Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Ethics - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal; Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Ethics Your Name, Instructor, Date of Submission Introduction/research background Businesses cannot operate in a bubble in the current world [Sri10]. Knowledge about different aspects of the market is readily available, and people have been forced to adopt better models to survive. The issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business ethics are among the models that have been adopted by several firms across the world. CSR simply refers to a business model that is interested in activities that will benefit the society [Mar11]. Consumer awareness has increased in the recent days. Most consumers do not just look at the prices, but they prefer buying from businesses that will extend some of their profits to the well-being of the society [Sri10]. As a result, many businesses have now prioritized the issue of social responsibility and business ethics. This paper will present a detailed research proposal on this issue of CSR and business ethics. It will present a detailed research on various aspects, as it seeks to give a guideline for the main paper. Project aim and objectives It is important to establish the goals and objectives of any research, before setting to conduct it [Kei06]. This will ensure that you remain on course throughout the research process, since you will have a clear direction of what you need to achieve by the end of the investigation. The following are the aims and objectives of this project: a) To determine the importance of CSR for business organisations b) To determine the key reasons behind the growing popularity of CRS c) To investigate why some firms are still reluctant to the issue of CSR and business ethics. Review of literature CSR is an adoption that has yielded much popularity to business organisations that have adopted it. CSR has been identified as a major contribution to preservation of the environment, philanthropic action in society and championing for ethical practices towards workers in business organisations. According to [Sri10], businesses recognize that they need to preserve their environment to run their businesses. They also acknowledge that human life is important, and it depends strongly on the environment. On the other hand, most of these businesses produce a lot of carbon, and cause other forms of environmental degradation, in their quest for business success. As a result, they also try to look at ways of not only preserving the environment, but also reducing the effects of their activities to the environment. Some businesses may be more concerned about being philanthropic to the society usually through donations that they make to charities [Mar11]. Some of them may decide to set up community hospitals, schools, or even care centers for the old people. All these are part CSR is not just about helping the society but also of enhancing ethical practices to employees [Sri10]. Charity will always start at home. It is impossible to think about other people in the society, when you are mistreating your own employees. Organisations that have taken up CSR have adopted ethical treatment of their employees thus creating worker motivation and job satisfaction. Elaboration on Research Objectives Importance of CSR This section seeks to answer the first objective, which is to find out on the importance of adoption of CSR to organisations. It is important to understand that the old business model required that businesses operate to maximize their profits, and that any activity that did not bring profits to the business was not to be adopted [Mar11]. However, research has revealed that there are many reasons why companies should not neglect the issues of CSR and business ethics. Herein discussed are the major factors for adoption of CSR and business ethics in organisations; a) CSR and business ethics aid in proper priority determination. As firms conduct CSR, they may come across various market needs. Proper CSR and business ethics therefore enables the organisation to reevaluate their priorities and work to attain the most important and urgent. b) Through CSR, the business can easily interact with members of the society, who make a part of their customers, thus determining the needs and expectations of the customers though enhanced market research [Mar11]. This can give the business a good chance to conduct a market research and receive feedback from such people, which ensures that the business meets customer specifications and satisfaction. c) CSR and improved business ethics is a major platform to attracting and retaining customers. Some customers would love to associate themselves with brands that have a heart for the society and organisations that mind the working conditions of their employees. Therefore, business ethics and CSR could attract such customers to the business and retain them for a long period. d) Effective business images and reputations are a consequence of appropriate CSR and business ethics practice [Mar11]. As the firm continues to take part in CSR and business ethics, members of the society recognize with such an organisation, and hold the organisation with positive attitudes as efficiency, reliability and benevolence. A good public image of an organisation implies competitive advantage in the market e) Since employee ethics is part of CSR, this acts enhances organisational staffing. Business ethics and CSR are significant in helping a company to learn to treat employees with respect [Sri10]. It makes employers to start placing a high value on employees, resulting in employee turnover and enhancing their motivation. Opponents of CSR Although CSR and business ethics have a beneficial outlook, there are still several market players who do not want to pick it up. This has resulted into two groups; the first one supports CSR, while the other one is against the whole idea. The opponents argue that no business should be forced by the government to adopt CSR [Mar11]. The challenges include; a) Divided Attention- Critics argue that business managers are employed to help the company make profits. CSR is usually not a reason for running any business. Engaging in such activities will hence create divided attention in the management of the business. This may cause corporate failure. b) Competes with Shareholder’s Desires-The main interest of any shareholder is profit. Profits diminish when the business engages in CSR[Mar11]. This will be against the main objective of the business, which is profit maximization. Research Methodology It will be impossible to achieve an excellent paper if good time will not be given to research [Kei06]. This paper will follow a number of research methods, just to make sure that the information collected is credible, and detailed enough. The following methods will be considered when it comes to conducting the final research: i. Use of Questionnaires- Questionnaires is a good way of collecting information. They are efficient since respondents can fill them concurrently, hence save time [Kei06]. ii. Conducting Interviews- Some people will be interviewed, in order to get more detailed information. It is valid to note that writing a lot of information may turn off respondents. As a result, they may be interviewed, and this will be recorded on an audio tape. iii. Research by secondary sources- It is important to use secondary sources too. These are works of other writers [Kei06]. In fact, the modest part of the research paper will be from secondary sources. They are also good since they provide an opportunity for comparison. At the end of this section, a conclusion will be made, in accordance with the results found. It is expected that the research questions will have been answered by then. Final results will be presented in different methods. Depending on the type of data that will be present, the following may be considered: Presentation by charts Presentation by graphs Problems and limitations A feasibility study was conducted to try and foresee the problems and shortcomings that may occur during the actual research process. The following were identified; Insufficient funds- There might not be enough funds to travel to different places and carry out other logistics. Inadequate time- Time may be limited to the timetable. Geographical constraints- Some potential respondents may be limited from participating due to distance. Uncooperative respondents- Not all respondents may turn out to be cooperative. Timetable/Project plan Activity Date Deadline Comment Feasibility Study 7th November 15th November This will help you prepare for the research. Secondary Sources Review 16th November 19th November Prepare your mind by getting equipped with knowledge from previous researches. Conduct Interviews 22nd November 28th November Interviews may be time consuming. They need enough time. Administer Questionnaires 23rd November 25th November It does not need much time since respondents can fill at the same time Review Secondary Sources Again 27th November 30th November Review secondary sources to compare the field results with what is in the book, before proceeding with your report Put down the report 1st December 15th December Allow other People to Proofread 16th December 19th December This will help you realize any mistakes. These people may have more suggestions too. Correct Mistakes and Consider Suggestion 20th December 23rd December Consider suggestions made by the people who helped you with proofreading. Final Paper 23rd December 23rd December The paper will be complete and ready for submission Bibliography Sri10: , (Urip, 2010, p. 19), Mar11: , (Schwartz, 2011, p. 63), Sri10: , (Urip, 2010, p. 21), Kei06: , (Punch, 2006, p. 33), Sri10: , (Urip, 2010, p. 36), Mar11: , (Schwartz, 2011, p. 67), Sri10: , (Urip, 2010, p. 37), Mar11: , (Schwartz, 2011, p. 70), Mar11: , (Schwartz, 2011, p. 72), Sri10: , (Urip, 2010, p. 42), Mar11: , (Schwartz, 2011, p. 78), Mar11: , (Schwartz, 2011, p. 82), Kei06: , (Punch, 2006, p. 37), Kei06: , (Punch, 2006, p. 39), Read More