The entire company of Accenture• KPN/Accenture Netherlands: The KPN

account of Accenture Netherlands• KPN/Accenture Manila: The KPN account of

Accenture in Manila• KPN/Accenture Global: The KPN account of

Accenture worldwide, excl. Manila and the Netherlands

• KPN Community: The charity initiative set up by KPN/Accenture Manila

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The Philippines

The Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia. Itconsists of 7,107 islands that are categorizedinto three main areas; Luzon, Visayas andMindanao. The capital of the Philippines isManila.

Although the Philippines is Malay from origin, itwere the Spaniards and Americans who haveshaped the history of the Philippines. TheSpaniards introduced Catholicism, which still isthe major religion. In 1898, after the Spanish-American war, the Philippines became a colonyof America. Nowadays many Americaninfluences can be found throughout thecountry. In 1946, the Philippines was declaredindependent. 1

Economy of the Philippines

The economic situation of the Philippines ischaracterized by high economic growth.According to the World Bank, the Philippines isone of the most dynamic emerging markets inthe East Asia region, with comprehensiveeconomic fundamentals and a competitiveworkforce that is globally recognized for theircapabilities. 2

Economic growth in the Philippines has been on average about 5 percent since 2002. 3

According to the IMF, the Philippines is the 39th

economy in the world, and one of the fastestgrowing economies. It is transitioning fromagriculture-based toward the tertiary sector.

The Government of the Philippines has definedits development objectives as driving rapid butinclusive economic growth, acceleratingemployment on a massive scale, and reducingpoverty. In order to obtain these objectives,government policies are carefully designed toassist and promote industrial and economicdevelopment. 4

An example of this are the tax incentives fromthe government offered to foreign investors,such as Income Tax Holiday, deductions fromtaxable income, and exemption from corporateincome tax. They make the Philippines anattractive country for foreign business to investand expand in. Private consumption grew by5.6% and contributed more than half of theincrease in GDP. Consumer spending benefittedfrom growth in employment, largely in servicesand construction, as well as in remittances. 5

One of the most important sources of income are the remittances from more than 11 million Filipinos working abroad, primarily stationed in the USA and Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, a relatively stable domesticdemand keeps the economy afloat. Anotherlarge and increasingly important contributor tothe economic growth of the Philippines is theBPO-sector. The BPO industry is the secondlargest source of foreign exchange in thePhilippines, just after foreign remittances. 6

Demographics

The Philippines has a good demographic profilewith 62% of the population between the ages of15 and 64. Like any other developing country,the Philippines has a high birth rate and agradually declining mortality rate. 7

The national literacy rate is 95.4% and 28% of the labor force has tertiary education.1

However, there is still much that can be gainedfrom a better educational system. Only 62.3%of Filipino children are enrolled in secondaryschool. 8 Joint initiatives, such as for exampleinitiated by PBSP (Philippine Business for SocialProgress), a joint initiative of companies activein the Philippines have helped.

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About the Philippines2

1- Nations online: History of the Philippines2- World Bank: Country summary of the Philippines3- Philippines and the IMF4- World Bank: Country summary of the Philippines

5- IBPAP (2010). Philippines: The New Outsourcing Hub A debrief on the International Outsourcing Summit 26–27 October 2010

6- Asia development Bank: The Philippines. 7- World Bank: Country summary of the Philippines

8- Unicef: The Philippines, information by country

Their programs have for example providedalmost 7000 students with educationalassistance and the possibility to attend school,even in remote areas. 9

In the academic year 2012/13, more than 550,000 students graduated from higher education institutions – 52.5% with

degrees in business administration, engineering and IT.

According to the IT and Business ProcessAssociation Philippines (IBPAP), the Philippinesis currently number three in annual tertiarygraduates after India and China. 10 It is alsonumber three in the number of finance andaccounting and business degrees. This makesthe Philippines a suitable country for manyorganizations to choose when outsourcing theirbusiness. 11

BPO in the Philippines

The Philippines has become an importantcenter for knowledge-based services in a widerange of sectors of IT-BPO services providers.Originating from data-entry and software-writing services, BPO has evolved to an offeringof various services. 12

The country's large, well educated, mostlyEnglish-speaking workforce seems a natural fitfor this high-skill industry, which is projected tocontribute to as much as 11% of the country'sgross domestic product (GDP) by 2020. By then,there will be approximately 6.8 million Filipinosthat are employed by the industry. It is thefastest-growing source of employment and oneof the highest revenue generating economicsector in the Philippines today. 13

The BPO industry has been an importantcontributor to the country’s economy and theFilipino government has branded BPO as a“sunshine industry”, implying that they foreseethe industry to continue to grow and expand itsimportance to the growth of the economy. Ithas become the fastest growing industry in thePhilippines, with USD revenues growing at anannual rate of 25.3% between 2007 and 2012.14

The industry is characterized by exponentialgrowth, and is estimated to create revenues upto as much as $25 billion by 2016.

IBM has reported that the Philippines has takenover the lead in the global ranking of jobscreated in BPO from India, having challengedthe top position for several years. 10

CSR in the Philippines

25,2%Currently, 25,2% of Filipinos live below the poverty line.

While economic expansion in the Philippineshas exceeded 6% in the past two years, it hasnot generated enough jobs to reduce povertyentirely. Therefore, the challenge remains tocreate more and better jobs. 16

International organizations that are active inthe Philippines are oftentimes confronted withthe level of poverty still present in the country.Even though the Filipino government doubledspending on health, education and socialprotection between 2010 and 2014, they arestill not equipped to tackle issues in these areasalone. There are many issues regarding health,education, livelihood and care for theenvironment that need to be addressed. 17

Accenture Philippines

With over 38,000 BPO professionals, the Accenture Delivery Centers in the Philippines are

part of the Global Delivery Network.

The service centers deliver services at theintersection of business and technology. Clientsthat feature many Fortune 500 organizations,have direct access to the top talent, deepindustry knowledge, and industrialized breadthof capabilities, certifications and more thatAccenture has to offer. Accenture has beenestablished in the Philippines over 25 years ago,and consists of many motivated people withvarious skills and capabilities. 15

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9- PBSP Annual report 201410- IBPAP (2010). Philippines: The New Outsourcing Hub. A debrief on the International Outsourcing Summit 26–27 October 2010 11- PWC: More value for your business; Investment incentives in the Philippines12- Microsoft Case Studies: Series on Information Technology, Public Policy and Society Case Title: Business Process Outsourcing in the Philippines

13- Invest Philippines: Background information on BPO in the Philippines14- Central Bank of the Republic of the Philippines: Results of the 2010 survey of

Information Technology Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) Services 15- Accenture Global Delivery Network: A Focus on the Philippines

16- Asia Development Bank: Poverty in the Philippines17- PBSP: Annual report 2013

With only an average 1.14 doctors per 1.000 people,

health care is not sufficient. 18

Taking this into consideration, voluntary socialand environmental practices of businessesgoing beyond legal requirements, can play amajor role in filling the gap in a creative andinnovative way. CSR is therefore not asubstitute, but a complement to governmentinitiatives.

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Organizations engaging in CSR

In order to not only have a sustainable andprofitable company but also do well forthe society, organizations frequently startinitiatives to help alleviate some of theproblems that belong to developingcountries.

CSR can be an effective management toolto strengthen the organizations’performance. This can be done throughcontributing to a better image instakeholders’ minds and because of theirresponsible behavior toward society andenvironment. There are various ways acompany can benefit from engaging inCSR, such as:

• Employee engagement and motivation

• Attracting new employees

• Enhancing company image andreputation

Successful CSR practices can lead tocompetitive advantage by aligning socialresponsibility with corporate strategy,innovative and efficient projects, betterenvironmental performance, better socialperformance and improvement incorporate governance.

18- Asia Development Bank: Poverty in the Philippines

Focus of research

In order to gain a broad understanding of bestpractices in CSR and what a partnership needsto be successful, we interviewed companieswithin the BPO sector as well as companiesfrom other sectors such as Oil and Energy,Manufacturing, Healthcare, SocialDevelopment, Non-Governmental Organization(NGO) and the Public sector.

Prior to the field research in Manila, weidentified and contacted local and multinationalcompanies which have CSR activities in thePhilippines and/or have extensive knowledgeon partnerships (between a service providerand its client or different). For example, weinterviewed a company that is addressed asmost outstanding corporation in the CSR sectorin the Philippines, a NGO that aims to helpchildren who make a living in the PayatasRubbish Dump by providing education and thePhilippines Business for Social Progress who hasconnected the business sector to socialdevelopment projects since over four decadesalready.

Academic Research

Academic and desk research were carried outbefore going to the Philippines. To understandthe essence of a partnership, we use academicresearch as our starting point. Academicresearch elaborates on the motives for apartnership and on potential (dis)advantages.Furthermore, it describes how a moresuccessful partnership can be achieved througha varied mix of factors. Based on these factors,we constructed a framework for semi-structured interviews and the survey.

Also, academic research provides detailedinformation on the possible ways to involve inCSR activities, the reasons to involve in CSR,how it is deployed within a partnership andwhat its effect is.

This academic research compiles the foundationfor the rest of the research and providing usguidance for focus areas.

Desk research

Corporate information such as the corebusiness, (CSR) strategy, mission, vision,capabilities and resources is gathered andanalyzed with the purpose to look foroverlapping elements between two companiesin a partnership and more specific between KPNand Accenture.

Interviews

We use semi-structured interview guidesfocusing on the topics partnership and CSR. Thisprovides us comparable and qualitative data.During the interviews we asked open-endedquestion to give interviewees the opportunityto speak freely. These questions aresupplemented with closed questions in order toobtain specific information.

Due to confidentiality, we include only theinterview questions. We refer to [Appendix 1].

This report combines academic research, corporate reports, semi-structured interviews and a survey

distributed amongst KPN and Accenture employees to answer the research questions

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Research Method3

Survey

Interviews alone do not provide objectivity,hence based on academic research we createda survey and distributed the survey among fourgroups. In combination with qualitativeresearch this enhances the reliability of ouranalysis. The target groups for the survey are:

• KPN

• KPN/Accenture Manila

• KPN/Accenture Netherlands

• KPN/Accenture Global

For the survey, we refer to [Appendix 2].

Observation (Business) Culture

Taking culture into consideration is veryimportant when conducting business abroad.Societies in each single country have differentcultural and societal values that affect the wayin business is handled. Within the KPN accountwe witnessed an enormous amount ofdedication. Not only in their work but evenmore so in the CSR-related projects. Eventhough this is better witnessed with own eyes,we tried to capture this in our research as well.

Respect of Confidentiality

We respect the information that we collectfrom interviewees. This means dealing with theinformation in a professional manner andcarefully assessing with whom this informationcan be shared and to what extent. Hence,interviewees and organizations, other than ofwhose information is publically available, willnot be mentioned by name. Furthermore, weconsider the sense of authority present in thePhilippines which has led to, in some cases,interviewees that do not speak freely.

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This section contains a brief overview of thedemographic findings of the distributed survey.

KPN

The survey is sent to 20 recipients and a total of11 complete surveys were returned (responserate: 55%). Most of the respondents arebetween the 46 and 55 years old (81.8%). Thesurvey is completed mostly by employees fromthe ZM division (63.6%) and some in RSD(9.1%), SSO (18.2%) and Netco (9.1%). Joblevels differ, but most of the respondents aremanagers.

KPN’s survey respondents are 64% male and most hold a Master’s degree

KPN/Accenture Manila

The survey has been sent to the entireKPN/Accenture account in the Philippines. Atotal of 107 complete responses have returned.Most of the respondents are between 26-35years of age (63.2%). With respect to job level,most 66.4% of responses (66.4%) came fromSupport SMT (11.6%), followed by processors,followed by team leads (10.6%).

KPN/Accenture Manila survey respondents consist of nearly equal shares of men and women and are almost

exclusively Bachelor graduates

KPN/Accenture Global and Netherlands

The survey was sent to 800 recipients, of whichand a total of 338 surveys were returned(response rate: 42.3%). Most of therespondents are between the 26 and 35 yearsold (52%) and has also a large part of evenyounger respondents in the age of 18 and 25years old (33%). The survey is completed mostlyin India where 63,5% of the responses arelocated. 18% of the surveys are filled in byDutch employees and another 18,5% byemployees from Slovakia (8%). The remainingrespondents are from Italy, Czech Republic,Latvia, Philippines and Spain. Surveys are mostlyfilled in by employees from the Technologydivision (64%) and the Operations division(14%). Job levels differ, but most of therespondents (56%) are between job level 9 and12.

Almost three-quarter of KPN/Accenture Global and NL survey respondents are male and hold a Bachelor’s or

Master’s degree

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Survey Statistics4

Gender

Male FemaleEducation

Doctorate Master

Bachelor Vocational school

High school

Gender

Male Female

Education

Doctorate Master

Bachelor Vocational school

High school

Gender

Male Female

Education

Doctorate Master

Bachelor Vocational School

High school

Regression Analysis

In order to complete many of the statisticalanalyses in this report, regression analysis hasbeen used. This is a statistical tool for theinvestigation of relationships between two ormore variables. Regression analysis is one of themost important statistical techniques forbusiness applications, and it is a methodologythat helps estimate the strength and directionof the relationship between two variables. Inour case, this is for example the positive impactof trust on partnership quality.

In order to examine the relationships describedin this report we assembled data on theunderlying constructs of the variablesinfluencing partnership quality, and partnershipquality itself. Then, regression analysis is carriedout and is used to prove the effect on thedependent variable. Technically, a relationaleffect is proven when the coefficient ofvariation (also known as R2) is positive andsignificant. R2 can assume a value between 0and 1; the closer R2 is to 1, the better theregression model explains the observed data. Inthis report, all findings will elaborated on andexplained to what degree are significant andmeaningful. 1

4.1

1- Basic business statistics: Concepts and applications. Berenson, Levine, Szabat, Krehbiel, 2012.

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This section describes the company profiles ofKPN, Accenture and KPN/Accenture Manila. Thethree companies are described by their ownstrategies, set of skills and resources, culturesand motivations.

To create a partnership between twocompanies we look at their characteristics andhow these could fit together. A CSR partnershipcould benefit most if the specific knowledgeand resources of high performance companiessuch as KPN and Accenture are utilized.Company statements, documents andinterviews were used to assess the strategy,skills and resources. Culture and motivationsare evaluated by observations during visits,interviews and survey results.

The survey examined the perception of theemployees of the capabilities of their owncompany.

KPN employees rate the organizational capacity of their company the highest, with 4.2 out of 5. Employees of

KPN/Accenture Global and NL follow (3.9), with KPN/Accenture MNL rated lowest (3.7)

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Skills and Resources5

4.2 / 5KPN

3.9 / 5KPN/Accenture Global and Netherlands

3.7 / 5KPN/Accenture Manila

Strategy

The strategy of KPN is focused on optimizing itssocietal contribution and addressing customers’current and future needs. By doing so, theybelieve they maximize value for all KPN’sstakeholders. The focused strategy is based onthree pillars: to strengthen, simplify and grow.

CSR Strategy

KPN aspires to be a front runner in the field ofCSR. Within it’s six CSR themes, KPN hopes tocontribute to solving societal issues byimproving the quality of life of their customers.KPN’s CSR projects revolve around the followingthemes: energy-efficiency, the new way ofliving and working, best-in-class networks,healthcare of the future, sponsorship andsecurity and privacy. 1

One of KPN’s big projects is the leading charityfund ‘KPN Mooiste Contact Fonds’, whichprovides projects with long-term support, aswell as with support for starting initiatives. TheMooiste Contact Fonds aims to stimulate socialcontacts for vulnerable groups within Dutchsociety, like the elderly and chronically ill. Itsambition is to combine the people of KPN andthe technological resources of KPN to the bestadvantages.

In 2014, 540 chronically ill children at homewere able to communicate with their class viathe Fund’s ‘KPN Classmate’ program. 2

Skills and resources

What defines KPN is its extensive knowledge inthe sector that it conducts business in.Throughout the years KPN encounteredexponential growth within the changingtelecom environment. By constantly keepingfocus on innovation it developed extensiveknowledge. This can be seen as its mostrelevant skill. Following are the most importantresources of KPN:

• Skilled employees• Integrated products and services• Key partnerships• Increasing Net Promoter Score (NPS) and

reputation• Technological resources: e.g. data

broadband services and IPTV services

Culture and Motivations

KPN is heading to become a functionalorganization with the purpose to focus on theclient and provide the services in a better andeasier way for the client. To achieve this, KPNmust work together with all business units.

The history of KPN starts in the Netherlands andmost of the CSR activities are conducted here orin surrounding countries such as Belgium. 2

“Good collaboration determines our success” Eelco Blok (CEO)

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KPN 5.1

4.3 / 5KPN employees feel highly involved in the CSR

activities of both KPN and KPN/Accenture

4.0 / 54 out of 5 employees of KPN/Accenture Global feel involved in its CSR activities

Personal motivations to engage in CSR– survey analysis• “We have the responsibility to help

less fortunate people.” (25%)• “I like to collaborate with

colleagues/partners on anothersubject.” (21%)

• “It has a positive effect on the imageand reputation.” (17%)

This involvement can be found in the examplethat KPN employees raised funds by bakinggrilled cheese sandwiches for the disastercaused by Haiyan in the Philippines in the endof 2013.

