...Social Responsibility The basis of social responsibility is corporate commitment to the development and adherence to business processes that produce a positive impact on society. This impact should benefit not only their individual employees, but all shareholders within the global environment. Corporate Social Responsibility is analogous to Corporate Citizenship, which is defined as “The extent to which businesses are socially responsible for meeting legal, ethical and economic responsibilities place on them by shareholders.” Investopedia explains, “The aim is for businesses to create higher standards of living and quality of life in the communities in which they operate, while still preserving profitability for stakeholders.” (Investopedia, 2014) In today’s market, there are numerous applications of individual acts that define a Corporate Citizen and reflect positively and negatively on how a corporation is perceived. A corporation’s Social Responsibility level can be beneficial or detrimental to the sustained profitability and growth of the corporation. When corporations fail to acknowledge their own need for social responsibility, profitability and growth suffer. Implementation of socially responsible business practices and strategies show that a corporation is focused on helping and improving society and the environment. This social responsibility serves to increase profits and good will of shareholders in the long run. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)...
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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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...Ethical Models/Rules/Views There are many ethical models in our lives. First, in the utilitarian or consequential rule, the system of morality concerned with what is the most useful thing to do. Utilitarian social responsibility is to maximize profits. The utilitarian primary responsibility is to operate the business in the best interests of the stockholders, whose primary concerns are financial. Different utilitarian approaches to morality have emerged each with their own theory of good and community of concerning individuals. When utilitarian decides to spend the organization’s resources, they add to the cost of doing business, which have to be passed on to consumers through higher prices or absorbed by stockholders through smaller expenses. In addition, in the moral rights rule, the decision maintains and protects the fundamentals or inalienable rights and privileges of the people affected by it. The managers’ responsibilities go beyond making profits to include protecting and improving stakeholders’ welfare. This view is based on the belief that corporations are not independent entities responsible only to stockholders but have an obligation to the larger society. Managers are guided by social norms and values and make practical decisions about their actions. Because this definition is often vague and can vary from person-to-person and culture-to-culture, there are many debates about what can be considered a moral right. Last, in the theory of justice or legal rule, people...
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...Chapter 5 Social responsibility and Managerial Ethics WHAT IS SOCIAL RESPONISBILITY? Two views of social responsibility The classical View * The classical View says that management’s only social responsibility is to maximize profits. * Management’s only social responsibility is to maximize profits (create a financial return) by operating the business in the best interests of the stockholders (owners of the corporation). * Expanding the firm’s resources on doing “social good” unjustifiably increases costs that lower profits to the owners and raises prices to consumers. The Socioeconomic View * The Socioeconomic View is the view that management’s only social responsibility goes beyond making profits to include protecting and improving society’s welfare. * Management’s social responsibility goes beyond making profits to include protecting and improving society’s welfare * Corporations are not independent entities responsible only to stockholders. * Firms have a moral responsibility to larger society to become involved in social, legal, and political issues. * “To do the right thing” Comparing the Two Views * A stage 1 manager is following the classical view of social responsibility and obeys all laws and regulations while caring for stockholders’ interests. * At stage 2 managers expand their responsibility to another important stakeholder group – employees. Because they want to attract, keep, and motivate good employees, stage 2 managers...
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...PEPSI’S CONCEPT OF ETHICAL CONSUMERISM By (name) Course: Tutor: Institution: Location of Institution: Date: Executive summary The ethical consumerism market has shifted significantly over the past few decades just as the attitudes regarding the environment and ethical sourcing of products. Unlike in the past decades when consumers were generally ignorant of the information regarding what was being offered to them, today the consumers are more individualistic and informed. A short opinion survey conducted among a sample of 13 students from GSM London to assess the factors that impact consumer behavior have shown that two-thirds of the respondents lean towards the assessment of a firm’s ethical marketing process before making a decision to buy from such a company. Table of Contents Executive summary 2 Introduction 4 An overview and analysis of ethical consumerism 4 Review of Pepsi Co Inc Company 6 Result of the Short Opinion Survey 8 Conclusion 10 Recommendation 10 Reference 11 Appendix 13 Introduction Ethical consumerism is growing in significance influencing customer choices as well as increasing the role played by the social movement in the marketing process (Buechler, 2010, p.13). New unfolding and ethics are pushing customers to participate actively in market participation and also to criticize the market process and retreat from it. This paper will focus on the analysis of factors that influences consumer behavior through an opinion survey conducted among thirteen...
