Corporate
Responsibility
Chelsea Hulse
David Furjanic
Naomi Gunawardena
Introduction
 Corporate responsibility – the ethics of a business
 Business definition
 Responsibility to the government and to general public
 Go beyond requirements of regulators and
environmental groups
 Many groups monitor corporate responsibility
 Social, economic, and environmental issues
Introduction (cont.)
 Green practices – increasing efficiency of resource
use; reducing impact on environment
 Environment is one of the main focuses of corporate
responsibility
 As consumers become more environmentally aware,
businesses are working to become “greener” –
responsibility
 Waste reduction and recycling, green building, energy
and water conservation, use of green power, pollution
prevention, etc.
Background
 Term “corporate social responsibility” originated in
1970’s
 Focus on corporate responsibility is still a relatively
new area, but becoming “mainstream”
 It has become a “multi-billion dollar public relations
specialty” (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Corporate_Social_Responsibility)
Background (cont.)
 Corporate responsibility reports for selected
companies (2008):
 Walt Disney Company
 Starbucks Coffee Corporation
 IBM
 Coca-Cola Company
Benefits for the Business

Reduces resource use, waste and emissions: helps environment and
saves money

Good reputation: easier to recruit customers and employees.

Helps the business comply with regulatory requirements.

Involvement with the local community generate positive press
coverage.

Good relationships with local authorities make doing business easier.

Understanding the wider impact of the business can help it develop
new products and services.
Benefits for Us
 Builds trust between
companies and
stockholders, which is
good for the market
 The environment is
protected
 Consumers can express
their views by choosing
a company that has
“green practices”
Blackle is an example of a green
practice. This black version of Google
saves energy every time you use it!
Cons
 Sometimes purely a
marketing strategy
 CSR not legally enforceable
 Corporate citizenship vs.
CSR
 Fraud
Opinions
 Good initiative but needs right motives
 Is it manager’s duty?
Sources

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/cca/lowres/ccan154l.jpg

http://www.delegatesource.com/images/corporate-social-responsibility.gif

http://crs.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/34/1/51

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-corporate-responsibility.htm

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corp-social-responsibility.asp?&viewed=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility

http://dictionary.bnet.com

Eds. Kakabadse, Andrew and Mette Morsing. Corporate Social Responsibility. New
York: Palgrave, 2006.

Orsato, Renato J. Sustainability Strategies. New York: Palgrave, 2009.