...11, 2012 Abstract This paper critically examines contrasting worldviews on corporate and civil society. To facilitate this examination, a comparison of the values and purposes of the World Social Forum is contrasted with those of the World Economic Forum. The analysis concludes that, without individual and governmental input, corporate action cannot be relied upon to improve the state of the world. . World Forums Without a doubt, the values of the “haves and have not’s” has been in increasing, not only on a national scale, but also on a global scale. From ‘state house’ to ‘hut house’, it is obvious that today’s emphasis on ‘money at any costs’ has resulted in a perversion of the Golden Rule, resulting in “those who have the gold, make the rule”. Not only has this attitude resulted in an abandonment of values that underpin traditional American values of democracy, respect and value of differing cultures, it exacerbates a legacy of American and European colonialism on a global scale. This attitude is manifested in American and European government and corporate policies and actions that erode the principles of corporate social responsibility. World Social Forum and the World Economic Forum The World Social Forum is an open meeting place where social movements, networks, Non-Government Organizations (NGSs) and other civil society organizations opposed to neo-liberalism and a world dominated by capital or by any form of imperialism come together...
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...grown especially in the context of rising global competition and economic downturn with research indicating that 93 percent out of 800 global CEOs acknowledging the important role of sustainability in their companies’ success [Refer to Figure 1 and Appendix A]. (Gibson & Hassan 2005; Lacy & Hayward 2011) Figure 1 – Importance of Sustainability Issues to Business’s Future Success (Source: Lacy & Hayward 2011, pp. 350) Sustainability is a broad concept which can be defined as the long term ability of managing and maximizing practices to achieve positive outcomes while minimizing the negative impacts on future generations and their ability to achieve future needs. (Hitchcock & Willard 2009; White 2009; Crowther & Capaldi 2008; Henriques & Richardson 2004; Aras & Crowther 2008) The 1987’s Bruntland Report (Our Common Future), by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), identified economic, social and environmental aspects as dimensions present in the concept of sustainability. (Crowther & Capaldi 2008; UN Documents 2011; Filho 2000) [Refer to Figure 2] This TBL reporting standard has been established to expand transparency of corporate reporting. (Mueller, Klandt, McDonald & Finke-Schuermann 2007) Figure 2 – The Elements of Sustainability (Source: Crowther & Capaldi 2008, pp. 33) The economic aspect refers to the economic impacts of corporations while the social dimension refers the impacts on firms’ stakeholders...
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...Managing ethically with global stakeholders: A present and future challenge Archie B. Carroll In the early 2000s, the era of corporate fraud and corruption defined by the ethical wrongdoing of Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Arthur Andersen, and HealthSouth captured the world’s attention as never before. It soon became clear, however, that the U. S. had not cornered the market on questionable ethics. The Dutch firm Ahold and Italy’s Parmalat quickly shared center stage with scandals of their own. Domestic business ethics will continue to be a top priority. But global business ethics will demand cutting-edge thinking and practice as companies strive to expand their products, services, sales, and operations throughout the world. Regardless of what is happening in individual countries, whether at home or abroad, the primary venue for ethical debates in the future will more and more be the world stage. The primary venue for ethical debates in the future will more and more be the world stage. Globalization characterizes the international setting of business transactions in which U. S. and world multinational corporations (MNCs) will increasingly participate over the next several decades. Despite setbacks such as the attacks upon the World Trade Center in 2001 and the antiglobalization backlash that continues to be seen at major international meetings of the World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, and global summits such as the G8 summits, the global economy is irresistible...
