This paper will critically consider the significance of J Sainsbury plc Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR hereafter) / sustainability initiatives for business success, using the literature surrounding CSR/ sustainability in the food and retailing industry. J Sainsbury state that they have a clear strategic vision in which they place the customer at the heart of everything they do they believe that their strong commitment to corporate responsibility out lined in the sustainability 20x20 plan is essential to how the business operates and conducts in business and in securing the future success of J Sainsbury’s (J Sainsbury plc, 2013). In order to critique the significance of this initiatives for business success the term(s) CSR / Sustainability first need defining, however this could be viewed as problematic in itself as in is in fact not one term but two. Several authors Gatti and Steele 2014, Jones Hillier and Comfort 2014 xxxxxxxx give thought to give thought to the terminology surrounding CSR discussing that confusion that could arise from the development of multiple terms used to attempt to conceptualise and illustrate the most ethical business practice, incorporating environmental and social issues. McWilliams and Siegel (2001) define the term of CSR as activities or best practices that “appear to further some social good, beyond the interests of the firm and that which is required by law” whereas a more simplified term is used by the European commission as “the responsibilities of enterprise for their impacts on society” (Khan and Kakabadse, 2013) In addition to the multiple concepts surrounding CSR Wiese et al., (2012) considers that there are a number of sustainability definitions and variations in use, using differing t... ... middle of paper ... ...overnment targets. With regards to social gain, criticism has been drawn of the gains that organisations provide in the schemes that they run, such as “computers for school”, “Active kids” in that the gains to the organisation out way the benefit given as it is attracts customer loyalty in the collection of vouchers, with many vouchers needed to be collected by the benefiting organisation. ( Citation needed) Most studies in the field of CSR/ Sustainability have only focussed on the differing impacts of sustainability on the organisation perhaps taking it for granted that to be a major organisation in the food retailing industry it is the norm to carry out such indicatives however negatives connotations could be associated with CSR/ Sustainability reporting in that the organisation in media always has a focus on the organisation Assiouras, Ozgen and Skourtis, 2013
Barclays plc: Socially Responsible Corporate Behaviour How does Barclays plc fulfil its obligations to their stakeholders in terms of ethical business practice and socially responsible corporate behaviour? According to The Institute of Business Ethics (cited in MORI, 2003), “80% of the public believe that large companies have a moral responsibility to society but 61% also thought large companies don’t care”. Why this shocking conclusion? Due to major accounting scandals such as Enron and WorldCom the public’s confidence in organisations have decreased.
Tesco has strived hard enough to incorporate other disadvantaged groups in the society in their social responsibility initiatives. This includes volunteering charity to Marie curie cancer center to the tune of 2.6 million (Tesco plc, 2009). They also conduct regular engagement and partnerships; this is aimed at value addition and incorporates competitors, NGOs and activists not forgetting academic bodies. This has enabled the firm to maintain a close relationship with its stakeholders improving social responsibility with the stakeholder’s perspective in mind. The benefits accrued to this can never be underestimated. One can conclusively say that social responsibility has been effectively implemented in Tesco PLC. This has been done with the stakeholders at the center of the initiative interest (Tesco plc, 2009).
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a word that is bandied about with really little regard as to what the full implications actually are. Consider a few thoughts: What exactly is a corporation’s responsibility? Who are the arbiters of CSR for corporations? What does it cost to “rein in” corporations? Why are some companies held to a different standard than others?
Companies have presented investigations about their motivation towards voluntarily social and environmental as insolvent. This paper argues in agreement with Adam’s view that the goal of CSR reporting is to promote credibility and corporate image of stakeholders operating in a particular industry. Whereas companies must focus their efforts on enhancing their profitability, they should also ensure that the welfare of other stakeholders is protected.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the way a corporation achieves a balance between its economic, social, and environmental responsibilities in its operations so as to address shareholder and other stakeholder expectations. In general, when firms hold this wider encouraging role on the public by being engaged with stakeholders, a variety of profit can be produced for both company and the stakeholders. A key inclination is the combination of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into the organization strategy, culture, mission and communications. By incorporating corporate citizenship into the company it is no longer an additional “nice thing to do” or something made to obey laws or regulations. Instead, corporate responsibility has become something business leaders and workforce want to engage in, frequently because executives who believe in the long-term see business profit. The four types of social responsibilities a...
In recent years, companies are becoming socially responsible and now stakeholders almost expect a company to have CSR policies. Therefore, in twentieth century, corporate social responsibility (CSR) became an important development in public life (Barnett, ND).Corporate social responsibility is defined as “the ways in which an organisation exceeds the minimum obligations to stakeholders specified through regulation and corporate governance” (Johnson, Schools and Whittington, N.D cited in March, 2012). Stakeholders can be defined as “those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn, the organisation depends” (Johnson, Schools and Whittington, N.D cited in March, 2012). There are many purposes for this essay, the first purpose is to descried the key principles of corporate social responsibility and explain their importance for stakeholders. Secondly, is to show how far this company follows those principles in order to be accountable to at least three of its stakeholders. In this essay, three stakeholders, environment, customers and employees will be evaluated respectively and the key principles of the stakeholders will be examined.
Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR is defined by McMullan and Cardin as “an organization’s responsibility toward people and the planet, is increasingly seen as an important part of doing business”. Tim Hortons is a successful fast food restaurant chain in North America with over 4,000 stores with the vast majority located within Canada. As someone who has worked at Tim Hortons for the four years, I felt this was a good company to look at more in-depth as I have my own general knowledge and opinions on their current CSR and would like to research the company on a larger scale. This report will be looking at Tim Hortons’ CSR efforts, their target audiences, how their CSR is communicated to their target, any criticism that they have received as a company and my personal opinion of their Corporate Social Responsibility and whether or not I feel that they are succeeding as a company or not.
The corporate social responsibility is a commitment by a business to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life for employees and their families’ as-well as contributing to the society. Walmart is a well-known company that offers customers the items they want and need at a low cost, with nearly 4,000 stores in the United States. According to the Fortune 500, Walmart was ranked number 1 in 2015. Just like any other superstore Walmart needs to continue the use of social responsibility by recreating a relationship between business and the community especially if they want to dominate the competition in 2016. The use of sustainability, strategic philanthropy, causing market, shared values, stakeholders and global perspective will help readers understand the purpose of social responsibilities in the corporate world.
An organization’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drives them to look out for the different interests of society. Most business corporations undertake responsibility for the impact of their organizational pursuits and various activities on their customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment. With the high volume of general competition between different companies and organizations in varied fields, CSR has become a morally imperative commitment, more than one enforced by the law. Most organizations in the modern world willingly try to improve the general well-being of not only their employees, but also their families and the society as a whole.
I begin this essay by defining CSR, there are many definitions for this term by various different theorists, and EU says that CSR is "A concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis." On the other hand, Sloman et al. define it as "The concept in which a firm takes into account is the interests and concerns of a community rather than just its shareholder". Davis and Blomstrom (1966), say it "Refers to a person’s obligation to consider the effects of his decisions and actions on the whole social system". These definitions differ from one another in many ways but they agree that CSR involves taking the environment into account and therefore, one must look take social responsibility.
However a continuous rise in globalisation could be presented as a challenge for Sainsbury’s. One of the biggest economic factors is the rising costs of fuel which will impact right through the supply chain of Sainsbury’s leading to increase of its products. Social factors to consider due to increase in trend in healthy foods, so for Sainsbury’s to keep up with trends, it would be something to consider. The use of technology for great retailers such as Sainsbury’s is an important factor, persistent upgrading of technologies such as self-checkouts, computerised stock control etc., means less room for human errors. Concerning environmental, reducing carbon footprint is emphasised to big companies. “Companies like Sainsbury’s can contribute a lot of impact on the environment. To do this Sainsbury’s would have to put in more towards the green issue” (UK Essay 2014) Legally, Sainsbury’s would have to make sure to follow policies concerning label and packaging which could be an added financial load to Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s should act on its threats, to achieve its goals and
CSR is one of most important parts of every company. Acting as socially responsible is must for winning the race of competition. In this report, in the 1st part I tried to show a brief about CSR, its history and how people respond towards CSR. Then I have chosen Unilever, a famous FMCG company for the analysis. Then I tried to find out the CSR activities of Unilever all over the world, its corporate strategy and the contribution of CSR activities to corporate strategy. In the last part a SWOT analysis and some recommendations are given for more clarifications. I hope that this report will be able to give a clear view about CSR and its contribution to corporate strategy.
Each definitions of CSR does vary around the core characteristics based on their conceptual concentrations and particular focus, for example, under the Voluntary Characteristic, CSR see the overall voluntary activities beyond the law. The Externalities, study both, the positive ...
Business organizations regularly run into demands from various stakeholders groups when conducting day-to-day business. These demands are generated from employees, customers, suppliers, community groups, governments, and shareholders. Thus, according to Goodpaster, any person or group of people that can shape or can be shaped by attainment of the objectives by an organization is considered a stakeholder. Most business organizations recognize and understand their responsibilities to these groups and endeavor to honor and fulfill them. These responsibilities are often communicated to the public by a statement of principles or beliefs. For many business organizations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an essential and integral part of their business. Thus, this paper discusses the two CSR views: the classical view and the stakeholder view. Furthermore, I believe that the stakeholder view has brought ethical concerns to the forefront of businesses, and an argument shall be made that businesses would improve both socially and economically if CSR, guided by God’s love, was integrated into their strategic planning.
Now-a-days it is considered that CSR is one of the major concerns of organization’s business ethics. Companies increasingly increase their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ethical management accepting the positive impact on the bottom line. The vast bulk of Standard & Poor’s 500 companies publish sustainability reports unfolding their program challenges and achievements. These pre-emptive efforts can pr...