Case Study-James Hardie

The scale and nature of the benefits of CSR for an organization can vary depending on the nature of the enterprise, and are difficult to quantify, though there is a large body of literature exhorting business to

This report serves to analyze the external and internal environment of James Hardie and explain the important of managerial ethics and corporation social responsibility.

In other words, CSR is like a potential rule or standard, companies try to follow it and may feel anxious about violating CSR. Thus, these individual firms may operate in a similar way inevitably, and fewer innovations are added to their businesses which results in fewer competitive advantages. However, some arguments may present that CSR itself could be the competitive advantage of corporations, but reflect on Hawthorne (2013), 40.6% of customers would not pay extra money for products or services, which comes to a pretty high “unwilling fraction”. This might prove that customers would not buy anything primarily depends on the ethical or environmental issues. Thus, CSR would not be a major competitive advantage of corporations. In addition, Godelnik (2011) claims that CSR might compel companies to delay or pre-empt some effective measures, such as regulations, when addresses social problems. This will also limit the performance of firms, because some methods may be more profitable than others, but less beneficial to society. In order to adopt CSR, corporations may need to choose the less profitable one, so their performance would be limited. Therefore, CSR may restrict corporations’ performances through two ways.

This essay will analyse the strengths, limitations and challenges of ethical and socially responsible business practice. The purpose of this essay is to identify the advantages and limitations of following business ethics and act socially responsible in business operations. In order to help me analyse those further I will use the case study from food industry - McDonald’s corporation.

There is increasing pressure on organizations to make a POSITIVE contribution to society or reduce their NEGATIVE impact on society. Even around the world the governments are also moving towards the enforcement of certain parts of CSR. The most focused part of CSR is regards to the protection of the environment. Many businesses in the past have primarily concerned with increasing shareholders’ value. Shareholders are people who own a part of the business and share in its profits (G. Katherina. 2010). In big corporations, this could potentially include thousands of people who receive dividends and who hold shares in the business (Smallbizconnect. 2014).

A study on the negative impact of CSR on both firms and consumers supported with research and evidence.

Based on my interpretation of CSR, I see it as a voluntary obligation that companies have promised to their stakeholders to fulfill by improving, or at least not harm, the environmental and social wellbeing. When companies engage in CSR, they voluntarily promise to, for example, carry the responsibility to protect the environment and take actions against bribe or other corruptive activities related to their business. It certainly has some positive influences to specific areas based on my knowledge gained from other classes; nevertheless, when judge CSR in the context of total impacts on our society and environment, it is obvious that CSR has failed its mission to lessen the negative impacts of business based on the evidences that provided by the author. Also, since there is a strong positive relationship between CSR behaviors and consumers’ reactions to a firm’s products and services, it seems to me, now, that CSR for the most companies is just a fancy cover that helps them to create or promote a good image and reputation. The recent case that shows the failure of CSR of Volkswagen even make me believe that CSR programs may be just a marketing or public relation exercise for many

Breaking down an overview of Lockheed Martin’s organization leads to Terris’ elaborate plan to gain a general overview of the evolution of business ethics and revealing a balance between profits and stakeholder concerns. Responsibilities of top leadership involve several different form of involvement. These leaders have to be aware, decisive, honest, focused and inspiring. A top leader is usually referred to as a chief executive officer, CEO. CEOs have helped throughout the history of business ethics by seeking unfair advantages through immoral arrangements and creating new ways of business. With business changing occurring, welfare capitalism becomes a major aspect in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As a result of issues with welfare capitalism, corporate social responsibility has made its appearance in the twentieth century. Programs of corporate social responsibility now form many of corporate America’s largest advertising campaigns, especially in industries that have been vulnerable to public criticism for their social impact (Terris, 2005, p.42).

Nowadays, organizations have a corporate social responsibility to fulfill in the business industry. There is a variety of definitions for corporate social responsibility however; a common definition is a business integrates social and environmental concerns in their everyday business operations on a voluntary basis (Murphy, 2010). It is important that managers behave ethically and morally so other individuals will follow their guidance. A manager is responsible for fair treatment of employees, customers, and suppliers, building trustworthy relationships, and being transparent (Murphy, 2010). As a result, managers that are in executive level positions are oftentimes, most responsible for any unethical or

Rangan, K., Chase, L., & Karim, S. (2015, January 1). The Truth About CSR. Harvard Business Review, 40-49.

1. Standards for CSR are currently being created, which would allow comparability and disclosure in a uniform manner across industries. This includes guidance from the International Organization for Standardization as well as the creation of the SASB. Even the SEC has increased its requirements regarding CSR issues such as, “climate change and the use of conflict minerals” (Herz). Increasing the comparability will in turn increase the value of CSR projects due to investors being able to invest in more responsible companies as well as profitable companies. Customers would also be able to more clearly see which public companies have CSR initiatives and purchase based on this, creating value for shareholders.

Some business leaders are taking good moral decisions and the reason behind that idea is that the core part of their business strategy is to create mutual benefit for both wider society and business as well. The growing desire of top management is to find out ways to create mutual benefit for both the organizations and the stake holders but the public still believes that companies are greedy entities which make decisions only in their self-interest, even at the cost of greater public welfare. It is the utmost obligation of the companies to discern the social issues while making the decisions (Yashiro, Yoshida and Suzuki, no date; Godwin, 2006; Schwab, 1996; Godwin, 2008; Werhane, 1998; Werhane, 2002; Heath, 2008; Mehalik and Gorman, 2006).

Employees, as members of an organization, contribute a lot to the enterprise’s manufacture, management and profitability. Corporations’ CSR activities definitely have an enormous influence on the qualities of employees’ behaviors. (Nan, X. & Heo, K. 2007, p.65) Employees may react negatively when they perceive a corporate injustice because that implies a mismatching with their values and threatens their psychological demands. CSR activities on employees are consisted of many aspects, such as skill training, working condition, payment as well as health and safety. Every corporation has its own human and labor policies.

The 21st century has led to businesses having more Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) than before. CSR will help businesses to add value to their company. A business should know the importance of the value chain along with using CSR and not just look at profits. Customers like to do business with companies that are responsible inside and outside of an organization. When business fail with using CSR they will lose customers because customers like to do business with responsible businesses that show corporate social responsibility.

The advantages of CSR are more as compared to disadvantages. Attig, Najah, in 2013 discussed about the economic advantage of CSR told that it effects the credit ratings of company. Credit Ratings of a