The Master of Economics and Development Studies (MESP) Study Program, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) hosted a CSR and Sustainability Workshop: Measuring Social Responsibility Program With Social Return on Investment, Friday-Saturday, 6-7 October 2023 in the Teleconference Room, Bachtiar Effendi Building FEB UNS.

In this activity, the study program invited speakers Sarjiyanto, S.E., MBA., Ph.D., CPDS., FEB UNS Academician, Unggul Ananra, S.Tr.Sos Co-Founder and CEO of PT. Olahkarsa Inovasi Indonesia and Mr. Ridho Rinaldi, M.Tr., Sos., CSR Analyst of PT. Olahkarsa Inovasi Indonesia

Dr. Evi Gravitiani, S.E., M.Si., Head of the MESP Study Program in her remarks expressed her gratitude to the instructors and the assistant instructors from PT. Olah Karsa Inovasi Indonesia and Sarjiyanto, MBA., for initiating the event, including several committees who helped organize the workshop.

This workshop is motivated by Community Development and CSR as one of the Local Economic Development Programs whose Sustainability and Impact must be measured quantitatively. Dr. Evi hopes that participants can take part in the two-day agenda earnestly, to gain the utmost benefits.

Sarjiyanto, S.E., MBA., Ph.D., in his presentation, said that in this activity participants will learn about CSR implementation practices, introduction to new concepts in business, environment-related businesses, development, and the economy.

“Actually, there is an expansion on the concept of CSR, not only corporate social responsibility but also corporate social value. There are values that we can convey to the community,” he said.

Sarjiyanto, Ph.D., hopes that this workshop can inspire new research topics, there are values that will underlie a concept and bring up a new science model. Hence, the two-day session brainstorming will be a provision to help students in their article writing and research related to CSR.

The extension of the sustainability concept has been around since industries or companies are encouraged to make goods and services that will certainly create impacts, especially on the environment. The concepts underlying the implementation of CSR answer the question of how to keep the earth and the people on it stable.

Furthermore, Sarjiyanto, Ph.D., explained in detail about community empowerment and development. He stated that sometimes there are those who are fooled by the term Community Development vs Community Empowerment.

Community Development is more of a process of how to improve the quality of life in the community. Meanwhile, in community empowerment, the target of quality of life improvement within a community must be known.

“Is community empowerment knowledge important? It is important because, actually, if we look from the perspective of empowerment there is such a thing as a gap because there are changes. For example, with regard to fundamental needs, every year if there is an economic shift affecting the level of needs, technological advancement also causes residuals, there are people whose technological power is advanced and some are left behind,” he explained further.