1- KPN Corporate: Dutch Society 2- KPN Integrated Annual Report 2014

Strategy

Accenture aims to help their clients becomehigh-performance businesses and organizationsby developing and implementing technologysolutions to improve their clients’ productivityand efficiency. It offers business integrationsolutions that align organization’s technologies,processes and people with their strategy.Accenture pioneers in system and businessintegration in resource planning, customerrelationship management and electronicservices, while always striving for innovation. 1

CSR Strategy

Taking the core values of the organization intoaccount, corporate citizenship is an ongoingjourney for Accenture and thoughtful actionsare taken to bring positive change, for todayand for the future. Skills to Succeed, thecorporate program for CSR activities involvesprojects concerning education and trainingstowards employment or building a business.Since 2010 800.000 people were helpedthrough a Skills to Succeed programme, which islargely beyond the goal of 500.000 people. By2020 Skills to Succeed is projected to haveimpacted more than 3 million people. 2

Skills and Resources

Accenture’s most valuable assets are theiremployees. They possess various skills andknow-how on:

• Technology

• Management

• Strategy

• People

• Delivering customer satisfaction 1

Culture and Motivations

A core aspect of the culture of Accenture is thebelief that combining their skills will enablethem to do something good for society.

Accenture’s company culture is professionaland hierarchical. It is based on high efficiencyand a knowledge-based company culture, whichalso translates into its desires to use thesecapabilities to do something good for society.Currently, the employees of KPN/AccentureNetherlands don’t feel as much involved in theCSR activities of KPN/Accenture Manilacompared to others. The reason can be foundin a cultural difference, that is based on highliving standards and low poverty in theNetherlands.

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Accenture NL5.2

Personal motivations to engage in CSR –survey analysis• “We have the responsibility to help

less fortunate people.” (20%)• “It has a positive effect on the image

and reputation.” (17%)• “I feel blessed with the job that I

have, and want to help people that donot have all means I have.” (12%)

3.9 / 5Accenture NL employees think that CSR is

quite important

3.3 / 5Accenture NL employees don’t feel so much

part of the CSR activities

1- Accenture: About Accenture2- Accenture: 2014 Corporate Citizenship Report

Accenture Manila is part of the delivery centersof KPN/Accenture Global account.

Strategy

The operation centers of Accenture offer a fullpackage of automation, service and innovation.This is done by consulting the clients and usingthe latest technology. The most important assetis the quality of the employees and goingbeyond the requirements of the tasks theyhave. This enables them to provide added valueto their clients. Besides being successful inbusiness, Accenture also strives to deliveradded value to those around them, and doesthis by engaging in CSR.

CSR Strategy KPN/Accenture Manila

Next to the global CSR strategy of Accenture,KPN/Accenture Manila has established a veryactive and elaborate own initiative, the KPNCommunity.

The objective of the CSR strategy ofKPN/Accenture Manila is to help rehabilitatethose in the community that are less fortunate,particularly in remote and undeveloped areasof the Philippines. This is done by improvingschools, teaching basic hygiene and fundraising.Examples of this are the KPN Community andthe Great Place to Work programme, which willbe discussed in-depth in section 7.2.

Culture and Motivations

Employees are very engaged in these activities.One of the most prevalent explanations for thehigh level of employee engagement in the CSRactivities of KPN/Accenture Manila lies in thecultural values of the Philippines. The Filipinoculture is characterized as very empathic andbeing grateful for blessings. During theconducted interviews it became apparent thatemployees of KPN/Accenture Manila see somany around them that are not as well-off asthem to have such a good job and that it is theirduty to give back.

They feel that it is important to acknowledgehow good they have it, and share their blessingswith those around them less fortunate.

A concern and care for other people, theexistence of friendship and friendliness, thehabit of being hospitable, a religious nature, areall values embedded in the Filipino culture.

Furthermore, Filipinos value the recentdevelopments of their economy and arethankful to be able to work for the clients ofAccenture. In fact, they see themselves asemployees of both Accenture and in this caseKPN. Conducting CSR activities that are in nameof the account they work for has made themfeel more connected to KPN, and creates asense of pride.

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KPN/Accenture Manila5.3

4.2 / 5Accenture MNL sees CSR as very important and find it important that their employer

gives attention to CSR

4.0 / 5Accenture MNL employees strongly feel part

of the CSR activities

Strategic implications

Increasingly more businesses are thinking abouthow to use the business model itself to solvemajor social problems. Engaging in CSRactivities together creates a bond between theemployees of KPN/Accenture Netherlands andManila, and the employees of KPN, seen as howthey share a common goal and as topic todiscuss outside of work. The activities not onlybenefit the recipients, but also KPN orAccenture as an organization. The CSR activitiesconducted by the employees of KPN/AccentureManila promote awareness and civicresponsibility to the employees. By focusing onthe needs of those less fortunate they extendtheir vision beyond work, and unite withcolleagues. Not only does this lead to helpingothers and doing well, it also unites employeesand creates bonds that extend beyond workand goals. The CSR activities are seen as acommon goal and foster teamwork andcommunity activities.

Important motive to engage in CSR forKPN/Accenture Manila (due tosoftware restrictions it was not possibleto rank the motivations):

• “Not only working hard, but caringabout others and giving back to thecommunity.”

• “Trust, honesty and integrity.”• “Work-life balance.”

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A partnership is made to bind forces in order toreach higher efficiency or profitability.Therefore, the collaboration relation needs tobe optimal to get the best out of the businesspartnership.

Determinants of a successful businesspartnership

Many factors influence a partnership. Thesedeterminants are researched in academicliterature in different disciplines. This sectiondescribes these factors. Next, Section 6.1elaborates on the factors that are most relevantfor the specific case of KPN and Accenture.

The information is gathered through deskresearch, interviews with Accenture, KPN andother companies that engage in an outsourcingpartnership. This research defines a successfulpartnership as follows:

“a collaboration between independent firms whoset expectations and realize them, obtain a highsatisfaction from the relationship and performbetter than they would without the relationship.”

Trust

Trust is formulated as “the firm’s belief that theother company will perform actions that willresult in positive outcomes, and will not takeunexpected actions that would result innegative outcomes”. Each partner should showthe other partner that its looking for a win-winrelationship, and is willing to invest in thepartnership. 1 Trustworthy behavior in apartnership is stimulated by sharing thesuccesses, but also the losses stemming fromthe partnership. Also, frequent interactionincreases behavioral integrity from eachcompany’s employees. 5

A successful partnership is determined by many different factors

Cultural Understanding

The most obvious cultural misunderstandingsstem from national cultural differences.International partnerships might experienceconfusions around differences in beliefs, norms,values and cultures between people working inthese companies. These differences affect theway of doing business because they translateinto specific values, business ethics and habitsof companies from different countries. 2

However, another form of cultural differencesmight also cause confusion. Interorganizationaldifferences between two companies with thesame national cultural background can still havedifferent business cultures. A lack ofunderstanding in this area can lead tomisunderstandings and frustrations. Forexample, one company that is quite small andhas a flat organizational structure may find ithard to understand the decision-making processof a larger and more bureaucratic company. Ahigh level of cultural understanding is neededfor two stakeholders to effectivelycommunicate and collaborate in a partnership.

Knowledge Sharing and Communication

Knowledge sharing is defined as “activities oftransferring or disseminating knowledge fromone person, group or organization to another”.Research shows that a high level of knowledgesharing increases the strategic, economic andtechnological benefits of an outsourcingpartnership. By strategic sharing of anorganization’s key information, partnershipscan create a competitive advantage. Besides,intensive communication leads to betterinformed parties and thereby decreasesuncertainty on the value of a partnership; whena service provider is open to its partner, thepartner is more aware of the added value of theservice provider and together they are betterable to realize efficiency and innovation. 3 Also,information asymmetry might make one of thepartners suspicious of hidden agendas andincrease opportunistic behavior. 2

“Sharing information provides access toknowledge beyond a firm’s boundaries.”

Successful Partnership6

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Conflict Resolution Techniques

In a partnership between two companies acertain amount of conflict is expected.Understanding how to resolve such conflict isimportant, as this might be done differently ineach organization. A good partnership in all itsdimensions, not only business, is proven to be agood fundament for successful conflictresolution techniques. And successful conflictresolution techniques in their way lead tomutually beneficial solutions and is thereforeperceived as more constructive. 4

“A partnership is a dynamic relationship, not aone-time agreement.”

