Corporate Environmental Obligation - Serco Group UK - Case Study Example

Unit Title: Communications in Business Assessment: Critical Essay Company: Serco Group UK Essay Title: Corporate Environmental Obligation: The Case of Serco Group UK Student Name: Student Number: Semester: Campus: Tutor’s Name: Tutorial Day and Time: Introduction Corporations have been practicing corporate social responsibility especially with regard to the environmental practices. The rationale for organizations to practice corporate social responsibility is mainly to give back to the community in which it operates in. The need to integrate the society and give employment has been emphasized on the recent past. The environmental concerns have however dominated the modern talks as signs indicate an increase in carbon related products in the atmosphere which is threatening increase in global temperature by at least 1 degree in the next 50 years if the same carbon footprint escalates. It is for this reasons that most organizations are spearheading measures of reducing environmental harm and emphasizing on the need to adopt green technologies. In order to shade light on these two key issues, Serco group is used as a case study. Serco group is a British company which is headquartered in Hook, North Hampshire in Britain. It was founded in 1929 as part of the Radio Corporation of America; it altered its name to Serco in 1987. It deals with both private and public transport as well as traffic control. It also deals with military arsenal, prisons and detention centers as well as schools. Serco is also listed in the London Stock Exchange. Serco is one of the British companies which has actively participated in environmental conservation and promotion of employment especially among the young people. Serco engages the community in its initiatives, a factor that has been vital in achieving the results that it has achieved so far. This discussion covers Serco’s environmental initiatives and employment. Treatment of natural environment Serco has a high regard towards the environment, in fact its vision is zero harm to the environment. Serco aims at promoting its business through protection and reduction of energy consumption in order to mitigate negative environmental impact. Serco manages its business at the local level but it has a unified strategy of measuring its impact on the environment. Its strategies essentially aim at reducing environmental footprints; this is supported by its numerous initiatives around the world. Serco has contracts which that aid customers in improving their environmental performance1. As an example, Serco provides environmental services to a number of UK local authorities which assist customers in reducing the volumes of waste sent to landfill sites2. Recently, Serco undertook an ambitious initiative towards global environmental conservation. Some of the examples includes, installation of LED lighting in cells in most of the UK prisons in order to reduce the usage of electricity, reducing water usage in UK leisure contracts, this has been achieved by using swimming pool water to irrigate golf courses. Serco has also developed a formal environmental training package in order to enhance environmental data captured in Australia3. It has also worked to provide help to Americas with a variety of projects such as fuel storage, handling of hazardous substances, air quality regulation, disposal advisor development and mitigation of spill through spill prevention control and countermeasure initiative. Serco has received a number of recognitions because of its numerous efforts in order to protect the environment. In the UK, it is ranked fifth in Carbon Disclosure Project FTSE 350 report with a 92% score hence putting it in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. Serco also recently achieved B rating in the Carbon Performance Leadership Index. These indices emphasize best practises in risk management, governance, reporting, and verification as well as emission reduction measures which aim at mitigating climate change. Serco is undoubtedly committed to environmental protection, its initiatives and an award given in relation to their efforts to reduce carbon release demonstrates this commitment. The Carbon Disclosure Project is a project which aims at encouraging disclosure of carbon emission to the environment. The rationale for this project is to help in measuring emission rate and finding possible ways of reducing emissions in order to reduce its implication to global warming. Serco has been part of key players in the industry focusing on ways and means of dealing with increased emissions to the environment4. It has partnered with others in the industry in order to support the need for green environment5. Serco initiatives are not limited to the United Kingdom; it also supports initiative overseas in countries such as Australia and Asia6. Environmental sustainability is one of Serco’s major Corporate Social responsibilities; in fact it has integrated environmental sustainability into its mission and vision as well as corporate objectives. By doing so, Serco is able to focus more in the conservation of the environment and natural resources. The company has been a good example on the need to conserve and protect the natural environment by curbing bad habits which impact on the environment. Serco also supports environmental sustainability through its initiative of educating young people on the need to recycle waste products7. Employment and unemployment Serco has been in the forefront in supporting employability. Serco acknowledges that employability is essential in our contemporary society8. This further supported by the fact that the company’s senior member of the HR department was appointed in order to work with the government as the CEO and founding partner of the Plotr, a new venture which is focused on inspiring young generation on the need to develop their career and prepare them to be competitive in the labor market9. Plotr has been imperative in the realization of career development opportunities among the young generation; it has a number of resources concerning their career development, opportunity finder, resource center and even employer profiles in order to keep job seekers well informed about the available opportunities and the current industry progress in these industries. Plotr has a website which is playing an important role in ensuring that young people find useful resource helpful in developing their careers10. It also has a blog which allows discussion of career related topics and allows individuals to discuss different topics related to careers. Serco has also developed a team which has been working together with the UK Government to enhance education opportunities The National Citizenship Service programme which is supported by Serco has created an online tool used to engage 16 year olds in order to motivate them to improve their skills by participating in local community projects11. Serco has also partnered with the third sector in order to enhance leadership and skills among its employees12. The rationale for the partnership is also to bring together businesses and professionals in order to share their expertise with social enterprises, charities and recommend better ways of upgrading skills in order to meet future challenges that are facing the industry. Despite the Serco spearheading initiatives that promote environmental sustainability and employment, it has been faced with a number of issues in the recent past. One of the notable accusations that the company has faced in the recent time is the accusation for over-charging tagging criminals. This has affected its development as the company lost its planned management of Yorkshire prisons. This scandal has also tainted its image especially its role in developing young people to future leadership. The company’s image is also necessary not only in fostering its core business but also protecting its strategic objectives and vision. It is imperative to maintain a positive public image especially when dealing with country’s sensitive sectors such as prisons and transportation network13. The allegation of overcharging for services will significantly impact on the company’s future aspirations in its industry in years to come. Conclusion As discussed, Serco has a number of initiatives which target conservation of the natural environment. This is in line with its vision of zero harm to the environment. Serco has succeeded in many environmental initiatives such as installation of LED lighting in cells in the UK prisons in order to reduce electricity usage. It has also started environmental training sessions outside the UK; Australia is one example of this. As a result of these initiatives, Serco has received awards and recognitions on its efforts. In the UK, it is ranked fifth in Carbon Disclosure Project FTSE 350 report. Serco also trains the young generation on environmental conservation initiatives. This is also in line with its vision of sustainable environmental usage. On the other hand, Serco has also contributed immensely on education needs of the young generation14. This is evidenced by the fact that its senior HR member is part of the government initiative of Plotr, a new venture focusing on career development and training services. It has since benefited majority of the UK young generation. The initiative has a website in which people can get useful resources and get to know different potential employer and what is currently happening in various industries. Young people have gained from the initiative and this also shows how committed Serco is not only to the young people but also to the nation as well. More so, Serco is undoubtedly committed to environmental conservation and the education of the young generation as well. Bilbiography Andreas, Wieland,. and Handfield, Robert B., The Socially Responsible Supply Chain: An Imperative for Global Corporations. Supply Chain Management Review 17, no. 5 (2013): pp. 22-29. Eisingerich, A.B.; Ghardwaj, G. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Does Social Responsibility Help Protect a Company's Reputation?". MIT Sloan Management Review. 52 (2011): 18–18. Gopal K. Kanj, Parvesh K. Chopra, "Corporate Social Responsibility in a Global Economy." Routledge, 5, no.1 (2013): pp. 22-29. Halpern, Barton; Keith F. Snider. 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