Companies' CSR Contributions: Philanthropy, Sustainability, and More - Essay Sample

Introduction

Corporate social and environmental responsibility has been for a long time practiced by different companies to make significant contributions and improvement of the well-being of the communities, and more particularly, the society in which they operate. Research has established that most companies have adopted a multifaceted approach where they focus on philanthropy, environmental sustainability, and pursuit of shared value (Rangan, Chase, & Karim, 2015). Also, most companies that have been gearing towards the adoption of a broad vision of CSR have continued to face different challenges ranging from coordination to the logic connection of their programs. Further, evidence has revealed that most CSR programs are always run without proper coordination, and worse still without the involvement of the CEO (Rangan et al., 2015). CSR activities are often divided into three theaters, that is, focusing on philanthropy, improving the company's operational effectiveness, and transforming the business model.

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In developing a unified practice platform, different companies, through their management, have strived to bring coherence in the existing portfolio. Companies that are focused on coordinating established portfolios should always start with step one of the four-step process that has been developed (Rangan et al., 2015). Research has shown that aligning the CSR programs with different theaters will be integral in addressing the social and environmental challenges faced by the companies (Rangan et al., 2015). Additionally, the development of an interdisciplinary CSR strategy has proved to be beneficial for the company and the community in general as it helps in integrating different initiatives across all theaters.

Companies, while embracing a broad vision of CSR, should focus on improving coordination and logic connection of their CSR programs by encouraging internal managers to engage CEOs. This would ensure that the programs are aligned with the companies' purpose and values.

Developing coherent CSR strategies is instrumental in ensuring that the social and environmental system that exists where the company operates is positively impacted. Also, bringing coherence to the existing CSR programs will undoubtedly help in addressing social and environmental challenges faced by the company in preserving its identity, purpose, and values.

Establishing a well-coordinated interdisciplinary CSR strategy is instrumental to the company as it guarantees success. Further, the integration of different initiatives across all theaters will help in reinforcing the communication ad alignment of the programs.

While working in a certain reputable company, different CSR programs were developed to ensure that the well-being of the community in which the company operates is promoted. The manager in my department was involved in developing different CSR strategies, where he strived to incorporate CSR into the business model of the company. This integration faced different challenges as it created a diversion from the main goal of CSR. The challenges were attributed to my manager's inability to ensure that the CEO is actively engaged to guarantee proper coordination of the programs. Also, the company failed to ensure that the social impact of its activities on the community is gauged to ensure that necessary improvement is pursued to result in maximum benefit to the community. More critically, the management became less focused on aligning the company's activities with its purpose and values, and this negatively impacted the social goal pursued by the company.

Reference

Rangan, K., Chase, L., & Karim, S. (2015). The truth about CSR. Harvard Business Review, 93(1/2), 40-49.