2. Definitions and Relationships
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the
process by which businesses negotiate their role in
society
In the business world, ethics is the study of
morally appropriate behaviors and
decisions, examining what "should be done”
Although the two are linked in most firms, CSR
activities are no guarantee of ethical behavior
3. Recent Evidence of CSR Interest
An Internet search turns up 15,000 plus
response to “corporate citizenship”
Journals increasingly “rate” businesses (and
NGOs) on socially responsive criteria:
Best place to work
Most admired
Best (and worst) corporate reputation
4. Reasons for CSR Activities
CSR activities are important to and even
expected by the public
And they are easily monitored worldwide
CSR activities help organizations hire and
retain the people they want
CSR activities contribute to business
performance
5. Maximize firm’s
profits to the
exclusion of all
else
Balance profits
and social
objectives
Do what it
takes to
make a
profit; skirt
the law; fly
below
social radar
Fight social
responsibility
initiatives
Comply;
do what
is legally
required
Integrate social
objectives and
business goals
Lead the
industry
and other
businesses
with best
practices
Do more than
required; e.g.
engage in
philanthropic
giving
Articulate
social value
objectives
Corporate Social Responsibility Continuum
6. CSR are Grounded by Opposing Objectives
(Maximize Profits to Balance Profits with Social
Responsibility) and so Activities Range Widely
Do what it takes to make a profit; skirt the law; fly below
social radar
Fight CSR initiatives
Comply with legal requirements
Do more than legally required, e.g., philanthropy
Articulate social (CSR) objectives
Integrate social objectives and business goals
Lead the industry on social objectives
7. Businesses CSR Activities
Philanthropy
give money or time or in kind to charity
Integrative philanthropy—select beneficiaries aligned
with company interests
Philanthropy will not enhance corporate reputation
if a company
fails to live up to its philanthropic image or
if consumers perceive philanthropy to be manipulative
8. Integrate CSR Globally
Incorporate values to make it part of an
articulated belief system
Act worldwide on those values
Cause-related marketing
Cause-based cross sector partnerships
Engage with stakeholders
Primary stakeholders
Secondary stakeholders
9. Business Ethics Development
The cultural context influences
organizational ethics
Top managers also influence ethics
The combined influence of culture and top
management influence organizational ethics
and ethical behaviors
10. The Evolving Context for
Ethics
From domestic where ethics are shared
To international where ethics are not shared
when companies:
Make assumptions that ethics are the same
Ethical absolutism—they adapt to us
Ethical relativism—we adapt to them
To global which requires an integrative
approach to ethics
11. Emergence of a Global
Business Ethic
Growing sense that responsibility for righting
social wrongs belongs to all organizations
Growing business need for integrative
mechanisms such as ethics
Ethics reduce operating uncertainties
Voluntary guidelines avoid government impositions
Ethical conduct is needed in an increasingly
interdependent world—everyone in the same game
Companies wish to avoid problems and/or be good
public citizens
12. Ways Companies Integrate
Ethics
Top management commitment in word and
deed
Company codes of ethics
Supply chain codes
Develop, monitor, enforce ethical behavior
Seek external assistance
13. External Assistance with Ethics
Industry or professional codes
Certification programs, e.g., ISO 9000
Adopt/follow global codes
Caux Round Table Principles
14. Reasons for Businesses to Engage
in Development of a Global Code of
Business Ethics
Create the same opportunity for all businesses if
there are common rules
Level the playing field
They are needed in an interconnected world
They reduce operating uncertainties
If businesses don’t collaborate, they may not like
what others develop
15. Four Challenges to a Global Ethic
Global rules emerge from negotiations and will
reflect values of the strong
Global rules may be viewed as an end rather than
a beginning
Rules can depress innovation and creativity
Rules are static but globalization is dynamic
