Definition Corporate Social Responsibility - Term Paper Example

Reflective Journal Insert Name Tutor Date First Entry: corporate social and environmental responsibilities Corporate social and environmental responsibility is no longer a philanthropic action but it is a strategic business issue which every business must adhere to. There is increasing demand in the contemporary business environment that companies take full responsibility of their actions and in particular when it comes to protecting the interests of the consumers as well as the environment. The philosophy that is guiding the contemporary business environment is that every organization must be responsible for its activities in relation to all the actors in its operating environment (Dordevic & Bogetic, 2008). In the past years, corporate social responsibility has been viewed as philanthropic action and an organization that takes part in consumer and environment protection could be praised and seen as having a good will for the people. This is however not the case today. I however feel that members of the society have ceased from looking at only the benefits that corporations bring to them such as employment to even looking at the damage that these corporations are causing to the environment. For example carbon emission has been a great concern worldwide mainly due to industrial emissions. Members of the public have become aware of the dangers of industrial emissions and they will therefore have a negative reaction towards any company that does not mitigate its industrial emissions. Many companies have therefore undertaken green initiatives as an action towards their corporate social responsibility and for environmental protection (Porter & Reinhardt, 2007). Some of these actions towards corporate social responsibility are however placing the companies at a competitive advantage since the consumers also feel that they need to promote those companies that are minding their interests. Environmental protection is among the interests of consumers and therefore it has become a strategic business issues that every corporation must look into. It is however evident how members of the public are looking deeply into this issues of corporate social responsibility. An example of this is in the case of Timberland, a company that makes leather boots. Activists accused this company of destroying the Amazon rain forests and exacerbating global warming. To me it may not be easy to relate leather boots with rain forests but due to how the members of public are concerned about environmental protection, these people were able to express their concern. The issues arose from a Greenpeace report that cattle farmers from Brazil were illegally clearing the forests to obtain pasture for their cattle whose leather was winding up in Timberland’s boots. Timberland’s Chief Executive Officer had to immediately craft a response since the company’s brand was at stake. Therefore environmental protection is an undertaking that Timberland Company had to consider in order to protect its brand in the market (Swartz, 2010). I also agree with how Anderson (2005) in his book “Corporate Survival: The Critical Importance of Sustainability Risk Management” has simplified the responsibility. It is true that sustainable risk management ensures that companies have sustainable development which is development that meets the needs of the present world and also ensures that the future generations will be able to meet their needs. It is this simple if companies look at it in this manner. Companies therefore need to come up with long term sustainable plans for reducing risks of environmental degradation and others issues that are against the interests of consumers. This is because it is no longer an option but a must for the companies to take up corporate social responsibility and environmental protection (Anderson, 2005). Companies must now be aware that the members of public have changed their view on the issue of corporate social responsibility. Personally I also feel that corporations bear the greatest responsibility for the environment because they cause a greater impact than the members of public in their normal activities. Therefore for their businesses to remain competitive, corporations must take up this responsibility. Plans for this need to be incorporated into their other business strategies since it is no longer done as a philanthropic act but an obligation for business survival. Second Entry: lessons obtained from the careers workbook From the careers workbook, I have grasped very important things that really matter in career and that will help me in planning for my career over the next ten years. The book has simplified the complex thoughts that I had regarding my career into three main areas of focus. These are ethics, sustainability and professionalism (UniSA, 2012). I think these three factors form the basis for a stable career life that I have been thinking of as a very complex issue. Therefore in planning for my career, I only need to make choices based in these three factors. I have learnt that ethics is in every part of the career life since it involves making practical decisions about one’s career life. In making these decisions, it is important to consider their future consequences, how they affect other people and also consider standards in every procedure. Therefore ethics guides in determining what is right, what ought to be, my duties and obligations. When planning for my career, I have to put in mind that I will be faced with situations where I have to determine what I need to do in various circumstances. This is where I will have to consider the ethical standards and make them my guiding principles when making the decision. For my example in my management career, I will have to observe the company standards and determine how my decision will affect other stakeholders. I also think that when I follow what is ethically accepted, I will be able to defend my decisions in case of criticisms. Regarding sustainability, I have learnt that as a manager I have to shift my focus from only what benefits the shareholders but also to social and environmental responsibilities. Therefore I will have to ask myself of what responsibility does my enterprise has over the environment, the ecosystem, its impact on climate change and global warming. I have learnt that my performance on my career will not only be measured by the economic value it brings but also on my ability to meet the social and environmental responsibility. I have been able to consider the fact that operation of corporations has changed and their strategy they have to incorporate the issue of sustainability. This has opened up my mind on the great task ahead of coming up with a sustainable risk management plan that will incorporate all the responsibilities that I will have in my position for