Ways to Improve CSR with Apps

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming a measure for success in many organisations internationally. As each component of the value chain, from suppliers to customers to employees, invest in CSR initiatives and achievements. Ultimately, this produces a creative opportunity for executives to improve their business and create a positive societal impact at the same time.

At Liquid State, we understand how app creation and app content management can support a variety of CSR endeavours across industries and allow businesses to adopt a more socially conscious perspective. Specifically, app creation allows organisations to reduce their carbon footprint by publishing content directly to their audience’s personal devices as an interactive app.

Rise of CSR

In 2014, the Harvard CSR Initiative found that nearly 93% of the world’s largest 250 companies published annual CSR reports. This indicates that a diverse range of companies across competing industries showed a commitment to sustainability. Furthermore, a 2012 Nielsen study found that 55% of global online consumers across 60 countries were willing to pay more for products and services provided by sustainable companies. Particularly, purchasing from companies that are committed to creating a positive social impact. Therefore, this combination of growing market demand and the rising need for internal transparency has contributed to an increase in CSR strategies internationally.

Reducing Environmental Impact with Apps

One key concern identified in many CSR strategies is unnecessary environmental waste and a growing carbon footprint within an organisation. At Liquid State, we can help organisations reduce their carbon footprint by allowing them to instead distribute content as an interactive app. Therefore, app creation can become an integral aspect in any CSR strategy. The Director of the CSR Initiative, Jane Nelson emphasised that an effective CSR strategy consists of two essential components:

1) Responsible Business Conduct: This involves an organisation’s commitment to complying not only with laws and regulations but also relevant global guidelines and industry standards. Ultimately, an organisation should proactively identify and mitigate negative social or environmental impacts that develop through the value chain.

2) Shared Value Creation: The second factor is shared value creation between the organisation and the broader society. Essentially, an organisation’s strategic decisions should work towards solving a societal or environmental issue as well as benefitting the business. For example, publishing documents as an app would lower the organisation’s environmental impact as well as save internal resources app content can be published once then uploaded across all devices.

Relevant Features of Apps Created with Liquid State

Apps created with Liquid State allow you to publish content directly to your audience’s devices as an engaging app. This could include documentation such as, stakeholder reports, organisational newsletters, marketing communications, and training documentation. Furthermore, Liquid State apps include:

• Content Updates and Push Notifications: Instead of only releasing annual reports, instead publish the latest content directly to your employees’ and stakeholders’ personal devices. You can also send push notifications to inform your audience of new content.
• User Based Segmentation: Send segmented messaging through push notifications or publish documents to specific users through user based segmentation.
• Private and Public Facing Apps: A private facing app requires a username and password to access particular documents whereas a public facing app is available to everyone via the app stores. This can ensure that relevant documents are only shared with the necessary stakeholders.
• Search Functionality: The search functionality allows audiences to engage with relevant documentation easily. For example, when publishing a CSR report, users can focus on detailed research methods and specific results or simply follow the overarching narrative and key findings.
• Analytics: Monitoring app analytics allows you to measure the reach of your documentation and edit your app strategy accordingly.