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&lt;p&gt;There is an argument that some companies&amp;mdash;such as those that deal in weapons and tobacco--just can&#39;t do corporate responsibility in a meaningful way. As a result, they are often excluded from CSR rankings and benchmarking exercises. But what about a company like McDonald&#39;s under constant fire for its products? How does the world&#39;s largest fast-food chain practice corporate social responsibility that is both contextual and real?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At McDonald&#39;s recent inclusion and diversity benchmarking event, Senior Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility Kathleen Bannan began her presentation with a statement that will resonate with several regular readers of this space: &quot;CSR is everybody&#39;s business.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;embeddedObject&quot; src=&quot;http://www.vault.com/VCM/blogs/McDonalds_CSR_Report_2008.png&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;Strategic CSR for fast food chain giant McDonald&#39;s involves diversity and inclusion, employee engagement, volunteering, environmental sustainability as well as leadership training and development.&quot; width=&quot;191&quot; height=&quot;217&quot; align=&quot;right&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bannan was attempting to highlight the evolution from how the company used to interpret CSR and what it has come to mean today, i.e., a shift from purely philanthropic ventures to a core element of the company&#39;s long term strategy. Although the last part might be too much to swallow for critics who claim that a company that sells fast food and offers plastic toys cannot spout responsibility, Bannan offered some interesting context.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Bannan, who is a Boston College graduate and previously worked for the Center for Corporate Citizenship, having a home within the diversity department offers her team a unique opportunity to participate in shaping the company&#39;s long-term strategy. Further, alignment with Global Chief Diversity Officer Pat Harris&#39; vision ensures that CSR remain relevant for the company.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here&#39;s how Bannan presented the evolution of CSR at McDonald&#39;s:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;1955-1989: The Golden Age&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;CSR meant community involvement, national grassroots programs and building its image as a trust bank.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;1990-2000: Globalization&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;As communication became easier and technology enabled rapid globalization, CSR expanded to include issues related to nutrition, the environment, and responses to issues such as international conflict (including aid provision) and a wave of anti-Americanism that targeted institutions like McDonald&#39;s.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;embeddedObject&quot; style=&quot;width: 219px; height: 191px;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.vault.com/VCM/blogs/Strategic_CSR_at_McDonalds.png&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;Strategic CSR for fast food chain giant McDonald&#39;s involves diversity and inclusion, employee engagement, volunteering, environmental sustainability as well as leadership training and development.&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;2000-Present: Strategic CSR&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;This decade pushed CSR into strategy. Corporate governance and ethics became central to every departmental function, much like the graph on the left.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Bannan, this translates into a 360 degree view of the company and an oversight of not only employee engagement but also active participation in catalyzing a cultural shift. &quot;We set priorities according to what we call the &#39;Smart Zone,&#39; which basically means what efforts will result in win-win solutions,&quot; she explained. Those solutions include things like &quot;investing in energy efficiency solutions and analyzing an environmental scorecard across departments to chart progress as well as identify struggle points.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Accompanying her presentation, attendees received a copy of McDonald&#39;s CSR Report for 2008, titled: &lt;em&gt;Responsible Food for a Sustainable Future&lt;/em&gt;. A couple of the goals on the back cover include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Continue to enhance our employment value proposition to drive employee engagement.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Continue to integrate McDonald&#39;s values into key people programs, from hiring, to training, to career development.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;That these goals tie in with those of the talent acquisition and education teams is not coincidental. It is this common Global Inclusion and Diversity umbrella that is ensuring a strategic approach across departments at McDonald&#39;s. While CSR remains a small piece of the equation for them, it is clear that progress is underway as well as the recognition that CSR is indeed, everybody&#39;s business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Final chapter:&lt;/strong&gt; The Talent Acquisition team ties in growth with recruitment strategy&lt;/p&gt;

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