Policy Papers and Research: Shared Value

This 2018 Institute for Security Studies policy brief looks at how South African businesses can create shared value through supporting early childhood development. 

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This Report explores the enormous potential to create shared value through retail, commercial, and investment banking.

In this report, Old Mutual outlines the impact of the main areas of focus in their responsible business plan. These include having responsible business priorities, partnering and sharing ideas for maximum impact, responsible business governance and leadership, responsible investing , financial education and inclusion, entrepreneurship and innovative skills development, supporting next generation education,  encouraging diversity and inclusion, and minimising impact on the environment.

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Companies that deliver both social benefit and business value rely on five mutually reinforcing elements. In this Harvard Business Review article, FSG's Marc Pfitzer, Valerie Bockstette, and Mike Stamp outline a framework derived from a study of more than 30 exemplary companies.

"The purpose of this report is to establish through a select group of Private Sector companies, what the current state and understanding of Creating Shared Value (CSV) is among businesses operating predominantly in South Africa and Kenya. The report discusses the various emergent perspectives on the state of CSV, drawn from select organizations in South Africa and Kenya. Thirty six percent of the participants are recognised Shared Value Practitioners (of which 88% are Shared Value Africa Initiative members), and the remainder are organisations that are focused on social impact that aligns to  Creating Shared Value. Creating Shared Value, a business management concept developed by Harvard professors Mark Kramer and Michael Porter, makes a case for embedding social issues strategically within corporate business models. The current state of research on CSV is predominantly drawn from large organizations based in developed economies which while informative, overlooks narratives that illustrate how businesses operating in emerging economies e.g. in sub-Saharan Africa, approach CSV. Therefore, the goal of this report is to provide a contextually relevant discussion as to how businesses operating in a sub-Saharan environment perceive CSV, specifically whether they perceive the concept as beneficial to creating long term firm value."

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Source details: Shared Value research report 2020; Authors: Dr. Mumbi Maria Wachira - SBS | Tiekie Barnard - SVAI | Vuyo Lutseke - SVAI | Carol Ger - SBS;
Commissioned by the Shared Value Africa Initiative (SVAI) in partnership with Strathmore Business School (SBS).

The Shared Value Project and Social Ventures Australia present the findings from the inaugural ‘State of Shared Value in Australia’ survey. This first ever survey targeted a combination of ASX 100 companies and organisations with a demonstrable experience or interest in creating shared value to develop a baseline understanding of the current state of shared value in Australia.