CSR, Ethics, Sustainability and Values - Example

Human Resource Management Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Executive summary The relationship of an organization with the society is a vital determinant of the organization’s success. Therefore, the organization should consider several trends in organizational practices. The human resource management is responsible of implementing the policies of an organisation with an aim of meeting its goals and objectives. For this reason, HRM: Should be directly concerned with corporate social responsibility, where it is supposed to ensure that the organisation relates well with the society. CSR entails giving back to the community with an aim of establishing a good relationship and at the same time creating a good corporate image. The HRM should also establish mechanisms in which the organization is able to practice sustainable measures which ensure that the organisation remains competitive in the market even in years to come. Focus should be made on the triple bottom effect goals which are social, economic and environmental goals. HRM should also establish measures which ensure that the organization’s values are upheld. This entails the integration of the managements and employees opinions into mission and vision statements which define what the organisation stands for. The workforce should also hold values which reflect on the nature of the organisation for which they work for. The ethical aspect of an organisation is very important in shaping the image of an organisation. The HRM should cultivate an ethical culture in an organisation. This culture is integrated into the practices of the organisation hence ensuring that both the organisation and employees are ethical. The report gives a detailed insight into the above factors. Table of Contents Executive summary 0 Table of Contents 1 1.0 Introduction 2 2.1 Human Resource Management and Ethics 3 2.1.1 Ethical Treatment of Employees and Customers 4 2.1.2 Ethical Leadership 4 2.1.3 Ethical Recruitment 5 2.2 Corporate Social Responsibility 6 2.2.1 Establishing Policies 6 2.2.2 Enacting a corporate social responsibility culture 7 2.2.3 Measurement / Analysis Mechanism 7 2.2.4 Corporate Social Responsibility Reports 8 2.2.5 Human Resource Development 8 2.3 Values 9 2.3.1 Mission and Vision Statements 9 2.3.2 Recruitment and Staffing 10 2.4 Sustainability 10 2.4.1 The Triple Bottom Line 11 2.4.1.1Social goal 11 2.4.1.2 Environmental goals 11 2.4.1.3 Economic goals 12 3.0 Recommendations 12 Identification of the vision and mission of an organisation 13 Establishment of a code of conduct/ policies 13 Good staffing and recruitment practices 13 Strategic plan 14 3.2 Conclusion 14 References 14 1.0 Introduction The success of a business organization is influence by several factors. Key among them are the factors which influence its image in the market. They include corporate social responsibility (CSR), values, ethics and sustainability (Taylor, 2010, p.1). The human resource department (HRM) is a department which is responsible for the human resource issues which are concerned with an organization. The human resource of an organization is the arm of an organization which ensures that the activities which should be undertaken in an organization in order for it to meet its objectives are done. Therefore, the human resource management of an organization should have the right strategies of ensuring that the organization has the right people to work for its and that it has the right work practices to ensure that the organization meets its goals. The following report gives a detailed analysis of the four factors i.e. CSR, ethics, sustainability and values. The report is being done as part of the course human resource management. 2.1 Human Resource Management and Ethics Ethics is the general conduct of an organization. Ethics dictates the actions which an organization makes and consequently its effects. Although not all ethical practices are described by legislative measures, organizations do not have an alternative to not practicing it. This is due to the fact that ethics dictates how an organization relates with the market. The more ethical and organization is, the better its image in the market and vice versa. In an organization, the human resource management department is responsible for ensuring that the workforce of the organization reflects an ethical organization. This is very important since apart from other factors which give an image of the organization, the human resource gives a personal contact with the market hence its conduct is very essential in dedicating the ethics of an organization. The first step in ensuring that an organization is ethical is by establishing a code of conduct which dictates what the organization stands up for. This ensures that an organization is able to create an ethical culture. The ethical culture is passed on to each and every person in the organization. Generally, new employees are due to adapt to the culture of an organization. And if, the culture is ethical, the employee tends to be equally ethical. There are some ethical practices in the human resource management which goes a long way into ensuring that an organization is ethical. They include: 2.1.1 Ethical Treatment of Employees and Customers The treatment of employees in an organization is concerned with the provision of conducive working conditions. The more conducive an environment is, the more productive an organization is. In addition to this, the treatment of workers does not only affect the organization internally but also externally. This is due to the fact that the market is most likely to perceive an organisation with the way it treats its employees since customers tend to support organizations which uphold good treatment of employees. Good labour laws are the basis of good treatment of employees. Labour laws dictate on the details of how an employee is supposed to be treated in an organization. For instance they dictate on the minimum wage, working hours, job security among other aspects which influence the treatment of workers. For this reason the human resource management department of an organization should ensure that the labour practices in the organizations are ethical by establishing policies and measures which streamline them towards ethics(Wickman & Donohue, 2012, p.11).. 