Corporate Social Responsibility Through the Eyes of IBM

31. 5. 2019 Authors: Martina Šípková, Lea Melnikovová A lecture entitled "Corporate Social Responsibility – Case Studies of U.S. Companies” took place at MUP in Žižkov on 30th April 2019. It was organized in cooperation with the American Centre and the U.S. Embassy in Prague. The main guest was Kristina Kosatíková from IBM where she is in charge of social responsibility activities.

The lecture was conducted in English in an informal atmosphere, mostly in the form of discussion where the main guest was answering questions from the audience. Participants of the lecture were able to gain a closer insight into corporate social responsibility activities of IBM in the Czech Republic and other regions.

It was interesting to learn, inter alia, about the active cooperation of company employees with secondary schools and the possibilities of student mentoring and joint project work. The audience was also intrigued by the use of IBM's health software to reduce the administrative burden on healthcare professionals. This guest lecture was very interesting and inspiring, and showed that besides profits, big companies also care to participate in a variety of socially beneficial activities in the region where they operate. The Department of International Business is planning further collaboration with IBM in this field in order to bring students closer to the current business practices.