Corporate Social Responsibility

2464 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The nature of csr in a business

Corporate Social Responsibility

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.

The purpose of this essay is to research the notion of CSR and uncover its true framework and outline what social responsibility truly means to corporate organisations, and whether it should be seriously considered to be a legitimate addition to the corporate framework of an organisation.

This will be done by outlining some of the basics through the explanation of some terms underpinning CSR and managerial involvement. An explanation of how CSR is an essential part of business language. This will then be followed by a breakdown of the complex framework that CSR is believed to have. The social expectations that consumers have of business, and ways those businesses can meet these expectations will be addressed. Then an outline of the role management plays in the incorporation of socially responsible attributes to a corporation will be expressed, evidence to suggest that ?if this means that there a social contract that requires business to honour a moral bare minimum, then a business manager is duty-bound to obey it? (Bowie 1991: 56-66). This essay shall also investigate some of the classical theories of CSR and its contribution to profit maximisation. Finally, some specific arguments that state that the introduction of social responsibility is not a good idea and how it has failed to create the ?good society? (Friedman 1970: 122-126) will be discussed.

Corporate social responsibility has undergone a definitional evolution over the past half century but has always and will always remain an essential part of business language. Definitions of CSR have became more specific; since the 70?s, with alternative emphases, being placed on issues such as the understanding of corporate citizenship (which is a key concept of CSR), and the stakeholder theory.

In early writings CSR was referred to more often as social responsibility (SR) rather than as CSR. Bowen (1953: 6) set forth an initial definition of the social responsibility: "It re...

... middle of paper ...

...974. ?Social responsibilities of business managers?. Academy of Management Journal, vol. 17, pp. 135-143.

McWilliams, A. and Siegel, D. 2001, ?Corporate Social Responsibility: A Theory of the Firm Perspective?, Academy of Management Review, vol 26, no. 1, pp 117-128.

Mitchell, R., Agle, B., & Wood, D. 1997. ?Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts?. Academy of Management Review, vol. 22, pp. 853-886.

Robbins, S. P., Bergman, R., Stagg, I. and Coulter, M. (2000) ?Management?, French?s Forest: Prentice Hall.

Verschoor, C. (2001) ?Corporate Power Must Be Balanced With Good Citizenship?, Strategic Finance, vol. 83, no. 3.

Waddock, S., & Graves, S. 1997. ?The corporate social performance--financial performance link?. Strategic Management Journal, vol. 18, pp. 303-319.

Weigelt, K., & Camerer, C. 1988. ?Reputation and corporate strategy: A review of recent theory and application?. Strategic Management Journal, vol. 9,pp. 443-454.

Wright, P., & Ferris, S. 1997. ?Agency conflict and corporate strategy: The effect of divestment on corporate value?. Strategic management Journal, vol. 18, pp. 77-83.

Show More
Related

  • Business Analysis: Chick Fil A

    2103 Words  | 5 Pages

    Orlitzky, M, Schmidt, F & Rynes, S 2003, ‘Corporate social and financial performance: A meta analysis’, Organization Studies, vol. 24, no. 3, pp 403-11.

    Read More

  • Adam Lindgreen And Valerie Swaen's Article: Corporate Social Responsibility

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    ​Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a movement that aims to promote a greater awareness of how business activities and decisions influence corporate environment, stakeholders, and society in general. Adam Lindgreen and Valerie Swaen’s article “Corporate Social Responsibility” addresses this broad topic in a more narrow direction of CSR implementation as it discusses the most important stages of this process. While this article relies only on the previous research, it provides unique insights into CSR and even challenges the common views of this concept as the authors thoroughly analyze their secondary sources.

    Read More

  • csr

    1954 Words  | 4 Pages

    Corporate social responsibility (CSR) invaded the corporate world over the last few decades. This concept has become an essential need for competitive advantage unlike its original role as a nicety. The companies have seen the business benefit of the initiative and stakeholders have appreciated the initiative. This has led to the wide application in the firm’s operational agenda.

    Read More

  • Corporate Social Responsibility In Business

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    Corporate social responsibility is in many ways is tied to the values and ethics that a business believes in. While CSR encompasses the economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary responsibilities of organizations, business ethics usually focus on the moral judgments and behavior of individuals and groups within organizations. In their text, BUSINESS AND SOCIETY: ETHICS, SUSTAINABILITY, AND STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT, Carroll and Buchholtz's give a four-part definition of CSR that incorporates the multi-faceted nature of social responsibility. The expectation that businesses will produce goods and services that are needed and desired by customers and sell those goods and services at a reasonable price, is the key to the economic responsibilities that are cited in their definition. Organizations are expected to be efficient, profitable, and creative to keep shareholders welfare in mind. In the western corporate structure, fair competition in the marketplace is not only the leg...

    Read More

  • Is Corporate Social Responsibility Worth It?

    582 Words  | 2 Pages

    McWilliams and Siegel (2001) define CSR as, “actions that appear to further some social good, beyond the interests of the firm and that which is required by law.” (p. 117) Corporate social responsibility is considered both strategic, in that it yields a firm benefits, and non-strategic, in that it encompasses an observed behavior (Burke and Logsdon 1996). There is also a perception that CSR encompasses a zero-sum trade-off with the economic interests of the business. It is somewhat accepted that accepting CSR strategies will be a more long-term payoff, while entailing short-term costs, leading modern businesses to abandon it in order to appease the interests of shareholders.

