Corporate Social Responsibility of Dell Essay Example

cheap and unreliable parts.

b. Some home desktop customers protest Dell for being unfair since Dell is likely to help business customers faster than individual ones.

c. Because of using proprietary parts, thre is a higher risk that the component aree not fitting and thus not working at all. Furthermore, the system is fried if users install different, non- proprietary parts.

The above condition leads to questions as whether Dell has particular policy or has shown practices regarding corporate social responsibility or not. BY definition, BSR defines corporate social responsibility as “achieving commercial success in ways that honor ethical values and respect people, communities, and the natural environment”.(2004)

In this sense, CSR is viewed as a comprehensive set of policies, practices and programs that are integrated into business operations, supply chains and decision making processes throughout the company and includes responsibility for current and past actions as as future impacts.

At a first glance, I find in the dell’s website corporate philosophy – the ‘Soul of Dell’ has several elements as following

a. Customers: Dell strives for creating loyal customers by providing superior experience at a great value

b. Teamwork: Dell is committed to being a meritocracy, developing retaining and attracting the best people

c. Direct relationship: to respond to customers needs in a timely manner, maintaining open communications and building profitable relationship with customers, partners, suppliers and each other

d. Global citizenship: Dell display string presents in its global markets

e. Winning: Dell is committed to operational excellence, superior customer experience and leading in the global markets

Methodology

My report will employ

observation becomes an important technique for collecting data concerning what occurs in a real life situation. This method also helps us to reach an understanding about the perceptions of those who are being studied in that situation. In addition, the data retrieval was performed through indirect approach, e employ non- participant observation method specially by analyzing qualitative information from journals, books, magazines and Dell’s website.

The most important reason of conducting observation is it provides researchers with an understanding about the perceptions about things or people we observe. However, since observation deals with someone’s perception, we plan to avoid preconceptions since it would provide this research with some bias.

Literature Review

1.  Corporate social responsibility

Corporate social responsibility offers a means by which a company can distinguish itself from its closest and most competitive rivals. While trustworthy behavior should be a characteristic shared across industries, it seems to be the exception rather than the rule in corporate society today. CSR takes into account the financial and environmental well-being of its employees as well as the condition of the environment, it has the tendency to veer off the most economical route – in fact, that is also the reason why CSR is a relatively modern phenomenon with the emergence of other ethical concerns.

2.  Dell’s CSR Activities

Some of Dell’s CSR activities examples are as follows:

a. Dell Participates in Dedication of New Center for Goodwill Industries of Central Texas

 b. Dell Expands TechKnow Program - The Dell TechKnow program is an after-school program through which students gain hands-on experience refurbishing Dell computers.

c. Dell Provides Support

for North Carolina Center for 21st Century Skills

d. Dell Launches e-Integrasi Center, Promotes Cultural Harmony

Discussion:

Dell Inc. is definitely catching the trend of corporate social responsibility, jumping from No. 71 in 2005 to No.9 in 2006 on Business Ethics magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens”. Dell has a direct business model that strengthens its understanding of consumer expectations and eliminates retailers that add unnecessary time and cost. Dell sells more systems globally than any other computer company (nearly one out of every five standards-based computer systems sold in the world today is a Dell). Its profits have increased by 17.4% since 2004 and the company has an annual growth rate of 33% (based on 1995-2005 data). Dell Inc. ranks No. 25 on the Fortune 500 for 2006. How CSR has played a role in this growth of Dell will be my point of discussion.