Corporate Social Responsibility Programs at Accor Services in the world
Introduction to Accor Services in South Africa
For more than 40 years, Accor Services has been a world leader in designing, developing and managing innovative products and services tailored to the needs of employers, employees, public authorities and citizens. Over 340,000 organizations and public institutions and 30 million employees in 40 countries use our products. We have currently over 1,000,000 affiliated service providers worldwide and we are constantly working with our clients to attract, win, motivate and retain the loyalty of their employees around the world. We also provide services for governments and local authorities in a number of areas including health, education and social welfare.
Accor has extended its operations into South Africa through an agreement signed between Accor and Ehlobo Capital (Pty) Ltd, operating locally as Accor Services South Africa. The Ehlobo Group is a black owned and controlled enterprise founded in 2005. The founders of the Ehlobo Group have over 20 years experience in policy formulation and management in the public sector. Ehlobo Group has investments in business services, IT and financial services.
We believe that companies that show a genuine concern for their employees' welfare reap enormous benefits in loyalty, motivation and productivity. Our goal is to help companies and public institutions to improve performance by fostering the well-being of their employees and citizens. From Food and Meal Cards/Vouchers to Service Vouchers as well as Ticket Compliments Gift Vouchers, Accor Services plays an active part in their daily lives and has become a sound reference for corporate and public institution services.
Corporate Social Responsibility: An Innovative Approach
Accor is well placed to support social development and humanitarian organizations in developing efficient methods of reaching those in need through innovative methods of implementation.
Across all brands and countries, Accor employees are involved every day in providing assistance to the disadvantaged working with local and international partners in favor of Child Aid, Local Aid and Healthcare. Highlighted below is a sample of initiatives currently supported by Accor around the world:
- In France, since winter 2002 – 2003, Accor Services has been running the annual operation Tickets donnés, repas partagés (vouchers given, meals shared). Several collections of Tickets Restaurant® over 5 years have allowed a total of nearly 602 000 euros to be collected and transferred mainly to the French Red Cross’ social groceries.
- Europe: Czech Republic
Since 2002, Accor Services in Czech Republic, has supported the Pomozte detem Foundation, which provides aid and protection to handicapped or abused children. This financial assistance comes from donations, notably of Ticket Restaurant® food vouchers.
- Europe: Hungary
Coordinating by the Foundation for Children "Aranyág" Accor Services in Hungary has an exemplary healthy nutrition campaign for children in a poor section of North-Hungary. Accor team aid to providing every day healthy food (fruits and vegetables) for 300 children living in instituions.
- South America: Brazil
Launched in 2003 by Ticket in Brazil, the « Sonho de Criança » project (Children's Dream) has helped to build an educational center for children in a poor section of Sao Paolo. Accor teams in Brazil are pursuing their initiatives through different programs for more than 240 children and their families.
- Africa: Burkina Faso
In partnership with Plan International, the innovative fundraising activities of Accor Services in Belgium, involving its employees, clients and direct customers, have enabled the construction of schools and vegetable gardens in Burkina Faso in 2005.
- Asia : Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore
Since April 2004, all twelve Vietnam-based Accor hotels support an outreach program for the benefit of Vietnamese children suffering from deformities such as cleft lips and palates. Accor hotels in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia have joined in the partnership.
- Pacific: Australia, Fiji, New-Zealand
Since 2002, Accor has supported Cure Kids, a child health research Foundation in Australia, Fiji and New-Zealand. Sports rallies, auctions, and other events organized in Accor hotels have raised substantial amounts.
Recent Actions:
Accor listed among the world’s 100 “most sustainable” companies!
Accor has been selected among the one hundred companies considered the most sustainable, along with seven other French firms. Accor is the only company in the hotel sector to be included in
this worldwide ranking. The results of the fifth edition of the Global 100 study were published on January 28 by the Canadian media Corporate Knights and the extra-financial rating agency Innovest Strategic
Value Advisors.
The study is carried out among the companies listed by the MSCI World index
(the global financial index of Morgan Stanley Capital International). It is based on the company's performance assessment in the areas of social, environmental and economic responsibility. Corporate governance is also taken into account. The Accor Group was awarded the distinction together with Air France-KLM, Crédit Agricole SA, the Danone Group, Lafarge, L'Oréal, Michelin and Saint-Gobain
Accor Services Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa
Since last year, Accor’s focus has been to establish, develop and implement a strategy to harmonise all its social and charitable initiatives into a humanitarian patronage policy.
To this end, Accor South Africa has begun its South African implementation plan of which the intention is to support similar humanitarian organizations and/or develop partnerships in which Accor Services skills and network access can be utilized.
Based on the success and sustainable approach in Europe of the strategy, Accor Services want to ensure that the corporate social responsibility campaign in South Africa results in making a difference to those in need.
Accor Services is currently working on the implementation in South Africa of its Public Service Programme which has been successfully implemented in a number of countries worldwide. The programme facilitates social benefit payments, pensions, unemployment allowances, etc. to the receivers of such benefits. The card technologies that Accor Services employs ensures that payments are targeted to the right individuals and provides public institutions with detailed reporting on the spending of beneficiaries that helps to drive future policy. Other important facets of the service include:
• Funds cannot be misused due to the network being tailor-made to provide the basic needs and cannot be used to purchase items that are not essential, i.e. alcohol, cigarettes etc.
• The tailor-made solution network is designed to meet specific needs – it operates within the local community and supports and formalizes local commerce.
• A complete solution utilizing the latest in card technology is provided to manage and distribute social funds, communicate with the beneficiaries, the network and Accor Services provide the entire administration through its back office.
• The allocated funding cannot be transferred or stolen by a third party.
Accor is working on implementing a pilot programme in South Africa in order to demonstrate the advantages. Once successful, Accor would like to role out this programme together with the South African Government, local municipalities and important service points in order to benefit those is need.
(Source: Accor Services CSR book)