Company Q Corporate Social Responsibility

In my paper I will be discussing the topics related to corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility (CSR, also called corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, and responsible business) is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and

Firstly, I would like to explain what Corporate Social Responsibility is. “It is a company’s sense of responsibility towards the community and environment (both ecological and

In evaluating Company Q for social responsibility, I have found that the company has not made a commitment to being completely socially responsible. The definition of Corporate Social Responsibility according to Lord Holme and Richard Watts (2000), “is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large”. The company has made some attempts at social responsible behavior by listening to a portion of their customers supplying them with health-conscience and organic products; however, this concession came after years of request from their customers and the

Because Company Q is a small, local grocery store in a major metropolitan area it can at times be very over whelming. Big chain stores are putting family owned stores out of business on a constant basis. This reason, along with social responsibility taking hold of companies, brought on by consumers demanding that companies adjust their thinking from a profit-seeking standpoint to being socially and ethically understanding to all consumers in their business ventures.

stems from two main factors, lack of awareness of the company’s products due to limited

When the decision was made to introduce health conscience and organic products the company was moving in the right direction, but because these products were

We will begin this paper discussing whether or not Company Q’s actions have been socially responsible. In the scenario Company Q has chosen to throw out day old food instead of allowing it to be donated. The reason for their decision was to deter theft from the employees who may take the food instead of actually donating it. This in my opinion is socially irresponsible of Company Q. Company Q’s store has indeed faced some challenges, seeing as it is in a high crime area. More often than not high crime areas are also low income areas, a combination that surely both directly and indirectly effects the profits of the store. Profits are important as any business needs to be profitable obviously, but it should never be at the expense of people. People are one of the most vital parts of any business as you need them as consumers, and of course aid in running the business as employees.

Company Q’s actions are not socially responsible. A company that is socially responsible would try to balance its ability it positively influence the community and increase profits. In the scenario we are given the information that they closed two stores in “high-crime-rate” areas.” In high-crime-rate areas we can usually deduce through logical conclusion that people may not be as financially secure. Due to this they may not be able to afford the groceries that Company Q is offering. We can see that Company Q attempts to maximize only its profits when we read the scenario. In the scenario Company Q is very selective about its products and only offers it at “high-margins.” Anyone in these areas that they closed the two stores simply may not be able to afford the high markup costs that Company Q is trying to make.

Company Q is a small local grocery store chain who has made poor decisions when it comes to social responsibility. Company Q’s business is suffering because the owners’ do not know the heart of running a business, Social responsibility. When opening a business it is not all about the money. Sure it is nice to think about growth and reaping the benefits of a bigger bank account, but the first thing that is important in business is the consumers. Who is buying what you are selling? What will make consumers buy more, comeback, or tell friends? Businesses flourish around consumers. So if it is money you are after, then consumers are who you need and want. So in business in order for Company Q to get what they want and need, they will need to give the consumer what they want and need, social responsibility. Give back, it has always been said “It is better to give than to receive.” After careful review of Company Q's business actions, this company lacks social responsibility in many areas.

Company Q’s attitude toward social responsibility reflects a negative reputation on them as a corporation in their current community. The geographical location in a major metropolitan area should sustain the business with a solid consumer base and maintain reliance of current investors. However, they closed two stores in high crime areas for consistently losing profits, waning investor trust and damaging employee faith. The decision to close the stores limits their ability to be socially responsible to its stakeholders and potentially contributes to the areas crime level.

Corporate Social Responsibility are actions taken by a corporation that have positive and lasting impact for all stakeholders associated with the organization, seeking to strike a balance between profits and helping to establish lasting investment in the community (Carrol, 2015). In the 1980’s, then President Reagan challenged the business community to take on more responsibility to address social problems (Carrol, 2015). Socially responsible actions can benefit local communities as well as the greater societal good.

Company Q could be helping out the food bank but chooses to waste the food instead. With laws in place such as The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act which was signed in 1996 by President Clinton, Company Q does not need to worry about the food donation becoming a liability for the company, they are protected as long as they act in good faith. There are several steps that the company can take to resolve the suspicion of employee theft, which in turn would allow the company to be socially responsible and donate the food. Based on statistics from the American Society of Employers, Businesses lose 20% of every dollar to employee theft. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that an employee is 15 times more likely than a nonemployee to steal from en employer. 75% of employee related crimes go unnoticed. The company could take several actions to improve the rate of employee theft such as running a background check on their employees, installing affordable video surveillance, and they can implement an inventory tracking system. By taking the steps above, it would allow them to be more socially responsible as it would allow them to donate items to their local food bank, and it would make the store a better

Corporate social responsibility emphasizes the participation of the organization in a larger society and its responsibility to support good causes. It emphasizes corporate citizenship, philanthropy, and community support and recognizes community-based obligations and responsibilities.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) is a term describing a company’s obligation to be accountable to all of its stakeholder in all its operation and activities. Socially responsible companies consider the full scope of their impact on communities and the environment when making decisions, balancing the needs of stakeholder with their need to make profit.

Corporate social responsibility is the voluntary stance or set of actions from a corporation that demonstrate a contribution to a better society and a cleaner environment. Corporations are already required to operate within the law, but laws do not always protect all people or individuals who will be affected by the corporation’s actions. In addition to this, it is very common for special interests to play a part in legal decisions through lobbying efforts, so it is assumed to be an additional effort for a corporation to be socially responsible. Being socially responsible essentially comes down to being considerate and calculated in the decision making process, paying attention to the consequence of every action. In the ethical decision making model, there are two particular steps that I believe to be of greater importance than the others. The first would be that of