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Company Q and Social Responsibility

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Company Q and Social Responsibility

Company Q does not have a good attitude toward social responsibility. They had to close two stores that were not making any money due to the crime rate in the area the stores were located. Due to a lack of trust with employees the company has decided to refuse donations to the local food bank. Both of these situations have the potential to spiral out of control causing a loss of profit for the company and have a negative impact on the stakeholders. A lack of trust between company and employees could cause this store to suffer increased theft, because the employees know they lack the respect of the company. This may cause them to either turn a blind eye to theft, or steal themselves. In regards to the food banks request, donating locally would be a great way to bond with the community. More people will consider shopping at a store that is giving back to the community.
My first recommendation would be for Company Q to start a Product-of-the-month program. They could choose to feature a different item every month and monitor sales on that item. This would lower the risk of ordering a large amount of something that will not sell well. If they only order a small amount and feature it in the store for a month, then they would know if it would be a good item to continue to carry in the store. This would be a good way to find out what customers like without spending a lot of money. It would be wise for them to advertise in their store that they have started a product-of-the-month program. This will help make customers aware and it will have them coming back each month to see what the next item will be. They would need to track the sales individually by store because what sells well in one store may not sell well in another. Location plays a big role in product sales. They could also take suggestions from their customers of what types of products they would like to see featured. This would help gain respect from customers and keep them coming back. They are more likely to shop at a store when they feel like the store cares about their opinions and appreciates their business.
My next recommendation to Company Q would be to stop throwing away the old food, and instead donate it to the local food bank. They could start small and only donate a portion of the food to start with to make sure they would not be losing money. If that program is a success, then they could donate more. To prevent possible fraud and stealing by employees the store could request that the food bank send a representative to the store to accept the food from the store manager. By having the food picked up employees will never have the opportunity to take advantage of the program by taking some of the food home for themselves rather than delivering it as promised. This solution takes away the possible lack of trust between employees and management in regards to fraud, which will make for happy employees. The local community will also benefit from having extra food for those in need. This will give the company good advertising within the community as a company willing to help the locals. My final recommendation to Company Q is to try and gain the trust of their employees. If their distrust of their employees is bad enough that they are refusing to give donations to a local food bank then I strongly suggest that they consider a change. It would be a great idea to start a rewards program for the employees, and each month recognize a different employee. In this program they could offer cash or food prizes to the employee that has shown hard work and loyalty to the store. By having a rewards program, Company Q is showing their employees that they are important to the success of the store. Without employees the stores would not be successful. Stores cannot run on management alone, it takes a combination of people to help the stores succeed. These recommendations will help people in the community see that Company Q has a good attitude toward social responsibility. If it looks like the store is trying to be successful and cares about the community then they will have better business.

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