Husky Corporate Social Responsibility and Contribution

Husky Corporate Social Responsibility and Contribution

Husky’s approach to the dispensation of contributions to various project of social and environmental importance ranks it as amongst the leaders in its field with regard to the service of interests external to the company’s economic standing.  However, it is also a central impetus that in its determination of how best to allot the considerable resources at its disposal, the company remain dedicated to such outlets as reflect the company’s overarching values.  As we have expressed those in a prior account as being to endorse growth and to simultaneously seek the improvement of the company’s standing within its operating communities, it is sensible to recognize that Husky’s appropriation of resources for this purpose persists to allow it involvement in an array of important social and cultural forums.

Specifically, it is reported in the 2008 Sustainability and Development Report that “education, health and community are the cornerstones of Husky’s community giving program.”  (Husky Energy Inc, 36)  By considering a breakdown of its expenses across the two year sample which is made available by this report, we can see that Husky does indeed attempt to divide that which it distributes to its recipients across these types of lines.

With education taking the form of scholarships, mentoring programs in relation to service of the energy industry and direct insertion of itself into the process of educating on the refining industry, there have been a number of avenues for Husky’s contributions to make an impact on the next generation of leaders in and around the energy industry.  Its prioritization of health has seen Husky give to a wide array of hospitals in its native Canada as well as to take a stake on improving environmental protections in selected areas of operations or labeled preservation.  And its continued and direct investment in such avenues as the endowment of research on drilling and deep seas yielding methods have made it a leader in improving the social orientation of the oil industry as a whole.  For Husky, there is an incentive of improving corporate standing within the community that has real and tangible actions to support the claim that it has behaved admirably in comparison to industry competitors which have otherwise been reluctant at beat in recognizing the costs of the industry and seeking to either diminish or compensate for these costs.  As we break down the year by year designation of contributions, we can that Husky has largely bested its competitors in the field of community involvement and reflection of its own projected social service ambitions.

            In 2006, the greatest interest by far for Husky would be its interest in Education & Youth.  At 42% of its contribution budget for that year, programs involving the funding of partnering university organizations, the selection of suitable and deserving candidates for financial aid in the advancement of a higher education and the creation and maintenance of school programs designed to improve the access of students to opportunities and insights relating to work in the selected field has shown itself to be a marked priority for Husky.  (p. 37)  Coming in a modestly close second ranking, Health & Welfare occupies a 38% chunk of the 2006 contribution budget.  Here, Husky has shown a primary interest in the preservation of natural lands and the protection of ecosystems and contexts precious to humans and to animals as well as a direct sense of responsibility for assisting in the maintenance and improvement of domestic healthcare facilities such as the Alberta Hospital.  During 2006, Husky would also classify 7% of its interest in the environment, which associates to the above-noted priorities but which also extends an interest to cleaning up hazardous waste sites and donating to groups which protect endangered species, which preserve natural lands for public protection and which generally are related to the offsetting of oil-industry consequences.  Husky’s longstanding interest in community and civic affairs is also represented at 8% of its contribution budget.  Arts & Culture and Aboriginal assistance programs round out the contribution breakdown by allotting the remainder of the $5 million budget in the amounts of 3% and 2% respectively.

In 2007, with the budget inflated to $6.1 million, the focus would also shift somewhat as well.  Environmental concerns, Arts and Aboriginal interests would all be demoted as priorities, each occupying only 1% of the budget that year.  Civil & Community involvement would remain steady at 8%.  An interesting reversal and an indication as to where most of the improved investment was dedicated, Education & Youth would remain almost unchanged at 39%–down by 3 points but offset by the raised overall sum of contribution in 2007—while Health & Welfare would come to occupy no less than 50% of all contribution from the organization.  This is illustrative of a policy interest on the part of Husky in improving its overall relationship the health and well-being of Canadians and other operating context populations throughout its global purview.

Ultimately, this underscores Husky’s policy regarding the giving of donations, which states that “the company’s community giving policy ensures that contributions are consistent and support corporate values.” (36)  Relying upon its 14 principles of Operational Integrity Management, which include such crucial operational areas as accountability, leadership and preparedness, its two year community contribution breakdown illustrates Husky to be an organization both internally and externally stellar in its dedication to a core operational value system.

Works Cited

Energy Inc.  (2008).  Sustainability and Development Report.  Husky Energy Inc.

Lockwood, Nancy R.  (Dec. 2004).  Corporate Social Responsibility.  Society for Human           Resource Management. Online at          http://www.shrm.org/research/quarterly/1204RQuart_essay.asp>.