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“Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.” (Baker, Mallen (June 8,
2004). Corporate Social Responsibility: What Does It Mean? May 15, 2013 from www.mallenbaker.net/csr/definition.php). Mallenbaker.net. Retrieved
Keeping this definition in mind while evaluating Company Q’s attitude toward social responsibility, it is apparent they have developed a reputation for not caring about the community by closing stores in higher crime rate areas, only offering a limited supply of healthconscience and organic products, and
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They could also research low cost security options that would make the stores safer for customers and staff. These small changes would allow the stores to remain open building a more socially conscious reputation in the community. The second area that Company Q needs to improve is the lack of a structured program that expresses acceptable behavior for everyone within the organization and what could happen if these standards are not followed. This standard of conduct program must start at the top of the company’s hierarchy. There should be a thorough training program with officers in charge of monitoring whether changes need to be made and implementing any consequences. An ethical standards policy can increase employee dedication decreasing fraud and internal theft which makes donating to food banks possible. This low cost solution would boost Company Q’s reputation with all of their stakeholders.
The final area that could be improved regarding the company’s attitude toward social responsibility is to offer a larger selection of health-conscience and organic products. Though these products come at a higher margin, the requests made by consumers show a demand for products of this type. By offering a better selection, Company Q demonstrates concern for the health and well-being of the community attracting new business and increasing profitability which by definition is socially responsible.
“It takes many good deeds to build a good
Company Q is a corporation whose stakeholders have not placed a major emphasis on social responsibility, instead it appears that the primary focus is placed on profit. With their profits on the decline, they are shying away from opportunities to help their community. By placing a higher priority on social responsibility Company Q will have the opportunity to help the community through charitable donations, employee volunteer initiatives, and creating quality jobs for the persons who live in the community. At the same time, Company Q will can also improve their public image and potentially increase profit.
Social responsibility in business can be defined as the obligation an organization has to minimize its negative social impact on stakeholders and to maximize its positive impact. In this case study we are introduced to a small local grocery chain referred to as Company Q. Located in a major metropolis, Company Q has recently closed some stores in areas of the city with higher crime-rates. They have started to stock a very limited amount of organic and health-conscience products after years of requests from their customers. Management has declined participating in a program to send expired food to a local food bank based on fears of employee theft by means of taking advantage of the situation. Based on the
Company Q is a small local grocery store chain that has a poor attitude toward social responsibility. After reviewing the given, I feel the chain is more committed to profit than social responsibility. Most companies are in a business to make a profit, however, the difference in what is considered reasonable and what is considered ridiculous comes into play. Most people start companies because it something they are interested in and to make a living. In today’s society the line between outright social responsibility
The recommendations above will support Company Q in moving away from being a social responsible inept grocery chain with one that is admired and respected in the community and is an example of corporate citizenship. As a result, Company Q stakeholders that include the owners, managers, employees, customers, farmers and distributors will benefit from being a part of a strong and economically viable grocery
In evaluating Company Q for social responsibility, I have found that the company has not made a commitment to being completely socially responsible. The definition of Corporate Social Responsibility according to Lord Holme and Richard Watts (2000), “is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large”. The company has made some attempts at social responsible behavior by listening to a portion of their customers supplying them with health-conscience and organic products; however, this concession came after years of request from their customers and the
Company Q’s attitude towards social responsibility appears to be nonexistent, possibly through ignorance or disconcert. Either way the lack of social responsibility affects their business and community’s perception of their business. It appears that the company management has never developed and ethics program that clearly defines the corporate culture including provisions for social responsibility. Profits, or at least a lack of losses appears to be a primary motivating factor for company Q's management’s decisions. Company Q has been attempting to cut losses by closing stores that were losing money instead of finding innovative ways to
Businesses today face a plethora of ethical duties such as upholding corporate governance, maintaining stakeholder relationships, and presenting an image of social responsibility. In review of Company Q’s (Q) current ethics culture, its image in regards to social responsibility is not equivalent to that of its competitors. In a growing market faced with increasingly challenging competition, there are several areas that Q can and needs to address to bring the company to a level of social responsibility that exceeds stakeholder expectations. First, attention Q needs to address market demands for additional locations to better
Company Q has shown little to no social responsibility. They have not demonstrated to the communities they are in that they are a reliable company by staying in the community. By
Every company has a responsibility to support the society it serves. This indicates that a company that wishes to truly thrive in a market should not just follow the business and consumer laws of the country but take an active interest in the community that it serves in each country. Today’s global market is led by companies that concern themselves with the sustainability of the company and its products, as well as the continual improvement of the
Social responsibility is an important part of business today. Company Q’s current attitude towards social responsibilities seems insensitive. This company has shown that profits drive the success of their business. Company Q is closing two stores in high crime rate areas due to lost revenue. It did not seem the company explored other options that would have less impact on the community and their businesses. By exploring other options they could have improved the stores profits while making an investment in the community. Company Q made no efforts to explore other ideas. By researching different options or processes Company Q could have keep its doors open.
Company Q’s actions are not socially responsible. A company that is socially responsible would try to balance its ability it positively influence the community and increase profits. In the scenario we are given the information that they closed two stores in “high-crime-rate” areas.” In high-crime-rate areas we can usually deduce through logical conclusion that people may not be as financially secure. Due to this they may not be able to afford the groceries that Company Q is offering. We can see that Company Q attempts to maximize only its profits when we read the scenario. In the scenario Company Q is very selective about its products and only offers it at “high-margins.” Anyone in these areas that they closed the two stores simply may not be able to afford the high markup costs that Company Q is trying to make.
4) Overwaitea Food Group is one of the biggest retailer and wholesaler in Canada and its total sales for 2014 were approximately $4.1 U.S billion (insert citation). Even though it is very hard to quantify the outcome of Overwaitea’s commitment toward moral standard on its profitability separately as there could be several other external and internal factors, which should be affecting its profitability. However, Overwaitea’s commitment toward moral standard must be one of the main cause toward its profitability. Overwaitea is seeing a continuous sustainability in sales and profit. The corporation was ranked number 38 in Top 75 North American Food Retailers and Wholesalers for 2015 and was ranked 39th, 42nd and 42nd for 2014, 2013 and 2012 respectively
Company Q would benefit greatly from this action by offering a broader range of health conscience products and partnering with local suppliers. These relationships will supplement Company Q in changing their approach to being socially responsible.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has rose to an important thought when companies form their mission statements. In the global business community, this has increased for the last couple of decades. The expanding interest on how business practice is affecting the planet as well as the media coverage on corporate scandals have put companies in the spotlight as to how they can conduct themselves in a way that shows responsibility when operating their businesses. “Consumers more and more are looking to buy from socially responsible companies, and they’re actually willing to pay more for products in certain cases.” (Biery) Different watchgroups and media have made it a mission to finding and holding businesses accountable for the negative impact they may have on society. For example, many organizations actually rate companies on their activities and performance to corporate social responsibility. These ratings draw scrutiny from the ever-demanding public. Remember when Nike was cited using children to make their shoes at its Indonesian suppliers? Consumers ended up boycotting after publications such as the New York Times and other outlets recorded negative labor practices. Food companies and fast food restaurants are now being held accountable for the lack of nutrition in their products.
We have talked about some benefits that Cadbury Schweppes brings to local suppliers in Ghana, and their responsibilities towards the environment and towards stakeholders in general. In this part, we are going to define the corporate social responsibility based on the course material we learned, talk about the impact it has on society, its limits, and some challenges that it faces.