14th Asia Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR) Explores Social Entrepreneurship and the Future of Doing Good

MANILA, Aug 28, 2015 - (ACN Newswire) - The 14th Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR), co-organized by the Asian Institute of Management - Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (AIM-RVR CSR Center) and Asia Inc Forum, will be held on September 8-9, 2015 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.

This year's theme is "Unleashing Social Entrepreneurship: New Partnerships for a Better World", which explores the future of corporate social responsibility and opportunities for innovative partnerships between government, the private sector, and civil society to better address Asia's most pressing challenges.

Conference Chairman Dato Timothy Ong notes, "The idea is to create a ripple effect of new knowledge and best practices being applied across Asia to build better communities. AFCSR is a unique learning and networking platform, with many highly acclaimed figures sharing knowledge and experiences in an engaging and interactive format."

Conference Executive Director Dr. Francisco L. Roman, Jr. shares, "We have seen in recent times the rise of entrepreneurs who help address social concerns by designing and establishing profitable and sustainable businesses that have responded to the needs of communities. This year's AFCSR explores key questions such as, 'How can innovation profoundly change lives?' or 'How do you start, build, and run a business that improves the world?' It is our hope that an increasing number of businesses across Asia will join us in a dialogue and share their experiences on how we can continue doing good in a smarter, faster, more efficient, and more significant manner."

Among the speakers in this year's AFCSR are Sanjit "Bunker" Roy, founder of Barefoot College in India and a 2013 Clinton Global Initiative awardee; Heinrich Jessen, Chairman of Jebsen & Jessen SEA; Durreen Shahnaz, founder of Impact Investment Exchange Asia and a 2014 Joseph Wharton Awardee for Social Impact; Tri Mumpuni, founder of IBEKA Indonesia and a 2005 WWF International Climate Hero; Anna Stork, Co-Founder of LuminAID and winner of 2014 Chicago Innovation Awards; and Mark Ruiz, co-founder of Hapinoy/MicroVentures and a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year Asia 2011.

This year's AFCSR theme has already sparked inputs from conference speakers.

Mark Ruiz, who has seen businesses transition from philanthropy to social innovation, shares, "It's become imperative for businesses to transition from just project-based, philanthropic initiatives to ones that are more strategic especially, with respect to their core business model. We see this now in movements in the Philippines, such as the Inclusive Business Initiative, which integrates the base-of-the-pyramid into their corporate strategies and value chains."

Tri Mumpuni, who points out critical factors in establishing a social enterprise, says, "To achieve a sustainable enterprise, a company should think of the community or nation where they are operating. This is due to the sharing and giving society that has to be started. If it is not happening, the gap in the society will be wider and the social unrest may occur."

Meanwhile, Anna Stork offers insights on the ideal environments for social innovation to flourish. She says, "I believe the ideal environment for social innovation is an entrepreneurial environment where the social innovators can be exposed to different types of revenue and impact models. LuminAID has always had a 'lean start up' mentality where we iterate, test, and stay light on our feet. We have this mentality with our products and with our customers, and it has allowed us to find different types of customers that we did not originally foresee. By testing and staying lean, we have been able to create a sustainable model of growth, both in sales and impact."

Capping the AFCSR is the Asian CSR Awards on September 9, which will be graced by His Excellency M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula, Member of the Board of Governors, Asian Institute of Management and Former Deputy Prime Minister, Kingdom of Thailand.

This year's AFCSR is presented in collaboration with Intel Corporation as Strategic Partner to the RVR Center, Bangkok Bank as Host Sponsor, Jebsen & Jessen SEA and Procter & Gamble as Platinum Sponsors, and Mitr Phol Group and Phinma Corporation as Gold Sponsors.

To register to the AFCSR, please visit www.asianforumcsr.com or contact the Conference Secretariat via email delegates.afcsr@aim.edu or phone +632 752 1208.

About Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR)

The AFCSR is the premier platform for showcasing CSR thought leadership and best practice in Asia. It was founded in the Philippines by the RVR Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). The AFCSR is the largest and longest-running CSR conference in Asia, with more than 500 delegates from 30 countries in attendance. It convenes annually in a different Asian location each year. The AFCSR features prestigious CSR Awards: the Asian CSR Awards and the Intel-AIM Corporate Responsibility Award for outstanding initiatives in four key areas - education, environment, health and poverty alleviation. It is co-convened by the AIM RVR Center for CSR and Asia Inc Forum. For more information, please visit www.asianforumcsr.com.

About AIM-RVR Center for Corporate Social Responsibility

The AIM RVR Center is a research and program center within the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). The main thrust of the AIM RVR Center is to undertake CSR-focused research relative to the competitiveness of corporations and their impact on society. The AIM RVR Center is one of the first research centers in the region to concentrate on CSR issues. The Center also provides consultancy and training services on CSR issues to organizations throughout Asia. The AIM is the Asian pioneer in international management education. For more information, please visithttp://rvr.aim.edu.

About Asia Inc Forum

Asia Inc Forum (AIF) is a leading facilitator of business and public policy dialogue in ASEAN and the Asia Pacific region. AIF is the convener of the influential ASEAN 100 Leadership Forum and the co-convener of the Asian Forum for Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR). The company has a proud history of partnership with the APEC CEO Summit - the foremost meeting of business and government in the Asia Pacific region. For more information, please visit http://asiaincforum.com.

Please contact:

Mary Khristine A. DizonAIM RVR Center for Corporate Social Responsibility Asian Institute of ManagementT: +63 2 892-4011 Ext. 2613E: MDizon@AIM.EDUU: www.aim.edu

Source: Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR)

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