2.1.2 Ethical Leadership The leadership of an organization is very important in dictating the practices of an organization. The top management of an organization is the one which makes the policies and strategies of an organization which dictate the whether the organization will be ethical or not. AS referred in today’s world, an ethical climate which includes aspects such as: the code of ethics, an ethical culture, conduct among other aspects (Shin, 2011 299). For this reason, an organization must have a well defined mechanism of decision making. Precisely, the leadership of an organization must make use of ethical decision making. An ethical decision making structure analyses the situation of an organization, what needs to be done, the possible alternatives which can be done and lastly the effects of each of the organisation. It is after this that the leadership makes a decision. This ensures that the decision is well informed and consequently ethical. 2.1.3 Ethical Recruitment The aim of each organization is to get the best workforce to work for it. This is the responsibility of the human resource department. The staffing of an organization determines to large extent the productivity and the image of an organisation. Cases of discrimination in the recruitment of organizations are not rare. For an organisation to be able to ensure that an organisation is able to staff its workforce, it must be able to employ good human resource practices. In the human resource management modern world, terms such as equal employment opportunities and equal employer are very common. This is due to the fact that organizations want to portray themselves as ethical to the eyes of its customers. Because of the need to uphold ethics and at the same time ensure that an organisation is able to get the best workforce in the market, several staffing and recruitment strategies have been devised. Key among them is e-recruitment which minimizes human interference in the recruitment process and is very appropriate on the side of the organisation (Kaap &Ruel, 2012, p261). All in all, the human resource is responsible for ensuring that the labourforce of an organisation is ethical. The HRM department should also ensure that the organisation’s human resource relates well with its customers by establishing a code of conduct. Lastly, it should conform to external forces such as the labour laws and pressures groups and the HRM standards in the industry. 2.2 Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility of an organisation is an practice of an organisation in which an organisation attempts to give back to the community. This move by organizations is meant to ensure that the organisation creates a good image in the market (Nicole, C.2011 p 150). Simply put, it is meant to ensure that the organisation belongs to the society and the society belongs to the organisation. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has several effects on an organisation. For instance, CSR practices lure potential employees, increase the market and increasing profitability. The human resource management of an organisation’s role in ensuring that an organisation practices cooperate social responsibility has been under scrutiny for a long time. The HRM is supposed to ensure that the organisation’s work force is involved in corporate social responsibility by employing the use of various strategies. The following strategies can be used by an organisation’s HRM in a bid to uphold CSR. 2.2.1 Establishing Policies First of all, the HRM department should establish policies which are geared up towards corporate social responsibility. Since human resource management entails the management of the workforce, the policies which the department establishes should be inclined towards integrating the workforce in the corporate social responsibility programs of an organisation. Some of the policies which the department can establish include the following: Volunteer programs where an organisation’s human resource goes out into the society to help them on the pertinent issues affecting it. For instance, the employees may conduct cleaning programs and offering free or subsidized services. 2.2.2 Enacting a corporate social responsibility culture The willingness of the employees to get involved in the corporate social responsibility programs of an organisation is not automatic. It has to come from their hearts in that they have to have a willingness to do what is required of them. For this reason, it is important to ensure that the employees acknowledge the importance of corporate social responsibility. The human resource department may be able to achieve this by; establishing a training program which creates awareness to the employees on the importance of cooperate social responsibility (Wickman, & Donohue, 2012,p 10). A finely crafted orientation programme which aims at integrating a CSR culture in new employees. Lastly, the HRM department should establish a code of conduct, which binds the employees to CSR programs. 2.2.3 Measurement / Analysis Mechanism An organisation must be able to indulge in activities or programs which add value to the society. For this reason, it must identify the pertinent problems in the society which need their attention. In order to do this, the organisation must have a CSR manager who analyses the society and identifies the pertinent issues in it. In addition to this, an organisation must be able to assess the effectiveness of their corporate social responsibility programs. This enables the organisation to improve on their CSR strategies. 2.2.4 Corporate Social Responsibility Reports The human resource management of an organisation is supposed to write reports on their CSR programmes. This move is important in ensuring that the organisation makes known its CSR practices to the wider market. In so doing, an organisation is able to create a good image of itself on the market. More often than not, organisation tends to publish their CSR reports after the completion of a CSR programme (Sharma ,Sharma& Devi, 2009 p.207). This gives the organisation a chance to continually interact with the society which is very beneficial to its success. 