Ta Ya Combines CSR with Social Investment for Greater Influence
2015/08/04
The issue of social enterprise has gathered increasing attention in Taiwan. In an attempt to attract investors to invest into social enterprises, the Executive Yuan coordinated several departments under its command to address issues concerning "regulation, common platform, funding, and counseling." During a social investment conference held in the afternoon of August 3, Ta Ya Group Chairman Shen Shang-Hung said that the government should encourage social investments both in a broad and narrow sense. If every public-listed company is able to contribute just one corporate social responsibility that is relevant to their business, they can exercise significant positive influence as a whole.
"Shaping the Social Enterprise Environment" conference (organized by Asia Pacific Research Foundation at the request of the Ministry of Labor) was held in the afternoon of the 3rd at National Taiwan University College of Law, during which Vice Chairman Timothy Ma of Hong Kong General Chamber of Social Enterprises Limited, Nigel Kershaw - Chair of The Big Issue Group, Deputy Director Daniela Papi of Skoll Center, TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation Chairman Shen Shang-Hung, CSR Director Wang Junkai of HCT Logistics, government officials and social enterprise operators were invited to engage in discussion and communication.
"Shaping the Social Enterprise Environment" conference (organized by Asia Pacific Research Foundation at the request of the Ministry of Labor) was held in the afternoon of the 3rd at National Taiwan University College of Law, during which Vice Chairman Timothy Ma of Hong Kong General Chamber of Social Enterprises Limited, Nigel Kershaw - Chair of The Big Issue Group, Deputy Director Daniela Papi of Skoll Center, TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation Chairman Shen Shang-Hung, CSR Director Wang Junkai of HCT Logistics, government officials and social enterprise operators were invited to engage in discussion and communication. The conference was hosted by Research Fellow/Professor Michael Hsiao of Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology. During the conference, Chairman Shen said that he currently has two titles; one as chairman of TAYA Pristine Homeland foundation and the other as chairman of Ta Ya Venture, which correspond respectively to the broad and narrow interpretation of social investment. He said: "Social enterprises, in the narrow sense, exist not only to solve problems in society, but also reserves 30% of its earnings for charity purpose. For a professional investor, it is difficult enough to find an opportunity that delivers adequate Return On Investment (ROI), let alone a social enterprise." Ta Ya, too, is actively searching for investment prospects that meet the narrow definition of social enterprise.
He then referred to the Green Inside Project, now running for the fifth year, to explain that Ta Ya neither requires nor encourages the sponsored subjects to operate in corporate form, and expects no return from the issues it cares for. In other words, social investment in the broad sense is equivalent to a social sponsorship, and aims to achieve another form of ROI, namely: Return On Impact. When a company decides to engage in CSR activities and voluntarily make extra contributions to the society, the company may consider making social investment in the broad sense: investing relatively little resource on a cause that is relevant to the company's own business.
Professor Hsiao summarized the day's discussion with a common advertisement remark that: "Every investment comes with risk" to encourage investors' support to NPOs and social enterprises. At the end of the conference, foreign guests were invited to Miracle X House (one of Ta Ya Venture's investments) to enjoy dinner and discuss possibilities of social enterprise here in Taiwan.