Moral Compass in Business

This research project aims to support communication professionals by developing the SME Guideline Public Dilemma. This tool enables them, together with their SME client, to develop and communicate an authentic social standpoint.

We develop a tool that enables SMEs to develop their 'doing good' activities and express a socially responsible point of view in order to participate in the online public debate.

01 December 2023 - 30 November 2025

We are forming a learning environment with industry and umbrella organisations and their SME members, (communication) agencies, knowledge institutions and consumers from joint expertise, within which the tool will be developed.

We regard the entire project as a learning environment, in which all consortium partners actively participate in the research and design process from their own expertise. From the start, all relevant knowledge and insights developed, both within and outside the consortium, are shared. Here, the partners play a greater role in dissemination because they themselves have an interest in it. Also, the SME Guideline Public Dilemma will be posted on the research website of Utrecht University of Applied Sciences where the Guideline will be offered as open source. This will enable us to realise that every communication professional in the Netherlands can download the Guideline.

Students from Hogeschool Utrecht and Hogeschool Rotterdam are involved in the implementation of the work package activities through research and graduation projects. Project results will be embedded as case studies in the curriculum of the HU institutes of Communication and Marketing, and the Communication programme at Hogeschool Rotterdam.

This research is co-funded by Regieorgaan SIA part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)