Mutual Dependency

Mutual dependency occurs when both partiesrecognize that the advantages of workingtogether provide benefits greater that eithercould attain separately. This increases when thesize and the importance of the arrangement ishigh and when both parties consider each otheras their best alternative. 1

Commitment

Commitment refers to the willingness ofshareholders to exert effort on behalf of therelationship. When commitment is high, bothparties will balance short-term problems withlong-term goal achievement and opportunisticbehavior will become less likely. 4

Joint Action

Joint action refers to undertaking activities ofwhich the responsibility and execution lies withboth parties. This creates a mechanism fornegotiating and for creating a common goal.This is valuable, since the two parties areusually on two opposite sides of an agreement.1

Age of the Relationship

A high age of a relationship increasespartnership quality since participants build amutual understanding of each other’s businessand develop a stable and well-specifiedagreement over time. Also, high age is a signalthat the interaction is perceived as attractiveand valuable by both parties, which could resultin a higher degree of commitment. 1

20

1- Lee & Kim (1999) – Effect of partnership quality on IS outsourcing success: conceptual framework and empirical validation2- Doz (1988) – Technology partnerships between large and smaller firms: some critical issues 3- Lee (2000) – The Impact of Knowledge Sharing, Organizational Capability and Partnership Quality on IS Outsourcing Success

4- Mohr & Spekman (1994) – Characteristics of partnership success: partnership attributes, communication behavior, and conflict resolution techniques

5- Dietz (2004) – Partnership and the development of trust in British workplaces

Factors influencing the

KPN/Accenture partnership

The next section will show the most importantfactors for a successful partnership, accordingto the interview data and supported by thesurvey results. Knowledge sharing, culturalunderstanding and trust seem to be the mostfrequently discussed factors. Therefore, theseare seen as important factors in the partnershipbetween KPN and Accenture.

Knowledge sharing

“By talking about personal subjects, yourecognize that you also have a lot in common.You get befriended and not just colleagues.”

The most frequently mentioned factor that iscrucial in a good partnership is communication.Not only frequent communication, but alsocommunication on different aspects of workand non-work related topics is important.

The most relevant factors for a successful partnership between KPN and Accenture are knowledge sharing,

cultural understanding and trust

6.1Cultural understanding

“My first impression is that the Dutch have avery strong personality and can be verybusiness focused. On one side this is good, butit also causes friction. Not everything has to bea competition.”

“Innovative ideas start to grow when there ismutual understanding.”

Talking about the definition of a goodpartnership, many interviewees spoke aboutgoing beyond task requirements. If there wouldbe a very strong partnership both parties wouldthink further than what is expected of them andthis translates itself into innovative ideas thatbring both companies further. A characteristicof this kind of partnership is completeunderstanding of each other. Employeesexplained that after intensively getting to knoweach other, sharing of innovative ideas camenaturally.

Trust

“We feel that we are trusted and valued. Ourpartner knows now that we think about newways to be even more efficient, that is whythey are more open to our input and ideas.”

Trust is a fundament of working together. Alsohigh management functions talk about theimportance of trusting the partner that you aredoing business with. This also seems to countfor the individual level, and especially in aservice provider an client relationship. To trustand be trusted makes collaboration easier andemployees feel appreciated and valued.

21

To find an optimal CSR strategy, it is interestingto look into the topic of CSR in more detail. Inthis chapter, first the different types of CSR andtheir characteristics are described. Next, thecurrent CSR activities in Manila are analyzed.Finally, the awareness of the CSR activities inManila with the other branches is beingdiscussed.

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CSR and Manila7

Charity

• Short-term or even one-off

• Emotional

• Immediate response

• Focused on rescue and relief in terms ofdonations of money or clothes

Charity is considered to have a low impact onsociety since it not structural. The impact on thecompany performing charity is also low becausethe employees are directly involved in theactivities but only for a short period. On theother hand, it can be seen as an attractiveoption because it does not require a highcommitment.

Philanthropy

• Long-term

• Emotional

• Focused on rebuilding by providing basicneeds such as water, food supply and health

Philanthropy has a higher impact on societythan charity due to the fact that it is long-termand focused on more structurally helping thosein need. This long-term relation also increasesthe impact on the company performingphilanthropy. However, it also requires astronger commitment.

Strategic Investment

• Long-term

• Aim for possible strategic returns for thecompany

• Focused on strengthening an industry thatmight benefit the company

• Investing in (learning) skills to social groupsthat have a connection to the firm’sactivities.

A strategic investment is directly related to acompany’s core business. Therefore, the returnon the company is high. The impact on society isalso high since these investments help thedevelopment of a country. When the companyhas made the investment, it is more likely todrop the investment.

Social Investment

• Long-term

• Aim for possible strategic returns for thecompany

• Focused on investing in social groups orcommunities in a way that might benefit thecompany

Impact-wise social investments do not differmuch from strategic investments. However,they do differ in the field that they invest in.Strategic investments focus on investing insomething that makes their doing businesseasier, like infrastructure in the region theyoperate in. Social investments are more people-related, for example skills trainings.

Through interviews with external companies, characteristics of four different types of CSR came tolight. These types differ in their effect on the society, on the company conducting CSR and on thepartnership between the people involved. In the next section these types will be discussed. This willhelp us to choose a CSR type that fits our goals.

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Types of CSR7.1

Impact on societyImpact on company MediumExit

High

Hard

Impact on societyImpact on company LowExit

Low

EasyImpact on societyImpact on company HighExit

High

Hard

Impact on societyImpact on company HighExit

High

Hard

Up until now KPN/Accenture Manila has beeninvolved in several different CSR projects. Firstof all, the employees based in Manilaestablished the KPN Community – Heart to Helpprojects to fulfill their CSR objectives. Also,employees get to develop themselves with theGreat Place to Work (GP2W) program. Finally,incidental projects have been organizedtogether with KPN and KPN/AccentureNetherlands. These three categories areelaborated on below.

KPN Community - Heart to Help

With this community, KPN/Accenture Manilaaims to help the communities of the lessfortunate, promote civic responsibility amongstthe employees and unite employees to worktowards a common goal, as specified in Chapter6. The KPN Community is a largely informalnetwork. Employees are updated about comingactivities through a closed Facebook page, andupdates of completed outreaches are alsoposted here. Since the KPN/Accenture Manilaemployees are proud to be working for KPN,they want their community to show a strongconnection to KPN, which explains the nameand logo.

Currently, the CSR activities conducted by KPNCommunity are not very structured, and do notadhere to a strategic plan. Employees feel thatthe program can benefit from increasedstructure, and a planning should be created thatshows the next steps and upcomingopportunities. At the start of fiscal year 2016, amore planned approach was presented andsince then the Community focuses on one oftheir four projects each quarter of a year:

• September – November: Community outreachThese projects revolve around financiallyassisting those in need. One institution that theKPN Community works with is the NationalChildren’s Hospital (NCH). Employees often gothere to hand out presents like coloring booksand stickers and they sit down for a talk and alaugh with the kids and their parents.

By investing a lot of time and little money theyshow the children that there are people whocare for them and look after them. Anotherexample is the blood giving to children withLeukemia. Since the NCH is short of blooddonations are highly needed. Thereforeemployees of KPN/Accenture Manila regularlydonate blood.• December – February: Caroling and Gift givingDuring the second quarter an initiative thatinvolves caroling and gift giving is initiated.• March – May: Community BuildingThese projects focus on helping thedevelopment of small and remote communities,by providing technical skills trainings andlivelihood programs. Examples are the gift andfood feeding activities to a small Aetacommunity in June 2015 and another one inTarlac in August 2015.• June – August: Environment CareThese projects are connected to sustainability.The team will for example initiate a treeplanting. This is a new addition to the activities.

Great Place to Work

This initiative centers around the workingenvironment. Its aim is to provide employeeswith a constructive way to grow and developthemselves. This is being formalized by creatinga platform for regular feedback moments and amonthly town hall where awards are given tothe best performing employees.

Incidental activities

Besides the activities that are being organizedby the KPN Community, Incidentally KPN andAccenture NL get involved. One example is thehelp of KPN employees after the typhoonHaiyan. They volunteered to make and sellsandwiches to raise money for victims of thetyphoon. Another example is the work ofRobbie Bracke (KPN). He went around hisfamily, friends and the office to raise money todonate to NCH. This amount was then doubledby KPN NL.

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CSR activities KPN/Accenture Manila7.2

The objective of the Manila team is to involveas many people into the KPN Communityprojects as possible. Also, they want to createawareness and urgency for the situation of lessfortunate people and show people that you canhelp so much by doing so little.

“Nothing is more rewarding than givingsomeone else a smile.”

The question arises to what extent KPN,Accenture Netherlands and Accenture Manilaare aware of these activities. In the followingdiagram we can see what the awareness is ofthe different companies of the CSR activitiesthat are conducted in Manila or in India forAccenture Netherlands, Accenture India andKPN Netherlands.

Accenture NL(n=45)

Accenture India(n=166)

KPN(n=11)

Aware of Operations collaboration between KPN and Accenture

71% 48% 93%

Actively work together with KPN employees

91% 88% *With Accenture GL: 85%*With Accenture NL: 100%

Aware of the CSR in Philippines 21% 32% 91%

Aware of the CSR in India 3% 42% -

In the diagram we see that KPN employees arealmost all (91%) aware of the CSR activities inthe Philippines. This can be explained by thefact that the 11 respondents of KPN all areclosely involved in the CSR activities. Only 21%of the employees of Accenture Netherlands isaware of these CSR activities. A lot ofinvolvement is to be gained here. A clear CSRstructure should also foster communication ofthe projects and create more awarenessthroughout the three divisions.

26

Awareness of the CSR activities7.3

The awareness of KPN/Accenture’s CSR activities abroad features great room for improvement. KPN employees are generally much more aware of those activities

The interviews, together with the results of the

survey, resulted in findings on what the impact

of CSR is on the partnership and the presence of

both its skill sets. In this research, partnership is

influenced by three factors, namely knowledge

sharing (communication), trust and cultural

understanding. This is summarized in Figure 8.1,

a summary of our own findings. Furthermore,

we elaborate what makes the Philippines extra

interesting to conduct CSR activities in and how

CSR impacts the (local) reputation. The findings

have been written to cover the three factors,

but are mutually dependent on each other. The

following findings are found and elaborated in

this chapter.

27

Partnership

KPN

Accenture NL

Accenture Manila

CSR

Figure 8.1

An increase in effective knowledge sharingis fostered by incorporating updates aboutCSR activities in operations. 1

Knowledge sharing

At this point, KPN mentors and certain joblevels within KPN/Accenture have frequent(daily/weekly/monthly) contact throughtelephone and e-mail regarding business.

It is only recently that the KPN Community andGP2W activities are discussed when the lastslides of the monthly meeting show up.

“CSR is the soft part of any organization. Toshare the same goal, vision and passion bringscomfort to any conversation.”

Sharing this with the KPN mentors, gives themeetings a more personal touch. During thecall, or in the next meeting, the KPN mentorsare more likely to ask about the KPNCommunity activities and also the Filipinos aremore likely to ask more personal relatedquestions back, resulting in showing mutualinterest. A personal note does not have tomean that both parties should share theirprivate secrets, but it builds a relation whereopinions and feelings are expressed, respect theothers and dare to give each other criticism orfeedback. Efficient communication is not solelydriven by business-wise communication but itseems that talking about CSR projectsstimulates the knowledge sharing and trust inan indirect way for business topics. A quote toshow that criticism or feedback is given is:

“In the beginning of the partnership, we had toaddress errors according to their procedures,there was not enough trust. Nowadays, aftergiven trainings and sharing experiencesthroughout the partnerships, we are allowedto adjust orders our self.”

Findings8F1

1- F1 is the abbreviation of Finding 1. F2 is the abbreviation of Finding 2, etc.

F2 The CSR activities are communicatedthrough various channels, but does notachieve its full potential.

Aside from the meetings, anothercommunication channel for the KPNCommunity activities is the Facebook page‘Heart to Help – KPN Community’. This page ismaintained for its 258 (private-group)followers. The scope of this group are all peoplewho, in some way, crossed path with the KPNCommunity but the biggest share arePhilippine-based and work for the KPN account.

“At this moment the CSR communication ofKPN Community stops at a certain level, wewould like to see it to go beyond and createexposure of these activities throughout bothcompanies”

The quote above shows the ambition and drivein Manila to ask for more attention andawareness in the Netherlands. Anothercommunication channel is the KPN andAccenture internal magazine. By accident theactivities of KPN Community reach theseplatforms. Regrettably, this remains limited andthe KPN Community is not getting the attentionthat it seeks for and deserves. We noticed moreempathy among the employees of KPN andAccenture who have actually visited the KPNaccount in Manila. They experiences thepassionate employees but also how hard the isneeded.

“We need someone for KPN who keeps thecommunication going and actively joinsmeetings and help with scheduling of currentand future activities.”

Knowledge sharing - regression surveyanalysis

In order to test for the relationshipbetween variables and its effect onpartnership quality, regression analyseshave been used, a statistical processmeasuring the strength of a relationship.This is done by interpreting the strength ofthe relationship and the correlation.

For KPN, we find that knowledge sharingexplains 64% of the variance in partnershipquality with the KPN/Accenture Manila.Meaning that when the knowledge sharingis increasing, the partnership quality willincrease with 0.75.

Secondly, we find that knowledge sharingexplains 67% of the variance in thepartnership quality with KPN/AccentureGlobal and KPN. When knowledge sharingis increasing, the partnership quality willincrease with 0.86

Third, for KPN/Accenture Manila we findthat knowledge sharing explains 40% ofthe variance in the partnership quality withKPN. Meaning that when knowledgesharing is increasing, the partnershipquality will increase with 0.56.

These findings are very interesting becausethey indicate that there is a positiverelationship present for both KPN withLPN/Accenture Manila and KPN/AccentureManila with KPN, but are not equallystrong. This indicates that the relationshipis not equally distributed, and that KPNevaluates it more positively.

64% / 100%KPN

67% / 100%KPN/Accenture Global

40% / 100%Accenture Manila

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4.0 / 5

The KPN account is very satisfied with current communications, seen as how

employees of the KPN account rate knowledge sharing with an average 3.95

out of 5.

The is no doubt about the awareness of the KPNCommunity among the KPN/Accenture Manilaemployees. First of all, voluntary fundraisingboxes are on the desks throughout the workfloor and this money is used for the KPNCommunity activities. Second, due to the openoffice the divisions get easily in contact withdivisions which helps the word of mouth. Weobserved from the interviews and during ourvisit to NCH and Caritas that the core consist ofthe same people but besides them, alwaysdifferent people from different divisionsvolunteered. So cross-divisional knowledgesharing and collaboration of various participantsare fostered. Third, periodically KPNCommunity status updates are being send outvia e-mail. Finally, top management is activelyinvolved which shortens the communicationline between lower and top management. Thisstimulates the top-down tone at the top andsets the KPN/Accenture Manila values andethical climate.

“The involvement of the top management theKPN account is very supportive. The managingdirectors is also very supportive andencourages extending the blood donatinginitiative.”

Concluding on this topic, CSR impacts theknowledge sharing between KPN and Accenturethrough a more open communication. As wefind in the regression analysis, 40% of thepartnership quality The communication of theKPN Community activities is becoming bigger.However, there is no structural plan to reachout to the Netherlands and create moreawareness.

CSR fosters cross-divisional collaboration. To extend the effect, communication channels require attention and structure to create a broader reach.

F3

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Trust

The interviewees mentioned that in thebeginning of the partnership thecommunication between the KPN mentors andthe KPN account was strictly business and itsometimes felt that the KPN mentors were lesspatient when errors were made and to helpthem understand the processes.

“Partnerships have been trust-based from thebeginning, it is a big factor to do in CSRtogether. How can we go into a project if youdon’t trust the partner? Trust should be buildat the bare start.”

As we cited on the previous page, throughoutthe partnership the interviewees noted anincrease in trust where KPN believes that theKPN account will perform actions that will resultin positive outcomes. This can be partiallyexplained through the duration of thepartnership but moreover by discussing the KPNCommunity activities. Throughoutcommunication and thus knowledge sharing,trust is fostered as both parties tend to get toknow one another and knows where both canrely on.

“In the past we were more cautious what wecan and should communicate. Now there areno secrets, in both ways.”

It is important for the partnership that KPN andAccenture are willing to work to the joint goal.At this moment we find that the good amountof trust between both parties is present inwhich CSR helped to create a more opencommunication relationship.

Trust - regression survey analysis

The survey pointed out that trust is alreadyhighly evaluated on a 5-point scale:

We find a high level of trust for all surveygroups. As can be concluded from thefigures above, all the means for trust arehigh and close together, ranging between4.2 and 4.5.

For the KPN/Accenture Global account, wefind that trust explains 32% of the variancein partnership quality with KPN. When thetrust is increasing, the partnership qualitywill increase with a rate of 0.47.

For KPN, we find that trust explains 49% ofthe variance in the partnership quality withKPN/Accenture Manila. When trustincreases, the partnership quality willincrease with a rate of 0.52.

For Accenture Manila, 53% of the varianceis explained in the partnership qualityrelationship with KPN, and when trustincreases, so does with a factor of 0.47.

Drawing on this clearly indicates theimportance of trust on the relationship andits influence on the partnership.

49% / 100%KPN

32% / 100%KPN/Accenture Global

53% / 100%Accenture Manila

4.5 / 5KPN

4.3 / 5KPN/Accenture Global

4.2 / 5Accenture Manila

30

The attention given to the CSR activities in the Philippines during update calls improves trust between colleagues and indirectly positively influences partnership on business level.

F4

4.5 / 5KPN

Cultural understanding

Especially for a long distance relationship wheretwo companies from different countriescollaborate, cultural differences plays parts.

“Filipino’s are less open compared to Dutchand Americans.”

