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JA2. CSR

Statement

Please read the reading materials from Chapter 2 of the Corporate Social Responsibility textbook. Based on what you have learned in this unit, answer the following questions:

  1. Are there companies you can name whose social responsibility actions you admire and trust? What do they do that inspires you?
  2. Are there companies you can name whose social responsibility actions you would not trust, or even doubt? Which companies are they, and why do they fail to convince you?
  3. Would you like to work in the field of corporate social responsibility? Why or why not?

Answer

CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility is an interesting concept; it is a double-edged sword; good companies can use it to really provide value to their society and get a good reputation as a side effect. However, bad companies can use it to prompt a positive image while covering up some damage that is being done to the environment or society itself.

I trust and admire companies that have CSR programs targeting mental health, poverty, and education. I think that such causes are very important and have a real effect on their recipients; also, there are little things to cover as such programs usually are done in collaboration with non-profit or government organizations, and then information from these organizations can be cross-referenced to verify the company’s claims.

Bank of England is an example of a company that I trust; their CSR mentioned various activities, covering staff wellbeing, environment and sustainability, community, and education. The policy that I most like is that they choose some schools every year and run educational programs to teach students about the economy and hiring skills; another policy is to sponsor some charities financially and through their media channels for two years (BankOfEngland, 2021). Google is another company that I admire its policy of inclusivity where all people from all backgrounds are welcome to work and have equal opportunities (DMI, 2024).

I do not trust companies that have CSR programs targeting environmental issues. I think environmental issues are very important, but the scientific community has few measures to verify such claims; also, policies that save the environment should be forced by legislation and they should be mandatory, not optional so that companies can brag about them. Greenwashing is usually associated with such companies, for the public not to be confused with these claims, I think that these claims should be banned completely until the science is more confident about them.

ExxonMobil is an example of a company that I do not trust; they have a CSR program that claims to be environmentally friendly, but they are still one of the biggest contributors to climate change. In 2020, the CEO of the company announced 2025’s policy that aims to conform with the Paris Agreement, and the company did a campaign around that; but, (ClientEarth, 2021) claims that that campaign was full of greenwashing claims, and the company fell short on most of the Paris Agreement’s goals. Another example provided by (Jimenez & Pulos, 2016) is that the Netherlands does not allow car companies to claim that their cars are environmentally friendly, as the public believes that a car can NOT be eco-friendly.

To conclude, I would like to work in the field of CSR because it is a double win if executed correctly; I like the fact that you can provide good to the society and the company at the same time, despite the mental image that corporations are just in to suck money from the society. I participated in one at my current company; we run a couple of sessions in a boot camp that teaches people from devastated backgrounds how to code and get a job in the tech industry. I found it very rewarding, as the company got some good hires and also helped people in need.

References

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