With 6 workshops and 2 panel discussions, the 4th More than a Market Forum covered a wide range of CSR topics. Managers could learn that CSR efforts provide the added benefit of higher employee retention, or how sustainable supply chain management works. CSR experts shared their experiences in two panel discussions under the heading of “Gender Equality” and “CSR Project Management”.
Please find below an overview of the topics and speakers.
With the SAP Idea Lab the More than a Market initiative aims to catalyze further social engagement of German companies in China. It provides support to companies and organizations which have a strong intention to join forces for greater impact in the Chinese society and develop collaborative projects. The SAP Idea Lab is an open format where participants work together to sketch and develop collaborative project ideas.
This interactive workshop was applying methodologies inspired by design thinking: Participants were guided through the steps of generating ideas, developing concepts and / or prototyping a project on the topic of their interest. Design Thinking is the new way of envisioning technology. It is a thoughtful problem-solving framework that refers to a set of tools and mindsets to solve human-centric problems.
Who was participating?
German companies and Chinese society partners looking for answers to the following questions:
Senior Product Localization Expert, Design Thinking Coach, SAP
Anniwa Abulizi is Senior Product Localization Expert, SAP Senior Design Thinking Coach and Business Model Innovation Coach. He holds a Masters in Engineering Management from the City University of Hong Kong. In 2014, he co-founded and led the Design Thinking volunteer team in Shanghai to provide Design Thinking consulting. Furthermore, he has conducted over 100 workshops for NGOs, non-profit organizations, universities and entrepreneurs in China.
To the Schaeffler Group, sustainability means enabling a livable future by fostering the growth of the Schaeffler Group with a long-term view and continuity for the benefit of all stakeholders. During the workshop the moderators were sharing the overall framework of the sustainability activities and providing a firsthand example of the “waste water project” at the Taicang Campus. During a following Q&A session the participants were elaborating on the future roadmap for sustainable actions in the manufacturing industry in China.
Chief Financial Officer, Schaeffler Greater China
Mr. Francesco Ingarsia is Chief Financial Officer at Schaeffler Holding (China) Co., Ltd. responsible for the financial activities of the Schaeffler Group in the region Greater China. Mr. Ingarsia started his career in the field of audit and tax consulting for Rödl & Partner, then joined Schaeffler Group in 2002 in the Corporate Internal Audit. Prior to working in China, he served as Chief Financial Officer for Schaeffler Group in Australia from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Ingarsia is a guest lecturer at the MBA School of Business at the East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai.
The workshop was looking at the sustainability management framework and sharing insights on sustainability-related risk in supply chains. The framework was supported by real case examples from Brose. It was discussed how to address challenges, environmental laws in particular.
Consultant, Systain
Wednesday Cui is a Consultant at Systain and operates in the China team. With a background in environmental design and engineering, she is an expert in working conditions and human rights as well as environmental protection in production facilities. She is an expert in labor and EHS legal requirements, proficient in various audit schemes and experienced in waste treatment facility design and chemical management. At Systain she consults and trains companies in China and abroad in all relevant sustainability issues.
What happens when passionate employees come up with a CSR idea or initiative and approach their employer’s executive management? They form one of the most symbiotic forms in modern companies through the power of engagement and meaning. We all long for meaning in life and want to be proud of what we create, so why should it stop after one’s base education and not be put to a higher use to the benefit of one’s employer and the general public?
According to a study by the Corporate Executive Board cited by PwC in 2014, employees that are more committed to their organizations put in 57 percent more effort on the job and are even about 87 percent less likely to resign. After all the core of success comes from the people working at a company. Now that the multilateral world economy is under pressure of withstanding several objectives, long-term financial and social goals can make a difference when it comes to consumer trust and sustainable growth. Against this background, Bertelsmann invited industry experts, as well as passionate employees who are driving the CSR strategies in their companies, to discuss best practices and major challenges.
Senior Expert “Germany and Asia” Program, Bertelsmann Stiftung
Before joining the foundation, Mr. Bartsch spent more than a decade in China working as an East Asia correspondent for major German media, working as a journalist for German business weekly “Wirtschaftswoche,” daily newspapers “Neue Zuercher Zeitung” and “Berliner Zeitung”, and the business journal “brand eins” reporting about political, social, economic and cultural issues in China, Japan, South and North Korea as well as other countries in east Asia. In 2013, Bernhard Bartsch joined Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Asia team where he continues to wrap his brain round the political, economic and social developments in Asia and their impact on Germany and Europe.