By understanding the cultural background,people can put things better in perspectivewhen communicating with one another. Wefind that giving back to the country isexperienced as a part of the Filipino culture. Bygives them a platform, such as monthlymeetings to express their enthusiasm with theKPN mentors, enhances the culturalunderstanding. For example:

“In the beginning of the partnership, we had toadapt to the language barrier, taking breaksand the long distance. Also to start with a joband you know that you are taking oversomeone's job in the Netherlands. Thesedifficulties overcame due to more transparentcommunication.“

Cultural understanding is a factor that takestime to develop itself. We find that when bothKPN and Accenture expresses their believes,values and difference in cultures, moreunderstanding for one another is created. Now,sharing the KPN Community activities assist inbringing both cultures together.

“When going beyond the business process, it isreally important to have mutual culturalunderstanding.”

What makes the combination between thePhilippines and CSR so special?

Despite the averaged growth above 5% in thepast decade and the fact that the Philippines isone of the leading players in the BPO sector,still the government’s goal is to promotesustained inclusive economic growth thatreduces poverty and creates more and betterjobs. Together with the World Bank Group’snew country assistance strategy, the goal is toimprove better education, good health care, aswell as access to infrastructure and informationto improve their lives and to help grow theeconomy. In difference with the Netherlands orany other developed country, the exposure ofpoverty and the need for the minimalnecessities to live is bigger. Employees atKPN/Accenture Manila are feeling veryprivileged with their job compared to thesituation for some less-fortunate Filipinos.

“I’m very thankful for working atKPN/Accenture and help with KPN Communityactivities.”

This encourages them to give back to thecommunity and their fellow countryman.

“The KPN account employees are positivelyimpacted by the KPN Community activitieswhich gives them more purpose to go towork.”

“Because of the CSR activities, I go with

enthusiasm to work every day.”

31

A KPN/Accenture Manila employee

More understanding for one another is created, when both KPN and Accenture expresses and share their believes and differences in cultures.

F5

Employees at KPN/Accenture Manila feel very privileged with their job and this encourages them to give back to the community and fellow countryman.

F6

Strengthen the reputation

Filipinos are aware of the reality of theircountry and feel very compassionate. Hence,they feel the urgency to help and also a feelingof satisfaction rises when engages in CSRactivities. Since KPN/Accenture Manila is a well-known employer for its high engagement notonly business-wise but also on CSR, it attractsenthusiastic, talented and motivated. Becauseof the remarkable CSR activities KPN/AccentureManila, the account distinguishes itself from itscompetitors within the BPO-sector.

Ultimately, this contributes to the quality withinAccenture and thus stimulates the workingculture within the account.

“CSR is one of the key factors of identifyingcompanies in the Philippines.”

Compared to the Netherlands, the distancebetween work-life balance is much closer.Meaning that colleagues are not just colleagues,but more than that. The employees involved inCSR activities are more than willing to spendtheir ‘free’ time on these projects together withtheir ‘colleagues/friends’.

“The difference between KPN/AccentureManila and my previous employer is that Igained a lot of new friends. The people atAccenture share the common passion to helpfellow countrymen.”

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Partnership quality - regression surveyanalysis

We asked our recipients for the KPN andKPN/Accenture Global and Netherlandsaccount how the partnership qualitybetween KPN and Accenture is evaluated.This contained a rating question where agrade 1 - 10 (where 10 is perceived as avery good partnership and 1 as a very badpartnership).

As can be seen above, the partnershipquality is perceived high. This can beattributed to the good communication andthe joint CSR activities. Unfortunately, thisquestion could not be addedfor Accenture Manila because theirsoftware did not support this.

Partnership quality was measured by aquestion on a 1-5 Likert scale which waspart of a group survey question construct.This question reached all our respondents,so also Accenture Manila.

8.1 / 10KPN employees rate partnership quality 8.1

8.1 / 10KPN/Accenture Global and Netherlands

employees rate the partnership equally high

4.4 / 5KPN

4.0 / 5KPN/Accenture Global and Netherlands

4.4 / 5KPN/Accenture Manila

Team success score KPN/Accenture Manila

A KPN/Accenture Manila survey, state thatJeepney (part of the KPN account) a 92.3%favorable position on the question: “Ibelieve that Accenture acts as a responsibleCorporate Citizen (skills to succeed, workingwith our local communities, support socialand charitable projects), reducing impactupon the environment”. The survey has a97% participation rate.

Balance work life and personal life

The same intern survey state a 78.5%favorable position for a right balancebetween work and personal life and a 85.9%position for: “I believe that at Accenture wehave a unique way of engaging with ourclients and people, driving performance andbuilding for the future.

We see that right now, the activities arefocused in the bottom half of the figure, sincethe CSR activities are mainly charity andphilanthropy. To determine which type(s) ofprojects would be ideal, interviews with variousother companies engaged in (CSR) partnershipswere held, we refer to [Appendix 1]. For CSR tohave an impact on trust, knowledge sharing andcultural understanding in the way laid out in theprevious pages of the findings, long termprojects are preferred. Only these kind ofprojects will allow involved parties to establisha bond, get to know each other and worktowards a common goal. Short term or one offprojects are less effective for this purpose. Forthis reason, the impact on the partnershipincreases as a project is located more to theright of the graph. A side note to be made here,is that the charitable events are very importantto the employees of Accenture Manila. Thispoint is especially valid in a country plagued bynatural disasters like the Philippines.

As for the strategic value of a project, it is notnecessarily the case that more strategic projectsinfluence the partnership to a higher degree.However, more strategic projects often dorequire more planning and coordination, due tothe fact that they are usually more complicatedand that a consensus has to be made on thestrategic value of each project. This doespositively influence the partnership.Furthermore, strategic projects are morebeneficial for the individual companies, sincemoney and resources are invested in somethingthat is of value to these companies. Also,projects that match the company’s strategy willreceive more higher management support,which eases the implementation of theseprojects. Therefore, the corporate impactincreases with the strategic value of a project.

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Types of CSR

In Section 7.1 the different types of CSR are described. This section evaluates how each of thecurrent KPN Community activities fits into one type. The Recommendations chapter will elaborate onwhat types of CSR activities would be most effective for improving the partnership between KPN andAccenture. Figure 7.1 shows to what extent the current projects are strategic and require a long termcommitment.

High strategic value

Low strategic value

Short term commitment

Long term commitment

High corporate impact

Low corporate impact

• Great place to work

•Caroling and gift giving

• Community outreach programs / Community building / Environment care

Strategic or socialinvestment

PhilantropyCharity

Figure 7.1

•Incidental activities

The KPN Community’s current CSR activities are mainly charitable and philanthropic. To have a greater impact on the partnership, projects should focus on strategic or social investment

Assessment of Resources Mobilized

It was clear to us that the KPN Community isvery active and organizes many projects andthat for many employees this is a priority.However, these projects are not very wellaligned with the CSR strategy of either KPN orAccenture. Furthermore, the employees mainlyallocate time towards the CSR activities and to asmaller extent their personal and professionalskills, as is indicated in the figure below.

The KPN Community’s current CSR activities require mostly time and some money.

While this is proof of great dedication, theeffectiveness of the projects could be increasedby having the employees use their skills andmaking sure the projects fit into KPN andAccenture’s CSR strategies. Aligning projectswith the CSR strategies creates greater supportfrom KPN and Accenture’s top management,which will assure proper allocation of resourcesand funds towards the projects. However, eventhough CSR always requires some time andmoney being put into it, putting the emphasison skills requires a smaller investment ofresources to achieve the same impact. Thereason is that KPN and Accenture alreadypossess these skills.

Furthermore, having employees use also theirskills and the company resources, couldincrease the impact on the beneficiaries of theCSR projects. At the moment, people are beinghelped by giving them attention and some smallgifts. While this is certainly of value, it helpspeople only in the short term. By using skillsand resources, projects can be made moresustainable and durable and actually make along term difference. As the famous quote says:

“Give a man fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime.”

Likewise, KPN and Accenture have enoughknow-how to train beneficiaries with skills thatwill help them for much longer. For thesereasons, an example of a more efficient andeffective allocation of the resources would looklike the figure below.

When profession skills are used in conducting CSR, a greater impact can be generated with a small investment.

It is important to note here that it is crucial tomake clear agreements on how the allocationof necessary resources is divided between KPNand Accenture. As with other projects, vaguearrangements could cause conflicts.

34

Current Situation

Time Money Skills

Ideal Situation

Time Money Skills

Combined skills and resources

For a combined CSR strategy to be supported byboth the high management of KPN andAccenture, it should match all individual CSRstrategies. Also, their combined CSR activitieswill be most effective when KPN’s andAccenture’s skills and resources are optimallydeployed. When allocating resources and skillsin the most effective manner, each partner canfocus on what they do best and complementeach other.

