Online Class Notes (Jesse)

I just wanted to get some help from you regarding Library activities 3, as I followed the documents 3 and have done it but I don’t understand where the results are. Could you help with this?

I worked at a Breitling company before i started studying here.
Employment Practice -I really love this company because they have a good system. They provide health insurance for every staff member and as well as 15 days of leave per year and a generous year-end bonus.
Social- They have a Wechat team and sometimes they organize team building events like singing, playing games and travelling. They would put up a plane in a mall to advertise an event which creates social interest and is innovative. 
Environment- Their environment is very professional and they have a good training for staff every month. There is a afternoon tea every day.
Volunteering- As far as know, they donate to the local welfare home every year.

who benefits most from CSR?

INTRODUCTION – just background and explanation, not answering the question
Every company runs their different business worldwide and achieves success. I think that CSR is a good system to help them to run. CSR means running a business in a positive way that affects the environment and society positively and it’s also growing… Sometime, I also think CSR likes a reationship among people and environment and company or organization. So who does that benefit?

BODY – answers the question directly
Well. Basically everyone… it includes the earth and the companies themselves. On the next chapter . I would for example sentences about CSR.

Even in these uncertain times, every company should practice good corporate citizenship.  But they also need to face the reality that you first have to make money before you can give it away. CSR is based on the concept of interdependence. (Tutor 2u, 2015. Corporate Social Responsibility, URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkteAJBtM9A) This means that society, the environment, and business are deeply connected and this makes sure they they benefit each other and that businesses always have an interest in improving the quality of both society and the environment because this benefits them directly. 

mutually beneficial

interdependence / independence

Corporate Social Responsibility
C. Wilson (2017)

1)  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has undergone profound transformation from an ideology of uncertainty into an indispensable component of business practice. Hamidu et al, (2015) acknowledge that it has become a mandatory tool in strategizing, complying with regulations and maintaining standards, building corporate reputation and obtaining customer loyalty which ‘all culminates in increasing profitability and overall attainment of organisational objectives’ (p.83). In fact, over 9,270 companies from 166 countries are signatories to the voluntary UN Global Compact which fulfils a companies’ obligation to establish issues on human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption initiatives (Wang, 2016). Overall, CSR is an integrated strategic approach in responsibility to achieve shared value for the stakeholder and societal obligations.

1)  CSR’s progression, since its introduction in 1950’s, has been quite remarkable. In the beginning it was characterized as ‘philanthropic’ in seeking to promote the welfare of others. This focused on mainly religious and humane philosophies, community development and poverty alleviation (Carrol, 2008). In the 1970’s, CSR became a symbol of commitment. It became more ‘regulated’ focusing on changing perspectives in stakeholder to manager relationships, encouraging a conscious awareness of corporate reputation and placing emphasis on legal and ethical issues (ibid). The 1990’s instigated what is now commonly seen as ‘instrumental / strategic’ CSR. A prominence on environmental protection, sustainability and transparency with a clear guide on internationalization of CSR standards (ibid). In sum, Matten & Moon (2002) summarise this as a cluster concept of business ethics, corporate philanthropy, corporate citizenship, sustainability and environmental responsibility, all embedded in social, political, economic and institutional contexts.

1)  Research by Weber (2008) highlights that the implementation of CSR has become a pre- eminent feature in building and maintaining corporate reputation, which has become regarded as an essential strategic resource factoring into a company’s competitive advantage. Park, Lee, & Kim, (2014) claim that the key benefits behind being socially responsible include: improved financial performance, contribution to market value, a more general positive impact on societal stakeholders, a conscious connection with consumers, and improved product quality. The authors also note that internal reasons such as increased employee commitment and reduced employee turnover are important benefits. In addition, Carrol (2008) asserts that CSR activities generate resilience to negative company information and consumers’ awareness, and this cultivates appreciation to the attitudes and attributions about why companies are engaging in CSR initiatives.

1)  The effectiveness of CSR efforts is often difficult to observe. Companies often fail through short-run CSR investment policies. They may lack commitment and support at senior management level, and fail to take into consideration the issues that are salient to stakeholder groups in various markets. Long-term investment is the key but a lack of transparency and goal clarity often make it difficult to understand and manage the risks and boundaries of corporate social activities (Wang, 2016). How managers prioritize and balance aspects of CSR is often a challenge facing many corporations. Moreover, the complexity in organizing and managing CSR is exacerbated for multinational corporations with global logistic chains and off-shore manufacturing industries. The values of CSR in one country are not necessarily in accordance to another country’s governmental and environmental policies (Hamidu et al, 2015). A final challenge is the concept of ‘shop dressing’ or ‘greenwashing’. This is companies who are promoting the perception of applying CSR principles through marketing and advertising, but in reality are not implementing the business practice and thereby misleading consumers. An example of it would be a company promoting recycled packaging but its factories are polluting local water courses.

1)  Over the past sixty years, the issue for companies has become how to conduct CSR in a strategically and effectively planned manner that meets stakeholder’s expectations, maximises profit and offers a clear and demonstrable narrative of its impact on the company and for the community (Wang et al. 2016). CSR is a constantly evolving integrated and disciplined field of business activity, which has moved on from the latest management fad into a significant professional body of policy and practice. Although CSR is formed on voluntary basis, there are a number of key areas that need to be addressed. The recognition of diversity is a necessity for a universal approach. This includes better collaborative and supportive mechanisms from source to supply chain to seller advancing the sustainability agenda (Gov.uk, 2014). In addition, Governments could play a greater role by changing existing legislation to the Companies Act and Social Services Act through the inclusion of enforcing ethical standards, the adoption of effective and transparent supply chain management practice and legal action against greenwashing / misleading marketing campaigns. Overall, sustainability, transparency and ethical standards are key drivers in responsible business practice and the values of the society.

Overpopulation is indeed a growing concern in the developing world, causing many of the planet’s environmental problems. Although an increasing population does have a negative impact on the environment to an extent, the greatest problem is in fact caused by the way in which humans choose to live their lives. In the following essay, both these ideas will be discussed.

Overpopulation does have a serious impact on the world’s environment for several reasons. An increase in population means more pollution, caused by more cars on the road, more factories, more farming and more household chemicals. Pollution is a significant environmental issue and it can have a serious effect on human and animal health.

Overpopulation also means that natural resources are decreasing more rapidly. The modern world is consuming more than it can produce. People are continuously buying more products and building more houses. Fresh water, oil and natural gas are just some of the resources which are in demand.

Perhaps overpopulation would not be an issue, however, if society changed the way in which it lived. For example, in order to help these environmental problems, people could try to save natural resources by using less water or by consuming fewer products. They could also try to reuse or recycle more. Pollution could also be kept to a minimum if people only bought organic food or tried to use their cars less.

In summary, although overpopulation is a significant problem when considering the environment, it would be less of an issue if people made certain changes to their daily lifestyle.