CSR matters to Hong Kong students

Hong Kong - Environmental and social responsibility have been singled out as more important than career among young students, according to a new report.

A Hill & Knowlton study has found MBA students from Hong Kong and China consider the environmental and social responsibility as more important than the company, when choosing jobs.

The study also revealed that 65% of students from the same region ranked social responsibility as extremely or very important in assessing the reputation of a company.

Glenn Schloss, regional director, corporate communications for Hill & Knowlton Asia Pacific, said MBA students are "sending a clear signal that companies which fail to address sustainability will suffer reputation loss in the eyes of this important group".

He added that companies should pay attention to corporate reputation by being genuine in the way they undertake their businesses and causing the least impact to the environment or society as well as communicating that message to the various stakeholders.

The unpopular industries among MBA students include alcohol, chemicals and tobacco compared to banking and finanace, IT and energy utilities sectors.