Corporate Social Responsibility -- Internal as well as External CSR
Examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) from internal and external perspectives. Discuss the importance of CSR in advertising and critically examine some companies that may use CSR in a cynical context: for example, some companies are projecting the following attitude: Look at how ethical and community-minded we are, hence, you should buy our products because we really care more than our competitors.
Corporate Social Responsibility - Introduction
The idea of corporations becoming socially responsible and accountable to the communities in which they operate -- and to their stakeholders, including their customers -- is not a new concept. In fact, as Professor Craig Smith of the London Business School points out, the idea that businesses had "societal obligations" became "evident" back in the 19th century (Smith, 2003). In the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution British business leaders like George Cadbury (1879) and William Lever (1888) built modern factory towns so their workers wouldn't have to struggle to survive in slums (Smith, 1).
Professor Smith correctly points out that one of the drivers of CSR is the "criticism" that businesses have been receiving -- more "far-reaching than ever before" -- which is based in part on the "failure of governments" to solve social problems, and also in part on the public's uneasiness with globalization and the longer reach of corporate interests, which sometimes take on questionable ethical aspects (Smith, 6). Indeed, CSR is a powerful theme repeated constantly in today's globalized marketplace. In fact corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a key part of many company's marketing programs because, as an article in the journal Business Ethics: A European Review points out, messages about strong ethical behavior and socially responsible actions "…are likely to evoke strong and often positive reactions among stakeholders" (Morsing, et al., 2006).
There certainly are "business benefits" to be reaped when companies boldly point out their good deeds, but those deeds and messages can also "…attract critical stakeholder attention," Morsing explains on page 323. In fact, that "critical" attention given to companies that present messages to the public about their ethics and support for social change is one of the key reasons for this paper. This paper makes a clear distinction between the "business case" for CSR and the "normative case" for CSR; the normative case would include having a corporation do what's right and what is ethical, while the business case refers to the helpful public image a corporation expects to receive from CSR, whether the CSR is sincere or not.
Corporate Social Responsibility -- Advertising
Life insurance companies in Taiwan are often engaged in advertising their CSR initiatives for several reasons. For one, being socially responsible is seen as "an ethical issue in Taiwan" (Hsu, 2012). For another, life insurance companies are importantly viewed as "respecting the benefits of stakeholders" and protecting policyholder's rights; and for a third reason, the life insurance industry is seen by citizens in Taiwan as "earning abnormal profits" (Hsu, 190). Hence, CSR is "especially important" to members of the public who have high expectations for wealthy companies -- especially those seen as very wealthy (Hsu, 190).
Corporate Social Responsibility also means using advertising to support groups that are otherwise being marginalized by government. An example is the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia; a law was passed essentially banning gay relationships in public, and the outcry by not only gay and lesbian groups but by the United States, caused Olympic sponsors to use advertising to defend their interests. McDonald's, a corporate sponsor of the Olympics for 37 years, advertised that it believes "…sport is a human right and the Olympic Games should be open to all, free of discrimination, and that applies to spectators, media, and athletes" (Taylor, 2014). Since McDonald's is one of ten firms that pay $100 million each four-year cycle to be very visible at the Olympics, it was vital for the fast-food behemoth to take a stand through advertising.
Corporate Social Responsibility -- Internal Marketing - Examples
Isabel Sanchez-Hernandez and David Grayson (2012) note in their peer-reviewed piece that both "altruistic and strategic views" regarding CSR do certainly co-exist. Making smart choices vis-a-vis CSR may give a "competitive advantage" to a firm, but the authors posit that just putting out a good image to consumers and the public in general does not necessarily mean that the company is fully engaging its own employee workforce (Sanchez-Hernandez, 2012). In other words, companies extolling their virtues to the outside world (external) should also be actively engaging their employees...
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