If you haven't taken SOM 301 at George Mason yet, then you may not
know what corporate social responsibility. So what is it, you ask? Corporate
social responsibility, CSR, for short, is the "corporate
initiative to assess and take responsibility for the company's effects on the
environment and impact on social welfare," according to Investopedia.com.
Simply put, CSR is what companies do to help their community, and in turn,
their image. When CSR first emerged, businesses were only focused on making the
company look like it was invested in the community, when really, it wasn't.
Now, however, it is different.
Lately,
many businesses have been focusing on the environment. The "Green
Movement" we have been experiencing the past few years have really
influenced the way businesses act; businesses now are becoming environmentally
responsible and investing in environmental sustainability programs,
alternative energy, and various social welfare initiatives to benefit
employees, customers, and the community at large.
CSR goes beyong the traditional measures of
profits and the bottom line to include environmental and social dimensions.
Nowadays, businesses are under a lot of pressure from the public, based on the
previous instances of tax evasion, corruption, and fraud. According to Guardian News,
governments are now realizing that businesses need to take responsibility for
their impacts on the environment, further enforcing CSR. Personally, I think
companies should engage in CSR, not to make themselves look better, but because
they really care about their community. What does your dream company do in terms
of CSR? If you were the CEO of a company, and had unlimited funds, what would
you invest in?
I have taken SOM301 and so I do know a little about CSR programs. I think it is important for companies to do this, because it helps benefit the communities and shows that they really care. Yes, some companies do it just for their image and that's it. That's wrong, but you can't do anything about it really. I know that Deloitte requires their employees to participate in volunteering a lot, which I think is really good. I don't know what my dream company is, so i wouldn't be able to answer that. If I was the CEO of a company, I would invest in as much as I can. I would focus on the community that is effected by my company and something broader as well that will help everyone.
ReplyDeleteI agree that companies need to become in CSR in order to benefit society, not to make themselves look better. I think if I were a CEO of a company I would invest in recycling and saving the trees. I would try to make sure that every office had recycle trashcans. To help with saving trees I think it is important to make use of the technology provided to us. Therefore I would try to push employees to use their computers as much as possible and less paper.
ReplyDeleteCSR is one of the important mechanism that corporations use to connect to the public. Many companies became more engaged in giving back to their communities and customers. A CSR manager became a position that firms hires specialized and experienced employees to fill. I have no doubt that being a corporation with social responsibility is part of the business ethics. A business could choose not to do it but the fact is those who have CSR programs are benefiting from it. Good image and reputation is what companies wanted always to maintain and CSR can enhance that.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of CSR has grown dramatically through the years and CSR today is a must to have for any organization to survive today's marketplace. I agree organizations need to apply CSR not to increase its bottom line, but to help the communities in which companies are operating in. Today, there are tons of ways companies can choose from to engage in CSR and be recognized as socially responsible corporations; but if I were a CEO, I would save all the animals I can and help all animal shelters.
ReplyDeleteCSR sounds like a great program that can really help our society in so many ways. I personally have seen the changes of the "Green Movement" in my community and I have always done my best to support it. As a member of a community, I think it is everyone's responsiblity to get involved in as many programs as possible that offer to improve our environment.
ReplyDeleteI do remember discussion CSR in the SOM 301 class. Before this class I had never heard of it. CSR is something I believe all business should invest in. It really shows the character of the company. CSR events can be really helpful. I think companies should hold events in each community that they have offices located. It is good to see some companies will to invest some money to help others. I would be more inclined to give my money to a company that will invest it back into the community. A good example of CSR is TOMS shoes. For every pair you buy they donate a pair to a child in need.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that companies should take their corporate responsibilities seriously. It would be so beneficial to society if they were more involved it what they could do to benefit society. I remember learning about it in SOM 301 and was very interested to see in reality how companies accomplish this.
ReplyDelete