2.2.5 Human Resource Development The development of human resource is very essential to an organisation. In so doing, an organisation is bale to boost the knowledge and skills of its workforce hence increasing their productivity. Human resource development entails the provision of training facilities and programmes, internship programmes and good employment terms. This increases the productivity of an organisation directly. The other side of this move is that the employees which undergo the development are impacted on individually. On the long last, the investment by the organisation is on an individual since he/she is the direct beneficiary. In some organizations, free training is given on expensive courses for example aviation on a contractual agreement. Lastly, an organisation may make it a policy to employ a specific number of people from the society on which it is located. This and other CSR moves by organizations are an act of corporate social responsibility since it tends to create a skilled society. 2.3 Values Values are the virtues which an organisation upholds. The values of an organisation dictate its organizational structure. The fundamental value of an organisation should be to provide quality to its customers. Although in most cases this value is compromised for others, it should be the underlying factor. The workforce of an organisation is responsible for the implementation of the policies of an organisation. Therefore, the human resource of an organisation is responsible for streamlining an organisation’s practices towards upholding its values. For this reason, the human resource management should make use of specific strategies which ensures that the organisation upholds the right values. An organisation must also uphold the values that are set in an industry so as to remain competitive in the market (Srivastava, 2012 p 61). The HRM department should make use of the following strategic moves in order to cultivate and uphold the appropriate values in the human resource. 2.3.1 Mission and Vision Statements The vision statement states what an organisation yearns to achieve. The mission statement describes how an organisation is to achieve its goal. On a deeper insight into the mission and vision statements of an organisation, they contain what an organisation stands for and what it wants to achieve. As indicated earlier, the human resource of an organisation is responsible for the implementation of the activities of an organisation. Moreover, the vision and mission statements of an organisation are supposed to be lived by the organisation’s employees hence enabling the organisation to continuously realize them. For this reason, an organisation is supposed to find a mechanism which ensures that its employees are able to perform their activities in accordance to the vision and mission statements. The most sure thing of ensuring that this happens is to ensure that the employees own the statements. In this sense, an organisation is able to live up to its expectations since its employees re at home with what they are doing. A effective way of ensuring that this happens is by involving the employees in the establishment of the vision and mission statements. In so doing, an organisation is able to uphold the values which it has. 2.3.2 Recruitment and Staffing In the yester times, concerns about discrimination in employment were a normal thing. However, over the years, there has been a transformation in the human resource management practices in organizations. There has arisen a need for transparency, qualified employees and sustainability. For this reason, human resource managers are integrating the value of transparency and equity in employment terms. Another issue in the human resource management is staffing terms. Staffing comprises of the labour relations which are practiced in an organisation. In the modern, productivity and quality is topmost hence many organizations are streaming their workforce towards meeting these values. Offering training programmes to the staff is a sure way of realizing these vales. 2.4 Sustainability Sustainability is a state in which an organisation remains relevant in the modern times and in the future. For an organisation to remain competitive in the market, it must be able to enact sustainable programs, which place it at the market’s current standards and future standards hence ensuring that the organisation remains relevant in the market. The human resource management of an organisation is responsible for ensuring that an organisation is able to undertake its sustainability programs efficiently. For this reason, the HRM department should use the most appropriate mechanisms to ensure that the organisation is sustainable. As at today, the most effective strategy of ensuring the sustainability of an organisation is the triple bottom line (Piper, Mang, Knox & Waddell, 2011, p.1). As its name indicates, the triple bottom line takes into consideration of three goals, the social, environmental and economic goals. 2.4.1 The Triple Bottom Line The triple bottom line sustainability strategy makes use of the analysis of the economic, social and environmental factors affecting an organisation. Generally, the strategy derives its basis from the fact that the three elements determine the capability of an organisation to be competitive in the market. 2.4.1.1Social goal The social goals of an organization determine the reception of an organisation in the society. Social goals determine the relationship of an organisation with the society in which it belongs. Therefore, the social goals affect the image of the organisation in the market (Ehnert, 2006, p.3). On this goal, The HRM department ensures that it provides a means of achieving social goals which will impact positively on the image of the organisation in the society. 