A commitment to socially responsible conduct, the consciousness of being an organic part of society, and the idea of corporate citizenship: recent years have seen a surge in the relevance of this paradigm shift for SMEs and large corporations. Employees and the public at large no longer see companies merely as a legal entity, but as "citizens." Accordingly, they increasingly expect companies to make an active contribution to the successful functioning of the surrounding social structure. This notion builds on the realization that companies require a healthy society to be commercially successful and - by the same token - that a society needs healthy companies for economic reasons. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the umbrella term used to describe this new consciousness. Gruner + Jahr began honoring these responsibilities in its business conduct long ago. Shouldering social responsibility is traditionally an element of G+J´s corporate culture.

One example: The German education system has come under fire once before, in the 1960s. Henri Nannen, then Editor-in-Chief of STERN, didn´t settle for firing off journalistic rallying cries. Instead, helaunched a broad-scale initiative to promote skilled new talent in the German academic community.

In December 1965, Nannen issued the first call for entrants in the "Jugend forscht" youth science competition under the heading "We´re looking for tomorrow´s researchers!" In 1974, a "Reporter der Wissenschaft" contest was added, inspiring aspiring journalists to write about natural science in a readable and compelling style. "Jugend forscht" has since gone international. 1990 marked the debut of the "Young Europeans´ Environmental Research" (YEER) contest. That same year, G+J also adopted environmental responsibility as a basic corporate principle.

Corporate Social Responsibility at G+J has a number of facets and dimensions - it is practiced both at the corporate level and by individual brands. Vital criteria for the choice of CR projects include a close relationship to G+J´s positioning, as well as possible involvement of the media house in the content of the project. Projects must be able to be exhibited and directly experienced, for example in the form of events in the G+J press building. Another vital point is possible involvement of G+J employees. G+J is committed to concrete strategic goals concerning its staff, society, culture and the environment. For staff, this means promoting the compatibility of work and family life. In the society sector, G+J focus of the promotion of reading, as reading forms the basis for knowledge exchange and education within our society. In the cultural sector, G+J promotes young talent among journalists and photographers, while its environmental responsibility focuses on current problems concerning climate change and CO2 emission.

As an international publishing company that provides information, inspiration, advice and entertainment to people with over 300 magazines and newspapers, G+J is a key contributor to opinion making around the world. High-quality photos and texts, along with critically researched journalism, serve to provide wellfounded, independent information to citizens. This means duties and responsibilities, as well as a special accountability to society, which G+J fulfills both as a publisher and as a media house.

AN AWARD FOR DEDICATED JOURNALISM:
THE HENRI NANNEN AWARDS
Beyond the engagements described above, G+J places a great priority on promoting quality journalism. Here, too, G+J traditionally provides support to young talent. A number of noted journalists are alumni of the Henri Nannen School, established in 1978 and funded by G+J and "Die Zeit." G+J also supports the Hamburg Media School, the Akademie für Publizistik (Academy for Journalism) and the Youth Media Days. The company´s efforts to promote print journalism play a central role, with the Henri Nannen Awards paying tribute to outstanding journalistic achievements. In 2005, G+J and STERN introduced the Henri Nannen Awards, which became an institution from the start.

Award for entrepreneureal promotion of cultural affairs:
Hamburg´s Kulturmerkur

In November 2006, Hamburg´s Chamber of Commerce and the city´s Culture Foundation awarded the publishing house the KulturMerkur award for its long-standing commitment to culture at its headquarters in Hamburg. The jury explained their decision as follows (excerpt): "Ever since G+J moved into the Pressehaus at Baumwall, G+J has been a committed, sustained and active promoter of cultural affairs. With a clearly outlined promotional concept, G+J has rendered outstanding services to photography as a form of art and especially to upcoming young artists. In addition to the promotion of new blood, the company gradually expanded its commitment by implementing projects for children and teenagers that were in line with its promotional concept. Thanks to its multi-facetted, but always strategically targeted commitment at the Hamburg headquarters, G+J has proven itself to be a corporate citizen in the best possible sense of the word."