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...CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY For Morning Gold Bakery Morning Gold Bakery is a small, locally-owned business in operation since 2010 located in Idaho Springs, Colorado. The bakery’s advertising slogan is “The perfect place to gather for morning coffee and donuts” and the business strives to be a responsible yet profitable part of Idaho Springs and the surrounding community. Corporate social responsibility[->0] means that businesses should “act in a way that enhances society and its inhabitants and be held accountable for any of its actions that affect people, their communities, and their environment”. (Lawrence & Weber, 2011) “Articulating a social and environmental strategy requires that the company identify the social and environmental problems that are associated with its operations and then devise ways of reducing these” (Heal, 2008). A corporate social responsibility strategy for Morning Gold Bakery, encompassing four components (environmental responsibility, ethical leadership, organizational viability, and legal responsibility), is presented in this report. For each component, the company’s current business processes will be considered in light of corporate social responsibility, and, specific actions to update or implement business practices congruent with the company’s social responsibility objectives will be recommended. Environmental Social Responsibility -- Planet The environmental component...
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...In his article, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits,” Milton Friedman asserts that businesses should devote themselves to the sole quest of optimizing earnings. Friedman’s entire hypothesis rests on a model where an executive decides the activities the company shall undertake alone. This model is possible, but unlikely since business activities ought to be designed by many stakeholder groups, other than the executives. (p. 211). This is because public relations is an effective tool for shaping the opinion of consumers regarding a corporation and structuring the image of the business. However, in expressing his argument, Friedman relies on several logical fallacies that constitute abstract relations meant to stir the emotions of the reader. By creating a false society where income and collective good are mutually exclusive, social accountability compares to communism, and workers are separated from the society. Friedman’s narrow argument is devoid of scale and methodical firmness and fails to persuade the reader of its logical qualities. This commentary aims at clarifying the significance of corporate social responsibility and establishes how organizations can achieve their profit motives in a socially responsible manner. First, Friedman pushes the reader to take his side by creating an abstract division amid profits and social accountability. In his view of a capitalist economy, the one and only responsibility of a corporation is to use...
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...Problem The Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility when developing a strategic plan - consider stakeholder needs Ethics paper: write 700 - 900 word paper in which you do the following: explain the role of ethics and social responsibility in developing a strategic plan while considering stakeholder needs and agendas. *include at least one example of a company overstepping ethical boundaries for stakeholder agendas, and what types of preventative measures could be taken to avoid this type of situation. Solution Loss of employment and retirement funds, double bonuses, tax evasion, and the dark side of office politics are some of the challenges affecting organizations like a virus causing professionalism and efficiency to be questioned. Walker and Lanis (2009) found that an organization influences and is influenced by the society within which it operates (Cengage, 2009); therefore, an organization needs to take into consideration issues such as product safety, regulations, legal, ethical and economic responsibilities to the society within which it functions. One of the methods which could be used to do so is to integrate ethical and socially responsible techniques in an organization’s strategic plan whilst taking into consideration the needs and agendas of stakeholders. This concept is supported by Drozdenko, and Jin (2010) who suggested core values and beliefs exhibited at the strategic level influences decision making and outcomes throughout an organization. The...
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...WHAT IS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OR CSR? For long it was argued that the role of businesses was purely economical and that economics was the parameter on the basis of which their success or failure was to be determined. Corporations, since eons, have been regarded as the providers of jobs, products and services and it was believed that they are only financially responsible and profit making is their only motive. But recent times have seen a departure from that tradition and now CSR is being taken up in a broader societal context, mainly due to globalisation and the change in the ecological balance. They stakeholders i.e. the employees, community, suppliers and shareholders are redefining the role of the corporations. As a result of this particular kind of shift, many organisations have started endorsing the idea of businesses leaving the purely economic front and blending in some societal dimension as well. THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF CSR: CSR is not a new concept. It has been there since always though not necessarily by this name. Various ancient scriptures mention that businesses should be run ethically and more importantly, they should benefit the deprived section of the society. It has always been said that those who are privileged must lend a helping hand to those who aren’t. Chanakya, the teacher and guardian of Chandragupta Maurya, in his book ‘Arthashastra’ emphasised that ethical means be used while operating businesses. It is often argued that the level...
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...corporate social responsibility (CSR) theories and models. Application of corporate social responsibility theories and models is also applied on the Football Club Barcelona, which reflects the company's interest for CSR. Theoretical background of CSR theory and model is also presented in the paper. Company background, CSR report and company criticism is also covered in the paper. Findings of the paper reflect that the company is committed for socially responsible behavior and has taken some groundbreaking measures to ensure their obligation for CSR theories. Introduction Corporate social responsibility is the wider phenomena that are considered as a building block of organizational success. Sign of success is nowadays measured through the extent of corporate social responsibility maintained by the organizations in this global context. There are various theories and models developed on the corporate social responsibility which are used by the organizations to improve their image in the market in order to build a strong identity in the respective market. To maintain a level of supremacy in the market, companies operating at the national as well international level are following the footprints of those who are gaining terrific outcomes from the implementation of corporate social responsibility theories. Nowadays, the company reputation is analyzed by judging whether the company is following the principles of theories oriented towards the development of a socially responsible behavior...