2.4.1.2 Environmental goals With the recent trends in environmental conservation, ensuring that an organisation’s practices are environmentally sustainable is paramount. The use of green energy, water conservation, reduction of gas emissions, and use of soft instead of print among other environmentally friendly measures ensures that an organisation is environmentally sustainable (Brelet, 2004 p.3). Every organisation is going green, so the HRM must equip the employees with the necessary equipment, knowledge and skills in order to ensure that they uphold environmentally friendly practices. 2.4.1.3 Economic goals The primary objective is to make profit. For this reason, every business organisation strives to maximize its profits. However, the profitability of an organisation must be sustainable. Sustainable profits are profits which do not take advantage of the consumers. Organizations should not overcharge customers in the name of maximizing profits. This is also an ethical practice since it ensures that the organisation gives the customers value for their money, which is also another objective of a business. The HRM of an organisation must be able to provide the necessary skills needed by the organisation in order to set sustainable economic goals. 3.0 Recommendations The success of an organisation is determined to a large extent by its Corporate Social Responsibility, ethics, values and sustainability measures. The input of the human resource management into ensuring that these measures are put into action is indispensable. The following recommendations are recommended to business organizations wishing to enact the measures. Identification of the vision and mission of an organisation As indicated earlier, the vision statement indicates what the organisation wants to achieve while a mission statement indicates how an organisation is planning on achieving the vision. The two statements give identity to the products and services of an organisation since they reflect of the values which the organisation holds. Establishing them with full consultation with the employees ensures that the employees own them hence ensuring that they have the willingness to ‘walk’ the statements. Establishment of a code of conduct/ policies A code of conduct dictates the behaviors of the employees in an organisation. Policies dictate the activities that are to be undertaken in an organisation and the manner of undertaking them. A code of conduct should describe in detail what is demanded of the employees from the organisation. Good staffing and recruitment practices An organisation should always bear in mind that the company’s goals are only achievable with the full cooperation with the staff. For this reason, the HRM must be able to get the best workforce in the market and manage it towards meeting the goals of an organisation. The HRM should also cultivate an appropriate organizational culture in the staff which ensures that it is able to meet its CSR, ethical, value and sustainability goals. Strategic plan A strategic plan by the HRM will comprise of the current situation in an organisation and the desired situation within a definite duration of time. A HRM strategic plan will ensure that the HRM provides a means in which the organisation’s goals will be achieved. 3.2 Conclusion In conclusion, the input of HRM in the success of an organisation is inevitable. This report has made a detailed analysis of the corporate social responsibility, sustainability, value and ethical aspects of an organisation which affect its success by a high degree. Corporate social responsibility is important in improving the relationship between the organisation and the society. CSR is a move by organizations to give back to the community and at the same time for the community to interact with an organisation. On the other hand, sustainability measures are practices which are aimed at ensuring that the competitiveness of an organisation is guaranteed now and in the future. Ethics refers to the good conduct of an organisation towards its employees, customers and the larger society. Lastly values are the virtues which an organisation upholds in its practices. The input of human resource management in ensuring that an organisation is able to live up to its expectations in the above aspects is paramount. For this reason, the human resource management must be able to make use of the most efficient mechanisms. Lastly, the HRM must comply with the standards set in the industry by legislative measures, corporate bodies, pressure groups and any other regulatory bodies which govern the industrial relations in a country. References Brelet, C, 2004. Some Examples of Best Ethical Practice in Water Use,UNESCO, 1-45 Ehnert I, 2006 Sustainability Issues in Human Resource Management: Linkages, Theoretical Approaches And Outlines, 1-21 Nicole, C.2011 Social Responsibility, crisis and sustainable Development. The Business Review, Cambridge.Vol. 17, no. 1,pp.149-158 Piper, L, Mang, C, Knox, J & Waddell, C.2011 Student Perceptions Toward A Triple Bottom Line Approach, Journal of Academic and Business Ethics, Vol. 1, no. 1, pp.1-19 Ruel, H & Kaap, H 2012. E-HRM Usage And Value Creation. Does A Facilitating Context Matter? German Journal of Research in Human Resource Management.Vol 26, no.3 pp. 260-281 Sharma, S, Sharma, Devi A, 2009. Corporate Social Responsibility: The Key Role Of Human Resource Management, Business Intelligence Journal,Vol 2, No. 1, pp.206-215 Shin, Y. 2011. CEO Ethical Leadership, Ethical Climate, Climate Strength, And Collective Organizational Citizenship Behavior,Journal of Business ethics, Vol. 108, no. 1, pp. 299-312 Srivastava, J 2012. Social Movements, CSR and Industrial Growth: An Indian Experience, the IUP Journal of Corporate Governance, Vol. 10, no. 2 , pp 60-70 Taylor, S. 2010. HRM’s Role in Sustainability: Systems, Strategies, & Practices, [Online] Viewed on 5TH September 2012 < http://api.ning.com/files/D3wA5lSzMqaH4wamrCE9TuCtW9Gd-mTn2CZP3oRNb*08JaL*AY2MJgF1uF8Xh6WQLDTWdpAaqzYlF*ALSoS8msOtgJRwzQHs/SustainabilityFINAL.pdf> Wickman, M & Donohue, W, 2012. Developing an Ethical Organization: Exploring the Role of Ethical Intelligence, Organization Development Journal. 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