Contrast between corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship
Contrast between corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Citizenship Origin 1920 s 1990 s Basis Principles of charity and stewardship Building collaborative partnerships with stakeholder groups Focus Moral obligations to society at large Discovering business opportunities through partnerships Action Philanthropy, trustee of the public’s interests Managing corporate social and financial performance
Exhibit 4. Aa Principles of corporate citizenship Ethical Business Behavior 1) Engages in fair and honest business practices in its relationship with stakeholders. 2) Sets high standards of behavior for all employees. 3) Exercises ethical oversight of the executive and board levels.
Exhibit 4. Ab Principles of corporate citizenship Stakeholder Commitment 4) Strives to manage the company for the benefit of all stakeholders. 5) Initiates and engages in genuine dialogue with stakeholders. 6) Values and implements dialogue.
Exhibit 4. Ac Principles of corporate citizenship Community 7. Fosters a reciprocal relationship between the corporation and community. 8. Invests in the communities in which corporation operates. Consumers 9. Respects the rights of consumers. 10. Offers quality products and services. 11. Provides information that is truthful and useful.
Exhibit 4. Ad Principles of corporate citizenship Employees 12. Provides a family-friendly work environment. 13. Engages in responsible human-resource management. 14. Provides an equitable reward and wage system for employees. 15. Engages in open and flexible communication with employees. 16. Invests in employee development.
Exhibit 4. Ae Principles of corporate citizenship Investors 17. Strives for a competitive return on investment. Suppliers 18. Engages in fair trading practices with suppliers. Environmental Commitment 19. Demonstrates a commitment to the environment. 20. Demonstrates a commitment to sustainable development.
Limits to Corporate Citizenship Despite growth in many companies and countries, are some critics of corporate citizenship activities n An example (excerpt from Exhibit 4. D) n n [F]or most companies, CSR [corporate social responsibility] does not go very deep. There are many interesting exceptions— companies that have modeled themselves in ways different from the norm; often, particular practices that work well enough in business terms to be genuinely embraced; charitable endeavors that happen to be doing real good, and on a meaningful scale. But for most conventionally organized public companies—which means almost all of the big ones—CSR is little more than a cosmetic treatment. The human face that CSR applies to capitalism goes on each morning, gets increasingly smeared by day and washes off at night. --“The Good Company: A Survey of Corporate Social Responsibility, ” The Economist, January 22, 2005, p. 4.
“God and Business” People who want to mix God and business have goal of making the workplace a more ethical and humane arena, one where believers and nonbelievers alike can find fulfillment n Behaving ethically is necessary but not sufficient component of integrating faith and work n Claimed that core principles of spirituality dovetail with contemporary mngt thinking about what drives great companies n Belief that all individual have dignity n Belief that we are all interconnected n Mission that transcends bottom line n n Source: Fortune, 7/9/01
“A Wave of Corporate Charity” n Estimated that corporate contributions for tsunami relief totaled $178 million from 114 companies (over 90% are U. S. companies) n E. g. , Pfizer, $35 m; Coca-Cola, $10 m; Dow Chemical, $5 m; Exxon Mobil, $5 m; Merck, $3 m; Citigroup, $3 m; Wal-Mart, $2 m; Microsoft, $2 m. n n n n Other companies such as Apple, Amazon, helped raise millions by posting calls for donations on their websites Fed. Ex’s global community relations team coordinated logistics, matching donations of food, clothing, medicine w/ transportation Microsoft contributed servers and manpower to help relief organizations deal with contributions Cisco supplied technology to connect w/ Internet via satellite DHL offered use of its warehouses in Indonesia Coke and Pepsi offered bottling facilities and distribution networks for water Cultural differences: Toyota pledged $3 m to Japanese Red Cross but other large Japanese firms pledged much smaller amounts – disaster relief viewed to be responsibility of governments and international institutions, not business n Source: Fortune, 1/10/05
Corporate social performance audits Social performance audit A systematic evaluation of an organization’s social and ethical performance, examining the social and ethical impact of a business against two benchmarks: a company’s own mission statement and the behavior of other organizations and social norms. Triple bottom line When companies report to stakeholders not just their financial results but also their environmental and social impacts. Financial, social and environmental results, taken together as an integrated whole, constitute a company’s triple bottom line.
Figure 4. 2 Global Social Audit Standards
Corporate Citizenship Awards n Corporate reputation n Joint initiative between Reputation Institute and Harris Interactive n Johnson & Johnson top rated 7 years in a row n Technology companies were rated top industry n Fortune magazine annual “Most Admired” list n Includes a peer rating of social responsibility n Among companies recognized: UPS, Public Super Markets, Starbucks, and Herman Miller
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