ethics
THE MORAL APPROACH TO CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Introduction
Today globalization and highly competitive marketplace are forcing companies to employ new strategies and tactics so that they can satisfy the new demands of 21st century consumers. It is not enough for a company to offer the best product or provide the best service. In addition to that, human ambition has led to different problems: from increased pollution and global warming, to false advertising and scamming, to income inequality, and many more alike.
Such issues increase concern, and the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility becomes imperative. It is not only about abiding by the law, but also about positively influencing the people. Corporate social responsibility is sometimes a selfless act: the act of doing good without expecting anything in return; it is about being a responsible citizen and being aware of the negative consequences of a negative action.
However, despite having positive meaning, there are many opponents to the idea of companies engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility. Moreover, there is moral and immoral approach to Corporate social responsibility. In this report, both approaches will be compared, highlighting the moral approach to Corporate social responsibility.
Ethics Theories and Corporate Social Responsibility
So many practices and actions can fall under Corporate social responsibility, but they all can be categorized into two – “the musts” and “the electives”. A business must be honest and truthful in regards to disclosing information to public, it must be unbiased and just in relations to its employees, it must be responsible in regards to preserving the environment, it must take corrective actions if a mistake is made, and so forth. At the same time, it can choose to engage in philanthropy (giving away money to charities), it can choose to engage in volunteering activities, contribute in government campaigns, and aid in overall prosperity of
Introduction
Today globalization and highly competitive marketplace are forcing companies to employ new strategies and tactics so that they can satisfy the new demands of 21st century consumers. It is not enough for a company to offer the best product or provide the best service. In addition to that, human ambition has led to different problems: from increased pollution and global warming, to false advertising and scamming, to income inequality, and many more alike.
Such issues increase concern, and the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility becomes imperative. It is not only about abiding by the law, but also about positively influencing the people. Corporate social responsibility is sometimes a selfless act: the act of doing good without expecting anything in return; it is about being a responsible citizen and being aware of the negative consequences of a negative action.
However, despite having positive meaning, there are many opponents to the idea of companies engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility. Moreover, there is moral and immoral approach to Corporate social responsibility. In this report, both approaches will be compared, highlighting the moral approach to Corporate social responsibility.
Ethics Theories and Corporate Social Responsibility
So many practices and actions can fall under Corporate social responsibility, but they all can be categorized into two – “the musts” and “the electives”. A business must be honest and truthful in regards to disclosing information to public, it must be unbiased and just in relations to its employees, it must be responsible in regards to preserving the environment, it must take corrective actions if a mistake is made, and so forth. At the same time, it can choose to engage in philanthropy (giving away money to charities), it can choose to engage in volunteering activities, contribute in government campaigns, and aid in overall prosperity of
Bibliography: Carroll, Annie (1991), The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility: Toward the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders, Business Horizons Elisabet Garriga and Dome`nec Mele´ (2004), Corporate Social Responsibility Theories: Mapping the Territory, Journal of Business Ethics 53: 51–71, 2004 Mendes, Errol (2007), The Moral Argument against the Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Call for a New Moral and Spiritual Approach http://www.ucalgary.ca/christchair/files/christchair/Mendes-detailed-paper.pdf Semeniuk, Joanna (2012), The alignment of morality and profitability in corporate social responsibility, Journal of Philosophy, ESJP no. 2, 2012 Wikipedia (2013), Corporate social responsibility, viewed in May 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility