Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Public lecture to investigate Corporate Social Responsibility
Professor Martin Samy will explore his fifteen year research journey in the professorial inaugural lecture, starting with the development of a tool to assess the effectiveness and improvement needs of UK schools and leading to the establishment of a schools consultancy service. Martin’s effectiveness tool has gone on to be used as a money management barometer by TD Direct Investing and as a tool to evaluate how well companies are reporting their CSR strategies.
Professor Samy’s research has incorporated investigations into the relationship between CSR and financial performance in countries including the UK, Indonesia and, most recently, Nigeria. In his lecture, Professor Samy will argue that investing strategically in CSR both increases profits and satisfies the demands of customers.
Speaking ahead of the lecture, Professor Samy commented: “The increasing demand of stakeholders’ interests in social performance is increasing the need for companies to report the details of their CSR. Many organisations, especially in developed economies, have already responded either by publishing a separate report regarding their social activities or by providing such information in their annual report or website. However, in some developing countries, there is limited or very weak CSR legislation and policies. In my lecture, I will argue that, particularly in developing economies, governments should play a key role in CSR practices and reporting.
“Effectiveness is very hard to measure so I use perceptions and quantify these to come up with an effectiveness index. In the last few years I’ve been concentrating my research on Nigeria, where there are cultural differences in how to report CSR and to whom. It’s a very new, developing economy and the sustainability reporting of corporations is changing a lot. Our knowledge in the western world can be tailored and applied to this economy and Leeds Beckett is having an active involvement in shaping these policies.”
Professor Martin Samy’s professional career began in Singapore and Australia, where he worked as a Financial Manager. Prior to joining Leeds Beckett University in November 2008 as a Senior Lecturer, Martin was an Associate Member of the Certified Public Accountants in Australia and a member of the Australian College of Educators. In 2007, Professor Samy was recognised in the prestigious Marquis ‘Who’s Who in the World’ publication for his research in establishing a Quality Effectiveness Instrument (QEI).