sustainable development. There is also a very important aspect of social responsibility that concerns people around me and who will influence my career in different ways. I must understand that all those people have rights which I must consider in every undertaking. Even when assigning duties to my juniors, I must consider the rights of every individual. The other important thing that I have learnt is about professionalism in my career. Being profession involves acting with integrity, maintaining high standards, responding to real needs and learning from others. According to what I have learnt, professionalism is the key among the three issues because it encompasses commitment to ethical actions and taking up social responsibility which ensures sustainability. Therefore when one observes ethics and sustainability he or she will function professionally. Other things that I have learnt include the importance of balancing work and life. In this I have to consider time balance, involvement balance and satisfaction balance between work and non-work roles. This is important because life is not about career only. There are other things outside the career which will also require my commitment and I have to balance this. Therefore as I plan for my career, I have to allocate time, resources and energy to other issues outside the career. The importance of balancing is for the work to bring leisure in my life. A career that does not bring leisure may be boring and not satisfying. Therefore for me to enjoy my future career, I need to balance my work and my life (UniSA, 2012). Third entry: importance of integrity and ethics in professional life Integrity entails being honest and morally upright. For my professional life, I can take the definition of maintaining high standards of performance and striving not to lower those standards. Following this definition, I feel that it poses an obligation for any professional to maintain honesty and to be upright in any professional undertaking. Therefore it may not be as simple as it sounds because it is something that has to be observed all through. Ethics on the other hand is about values and rules which guide a professional on what to do when faced with a particular situation. I therefore think that integrity and ethics ensures that a professional conducts him or herself in an orderly manner in all undertakings. This is because there are ethics which will guide him or her and also the actions must be conducted in honesty and uprightness. I however tend to think that observing the two require a lot of commitment to professionalism because they define a strict pathway of doing things not just the way anyone wishes (Banks, 2009). I however tend to think that if I will choose to maintain professionalism in my career, I should be committed to dedicating my life in ensuring sustainability of those principles associated with professionalism which also live in society’s thinking. It is however a responsibility because that requires professional maturity because one cannot just embody that principle without a reason (Platts, 2003). These two may therefore be very important for my professional life. This is because they have explained that in total, professionalism requires integrity and ethics. Therefore when doing things guided by these two, there is no likelihood of going out of the way. Another reason as to why I consider the integrity and ethics as important in my professional life is because they can help me gain public trust (Federation of European Accountants, 2009). People such as my clients will observe my undertakings and note that am following certain standards and am honest. They will therefore be free to trust me with any responsibility. Integrity and ethics can also help me in fulfilling the social responsibility without being compelled. This is because in being honest, I will be able to take into account public interests in all the undertaking. My career will not focus on only satisfying the needs of my employer and individual clients but also on aligning my performance with the expectations of the society (Pritchard, 2007). Another importance of particularly ethics in my professional life is for self regulation (Cowton, 2009). This is because when following certain standards in every undertaking, it may not be possible to go out of the way. Therefore when acting under the guidance of ethics, I will be able to regulate my limits in all activities. Ethics will also help in maintaining expertise in all activities. This is because I may lack a chance to think outside the standards which are set according to the areas of expertise. Therefore all activities will follow the expertise requirements. This is basically what adds up to professionalism because my general actions will be according up to standards. Therefore maintaining integrity in observing the standards will bring out a total professionalism. It is also important that I maintain ethics and integrity in my future management career because these two helps one to become competent in all the roles entailed in the profession. Competence is very important for professional success and it earns one a lot of trust from the public. Integrity and ethics can also help me to develop leadership skills which is a quality that I want to integrate in my career. These are important qualities in a professional life that may open many more opportunities in my career life. Therefore I need to ensure that am well aware of ethical requirements of my career early enough. Bibliography Porter, M. & Reinhardt, F., 2007, 'A strategic approach to climate', Harvard Business Review, vol. 85, no. 10, pp. 22-26. Swartz, J., 2010, 'Timberland's CEO on standing up to 65,000 angry activists', Harvard Business Review, vol. 88, no. 9, pp. 39-43. Anderson, D., 2005, Corporate Survival: The critical importance of sustainability risk management, iUniverse, Inc, New York (chapter 3, pp. 88-109). Cowton, C., 2009, 'Accounting and the ethics challenge: re-membering the professional body', Accounting and Business Research, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 177-189. Platts, J., 2003, 'Developing competence and trust: Maintaining the heart of a profession', Professional Ethics, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 3-18. Federation of European Accountants, 2009, Integrity in Professional Ethics, A Discussion Paper September 2009. Dordevic, D. & Bogetic, S., 2008, The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Contemporary Business, Megatrend Review, vol. 5 (1). UniSA, 2012, Lecture Notes on Business and Society, Adapted from Careers Workbook. Pritchard, M., 2007, Professional Integrity: Thinking Ethically, University Press of Kansas. Banks, S., 2009, Integrity in Professional Life: Issues of Conduct, Commitment and Capacity, British Journal of Social Work, Vol 40, (7) Pp. 2168-2184. Read More