CSR and Society

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        CSR and the Environment

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2009 CSR Report – User Experience Survey

In the midst of an economic downturn, we have renewed our commitment to strengthening the mechanisms that drive prosperity and promote well-being. For Cisco, that means making social investments that complement and reinforce our business investments, while also responding to our stakeholders’ concerns. We look for CSR opportunities that can scale, proliferate, and become self-sustaining.

Contributing to stronger communities around the globe furthers our social responsibility objectives and helps nurture new and existing markets, while also making our business more sustainable. We concentrate our social betterment efforts in the areas of education, global economic development, corporate giving, and volunteering.

We apply a four-stage “Cycle of Innovation” model to each of our social investments, remaining engaged through some or all of these cycles:

Identify innovative opportunities that address issues in our areas of focus.
Develop a framework for action, then test a solution or run a pilot project and assess the results.
Scale the successful implementation and replicate it to fit similar situations.
Operate and maintain the initiative to the point where it can sustain itself, then adjust our engagement and look for another promising opportunity.

We believe that education provides the strongest foundation for lasting social and economic progress. By applying effective 21st century educational techniques in schools and other institutions, communities worldwide can prepare students to enter the local talent pool and provide the skills needed to bolster economic growth.

Cisco’s economic development programs build on our core competencies to help communities grow their economies and individuals improve their standard of living. Partnerships are invaluable for achieving social goals as well as business goals, and we have applied this talent for successful partnering to the CSR arena.

For a society to prosper, people must be able to satisfy their needs for food, water, shelter, sanitation, personal safety, social interaction, and self-actualization. Cisco directs a significant portion of our social investments toward meeting these fundamental human needs. What’s more, our employees are personally involved in a range of efforts that contribute to the well-being of their fellow citizens and the communities in which they live.