The 10 Best CSR Related Posts from 2012

We are continuing our “Best of 2012” series with this third entry of the 10 Best CSR Related Posts from 2012. We have previously featured the 10 best Nonprofit fundraising posts and the 10 best Social Media for Nonprofit Fundraising posts. Today’s collection of posts is based on total views but we are expanding the meaning of the “C” from CSR beyond corporate to also include countries and cities. The country/city lists included in this post made the ranking as a result of their attention to CSR related values so that is why they have made our CSR list this year.

1. 10 Best Countries to Live In. Citizen satisfaction formed the basis for this list of the best countries to live in conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Better Life Index. The OECD used 11 variables to ascertain a comprehensive look at citizen satisfaction including housing, income, jobs, community, education, civic engagement, health, life satisfaction, safety, and work-life balance and the top 10 are contained in this post.
2. 10 Smartest Countries in the World and Canada Takes Top Spot. I’ll re-iterate the waiver stated at the beginning of this post and say that intelligence is subjective and not defined by educational achievements. Having said that, the OECD still managed to release a comprehensive report on the state of global education. The last twenty years the number of people pursuing a post-secondary education has risen some 200% and this top ten list is mainly based on countries that have the highest percentage of university and college educated citizens.
3. 10 Top Cities to Live in Canada 2012. This list was compiled by a study conducted by moneysense.ca and it might be surprising to some as some of the obvious contenders did not make the list. Municipal Data and information from Statistic Canada were used to rank 190 cities based on 22 separate categories including affordable housing, household income, discretionary income, new cars, population growth, low crime, doctors per 1,000, weather, jobless rate and culture. Toronto came in 47th this year so it did not make the top 10 contained in this list.
4. TD’s CSR Business Programs Includes Successful Employee Giving Campaign with United Way. Many large corporations align with causes and their CSR business programs tend to include and benefit these same charities. Creating this link allows customers to have a better understanding of the brand’s corporate culture and the values of the company. This post focuses on the TD bank group getting this concept right with its continued support of The United Way and the local communities through its various CSR programs.
5. Hugh Jackman’s CSR Business Values at Forefront of Laughing Man. The concept for Laughing Man started two years ago when Hollywood and Broadway star Hugh Jackman went to Ethiopia as a World Vision ambassador in 2009. It was there that Jackman befriended a local coffee farmer named Dukale with an environmentally sustainable practice that supported his growing family. Dukale’s work ethic made his farm a success and he was able to hire locals to aid him in his work. By witnessing how one little farm could impact a community Jackman made a promise to “do his bit” and that intention fueled the creation of the coffee, tea, chocolate and accessory online shop called Laughing Man featured in this post.
6. 10 Best Countries for Entrepreneurs in the World. The OECD has ranked the ten best countries for entrepreneurs with the purpose to identify and celebrate the countries that are encouraging to entrepreneurs. One way to aid economic recovery is to help the middle class thrive and rebuilding small business will help drive this growth. Basically, the lower the country’s barrier to entrepreneurship index score in the list contained in this post, the better it is for entrepreneurs and business.
7. Canada Ranks 5th in World Happiness Report. The World Happiness Report was commissioned for the April 2nd 2012 United Nations Conference on Happiness and one of the goals of the study was to inspire governments to incorporate citizens’ happiness into policy-making decisions. When looking at individual happiness, the key points may differ slightly but they generally include: physical and mental well-being, job security and having a stable family. There are other critical issues that come into play when assessing the happiness of a country and that is explained in more depth in this post along with the ranking of the top 10.
8. 10 Most Peaceful Countries in the World. This list is based on the sixth edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The GPI ranks Independent countries by their ‘absence of violence’ as that is the generally accepted indicator of peace. The methodology to compile this ranking of over 158 countries used 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources which measured three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. The top 10 are included in this post.
9. 10 Most Reputable Countries and Canada Takes Top Spot. This list is based on the 2012 Country RepTrak study, which was published by the Reputation Institute. Eligible countries were determined by the largest economies, the largest populations and the country of interest due to recent economic, political, or natural events. They also measured the perceptions of the selected countries across the world’s G8 and the degree to which people trust, admire, respect and have a good feeling for a place or their emotional bond to the country.
10. 100 Top Employers in Canada. The 2013 edition of this list celebrates the 14th year of this ranking that is based on the same eight criteria used to evaluate companies since the inception of the list: Physical Workplace; Work Atmosphere & Social; Health, Financial & Family Benefits; Vacation & Time Off; Employee Communications; Performance Management; Training & Skills Development; and Community Involvement. Those eligible for the list must also have their head office or principal place of business in Canada and the top 10 are included in this post.

We will continue our “Best of 2012” on Monday with our 10 Best Meatless Monday Posts from 2012.

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Miratel Solutions is a Canada call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values and advancing the missions of the non-profits we proudly serve.