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...1. Introduction A paradigm shift currently indicates the global challenges that industries are facing and more companies are pressured to embrace sustainability as business conditions change. However, only recently corporations started integrating sustainability as the part of their business strategy as they came to recognize that it is an essential part in growing and establishing themselves as the leader in the competing environment. A well-executed sustainability strategy can enhance the company’s value and reinforce competitive advantage in the market while protecting the capital base. The balance of power has shifted between corporations and it is important to balance economic prosperity along with environmental and social dimensions. Sustainable business strategy represents a marked shift in traditional business practices and companies who do not adapt to the changes in these practices in order to achieve sustainable profitability will be more likely to face the brand value decline or even extinction in the future. For instance, the change represents the need to understand how all three dimensions affect each other and companies ought to consciously create new consumer preferences. However, a lot of companies still are missing guidelines to implementing a marketing strategy of sustainability as an essential part, which is at the core of ensuring organizational, social, economic and environment growth while managing overconsumption issues (White, 2011). Current researches...
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...ASOCIO Policy Paper CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Date: June 2004 Table of Contents 1 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ........................................................... 2 1.1 What is corporate social responsibility? ........................................................ 2 1.2 Asia Pacific Perspective ................................................................................ 2 1.3 Corporate Social Responsibility: Unlocking the value................................... 3 1.4 World Economic Forum & CSR ..................................................................... 3 1.5 Case Studies ................................................................................................. 4 1.6 Should ASOCIO have a role? ....................................................................... 5 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ASOCIO Policy Paper June 2004 1 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming an increasingly important activity to businesses nationally and internationally. As globalisation accelerates and large corporations serve as global providers, these corporations have progressively recognised the benefits of providing CSR programs in their various locations. CSR activities are now being undertaken throughout the globe. 1.1 What is corporate social responsibility? The term is often used interchangeably for other terms such as Corporate Citizenship and is also linked to the concept of Triple...
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...DATED: 21-4-2016 SM 60.03 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ISLAM SUBMITTED TO Prof. Willi Zimmermann SUBMITTED BY ASRLAN ASHRAF ST117493 WATAN YAR KHAN ST117487 ZAHBIULAH AHMADI ST118273 FUMIHIKO OJIRO ST117562 WEISI ZHAO ST118234 SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction and Background 01 Chapter 2: The UN Global Compact And Islamic Perspective 03 The UN Global Compact 03 Islam and Human Right 03 1. Islam and Equality 03 2. Islam, Life and Security 04 3. Islam and Personnel Freedom 04 4. Islam Economic Social and Cultural Freedoms 05 Islam and Labor 05 Islam-Legal and Philanthropic Activities 07 Chapter 3: Islam beyond CSR 09 The Case of Moral and Ethical Economy and Individual Accountability 09 Conclusion 11 References CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Islam is derived from the Arabic root "Salema" which mean peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. Everything and every phenomenon in the world other than man is administered totally by God-made laws, i.e. they are obedient to God and submissive to his laws, they are in the State of Islam. Man possesses the qualities of intelligence and choice, thus he is invited...
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...executive Why “corporate social responsibility” is not a welcome fashion The Economist, Nov 15th 2001 | From the print edition IT IS more than 200 years since Adam Smith observed that people enjoy their daily bread thanks not to the benevolence of their baker, but to his selfish pursuit of profit. In that observation and its implications lies the case for market capitalism. In their economic lives, people behave as though they had no regard for the public good. Yet the outcome, through the operation of the invisible hand, serves the public good better than any social planner could ever do. Nowadays the triumph of the market is taken for granted. But this victory is far from complete—because Smith's insight is, even now, not widely believed. Social progress is still thought to issue not from profit-seeking behaviour, nor even from enlightened government policy (current orthodoxy, after all, frowns on too much of that), but from the benevolence of the baker. Companies are enjoined to do more than serve their customers and make money. Instead they must be “good corporate citizens”; they must attend to the needs of their “stakeholders”; they must contribute to “sustainable development”; they must strive to “raise standards” at home and abroad. Increasingly, companies respond to these admonitions, or affect to, with zeal. So firmly has this view taken root that only a brave man would be willing to go on record against it. In a new booklet for the Institute of Economic Affairs*, David...
