The New Year and the enthusiasm over ISO 26000 should encourage companies in Asia to take a serious look at developing a community investment strategy…ISO 26000 emphasizes that companies must recognize the rights and resources of the community members when developing community investment initiatives to ensure shared benefits…ISO 26000 outlines that before deciding on a community investment project companies should:...Research the potential impacts the program could have on various community stakeholders in the aim to avoid negative impacts; Conduct stakeholder engagement; In particular, identify marginalized, discriminated or underrepresented groups and consult them; Pay attention to indigenous rights and priorities…Once an understanding of a company’s impact is established, companies can make efforts to include the community in its business to extend the positive indirect impacts…[refers to Body Shop (part of L'Oréal), Heineken, Migros, New Britain Palm Oil, Standard Chartered, Tesco Malaysia (part of Tesco), Unilever]