Corporate Social Responsibility Essays

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a very controversial topic. A question that has been debated for the past few decades is; is it corporately viable to introduce social responsibility as a proposed addition to the work ethic of business organisations. As well as, if adopting the framework of corporate social responsibility would yield positive improvements for those organisations.

In business, Anne Lawrence and James Weber (2014) identify enlightened self-interest as a corporation’s recognition that using corporate resource to serve others, including customers, employees, and the community as a whole, is in the best interest of the company. This social responsibility enhances the company’s image within the community, which increases both customer loyalty and satisfaction of employees. Some of the ways that businesses serve others is through philanthropy and backing environmental sustainability. Within his lecture on ethics and corporate responsibility, Dr. Kahlib Fischer (n.d.) encourages the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in that it provides mutual benefit to both the organization and the community.

Company Q is a small grocery store chain who has struggled to maintain social responsibility. The company decided to close down two of their stores which were operating at a loss due to being located in high crime areas. In the existing stores, Company Q has answered to the demands of their customers by offering a limited amount of health-conscious and organic products, but has declined to help out the community by throwing out day-old foods instead of donating them to the local food bank. The decision to throw out the day-old foods was brought on by lost revenue due to possible employee theft and fraud.

Corporate social responsibility can simply be identified as a duty, which is not a legal obligation lately, under very much consideration by every multinationals, as well as the growing firm. The ongoing concern is meant to increase the awareness between the business Individuals, to implement and draw line which should clearly indicates that what social obligation an organization has towards the society.(Caroll,1970) (Caroll, Archie, B.(1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility is towards the moral management of organization stakeholder.

In a fiercely competitive economy, good social reputations are companies’ biggest asset. Copious recent research established direct correlations between companies’ social responsibility and consumer purchasing behaviours.

Raymond James is a financial service holding company with subsidiaries specializing in investment banking, financial planning, investments, and asset management. The company was founded in 1962, has been public since 1983, and was founded in St. Petersburg, Florida. In June 2016, Raymond James joined the Fortune 500 list for the first time. This paper will address the corporate social responsibility and ethics of this financial institution (Raymond James).

The application of CSR is a multi-faceted concept that may be perceived in an altruistic matter, hence emphasized through the minor perspective of the ‘social-capital theory’. This social-capital theory (SCT) extends upon one’s own personal values and beliefs, which are determined throughout each managerial life. In relation to the supports by J. Cowley (2012), the assumption of CSR participation is considered an obligation towards those in the wider community, whilst claiming to be an opportunity for consumers to understand the business’ social values (p. 422). In response to the increasing demand from societal

The global electronics industry comprises of many partners that make up a complex international supply chain. Due to globalisation, TNCs have set up subsidiaries that operate in under developed foreign countries like Asia. They operate in the areas of manufacturing of components for computers, assembly, contractors, suppliers, software, technical

The issue of corporate social responsibility has recently been the subject of much debate. These debates pose the question “What responsibilities, if any, do corporations have to society and the greater good?” From a legal standpoint the answer to that question is none. Legally, corporations have no responsibility to participate in any type of social responsibility, in fact, doing so is illegal and can lead to directors and corporate officers being sued by shareholders. Although the specific law varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the general idea is always the same, corporations are only responsible for making the greatest profits for their shareholders. For example, In Maine, Section 716 of the business corporation act reads in part: ”The directors and officers of a corporation shall exercise their powers and discharge their duties with a view to the interests of the corporation and the shareholders.” (qtd. In The Humanist). The opposition to these viewpoints believe however that the action of corporate executives participating in social responsibility will in fact not only benefit the community and the general public, but in the long run, the corporation itself along with its shareholders. Many believe, as do I, that as a society we are more likely to engage in business with corporations who give back to its consumers and who concern themselves with the betterment of our society and the world as a whole, and in turn the result for these corporations is larger

Mohr, LA, Webb DJ & Harris, KE (2010) 'Do Consumers Expect Companies to be Socially Responsible’? The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Buying Behavior, Journal of Consumer Affairs, vol. 1(no. 35), pp. 125-137. [Accessed 27 July 2015]

While it is important for a company to make a profit, a business also has a responsibility to help better the community, this is referred to as a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Some elements of CSR that corporations focus on are sustainability, community service, and consumer affairs. A company’s CSR is featured on its website, however, some corporations fail at following through with their social and environmental responsibilities. For example, Gazprom, a Russian company focused on exploring new ways to use natural gas, plays a large role in the destruction of many natural environments. Gazprom was founded in 1989 and it is headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Gazprom’s website highlights many charitable acts done by the company, but it does not mention much of what the company has done in terms of the environment. This is because Gazprom is notorious for being environmentally unfriendly. Not only is Gazprom unconcerned with the environment, the company also abuses its strong market power and charges unfair prices to customers.

It is obvious that people have become more conscious of the ethical and social responsibilities of business over recent decades, suggesting that the modern businesspeople should not only consider about profitability but also extent to what they can contribute to the whole society. A quote by Anita Roddick generally demonstrates the spirit of being ethically and socially responsible: “The business of business should not be about money. It should be about responsibility. It should be about public good, not private greed.” With the increasing significance of the harmonization of society, the view about whether businesses should be responsible for both ethics and society has been sparked off a heated discussion. From some people’s perspective,

With the spread of social marketing and CSR in the world, organizations tend to not only consider the consumers’ demands and the companies’ profit, but also take the consumers’ and societies’ long-term benefit into account. Hildebrand,D,et,al (2011) demonstrated that the CSR activities can make up the central, special and core characteristics of the company identity, the identification of the corporate can also be aroused due to CSR activities. Moreover, Porter and Kramer (2006) highlighted that CSR can aid companies create the ability to achieve corporate resource so as to build a sustainable and defensible competitive position. So the companies should consciously undertake corporate social responsibility.

This paper will discuss what major corporations doing with regard to corporate social responsibility. It will then investigate thoroughly five five major corporations which are leaders in community outreach and involvement: General Electric, DuPont, Motorola, ExxonMobil and Microsoft.

‘Corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) means that the firm has wider responsibilities in relation to objectives and people apart from the owners or shareholders (Beal and Goyen 2005). These responsibilities are achieved when the firm adapts all of its practices to ensure that it operates in ways that meet, or exceed, the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that society has of business. Objectives often associated with CSR include a responsibility to manage natural assets sustainably and not to pollute by chemical discharge, smell, noise, dust or other irritants; fair treatment of employees and ethical attitude towards clients. The other people include employees, customers, suppliers,