On 4 March 2019, the UN Environment’s sixth Global Environment Outlook (2019) was published. As the most comprehensive and rigorous assessment on the state of the environment, it warns that damage to the planet is so dire that people’s health will be increasingly threatened unless urgent action is taken. In addition to climate change, biodiversity, and air pollution, plastic pollution is becoming environmental hot issue. Every year, the average North American or European consumes 100 kilograms of plastic. However, only 14% plastic waste is recycled globally and 8 million tons of plastic pollution go into oceans each year.
In Shanghai, the daily household garbage disposal amounts to 2.6 tons in 2018, i.e. in total over 9 million tons per year. To reduce this impact, on 31 January 2019, Shanghai city government passed Shanghai Household Garbage Management Regulations and went into force from 1 July 2019. In this workshop the speakers were given a glance of plastics waste challenge and garbage classification and company’s practice in promoting garbage classification. Moreover, participants were exploring innovative solutions for the challenges brought by new regulations on garbage sorting.
Partner, SynTao
Mr. Peng Jilai is a partner at SynTao. He has years of CSR consultancy experiences and has served many corporate clients. He is professional with CSR strategy and planning, CSR internal & external communication, CSR report training and writing, CSR program planning, monitoring and evaluation. Besides business consultancy, Mr. Peng is heavily involved with corporate-NGO cooperations and has successfully developed several pairs of cross-sector partnerships.
Are CSR activities of commercial companies philanthropy, marketing tool, or business strategy? This workshop was making participants familiar with the most important theoretical concepts and definitions. It was giving a brief overview on how CSR developed and which responsibilities companies have. Equipped with this knowledge, the workshop attendants were delving into a discussion with CSR experts from BASF and the Taicang Sino-German Handicapped Workshop. We were debating the pros and cons of CSR activities and were finding out how they can be used to help establish trust and goodwill amongst shareholders. Frances Luk (BASF) was talking about her experience with the educational program “Kids’ Lab” that is offering school children to explore the magic of chemistry through hands-on experiments since 1997.
General Manager, UNICEPTA Information Consulting (China)
Dr. Evelyn Engesser is a communications expert who has amassed 25 years of experience in the field of media analysis, market research and strategic consulting services. Having lived and worked in China since 2012, she helps clients from big and small companies to measure the success of PR and Corporate Communication activities. Evelyn is currently General Manager of UNICEPTA’s office in Shanghai. UNICEPTA is one of the world’s leading international media intelligence companies, providing digital consulting, media monitoring, media analysis, research services and strategic communication consulting.
Having been declared a key sustainable development goal by the United Nations, the achievement of full gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls has gotten to the attention of more and more nations, institutions and companies around the world. According to the World Bank women in China represent almost half the country’s population (48.5%, 2017). It is estimated that they contribute as much as 41% to the country’s GDP, which according to a McKinsey study from 2015 counts for a higher share than in most regions.
While the United Nations state that they have been observing overall progress in efforts towards gender equality and empowerment, today’s developed societies must do better on a variety of fronts on the subject matter. As for China, although female participation in its workforce is higher than the global average (The World Bank, Modeled ILO Estimate) and it is home to more female billionaires than any other country in the world (BBC, 2018), gender diversity is far from being regarded as a strategic priority to many Chinese companies. In this context, the More than a Market Forum invited three female managers and entrepreneurs who were sharing their experience on this topic which has been experienced increasing attention for some time.
Executive Chamber Manager, German Chamber of Commerce | Shanghai
Dr. Winkler joined the German Chamber in 2016 and worked initially as Project Manager Social Responsibility and was responsible for the More than a Market initiative. On 17 October 2016, Dr. Sigrid Winkler (温哥乐) was appointed Executive Chamber Manager at the German Chamber of Commerce in China | Shanghai. Dr. Winkler holds a PhD in political science from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium and a bachelor’s degree in Chinese studies from Vienna. Before joining the Chamber, she was Head of Office of the Austrian Academic Exchange Agency OeAD in Shanghai.
