Partnership for Lebanon and Cisco Systems

Table of Contents

Synopsis3

CSR Lessons4

Cisco, Corporate Sponsors, and PFL7

The Challenge of Sustainability7

Conclusion8

References9

Introduction

This assignment will review the partnership for Lebanon and Cisco systems. After the initiation of the Partnership for Lebanon, the regional director of corporate affairs of Cisco System and the project manager for the Partnership for Lebanon had a meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to understand the challenge of sustainability for the Partnership for Lebanon. This case study has explained how businesses can leverage their core competence in order to maximize value for business and the society.

This case analysis will address the following parts:

The synopsis of the company

CSR Lessons

Cisco, Corporate Sponsors, and PFL

The Challenge of Sustainability

Discussion

Synopsis

The Partnership for Lebanon (PFL) was formed in September 2006. The PFL is a partnering initiative of five companies of the United States including Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, Microsoft, Occidental Petroleum, and Ghafari Inc. The purpose of this partnership is to help in the relief and reconstruction of Lebanon. The PFL is based on a framework of five work streams including emergency relief/response, creation of jobs and revival of private sector, development of ICT, education and training of workforce, and the development of integrated communities. The progress on all these work streams has been achieved in a time span of five years. The project manager of PFL is Salam Yamout. In the year 2009, the project manager of PFL, Salam Yamout, expressed her concerns in writing. The letter was written to George Akiki, the manager of the project. The project manager expressed concerns about the sustainable development of Lebanon in the future. In response to these concerns, the manager replied that the challenge of sustainability is real. In order to deal with the challenges, it is important to build local capacity as well as to empower local communities in order to enhance development (Jennifer, Charles, and Victoria, 2005).

CSR Lessons

The CSR lessons of Cisco have enabled the success of the PFL. Corporate Social Responsibility is a core value of the culture of Cisco. The corporate citizenship culture of Cisco incorporates trust, integrity, openness, and fairness. Cisco System has always proved itself to be the leader in the area of consumer electronics, communication technology, networking, and services. During various stages of growth and evolution, Cisco has managed to stay ahead of its competitors with its speed. The mission of Cisco is to shape the future of global networking. The success of Cisco can be attributed to two important principles including a strong focus on the needs of customers and the embracement of continuous innovation. The corporate culture of Cisco has also played a key role in differentiating it from its competitors. The culture of Cisco is based on the principles of open communication, innovation, trust, and integrity (Cisco's Corporate Citizenship Report, 2007).

The Cisco Beirut Office was established in 2000. The overall goal of Cisco is “best in the world, best for the world.” The Beirut office has focused on adhering to the philosophy of ...