CSR Concept
The following report has been prepared with a view to understand how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) works in the Brazilian market.
CSR is quite a recent theme in the world, and even more in Brazil. There is not an exclusive concept accepted when it comes to the definition of CSR, (Araujo, 2006; Oliveira Claro; Pimentel Claro; Lucci, 2009). According to Passador (2002), the first CSR concept in Brazil (between businesses, society and the State) emerged with the publication of the Brazilian Social Report by the Brazilian Institute of Social Analysis (IBASE). In 1998, a non-profit organization called the Ethos Institute was established to extend the work carried out by IBASE, in order to mobilize, encourage and help
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CSR Attitudes and UNGC principles There are seven formal CSR attitudes that most Brazilian companies follow in order to strengthen their social image, and they are: transparent communication, return to shareholders, synergy with partners, customer satisfaction, supporting the development of local community, environmental preservation and investment in well-being of employees (Melo Neto; Froes, 1999, p 84 apud Souza, 2006). We see that these attitudes follow most of UNGC’s principles. Currently, there are 660 participants from Brazil in the UNGC; amongst them are Brazil’s largest corporations, as well as SMEs, Brazilian business associations, civic and academic organizations. UNGC was introduced in Brazil in 2001. In 2003, the Global Contact Network was formed and has six thematic task forces: governance, communications, environment, education, anti-corruption, human rights and labour (Global Compact Network Brazil). However, as stated above, Ethos Institute serves more of a reference for Brazilian companies than UNGC, which lead to the partnership of the Global Compact Network and The Ethos Institute. According to Duarte (2010), “Brazil has been the leading country in corporate social responsibility with
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is something that affects all companies and should be an active factor in the company’s decision making. It is something all corporations need to care about. CSR is when business’ or corporations take part in an initiative or campaign for a cause that will benefit society and/or in some way make the world a better place (Taylor, 2015). Initially, Corporate Social Responsibility started to take shape around the 1950’s, but some say that it dates all the way back to the 1800s, the idea of CSR was seen (Carroll, 2007). One may think that because it is dated so long ago, it doesn’t have an important impact today nevertheless, it is proven that Corporate Social Responsibility is a pathway for entities to self benefit as they are in the process of benefitting society.
The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility is a relatively new in the management field and there is no single definition of it since everyone’s interpretation of the term is different. “Corporate Social Responsibility means something, but not always the same thing to everybody.” (Votaw, 1972, p.25) and from my understanding of the concept, CSR to me is “The voluntary business activities within the boundary of law that contributes to the wider community for a more sustainable environment”. Since everyone has a unique interpretation of CSR, the range of relevant CSR practices across businesses has been quite diverse as there is no such thing as features of CSR (Marcel van Marrewijk, 2003). Rising environmental and social concerns in
Social responsibility is an idea that has been of concern to mankind for many years. Over the last two decades, however, it has become of increasing concern to the business world. This has resulted in growing interaction between governments, businesses and society as a whole. In the past, businesses primarily concerned themselves with the economic results of their decisions. “Today, however, businesses must also reflect on the legal, ethical, moral and social consequences of their decisions” (Anderson 15). This paper will discuss the concept of corporate social responsibility. It will give the definition of the phrase, and identify some of the global factors that necessitate corporate social responsibility. It will discuss the importance of corporations setting up corporate social responsibility projects, and the impact these have on society. Social corporate responsibility and the maintenance of high ethical standards is not an option but an obligation for all business.
Businesses and big corporations face issues regarding their business ethical practices that may arise as potential problems. These practices could impact governments, the outside environment and society as a whole, if those said practices use exploitation and is harmful to its external environment. Because of this major issue, corporations are left with the decision to change the way they operate by applying a code of conduct that would improve their ethical practices suited for the needs of society. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the practice with which a corporation is essentially responsible for their misconduct, and will not only focus on making profits but provide a goodwill to society. CSR is an important implementation for corporations as it is beneficial to the business itself, as well as for its shareholders. With that being said, it also has its disadvantages. This essay will discuss the importance of CSR in the world of business, furthermore it will explain the principles of CSR, and then it will discuss the advantages and disadvantages it has for corporations.