To determine what the optimal way is tocombine KPN, KPN/Accenture Netherlands andKPN/Accenture Manila’s skills and resources ina CSR strategy, we first decided on what eachparty’s most valuable skill or resource is tocontribute to a CSR partnership. KPN has manyskills, but in this context their innovativemindset and highly modern technology seemmost valuable. For Accenture Netherlands, theirknow-how on project management and ondeveloping and providing trainings are relevant.KPN/Accenture Manila stands out in theirenthusiasm and dedication. With these skillsKPN, KPN/Accenture Netherlands andKPN/Accenture Manila complement each otherperfectly. All are capable of achieving greatimpact on their on, but together they canrealize maximum impact.

When we look at KPN and Accenture’s CSRstrategy, many similarities can be found.However, one crucial difference stands out.While Accenture is a company with a veryinternational mindset, KPN is a truly Dutchcompany which likes to concentrate its CSRactivities in the Netherlands.

To find a CSR strategy that fits both companies, one

must look at projects that have impact both here and

in the Netherlands Not only does this assure the combined strategymatches each individual company, this alsoincreases the effect on the partnership. Whenprojects are being developed and conducted inthe Netherlands as well as well as thePhilippines, employees from all parties areactively involved. This will increase the impacton knowledge sharing, cultural understandingand trust. An example of such a project is givenin the recommendations.

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Combined CSR

Strategy

KPN’s CSR Strategy

Accenture’s CSR Strategy

KPN/Accenture MNL’s CSR

Strategy

KPN/Accenture MNL’s Skills &

Resources

Accenture’s Skills &

Resources

KPN’s Skills & Resources

A combined CSR strategy should use KPN, Accenture and KPN/Accenture MNL’s skills and be aligned with all their

CSR strategies.

In this final section recommendations arepresented to have KPN and Accenturecooperate in a sustainable and optimal way, byconducting CSR together. By comparing thecurrent situation with the ideal situation,possible improvements are be pointed out. Letsfirst turn back to our research questions.

1. Can cooperation on CSR level influence thebusiness relation between a provider andclient and if so: how?

2. How can a combination of two specific skillsets (of two separate companies) enhanceeach other to maximize impact?

In the findings we discussed how CSR impactsthe partnership on three different aspectsknowledge sharing (communication), trust andcultural understanding.

The recommendations hereafter do not requireshort-term action points because they will occuras the cooperation on CSR level will increase.Hence, we close this chapter with a short-termaction list which is the result from allrecommendations.

Framework

Taken both questions into consideration, we setup a framework which broadly visualizes allaspects of our recommendations. We refer tofigure 9.2 for the framework. In what followseach aspect of the framework is discussed.

Skills and resources

In order to get all the parties involved in anadequate way, a point of improvement is tointegrate the activities in the Philippines moreclosely to the Netherlands. This not only helpsto get all parties involved, but will also suit theCSR strategy of KPN, which focuses on activitiesin the Netherlands. An example is: Using the ITknowledge of KPN and link a Dutch school to aFilipino school through online technology. Oneway this can be done by the employees ofAccenture is by sharing their time, skills andcounsel by volunteering and providing pro bonoservices for activities. This is promoted andsupported throughout the organization.

Their hours can be used for activities such asconducting workshops for jobseekers andproviding support for entrepreneurs.

Governance

The governance should be done by a steeringcommittee existing of at least onerepresentative of KPN, KPN/AccentureNetherlands and KPN/Accenture Manila. This issomething that can be implementedimmediately. They will have regular meetings todecide on which projects to undertake and howto monitor them. Furthermore, it is importantthat all parties involved set up an internal, aswell as external communication program to getall relevant stakeholders involved in theactivities. To do this in a structured way, wepropose the following five step model (refer tofigure 9.1):

1. First, a project planning should be made.Considerations should be: How many projectsdoes the partnership want to take on? Howmany resources is each party willing to provide?In order to engage employees, it is vital to letemployees have input in this process and alsopitch potential projects.

2. Second, information on interesting projectsshould be collected and evaluated.

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Project planning

Identify project

DecisionMonitor

Evaluate

Recommendations9

Figure 9.1

1- Accenture Global: Skills to Succeed https://www.accenture.com/us-en/careers/your-future-corporate-citizenship.aspx

3. Based on the collected information, theavailable resources and a project’s match withthe CSR strategy, the most appropriate projectscan be selected and a plan of implementationshould be drafted. In order to effectivelystructure the decision-making process, animmediate point of action is to establish aproject team and governance structure fordecision making.

4. Now that the projects are being executed thesuccess and possible pitfalls should bemonitored.

5. After a project is finished, it is important toevaluate if the project turned out as expected,and identify possible points of improvement.This can be done by determining critical factorswith a pass/reject criteria. Furthermore amonitoring system should be put in place tomeasure what the activities do to companyreputation and partnership quality.

Types of CSR

One of the things the steering committeeshould keep in mind when choosing suitableprojects, based on joint vision and missions.First, a healthy balance between types of CSRactivities should be assured. This should enablethe organizations to set up mutual goals.Projects have a maximum impact on thepartnership when they require a high, long terminvestment and when the strategic value ishigh. This means it would be optimal to placethe center of gravity there. However, incidentalcharitable or philanthropic projects should notbe excluded from KPN and Accenture’s CSRactivities in the Philippines, as these are veryimportant to the KPN/Accenture employees inManila.

All short-term action points are summarized onthe right:

Short-term action points

Set up an equal steering committeerepresenting all involved parties andset up guidelines for the governancestructure and decision making.

Determine the scope in which thecurrent and future joint CSR activitiesrelate to. Take the following intoconsideration: vision, mission, focusarea and stakeholders.

Determine project ‘approval gates’with pass and reject criteria

Set up a communication program withthe goal to bring the CSR activities tolight across all involved parties.

Develop a monitoring system toevaluate current and future projects,the impact of the reputation andpartnership quality.

Let employees, not only in Manila,search for and pitch CSR projects.

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Governance

Types of CSR

Charity PhilanthropyStrategic

investmentSocial

investment

KPN NL

Skills and Resources

Focus area‘sTo be determined

by all involved parties

Vision The vision of the partnership needs to fit the partnership and support from both parties is essential.

Stakeholders To be determined by all involved parties

Mission The mission of te partnership needs to fit the partnership and support from both parties is essential.

KPN/ Accenture NL/MNL

Skills and Resources

38

Figure 9.2

An ever-increasing number of companies and other organizations want to make their operationssustainable. Moreover, expectations that long-term profitability and innovation should go hand-in-hand with social justice and protecting the environment are gaining ground. These expectations areonly set to increase and intensify as the need to move to a truly sustainable economy is understoodby companies’ financiers, customers and other stakeholders. 1

With this global movement and the our research questions in mind, we visited the KPN/Accentureaccount Manila on July 13, 2015. We had absolutely no idea what to expect, besides that Filipinos ingeneral are very friendly, helpful and care about family and personal relations. Never will we forgetthe moment when we stepped on the floor. All those curious enthusiastic eyes focused on us. Sincethat warm welcome we knew what we had to do, meet the expectations of KPN and Accenture andprovide a comprehensive report about how conducting in CSR can enhance a partnership. Whilelooking back, we are proud on what we have accomplished. We hope that we delivered a report thatcan be used as a tool to foster joint CSR activities within a partnership.

We would like to thank KPN and Accenture for the opportunity to conduct this research in thePhilippines. We feel privileged to experience the Filipino way of life and what is going on in Manila. Aspecial thank you goes to Cecil Joseph Chandrapaul and his team, with your warm welcome, sincerecharacters and interests we immediate felt like home. You were incredibly open and helpful andmade this research possible. Also, we would like give a big thank you to Frank Beckers (Accenture),Fausta Freitag (Accenture), Huug van den Akker (KPN) and Han Wijns (Develop2Create) for yourweekly support, guidance and for being our sparring partner. Lastly, we would like to show ourgreatest gratitude to all people we interviewed in the Netherlands and the Philippines andadditionally, to those who took the time for our survey. Without you this report would not havebeen possible.

Lara de Koning

Marloes van Apeldoorn

Michalli Harmsen

Rico Samson

39

Epilogue

1- Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) G4, August 2015

Appendices

40

Interview question list

1. Introduction1. Since when have you started working for

KPN/Accenture Manila?

2. Do you consider yourself an employee ofKPN, Accenture or both?

2. Can you elaborate on the corporatestrategy of Accenture?1. What do you know about the CSR strategy

of Accenture?

3. Can you elaborate on corporate strategyof KPN?1. What do you know about the CSR strategy

of KPN?

4. Which factors do you think determine ahigh quality partnership between twocompanies in general?1. Specifically for a BPO-telecommunications

partnership?

