Evaluate a Given Situation to Determine a Company’s Attitude Toward Social Responsibility.
Company Q is a small company that is slow to react to current culture. As a small company, they don’t have the large financial resources to add product lines that carry a large amount of risk the way that large grocery chains can, and have recently had to close some stores due to financial issues. Those stores are located in high-crime areas, and reportedly had poor sales. Customers for years have requested healthier and organic options – items, which if they sell well, will benefit the company, due to their high profit margins. These are items which are very commonly found at neighborhood grocery stores, and Company Q risks losing customers by not carrying the requested goods. Company Q did add the requested items, but only a small selection of items.
When asked by the local food bank for donations of items that would otherwise be thrown away, Company Q denied the request, instead preferring to throw those items away.
When Company Q has responded to requests from the community, it is either in a begrudging manner, shown by stocking only a limited amount of healthy, organic options after years of requests, or in a negative manner, by declining the request to donate excess items to those in need. In fact, the company demonstrates distrust of its employees and a lack of empathy for patrons of the food bank in justifying its response. With such an attitude, it’s not surprising that they recently have had to close a few stores – they are not acting like good corporate citizens, and it’s possible that such an attitude impacts its employees as well as its customers.
The company has an opportunity to improve its social responsibility and turn what it views as issues into positive interactions with the community. The company should consider implementing the following plans:
Customer Requests
Customers request items because they want them, and want to purchase them from a convenient location. By acknowledging the requests within a reasonable time frame (for
When asked by the local food bank for donations of items that would otherwise be thrown away, Company Q denied the request, instead preferring to throw those items away.
When Company Q has responded to requests from the community, it is either in a begrudging manner, shown by stocking only a limited amount of healthy, organic options after years of requests, or in a negative manner, by declining the request to donate excess items to those in need. In fact, the company demonstrates distrust of its employees and a lack of empathy for patrons of the food bank in justifying its response. With such an attitude, it’s not surprising that they recently have had to close a few stores – they are not acting like good corporate citizens, and it’s possible that such an attitude impacts its employees as well as its customers.
The company has an opportunity to improve its social responsibility and turn what it views as issues into positive interactions with the community. The company should consider implementing the following plans:
Customer Requests
Customers request items because they want them, and want to purchase them from a convenient location. By acknowledging the requests within a reasonable time frame (for