Arguments for and Against Essay Example Pdf - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2372 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Tags: Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Did you like this example? Corporate Social Responsibility Defined Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is when a corporation exceeds statutory business standards (Johnson and Scholes 2008). CSR policies are relevant because they state what a company intends to achieve, in addition, to its statutory obligations. A corporation has to comply with legal standards such as employment contracts. However, a company can exceed those principles if it chooses to pay a living wage rather than the minimum wage (Bloomer 2014). Introduction to the Critical Discussion The discussion will examine a traditional criticism of corporate social responsibility through the work of Friedman. This is a view which proponents of CSR will need to refute. The essay will then discuss how social and environmental responsibility can be reconciled, with profitability, using the work of Porter. The example of Hewlett Packard is discussed at length. This is because its policies emphasise how a multi-national company can achieve both environmental and social responsibility together with corporate profitability. The work of Handy is then considered. This argues that companies should have corporate objectives which are broader than just profitability and consider the purpose of the business. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Arguments for and Against Essay Example Pdf" essay for you Create order Friedmans View of Corporate Social Responsibility Friedmans view is a non-interventionist or laissez-faire vision of commerce. In his view business should aim to earn money while complying with the basic rules of the society such as paying taxes (Friedman 1970:1). It assumes that consumers are sovereign and are able to significantly influence corporate decision-making. This view of commercial organisations underplays the significance of consumer market failure. It is assumed that consumers can take their business elsewhere as Friedman believed that consumers can transfer their business to other producers (Friedman 1970). However, this is not possible if the consumer is unable to pay for another competitor firms products. This is the case if a consumer were unable to pay for the safety features, offered by a car manufacturer such as Volvo, as discussed below. To summarise, socially responsible polices, can be seen as unrealistic if consumers are unwilling to pay for them. Friedman argued that socially responsible business polici es, such as promoting equality, can harm company performance. For example, Ben and Jerrys adopted a payment scheme where the highest paid employee could only earn no more than five times the income of the lowest paid firm employee (Barney and Hesterly 2010:7). This payment scheme made it difficult to recruit senior managerial talent to make sure that the company grew and remained profitable (Barney and Hesterly 2010). A More Progressive View of Corporate Social Responsibility There is an increasingly an expectation that companies will contribute to society to a greater extent than when Friedman was writing in the early 1970s. Companies operate in a social environment as well as an economic environment (Grant 2008). A firms ability to survive depends upon its acceptability among consumers who give the firm social legitimacy (Grant 2008:446). Examples of social awareness, such as a demand for safer cars, suggest that companies are wise to respond to consumer concerns (Grant 2008).Corporations have come under increasing pressure to contribute to the societies in which they operate and to adopt more socially responsible business practices (Christodoulou and Patel 2013:467). The corporate setting of voluntary objectives can be seen as an adequate response to the needs of society. Companies can set voluntary standards: to reduce the extent to which their actions cause negative externalities or side-effects (Barney and Hesterly 2010). For example, if a car manufacturer builds a car with a large number of safety features which more than comply with legal requirements. Volvo has promoted the benefits of a relatively safe car which adds value that the customer is willing to pay a premium for (Thompson and Martin 2005:95). However, this approach can also be seen as merely serving a premium segment of the market, rather than being particularly socially responsible. In this case, Volvo is taking a marketing position which conforms to sales objectives while offering better safety to the motorist (Johnson and Scholes 2008). Corporate social responsibility is only conforming to financial requirements. Porters View on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Environment The concept of CSR is useful as it can help reconcile the financial needs of business with say the safety needs of society. Porter argues that it is a mistake for business to see environmental legislation as a