Corporate social responsibility(CSR) isn 't a new concern. CSR is usually a managing strategy where organizations integrate sociable and environment concerns into their enterprise surgical procedures and relationships with their stakeholders. The necessity for established social responsibilities in addition to ethical frameworks in business has become a key top priority within our existing modern society. This attitude is supported by the fact that the number of probably the most well-known global companies have been integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been a relevant subject within businesses since the early 1980’s where the concept of managing an organisation with an ethical, trans-parent and humane framework, which is critical in the development and the sustainable growth of any company (Marrewijk, 2003).
In this research paper, the benefits of implementing corporate social responsibilities by a Brazilian bank are explained. Due to competitive environment in market, CSR perspectives are vital in a company strategy. A lot of research has been made on on corporate social responsibilities of a bank, but still there is a lot more to explore.
This paper seeks to analyse and critically investigate the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and strategies of a blue chip company, which has business operations in many different parts of the world. According to Schutz (2012, p125), corporate social responsibility has been defined as the proactive initiatives that a company undertakes with the main objective of solving a pre-existing problem, which directly affects the company’s clientele. These problems are usually communal in nature and by providing solutions to them; the company can impact an entire society. The company under review in this paper is a global beverage giant: Coca Cola. This paper will analyse its corporate social responsibility program from a holistic perspective in terms of its investment, impact and overall reach. The paper will also include a proposal for a CSR program, which the company will be expected to undertake within the next financial year.
The topic of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has grown very quickly. In our century there are several strategies that companies are using to run their businesses. Population is demanding that companies take their social responsibility in a different way. A lot of companies have started to get in involve in CSR as a strategy in order to obtain benefits that can give them a competitive advantage. There is an increasing number of companies and a tendency of CSR involvement to run their businesses. Statistics are showing that implementing a correct CSR can help companies to succeed in business by increasing brand awareness and sales volume.
However, today not only is CSR thought of as a business’s self-preservation for future survival, but also one’s duty to be socially responsible to the earth and people. As defined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, "Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the community and society at large" (1990). Although CSR is not a mandatory policy among business, many managers are adopting practices to increase profits though reputation, brand, identity and status (Ilona and Ruta 2012). Unfortunately, CSR is not widely implemented within business approach, and the demise is communications of these polies internally and externally is low, thus resulting in less effective outcomes. If management could find a way to integrate CSR into a structured strategy with polices, and concise direction and guidance, CSR aspects could be pursued and achieved on a day-to-day basis. Many workers feel confused that no such strategies exist
The recent fifteen years saw a dramatic increase of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. There were more than 3300 CSR reports in 2008 while the number of 2002 was less than 100. More and more companies especially some multinational corporations among the world are keen to proving the sustainability, in order to improve their corporate image and credibility (Adams, 2002). This essay will explain why there are an increasing number of companies are willing to make CSR report annually, and discuss whether reporting on social and environmental activities is equal to good social and environmental performance in reality.
The above discussion has shown the importance of corporate social responsibility for a company. There are many challenges which multinational firms face while fulfilling their corporate social responsibilities especially in developing countries. Griffin and Pustay (2007) assert that CSR requires engagement with internal and external stakeholders so it enables enterprises to anticipate better and take advantage of fast-changing expectations in society as well as operating conditions. This means it can also act as a driver for the development of new markets and create real opportunities for growth (Van Tulder and Kolk 2001).
Nowadays, stakeholders not only care about profits, but pay more attention to company’s actions on environmental, ethical and social aspects, which links to Corporate Social Responsibility program, as these factors may significantly change the fate of a company in a long term (Chan, 2014). According to an article addressed by CSRquest, (2016) Corporate Social Responsibility is how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on the society through its interaction with key stakeholders such as employees and customers. Furthermore, CSR is closely linked to globalisation because whether a company has engaged in CSR programs or not has become a decisive factor of engaging in a globalised marketplace, because
Agunis, glovas (2012), Paper entitled “what we know and don‟t know about corporate social responsibility: A review and research agenda” in Journal of management, based on 588 journal articles and 102 books. The study provided a framework of CSR actions which affects external as well as internal stakeholders and outcomes of such actions. The paper also enhanced the knowledge regarding levels, forms of CSR; need to understand CSR with outcomes etc. further the researcher also suggested a framework of research design, data analysis and measurement for future research of CSR.
Problem - In today’s society, there is a growing interest in, and demand for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Reasons for this can be multinational corporations’ increasing