Corporate Social Responsibility (1)

The standards of moral behavior Behaviors that are accepted by society as right versus wrong Right: integrity, respect for life, self control, honesty, courage, self-sacrifice Wrong: cheating, cowardice, cruelty Ethics and legality are two different things

Ethics is caught more that taught, meaning organizational ethics begin at the top. Managers can help instill corporate values in employees Trust between workers and managers should be based on fairness, honesty, openness, and integrity Factors influencing managerial ethics are individual (values, personality), organizational (management philosophy, firm's reward system), and environmental (competition, social and cultural institutions)

Emphasize preventing unlawful behavior by increasing control and by penalizing wrongdoers

Define the organizations guiding values and create an environment that supports ethically sound behavior and stress a shared accountability

Falsely advertising prices

Misrepresenting a product's features or performance, or luring consumers to store for out-of-stock item

Exaggerating package contents, using misleading labelling, etc.

Salespeople who use high-pressure selling tactics to persuade people to buy products they had no intention of buying (often to earn a commission)

Products not made well or services not performed well; that are unsafe due to manufacturer indifference and poor quality control; products that deliver little benefit or are harmful

PLANNED. Causing products to become obsolete before they actually need to be replaced; using materials that will break, wear, rust, or rot sooner than they should; holding back functional features, and introducing them later to make older models obsolete PERCEIVED: continually changing consumer concepts of acceptable styles to encourage more and earlier buying

Top management should adopt and unconditionally support an explicit corporate code of conduct Employees should understand that senior management expects all employees to act ethically Managers and others should be trained to consider the ethical implications of all business decisions An ethics office should be set up with which employees can communicate anonymously. Whistleblowers are company insiders who report illegal or unethical behavior Involve company outsiders such as suppliers, subcontractors, distributors and customers The ethics code should be enforced

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a business's concern for the welfare of society CSR is based on a commitment to integrity, fairness and respect CSR proponents argue that businesses owe their existence to the societies that they serve, and cannot exist in societies that fail

Corporate Philanthropy Corporate Social Initiatives Corporate Responsibility Corporate Policy

Includes charitable donations to non-profit organizations E.g., the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest philanthropic foundation, and focuses on global health and education (http://video.ted.com/talk/podcast/2014/No ne/BillGates_2014-480p.mp4 Take a moment to reflect on examples from our three case study companies

Enhanced form of corporate philanthropy that utilizes a firm's core competencies Take a moment to reflect on examples from our three case study companies TOMS

Internal CSR policies like hiring minority workers, making safe products, providing a safe working environment, and using energy responsibly Take a moment to reflect on examples from our three case study companies Nestle CSR

External CSR positions or positions a firm takes on social and political issues Take a moment to reflect on examples from our three case study companies Intel Corporate Policy- Conflict Free Products, H&M Stand against child labor

A recurring theme in business is the importance of pleasing customers by offering them real value A company that operates with a high degree of CSR can attract new customers who admire the company's social efforts Consumer behavior studies show that a socially conscious company is likely to be viewed more favorably by the public and gain more business

Nickels says that ethical behavior actually contributes to the bottom line Unethical behavior can lead to increased risk for investors Insider trading - An unethical activity in which insiders use private company information to further their own fortune or those of friends and family An important ethical consideration for companies is transparency, or disclosure to the public

Employees look to their employers to: Create jobs and provide a chance for upward mobility Treat their employees with respect Offer salaries and benefits that help employees reach their personal goals Research shows that companies that operate in a socially responsible manner have reduced rates of employee turnover and higher productivity

One of business's major responsibilities to society is to create new wealth. Businesses are also partly responsible for promoting social justice. Businesses are also taking responsibility for helping to make their own environment a better place. Environmental efforts may increase the company's costs, but they also may allow the company to charge higher prices, to increase market share, or both. Businesses who show a concern for the environment may increase their costs, but customers are willing to pay higher prices if they know that the business is environmentally conscious. Over a third of working Americans receive their salaries from nonprofits, who are dependent on funding from others The green movement has popularized as concern about global warming has developed Many companies are focused on minimizing their carbon footprint, the amount of carbon released during an item's production, distribution, consumption and disposal (life cycle)

Corporate responsibility to: Customers Investors Employees Society and the Environment

A systematic evaluation of an organization's progress toward implementing socially responsible and responsive programs In addition to social audits conducted by companies themselves, there are five types of watch dog groups that monitor how well companies are doing: Socially conscious investors Socially conscious research organizations Environmentalists Union officials Customers