    Read More

  • What is Corporate Responsibility

    2039 Words  | 5 Pages

    What is CSR? CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility indicates the actions or conducts that have strategic importance to companies. CSR has been defined as a company’s efforts or obligations in reducing and getting rid of any detrimental effects on the community and maximizing long-term beneficial effects to the company and community in which it operates (Mohr et al, 2001, cited Trendafilova et al, 2013). CSR usually starts with the general emphasis that businesses are not only responsible to generate economic returns for shareholders, but are also responsible to the environment and to other stakeholders. This is usually known as the “triple bottom line” – the company’s returns for investors, the environment and stakeholders (Markley, 2014). In today’s modern business environment, CSR is undoubtedly important because whenever possible, customers would like to purchase goods from companies they trust; suppliers want to develop business partnerships with companies they can entrust; employees want to work for companies they have a high regard for and NGO’s want to work with companies seeking possible solutions in areas of common concern. Pleasing each of these stakeholder groups enable companies to maximize their obligations to their shareholders who gain most when the needs of other stakeholder groups are met (Waldman et al, 2010).

    Read More

  • Corporate Social Responsibility

    1700 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • General Electric's Corporate Social Responsability

    1774 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Mike Peng, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the consideration and response to issues beyond the narrow economic, technical, and legal requirements of the firm to accomplish social benefits along with traditional economic gains the firm seeks. CSR is a way in which a company seeks to achieve a balance between profit, environmental concerns and social imperatives. This is known as the ‘Triple-Botto...

    Read More

  • Corporate Social Responsibility Analysis: Wells Fargo

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Corporate Social Responsibility

    1485 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Article Review: The Importance Of Corporate Social Responsibility

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    A corporations CSR should be shaped in order to fit the goals of the corporation, although every corporation’s CSR should differ, since most have different goals and different communities behind them. The CSR should be molded into fitting the corporation’s goals in order to make it easier on the corporation in giving back to the community while achieving its goals. For example, a corporation located in a desert wishes to be more efficient, by reducing water usage it is not only creating lower costs, which result in higher revenue, but also helps the community by not taking up so much water. Taking this into consideration, it is critical that the corporation goals and values are established and clear throughout the corporation, they should be developed by the board or directors and CEO, and the highest managerial level should stress their importance to the rest of the corporation. By making the goals and values at the top branch of the corporate hierarchy, it will be simpler for the corporates community to develop in order to nurture those goals and values. Therefore, a corporation can reach the “shared-value,” a value for both its shareholders and community in a simpler manner that can result benefiting the corporation in the end as well. Throughout the article many examples are given of actual corporations that have benefited and changed their CSR in order to fit their goals, therefore, providing solid proof that these methods work. Nevertheless, as acknowledged by the author’s themselves, most of the corporations taken into consideration where one’s that Harvard CSR students were employed

    Read More

  • Corporate Social Responsibility

    1916 Words  | 4 Pages

    The classical view of CSR is a prominent ideology which business organizations are seen merely as profit-driven organizations. Simply put, businesses work for the sole purpose of making a profit. Thus, this profit motive is the sufficient and unique social identifier that separates a business organization from other institutions in society. These business organizations have a limited, yet essential role in society. Social concerns are considered important, but businesses, in the classical view, are focused solely on the economic activities and are judged accordingly. By having a limited role in society (i.e.,...

    Read More

  • Importance Of Corporate Social Responsibility

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the current time of growth and progression, individuals should know that how a business not only flourish but sustain itself. Making profit is one of the main targets of every corporates but it must not be the only one. When an individual builds a company in order to do business, they should be well aware of their contribution towards the society as well as their business and employees in it. It is total strategy of all. We should be able to realize every increment contributes of it. One of the major factors that affect a business is how well it participates in Corporate Social Responsibility. According to (Werther & Chandler, 2006) corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to a business practice that involves participating in initiatives that benefits the society. In authenticity, there is a whole lot to argue about it. There are no major guidelines that decides either a business is participating in Corporate Social Responsibility; what might be considered a Business practicing CSR to some, can still not be accepted for it by others. CSR may be restrained a term which his highly flexible. This paper will discuss about Corporate Social Responsibility and its

    Read More

  • Essay On Corporate Social Responsibility

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    Corporate Social Responsibility is an organisation’s obligation to serve the company’s own interest and the one’s of the society. Moreover, Corporate Social Responsibility has a definition of a concept where the companies integrate social and the environmental concerns into their own business operation and also on a basis of voluntary with their interactions they have with the stakeholders. Corporate Social Resp...

    Read More

  • Essay On Business Ethics And Social Responsibility

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    A company has an economic obligation. It must earn a favorable return for its stockholders in the restrictions of the law. But, corporate social responsibility means that organizations have also ethical and societal responsibilities that go past their economic responsibilities. CSR needs organizations to develop their documentations of their responsibilities to include other stakeholders such as workers, customers, suppliers, local societies, state governments, international organizations, etc. Ethics could be seen as a fundamental component of individual and group activities at the heart of organizations’ errands.

    Read More

More about Corporate Social Responsibility

Open Document