Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #121000

Frances A. Stillman, EdD, Tobacco Control Research Program, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21209, 443-287-6360, fstillma@jhsph.edu

During the last decade, the idea that corporations should be viewed as being “good corporate citizens” or “give back to the community”, has gained prominence. Most companies now engage in some type of corporate social responsibility (CSR) or philanthropic activities. However, these CSR programs represent a wide range of activities done for many different reasons. CSR programs can do good but they can also do harm. In the case of the multinational Tobacco companies, research has found that the main reasons behind their programs (e.g., to support the homeless, aid Tsunami victims, and provide for support for the Arts), is the public relations value that these activities provide. In fact, these companies spent more money on advertising their good works than on the good works they were undertaking. Other companies, including the pharmaceutical industry, also engage in supporting scientific organizations and work closely with academics and other groups to promote policy development and service projects. This panel will present different aspects of CSR programs and provide a discussion of whether CSR programs can be good for public health.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe different types of corporate social responsibility programs and the motives behind these programs.
• Provide suggestions for improving the overall positive impact of CSR initiatives.
• Gain insight from the tobacco documents as to how charitable giving and CSR relate to other external efforts by Philip Morris

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.