دانلود رایگان مقاله مدیریت مسئولیت اجتماعی شرکت ها در چین

THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CHALLENGE

Companies from Coco Cola to Apple to Wal-Mart and GE have come under pressure from concerned stakeholders to improve their overall concern forthe environment. These stakeholders are demanding that global corporations develop policies that improve their community impactin all operations. Many global corporations have traditionally strived for profit maximization as the sole goal to compete with rivals. At times, this was achieved atthe expense ofthe society and environment.In the early 1990s, Shell sank an obsolete oil rig, its 14,500 ton Brent Spar, in the North Sea to save money. Greenpeace took action against Shell stating that the ocean is not a dumping ground. Spontaneous protest in support of Greenpeace broke out across Europe and some Shell stations reported a 50% loss of sales. Nike, Adidas, Prada, Timberland, among others, allegedly profited from abusive and low-cost labor practices of its Asian suppliers. It is believed that Tian Fulei died recently at Pegatron’sfactory, a majorsupplier of Apple,in Shanghaifrom overwork. These events triggered protests from green campaigners and social activists. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has since become a focal topic of discussion in social media, academic publications, and corporate boardrooms. Apple, Caterpillar, Louis Vuitton, Jordan and other global corporations are under increasing pressure from the international, national, and local communities to take responsibility to addresssuch problems as gas emission, water pollution,long working hours, work safety, and low wages. CSR has become a daunting challenge to global corporations, especially those that have operations in China. We analyze several strategic options for global corporations to deal with the challenge in China. First,we reviewthe majorCSRissuesthey face inChina. Second, we explain the shift from an ethical to a strategic approach to CSR. Third, we discuss three approaches to addressing CSR issues in China.

CONCLUSION

What actions should executives undertake to advance this strategic shift? First, they need establish a CSR culture. Unless top managers send a clear message to what behaviors are acceptable and what behaviors should be prohibited, employees can easily misinterpret what the organization values. As exemplified by Paul Mak at Mary Kay, executives need to make CSR part of the corporate culture. Rituals and ceremonies are celebrated for planting trees and educating women. Second, executives need to establish formal CSR practices. These practices should include procedures and policies that explicitly define responsible employee behavior. They guide employee’s day-to-day behaviors. Johnson and Johnson, IBM and Citigroup, for example, have developed CSR practices that apply globally. At Citigroup, a single code of ethics applies to all of its employees. It is referred to as a ‘Code of Conduct’ and covers such practice as fiduciary responsibility, dignity, fairness, and citizenship. As shown in the case of McDonald’s, these CSR practices should take into account both international and local requirements. Third, executives need to include CSR as a criterion in performance evaluations. People do what gets rewarded. Shell, Coca Cola and other leading global corporations have issued annual CSR reports to expose their CSR performance to public evaluation. This may also include an ‘Open Day’ to allow relevant stakeholders and the general public to visit the company and comment on its CSR performance. Most importantly, executives need to strategically integrate environmental, social and governance issues into their core business. Wokal incorporates CSR into its core businessin China. It provides loans to assist micro-entrepreneurs in establishing small business to diminish poverty.