2. More specifically for KPN and Accenture?

5. Which of these factors could beimproved?

6. How do you think each of these factors isinfluenced by CSR (or how should it beinfluenced by CSR)?

7. How do you think CSR should beimplemented to maximize the positiveinfluence on the KPN/Accenturepartnership?

8. Given the CSR strategies, in what way doyou think CSR should be implemented?

9. To what extend do you think the CSRactivities of KPN/Accenture Manila fit intothe CSR strategy of KPN and Accenture?

1. Can you tell us something about thecorporate strategy of your company?

2. Can you tell us something about the CSRstrategy of your company?

a. How does the corporate strategyand the CSR strategy link to eachother?

b. What are the key capabilities andresources of your company?

c. How do these capabilities andresources contribute to the CSRstrategy?

3. Which factors do you think determine ahigh quality partnership between twocompanies in general?

4. Does your company engages in joint CSRactivities with another company/NGO?

1. How is the partnership affected bythe CSR activities?

2. To what extent do you feel CSR hasimproved the knowledgesharing/culturalunderstanding/trust within thepartnership?

5. How do you think CSR should beimplemented to maximize the positiveinfluence on a partnership?

1. Do you use a fixed framework forhandling and implementing theCSR activities?

2. To what extent do you think CSRhas improved the partnershipsuccess?

3. Can you provide an example?

6. In what way are employees in yourcompany’s home country made aware ofthe CSR activities in Manila?

7. Have you ever encountered problemsregarding conducting CSR activities in thePhilippines

8. How do you deal with transferring moneyregarding CSR activities from outside thePhilippines into the Philippines?

1A. KPN/Accenture Manila B. External companies

41

Dear sir/madam,

Thank you for participating in this survey on thesubject of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).This survey is used in a student research of theUniversity of Amsterdam in collaboration withKPN and Accenture. This survey will takeapproximately 4 minutes. By going to the nextpage you give permission to use the(anonymous) results of this survey. If you haveany questions or remarks please address theseto: researchproject@sefa.nl

Kind regards,

Lara de Koning, Michalli Harmsen, Rico Samson,Marloes van Apeldoorn

Q1 What is your age?

o 18 - 25 years (1)

o 26 - 35 years (2)

o 36 - 45 years (3)

o 46 - 55 years (4)

o 56 - 65 years (5)

o 66 > years (6)

Q2 What is your gender?

o Male (1)

o Female (2)

Q3 What is the highest level of education you have completed?

o High school (1)

o Vocational school (2)

o University Bachelor (3)

o University Master (4)

o Doctorate (5)

Q4 In which country are you stationed?

o The Netherlands (1)

o India (2)

o Other (3) ____________________

Q5 In which division do you work?

o Strategy (8)

o Consulting (14)

o Digital (9)

o Technology (13)

o Operations (10)

o Other (6) ____________________

Q6 What is your job level?

o 1 (1)

o 2 (14)

o 3 (15)

o 4 (16)

o 5 (17)

o 6 (18)

o 7 (19)

o 8 (20)

o 9 (21)

o 10 (22)

o 11 (23)

o 12 (24)

o 13 (25)

Q6 Are you aware of the Operationscollaboration between KPN and AccentureManila (MNL)?

o Yes (1)

o No (2)

42

Survey KPN2

Q8 Do you actively work together withemployees of KPN?

o Yes (1)

o No (2)

If No Is Selected, then skip to Q12.

Q9 Hereafter 'KPN' will be described as 'ourpartner'. The next questions regard knowledgesharing between Accenture and KPN. Pleaseindicate whether you: 1 Strongly disagree, 2Somewhat agree, 3 Neutral, 4 Somewhat agree,5 Strongly agree with the following statements:

o We and our partner share knowledgeregarding business assignments andperformance reports with each other.

o We and our partner share knowledgeregarding business manuals, models, andmethodologies with each other.

o We and our partner share each otherssuccess and failure stories.

o We and our partner share businessknowledge obtained from newspapers,magazines, journals, and television.

o We and our partner share know-how fromwork experience with each other.

o We and our partner share each others know-where and know-whom.

o We and our partner share expertiseobtained from education and training.

Q10 Here you will find questions about thepartnership between KPN and Accentureregarding the regular Operations. Pleaseindicate whether you: 1 Strongly disagree, 2Somewhat agree, 3 Neutral, 4 Somewhat agree,5 Strongly agree with the following statements:

o We and our partner make beneficialdecisions under any circumstances.

o We and our partner understand each othersbusiness objectives.

o We and our partner share the benefits andrisks that can occur in the process ofbusiness.

o We and our partner have compatible cultureand policies in the process of business.

o We and our partner perform prespecifiedagreements and promises very well.

43

o The partner lets our organization know assoon as possible of any unexpectedproblems.

o Based upon my past and present experience,the level of trust this organization has in theworking relationship with our partner is veryhigh.

o We and our partner help each other out inwhatever ways each asks.

o Our organization's working relationship withour partner has been a happy one.

Q11 How would you evaluate the partnershipbetween KPN and Accenture? Please give agrade to how you would personally evaluatethe partnership between KPN and Accenture.On a 10 point scale: 1= the partnership is verybad, 10= the partnership is very good.

o The grade I would give to the partnershipbetween KPN and Accenture = ___

Q12 The following questions refer to thecapabilities of Accenture, and how youpersonally would evaluate these. Pleaseindicate whether you: 1 Strongly disagree, 2Somewhat agree, 3 Neutral, 4 Somewhat agree,5 Strongly agree with the following statements:

o We have the ability to scan for the valuableknowledge in external organizations.

o We have the ability to acquire the neededknowledge from external organizations.

o We have the ability to assimilate the foundknowledge in our organization.

o We have the ability to exploit the gatheredknowledge for our organization.

Q13 Are you aware of the Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) projects in the Philippinesthat KPN/Accenture engages in?

o Yes

o No

If Yes Is Selected, Then Skip To Q16.

Q14 Are you aware of the Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) projects in India thatKPN/Accenture engages in?

o Yes

o No

If Yes is Selected, then Skip to Q16. If no isselected skip to Q17.

Q15 Here you will find questions regarding theCSR activities of KPN/Accenture. Please indicatewhether you: 1 Strongly disagree, 2 Somewhatagree, 3 Neutral, 4 Somewhat agree, 5 Stronglyagree with the following statements:

o I know about the CSR activities thatKPN/Accenture conducts in the Philippines.

o I am fully aware of the scope and impact ofthe CSR activities in the Philippines thatKPN/Accenture engages in.

o I think that the CSR activities in thePhilippines are necessary for KPN/Accenture.

o KPN/Accenture is doing a good thing insupporting CSR projects in the Philippines.

o The CSR activities that KPN/Accentureundertakes in the Philippines are irrelevantfor the KPN corporate strategy.

o The CSR activities that KPN/Accentureundertakes in the Philippines are irrelevantfor the Accenture corporate strategy.

Q16 Here you will find questions regarding theCSR activities of KPN/Accenture. Please indicatewhether you: 1 Strongly disagree, 2 Somewhatagree, 3 Neutral, 4 Somewhat agree, 5 Stronglyagree with the following statements:

o I know about the CSR activities thatKPN/Accenture conducts in India.

o I am fully aware of the scope and impact ofthe CSR activities in India thatKPN/Accenture engages in.

o I think that the CSR activities in India arenecessary for KPN/Accenture.

o KPN/Accenture is doing a good thing insupporting CSR projects in India.

o The CSR activities that KPN/Accentureundertakes in India are irrelevant for theKPN corporate strategy.

o The CSR activities that KPN/Accentureundertakes in India are irrelevant for theAccenture corporate strategy.

Q17 The following questions regard yourpersonal interest in Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR). Please indicate whetheryou: 1 Strongly disagree, 2 Somewhat agree, 3Neutral, 4 Somewhat agree, 5 Strongly agreewith the following statements:

o I think that CSR activities are important toengage in.

o CSR should be a frequent topic in meetings,for example as a topic in a monthly meeting.

o I feel part of the CSR activities thatKPN/Accenture engages in.

o I personally would like to contribute more toCSR activities.

o CSR is very important to me and I find itimportant that my employer gives attentionto this.

o I think that KPN/Accenture is wasting timewith CSR activities.

Q18 The following questions regard yourpersonal motivation for conducting CSR (choosemax. three options). My opinion on that thecompany I work for is engaging in CSR, isshaped by:

We have the responsibility to help lessfortunate people.

It is a part that companies ought to do.

I feel blessed with the job I have, and wantto help people that do not have all themeans I have.

It is a part of the corporate strategy and alsoadds to commercial goals of the companywork for.

It motivates me in my work.

It has a positive effect on the companyimage and reputation.

I like to collaborate with colleagues/partnerson another subject than only work.

CSR is a distraction and leads to lessproductivity.

CSR is a waste of money and time.

I think CSR is used for 'green washing’*.

**Greenwashing occurs when a company ororganization spends more time and moneyclaiming to be “green” than implementingbusiness practices that minimize environmentalimpact.

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