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...Ethical Principles and Corporate Social Responsibility Colorado Technical University Ethical Principles and Corporate Social Responsibility As a business, one of the most important attributes that will affect a business in every relationship is the act of practicing proper business ethics. As long as they are able to establish a responsible code of ethics and practice it regularly the chance of survival in the business world is greatly amplified. There are many relationships in every business, most people know of the common ones such as the relationships with customers, employees, and community, a few other just as important maybe even more so in some cases are suppliers, local government, advertisers, and service vendors. It only takes one lapse in judgment; one untimely, irresponsible act that goes against the code of ethics to totally lose the faith of the businesses customers, its suppliers, community, or any entity in the structure of the business that it is in a relationship with. Ethical principles contribute to good business operations because it is important to establish an ethical business image, and to keep all of the business’s relationships in good standing. Strong relationships are imperative to a successful business. “There are those who see, those who see when shown, and those who cannot see” (DaVinci, n.d., as cited in Smith, K. V., 2013). (Smith, K. V., 2013) “Much like DaVinci, professionals working in corporate citizenship must be able to see...
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...Social responsibility and ethics is an important issue. There are various reasons for a company to conduct business in and ethical and social manner. In the wake of scandals such as Enron it is important companies make an effort to become more responsible. This report will provide a strategy to help Company X Financial Service become socially responsible. A1. Environmental considerations and recommendations A successful company goes further than just meeting the standards mandated by law. A socially responsible organization should be aware of the effects that follow their decision making. Social responsibility is an ethical theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystem (Wikipedia, 2013). There are various ways Company X can become environmentally responsible. Company X could utilize their local energy vendor by having them construct an energy audit of their location. Many companies are utilizing such services to save money but this also helps the environment. By utilizing led lighting instead of normal lighting energy costs are reduced and waste is minimized. Most led lighting components are rated at a life of 10 years. The upfront costs will be high but the upgrades will save on utility bills and maintenance. The company could start an internal recycling program...
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...Evolution of Business Ethics Introduction In any business, decisions must be made to ensure that a business entity or firm is conformity with its vision as well as mission. Most of decisions made by businesses are tailored toward wealth maximization of the firm which ensures that there is continuity production and operation of the entity. It is clear that most if not all businesses want to make profits, however, it is undeniable too that businesses must also be socially responsible to their environment which in this case involves consumers, sellers, lenders, the government and the entire community at large (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2011). For a business to be able to accept its social responsibility, then the application of business ethics must be applied. Business ethics is considered to be the accepted norms or set standards that determine what is right and wrong in the context of a business organization. Therefore, this paper will summarize the development of business ethics over the past thousand years and describe the major changes that led to the focus of business ethics. In addition, the paper will illustrate how these changes impact business practices and compare them with my personal values that have evolved over time. Development of Business Ethics over the decades The origin of business ethics can be traced back during the time of business development, this goes back before 18th century, like any other personal values and norms, ethics in business has been...
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...reporting, and analyzing economic transactions. 1. What is the major objective of accounting? · Accounting is an information and measurement system that identifies, measures, records, and communicates understandable, relevant, reliable, and comparable information to people that helps them in making better decisions. It helps people in business to identify and react to investment opportunities, and better assess opportunities, products, investments, and social[->0] and community responsibilities. 2. Distinguish between accounting and recordkeeping. · Recordkeeping is the recording of financial transactions and events, either manually or electronically. While recordkeeping is essential to data reliability, accounting is this and much more. Accounting includes identifying, measuring, recording, reporting, and analyzing economic events and transactions. It involves interpreting information, and designing information systems to provide useful reports that monitor and control an organization's activities. LIFA 1.2 FORMS OF ORGANIZATION · A business is one or more individuals selling products or services for profit. · There are business and non-business organizations. · Businesses have the goal of generating profit and take one of three forms: o Sole proprietorship o Partnership...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility & the Law Assessment 1: Individual Essay Introduction Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined by Ferrell et al (2011) as “an organisation’s obligation to maximize its positive impact on stakeholders and minimize its negative impact”. CSR can therefore be viewed as a corporation's agreement with the world. CSR is most commonly used alongside the “ethics” term but they actually differ as ethics are the guidelines to be used for business decision making. Ethics, according to Preston (1996), is concerned with what is right, fair, just or good, about what we ought to do, not just what can be done or what is most acceptable or expedient. Ethics allows for set standards and rules to be used to guide behaviours which form just one level of the considerations of CSR. The International Labour Office (2006) identifies CSR as giving consideration to operational impacts on society and affirming values in their internal methods, processes and external interactions – CSR is voluntary, enterprise-driven and refers to activities considered to exceed legal compliance. With the expectation that business will give as well as take from a society and environment in which it operates, the concept of social obligation proposes that a firm has obligations to area that spread beyond making profit. Additionally, the community expects socially and environmentally responsible behaviour practices; the so-called triple bottom line approach. This anticipation...
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