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...Running Head: ETHICAL ISSUES AND MULTI-NATIONAL ENTERPRISE Veronica Mason Theory Digest Ethical Issues and Multi-National Enterprise University of Maryland University College October 13, 2012 Ethical issues and Multi-National Enterprises Today’s global marketplace presents ethical dilemmas for multinational corporations. Research has shown that ethical decision-making process becomes particularly challenging when the ethical standards in the company’s home country are higher than those in host markets. While ethical issues have become a current theme recently, organizations must continue to focus on improvement. Multi-National Enterprises need to make this a high priority within their organization. Ethics include basic human interactions: respect for differences, trust that our counterparts will work with us in a truthful manner, honesty in communication with others, and expectations that each of us will keep our word and maintain credibility (Olaru, 2009). Very few companies were established globally and little attention had not been given to the issue of ethical guidelines in a global setting. Global business ethics and social responsibility have now become a significant problem for many multinational companies. Attitudes toward ethics are rooted in culture and business practices (Caliskan, 2010). Ethical issues have become an interesting part of MNE’s focus. Literature has found that ethics is associated with levels of morality and general conduct...
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... -One way to get a sense of the economic power of the world’s largest companies is to compare them with nations -The size and global reach of major transnational corporations such as Walmart give them tremendous power. -We count on corporations for job creation; much of our community well-being; the standard of living we enjoy; the tax base for essential municipal, state, and national services; and our needs for banking and financial services, insurance, transportation, communication, utilities, entertainment, and growing proportion of health care. -Corporations not only dominate the traditional domains of product manufacture and service delivery. -The following well-known quotation, frequently appearing in journals for business executives challenges its readers to assume a responsible role for business in society: business has become… the most powerful institution on the planet. The dominant institution in any society needs to take responsibility for the whole… every decision that is made, every action that is taken, must be viewed in light of that kind of responsibility. -the tremendous power of the world’s leading corporations has both positive and negative effects. A big company may have definite advantages over a small one. It can command more resources, produce at a lower cost, plan further into the future, and weather business fluctuations somewhat better. Globalization of markets can bring new products, technologies, and economic...
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...paper is to identify and examine social and ethical issues within the global market. This document will also review how international management and cultural diversity are pertinent to the success of an organization that is operating in a foreign country. Based upon the above mention, this paper will focus on examining and providing frameworks and strategies that implement the concept of corporate social responsibility and cultural diversity. A number of factors are identified in the study, using literature reviews and numerous online research engines. Introduction Business firms that operate in foreign countries face an assortment of ethical and social challenges. These challenges run from fair treatment of employees, stakeholders, and customers, product safety, plant safety, advertising practices, human resources management, environmental problems, business practices, corruption, bribery, kidnapping, torture, and even murder. Therefore, organizations are increasingly concerned about how their actions affect the environment and social welfare. This in turn creates a demand by employees, consumers, investors, lenders, governmental agencies, and other stakeholder groups for demanding firms to operate in an ethical and socially responsible manner. Nevertheless, organizations cannot wantonly abandon their profit maximization aims while internalizing societal goals. As with other organizational decisions, ethical and social decisions should not be made in a...
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...Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in India: A Study of Top 500 Companies Richa Gautam and Anju Singh Industrial Safety & Environment Management Group, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), India Abstract Purpose -The purpose of this study is to explore the various definitions and descriptions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); elaborate upon development of CSR in India; study the theoretical concepts expounded by various researchers and study the deployment of current CSR practices in India. This paper examines how India’s top 500 companies view, and conduct their CSR, identifies key CSR practices and maps these against Global Reporting Initiative standards. Design/methodology/approach -It is a cross sectional study which is exploratory in nature. It involved secondary data collection and use of content analysis technique to assess CSR practices of companies operating in India. Findings -The main findings of the study are that CSR is now presented as a comprehensive business strategy, arising mainly from performance considerations and stakeholder pressure. Companies consider their interaction with stakeholders and impact of its business on society as significant issues. CSR policies vary with turnover and profit. The study suggests that business and CSR strategy appear to be on a convergent path, towards business and CSR integration across the company. Out of the top 500 companies...
