Since the 1990s, large enterprises and conglomerates in Korea have engaged in corporate social responsibility activities (CSR), such as donations for feeding the poor and building houses for the homeless, because they want to see how they recover from the side effects of their business activity, as Koreans may punish them if they do not fulfill socially responsible activities by not purchasing their products or services. Most enterprises want to demonstrate their fulfillment of social responsibilities through CSR activities. However, enterprises relayed fatigue with helping others, as many only donated money after producing profits. Enterprises did not see direct benefits from CSR activities, and they began to consider CSR activities as a cost rather than a long-term investment.
     Michael Porter, a well-known business scholar, proposed the CSV (creating shared value) concept in 2011 by highlighting how to share created value from enterprises. He proposed that enterprises develop new business models that can produce socially desirable value, which then should be shared with companies’ important public relationships, such as with consumers, communities, employees, or subcontractors. Rather than just giving funds away after producing profits, he highlighted that enterprises’ economic value, and our society’s social value, need to be produced within the same business process simultaneously. For example, one paper manufacturer planted trees in Khan-Na, an area that divides different farmers’ lands, and let farmers grow trees during the agricultural off-season. When the trees were fully grown, the manufacturer paid the farmers money as a reward for their labor. The business model produced direct and visible economic value for the manufacturer, as well as social value for the farmers. We call this ‘creating shared value,’ and many global enterprises actively try to pursue this notion nowadays.
    I introduce CSV here because many students participate in student volunteer activities to accumulate qualifications, and some of them decide to stop volunteering for socially valuable activities when they feel the activity does not guarantee a direct benefit to their career. “Passion payment,” or minimal to no payment for students’ volunteer service, is a social problem especially in Korea because enterprises, and even public organizations, often utilize students’ labor without paying an appropriate reward. Strict watch must be kept on such enterprises and public organizations. However, simultaneously we must rediscover the social value of student volunteerism as well as the value of such activities to students’ careers.
     CSV is a controversial concept because some scholars and critics consider CSV as another means for enterprises to justify the shift of social responsibilities to other members of society. We need to approach CSV with caution, but it would be valuable to refocus on the value of another aspect – social value. Like CSV in business, the social value of student volunteerism must be considered when evaluating students’ volunteerism. It would be a significant gesture to show support for students’ continuing valuable social actions.
  

 
 By Bae Ji-yang
Associate Professor
Department of Communication