threat to be resisted (Porter and van de Linde 1995). Rather, socially responsible businesses can view regulation in a positive manner; that environmental regulation can be built upon to utilise resources more effectively. It is argued, that there are costs incurred with the elimination of environmental problems but that these are outweighed by the benefits, including financial savings and improvements to product quality (Thompson and Martin 2005). Therefore, it is possible for corporations to be socially responsible without compromising the financial status of the organisation. Porters argument is useful. It has allowed thoughtful companies, such as Hewlett Packard, to reconcile investment in environmental initiatives with corporate profitability. The Hewlett Packard Report Hewlett Packard has a strong reputation in terms of corporate social responsibility (thecro.com 2010). The companys CSR policies are detailed and indicate a high level of social responsibility. For example, the company presents environmental information, in a proactive manner, with evidence of wanting to improve recycling programmes. It aims to improve environmental programs to reduce the waste from its production operations (Hewlett Packard 2011). Through these environmental initiatives, the company can help reduce business costs. Hewlett Packards CSR report discusses how it aims to extract value from products which are at the end of their product life (Hewlett Packard 2011). An example is the companys commitment to re-manufacture its printer cartridges so that they can be used again. The company is attempting to promote a strong corporate responsibility through proactive environmental investment. Hewlett Packard has demonstrated strong social responsibility policies. This sugg ests that such policies can be implemented on a large scale. The company has provided a significant amount of disclosure on a wide range of corporate areas from the environment to human resource management. The detail provided by Hewlett Packard is superior to other companies given that online trade publications have viewed Hewlett Packards performance favourably (thecro.com 2013). Given that Hewlett Packard was assessed favourably then the information provided, in its CSR report, can be interpreted as thorough and accurate. The company attempts to improve the wider business community with measures to develop its external supply chain. The company aims for strong standards of behaviour outside the companys core business. This suggests that it is attempting to improve working relationships with its component suppliers (Hewlett Packard 2011). Hewlett Packards CSR document conveys that the company is enabling social responsibility to be addressed. The company suggests that it has a grievance procedure so that different stakeholders can report social or ethical problems to senior management (Hewlett Packard 2011). The company is clearly investing in a responsible approach as it describes legal observance as an absolute minimum which it expects of different stakeholders (Hewlett Packard 2011:82). They argue that their decision making achieves better employment standards, than laws in the different countries in which the company operates (Hewlett Packard 2011). Concerns over Hewlett Packards Stated Policies Hewlett Packard attempts to make the company accountable, to external industry scrutiny. Procedures have been outlined which should make sure that ethical labour standards are achieved (Hewlett Packard 2011). The concern is that ethical objectives could be difficult to implement. There does not appear to be a specific example of how this guidance statement could be delivered in practice. However, there is a well structured diagram which outlines how the company will provide a governance structure so that the company can comply with ethical challenges (Hewlett Packard 2011:82). Some of Hewlett Packards environmental statements can be interpreted as platitudes. The company claims that that it wants to conserve more resources than it consumes (Hewlett Packard 2011). The concern is that it is easy to provide such statements. However, it is more difficult to assess how they are going to conserve more than they consume. This is because environmentally acceptable re-manufacturing progr ammes will still require energy consumption despite the conservation of the materials. Hewlett Packard may have worse polices, in practice, than those conveyed by its report. This is because suppliers could be forced to comply with the companys standards. There are power relationships between dominant multi-national companies, such as Hewlett Packard, and their suppliers (Locke et. al. 2012). The international sourcing of computer components has left suppliers vulnerable to the dominant buying policies at Hewlett Packard (Wetherly et. al. 2011). These power relationships will tend to be overlooked, in corporate social responsibility reports, because companies will want to portray themselves in a favourable light. Corporate social responsibility policies have been criticised. The