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...Executive Summary Costco is one of the most profitable retail stores in the United States at the moment. This is in spite of the prevailing tough global economic times and stiff competition from stores such as Wal-Mart and Target. Costco, a members’ wholesale retail store, was founded in 1983 in Washington by Jeffrey Brotman, who serves as the current Chairman of the board of directors and James Sinegal, the current company president. Costco has not been spared by the current global economic conditions. They have affected it in a number of ways that have made the company’s management respond in a manner that is meant to ensure that the business not only survives but grows even stronger. First, Costco has taken strong measures to keep enough employee numbers. Customers are better served by employees who are in good health. Employees are not going to be in good health if they work long hours and cannot visit a doctor when sick. Costco employees work normal hours since there are enough employees to serve the company’s customers. While other stores such as Wal-Mart have seen it fit to downsize their workforces, Costco has moved to ensure that employees are of the right numbers all over its stores within and without the United States. Secondly, the current tough global economic conditions have driven Costco into extending good salaries to its employees. The good compensation has ensured that employees are well motivated and ready to serve customers in a better manner. As counter...
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...society and the environment has expanded notable in the past two decades, global feasible development now requires many prominent leaders in society and support sustainable economic growth. Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility is or has previously by many been defined in terms such as: business ethics and corporate citizenship in the working environment, whether it is private companies or government entities and society. There is still ongoing debate on the proper mutual definition of corporate social responsibility. A very basic definition could be stated as “a commitment made by organizations to contribute to a better standard of living for its staff members, their families and society at large towards continuous economic growth” (Lockwood, 2004). The concept was first brought forward in the late 50’s: nevertheless it was during the late 70’s that scholarly research started to take off. “The centre of responsible business (CRB) explains CRS as being an extensive set of action, administration, procedure and practice that are at the very core of corporate culture, and the decision forming practice throughout an organization. This is all inclusive of the actions taken in the past and also the significance of the actions that will be taken in the near future. Corporate social responsibility is over and above charity and calls for organizations to take full responsibility for the effect of its actions on all its stakeholders” (Rettab, 2008). ...
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...Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility December 1, 2008 The Role of Corporations The recent financial crises on Wall Street command a need for higher ethical standard in business. The behavior displayed by corporate heads has caused society, as well as other business to doubt the ability of these corporations to do the right thing. Because of the day-to-day demand of organizational performance not much attention is made to address unethical corporate behavior. Although current events in the business world have drawn our attention to the wrong doings, it there was more focus the process by which corporations meet the challenges of ethical behavior it may promote the practice of higher ethical standards within the world of business. In the past, corporations had little concern for non-economic ventures. The concern for political and social environments was next to none until they became concerns of society. When corporations decided to turn their attentions to the issues that concerned society the most, such as energy and natural resources, pollution control, equal opportunity, and consumer and worker protection there was much debate as to how these businesses should respond to these issues (Bateman & Snell, 2003). These debates resulted in the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) which was issued in 1971 by The Committee for Economic Development, stressed the social role of business as a vital instrument for social progress in a pluralistic...
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...recent, its intellectual roots are found in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business and society literatures originating in law and in business in the early and middle 20th century (Marcoux). The corporate focus is evident in the titles of early works of academic business ethics that have done much to shape the subsequent discussion in the field. Velasquez’s "International Business, Morality and the Common Good" 1992 paper takes business ethics to be concerned centrally with questions about the corporation's proper role in and relationship to the social order. These questions are said to surround the moral status of the corporation: Is the corporation a moral agent? Do multinational companies have any moral obligations to contribute to the international common good? While dominant management thinking is steered by profit maximization, this paper proposes that sustained organizational growth can best be stimulated by attention to the common good and the capacity of corporate leaders to create commitment to the common good. However, the complex process of re-orientating corporate priorities towards the common good requires alertness and concerted effort if both business and society are to truly benefit. In our contemporary post-modern context, it has become increasingly awkward to talk about a good that is shared by all. This is particularly true in the context of multi-national corporations operating in global markets. The common good dictates that leadership should...
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