development of CSR policies have been difficult to implement for many firms (Birchall and Cook 2006). However, these criticisms should, generally, not be directed at Hewlett Packard due to the level of detail contained in its CSR report. Arguably, they have made an honest corporate attempt to contribute to society (Porter and Kramer 2002). The report goes beyond the legal compliance advocated by Friedman. The detail provided is of a superior standard when compared to a minimum level of legal compliance. The Business and Ethical Concepts of Handy The work of Handy, arguably, goes beyond the corporate responsibility work of writers such as Porter. This is because Handy emphasises the importance of mission statements and the purpose of the organisation. Handy argues that the purpose of a business . . . is not to make a profit, full stop. It is to make a profit so that the business can do something more or better. That something becomes the real justification for the business (Sage Publications 2015:15). Handy argues that a firms profit should be the means to a larger end (Sage Publications 2015). There are companies which adhere to a deeper purpose than merely profit. Tradecraft, in the UK, would be a good example as the companys purpose is to operate life-changing development projects (Traidcraft 2015). However, Traidcraft operates in a niche area of the retail market where affluent consumers, who are willing to pay higher prices, contribute to international development. Therefore Handys ideas may have limited application to businesses throughout the whole of the United Kingdom. However, his ideas are useful where they can be applied. Tradecrafts mission moves beyond immediate stakeholders, such as owners and clearly considers the needs of the broader society (Dess et. al. 2010). The company is an excellent example of a company which incorporates social and environmental, as well as financial factors, into its decision making (Dess et. al. 2010). The challenge for proponents of social responsibility is that many retailers only undertake social and environmental policies which do not damage their sales and profits. Many retailers will concentrate on environmental responsibility in their stores, where they can achieve resource efficiency targets (Jones et. al. 2009). Many retailers social responsibilities are guided by what they can achieve within their financial imperatives (Jones et. al. 2009). However, such corporate policies could lead to accusations of greenwashing. In other words, that the re tailers commitment to the environment is limited and that social responsibility reports can play a public relations role rather than a social responsibility role. Many firms are engaging in greenwashing to mislead consumers about the extent of their environmental activities (Delmas and Burbano 2011). Conclusion There is evidence of improvements to companies social responsibility polices. This is because firms have realised that it is financially prudent to use environment resources wisely. It is also necessary for business to be sustainable and to invest in good employment practices and proper labour standards. However, there is a concern that corporate social responsibility is limited by what the consumer is willing, or able, to pay for more ethical approaches. There are few examples of businesses which are willing to adopt socially responsible policies which affect their profitability. Ben and Jerrys is one example before its takeover by Unilever. References Barney, J. and Hesterly, W., (2010), Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage: Concepts and Cases, Third Edition, Boston: Prentice Hall Burchell, J. and Cook, J. (2006), Confronting the corporate citizen: Shaping the discourse of corporate social responsibility, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 26, No. 3/4, 2006, p. 121-137 Bloomer, E. (2014), Local action on health inequalities: Health inequalities and the living wage, Public Health England. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/357407/Review6_Living_wage_health_inequalities.pdf Christodoulou, I and Patel, Z. (2013), Strategic Perspectives, Westminster Business School, University of Westminster, New York: McGraw Hill Dess, G., Lumpkin G. and Eisner, A. (2010), Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantages, Fourth Edition, Boston: McGraw Hill Delmas, M. and Burbano, V. (2011), The Drivers of Greenwashing, UCLA, California Manag ement Review. Retrieved from https://www.ioe.ucla.edu/media/files/Delmas-Burbano-CMR-2011-gd-ldh.pdf Friedman, M. (1970), The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits, The New York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970. Retrieved from https://www.umich.edu/~thecore/doc/Friedman.pdf Grant, R. (2008), Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Sixth Edition, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Hewlett Packard, (2011), HP 2011 Global Citizenship Report. Retrieved from https://www8.hp.com/us/en/pdf/hp_fy11_gcr_tcm_245_1357670.pdf Johnson G. and Scholes, K., (2008), Exploring Corporate Strategy: Eighth Edition, Harlow: Pearson Education Jones, P., Comfort, D. and Hillier, D. (2009), Marketing Sustainable Consumption within Stores: A Case Study of the UKs Leading Food Retailers, Sustainability 2009, 1, 815-826. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/1/4/815 Locke, R, Distelhorst ,G., Pal, T. and Hiram M. S., Production Goes Global, Standards Stay Local: Private Labor Regulation in the Global Electronics Industry, Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1978908 Porter, M. and Kramer M., (2002), The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy, Harvard Business Review, December 2002. , Retrieved from https://www.expert2business.com/itson/Porter%20HBR%20Corporate%20philantropy.pdf Porter, M. and van de Linde, C. (1995), Towards a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship, The Journal Of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 9, No. 4. Retrieved from https://www.conservationeducation.org/uploads/6/2/0/1/6201942/porter_-_environment__competitiveness_1995.pdf Sage Publications (2014), What is CSR. Retrieved from https://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/34698_Chapter1.pdf Thecro.com, (2010), CRs 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2010. Retrieved from https://www.thecro.com/files/CR100Best.pdf Thompson, J. and Martin, F. (2005), Strategic Management: Awareness and Change, Fifth Edition, London: Thomson Lear ning Traidcraft, (2015), Traidcraft: Fighting Poverty Through Trade. Retrieved from https://www.traidcraft.co.uk/ Wetherly, P. and Otter, D. (2011), The Business Environment: Themes and Issues, Second Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press

A Bird Came Down the Walk, and a Narrow Fellow in the...

A bird came down the walk† and â€Å"A narrow fellow in the grass† are both best known poems in the world by Emily Dickinson. Both poems talk about descriptions of nature. â€Å"A bird came down the walk† includes birds and images, true to her usual, easy way to capture the birds personality. Birds become unyielding nature of the mysterious emblem. This poem is a simple experience seeing birds hop down the path and celebrates every detail which is simple but beautiful order of nature. She utilizes playful and guileless rhythm in the poem to depictthe picture of nature. The reader can image a beautiful picture in the romantic poems. Miss Dickinson demonstrates her extraordinary poetic observation and†¦show more content†¦And birds politely let a beetle pass. In lines one and two of stanza three, the description of the birds look around, it is real instructions and recommendations of caution and fear of birds, and nature of possible threats. With lines three and four, speaker introduction, Pearl and the birds of civilization, Velvet. In stanza four, the idea of danger in nature is made clear but stays a minor note in the stanza. It only occupies half of a line, Like one in danger. Cautious, the speaker gives the fragment . (One of the characteristics of Dickinsons poetry is a tendency to drop endings but also connecting words and phrases as well.)Her actions lead the birds to fly off. Her description of his beauty and grace of his flight details of his flight takes six lines. In â€Å"The narrow fellow in the grass†, Miss Dickinson uses amazing languages to convey the impression of a moving snake, she uses all of meter methods of creating rhythm to show her feelings about her encourters with snakes and other nature creatures. I think it is necessary to mention, many have already decided as the poem snake, but anyone familiar with Dickinsons poetry, she did not title her thousands of poems. From here, I will break theShow MoreRelatedExamples Of Emily Dickinson748 Words   |  3 PagesEmily Dickinson: Ambivalence in Nature Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet from the mid-nineteenth century. She had lived reclusively with her parents, composing approximately 1,800 known works of poetry. When she tried to get some of them published, they were rejected for their strange punctuation and capitalization. Dickinson refused to change her writing style and eventually gave up on poetry. Only until four years after her death was all of her poetry discovered and published by aRead MoreEssay Emily Dickinsons Use of Nature 728 Words   |  3 PagesEmily Dickinsons Use of Nature Dickinson’s Use of Nature Emily Dickinson uses nature as a major theme in a lot of her poetry. Quite often, Dickinson overlaps the theme of nature with the theme of death as well as love and sexuality, which were the other major themes in her work. Dickinson describes nature in many different ways. She uses is to describe her surroundings and what she sees as well as a metaphor for other themes. In Dickinson’s poem, â€Å"A narrow Fellow in the Grass†, she describesRead MoreBibliography Relation to Analysis of Emily Dickinson ´s Writings2048 Words   |  8 Pages Anderson, Paul W. The Metaphysical Mirth of Emily Dickinson. Georgia Review 20.1 Spring 1966): 72-83. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 171. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. Anderson accomplishes the discernment of Dickinson’s poems and their allusions to many classic myths. He denotes the figurative language that Dickinson utilizes in her poetry to relate to her themes. With these key elements inRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Snake 944 Words   |  4 Pages Upon reading and reflecting on the poem â€Å"Snake† by D.H. Lawrence, I couldn’t help but feel like the poem hearkens back to Emily Dickinson’s poems â€Å"A Narrow Fellow in the Grass† and even â€Å"A Bird, Came Down the Walk.† Like Dickinson’s poems there is a recognition of not only the beauty and majesty that is in nature but also the danger that lurks in the unknown. Lawrence’s â€Å"Snake†, like Dickinson’s poems, utilizes personification, not only to connect humankind to nature, but also to elevate the

Is Money the Most Important Thing Free Essays

Money, fame, a successful career; these are among the things many people would consider to be the most important things in life. What do you think; do you consider the factors above to be the chief things in life? First though, let us agree that regardless of the route we take, our goal in all our pursuits remain essentially the same: Happiness. The problem with most people is that in their pursuit of this state of mind, they often sacrifice too much, sometimes sacrificing even happiness itself along the way! As a result, just when they think they have finally captured the cage that should hold joy and satisfaction, such as by getting to the peak of one’s career, they soon discover that the cage is empty. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Money the Most Important Thing or any similar topic only for you Order Now How tragic! Take money or financial success for example. The extent to which money contributes to happiness is probably the most misunderstood phenomenon on earth. Now please do not take me wrong. Money is very important to have in our society. In fact the Late Jim Rohn Says it ranks right up there with oxygen. But as a result, it is highly overrated by most people. Meanwhile various researches have repeatedly proven that slightly above the poverty line, subsequent financial success contributes less and less to a person’s state of happiness. This has to be true; otherwise, why are suicide rates among wealthy people and lottery winners among the highest? Likewise those who see fame as the ultimate in life; they soon get disillusioned. Drug overdose and, yes, suicide are particularly high among very famous people. Why? Surely fame has brought them real happiness. So then what? Yes, what things are truly the most important in life? I would propose that the most important things in life are those that bring the greatest happiness to ourselves and those around us. Top on this list would be genuine love and rich relationships, such as is shared among true friends and family members. Next on my list would be a measure of good health and a good relationship with the creator, God. It goes without saying that love is the chief thing in life. What would life amount to if nobody, not even God, shows us affection? Newborn babies soon die when they are denied affection. And adults do not fare much better. We can as well say the same thing about relationships. Developing a healthy relationship with others creates interdependence, which is vital to both personal and your business growth. This is not to say that money and financial success are of no use. No. It is just that they should not be your major focus in life. And that leads us to another item on the most important things in life: wisdom. I will define wisdom as the correct application of knowledge. Wisdom is hugely important in our lives. For example, it takes wisdom to balance your personal MLM business pursuits without sacrificing vital family and other relationships. In deed, it is when we go about our pursuits in this way that we stand the chance of being happy at their attainment. On the other hand, a failure to get these factors in proper order leads so many persons to frustrations. This is because every person has a set of beliefs, or mindset which guides them as they make decisions. This mindset is often shaped by such variables as our individual experiences in life, our education and the environment where a person grew up. This mindset may either be working in our favor or against us. The difference lies in the cumulative outcome of all our decisions. Good results mean that our mindset is working, and vice versa. Bearing in mind that your decisions today will have a significant effect on how the rest of your life turns out. Would it not be better to pay greater attention to the most important things in life as you also go after your MLM success? Interestingly, most wealthy people find that once they get things in proper order, other things naturally fall into place. So enrich your life, approach things in this way. How to cite Is Money the Most Important Thing, Essay examples