Essay Example on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Reducing Carbon Footprints, Improving Labor Policies & More

Introduction

CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility, is defined as a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders. CSR aims to ensure that all companies and organizations ethically conduct themselves. Examples of this would be, reducing carbon footprints, improving labor policies, and embracing fair trade, engaging in various charitable efforts in the community, and changing corporate policies to benefit the environment.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Paradigm Toys is a publicly held company that is a retailer and manufacturer of children’s toys. To solidify a CSR, Paradigm Toys needs to identify its stakeholders. There are two types of stakeholders; primary and secondary. Primary stakeholders are people who affect and are affected directly by the company or business (Trevino & Nelson, 2014). Secondary stakeholders are people who can influence and are affected indirectly by the company or industry (Trevino & Nelson, 2014). In regards to Paradigm Toys, their primary stakeholders are their employees and the individuals that purchase toys from them. Their secondary stakeholders would be competing businesses and the local/national lawmakers.

For Paradigm Toys to effectively meet their CSR for their primary and secondary stakeholder, they should do two things. One sure-fire way to ensure CSR to their primary stakeholders would be to provide a living wage and work/life balance for all employees. When employees don’t have to focus on how their bills will be paid and if they have enough money for groceries, they can focus more on effectively and efficiently doing their job (Shen & Benson, 2016). The Board of Directors should also look into incorporating different incentives that employees could earn that would help promote the work/life balance. For example, employees could potentially receive a free family pack to a local amusement park or gift cards to a local grocery store. It’s a win-win for both parties. Also, ensuring that the employees are paid well almost guarantees that money will be placed back into and will circulate the community. To provide CSR to secondary stakeholders, Paradigm Toys should ensure that they have strong and positive communication with the local and national lawmakers that could impact their business. They should identify ways to work with and be in cooperation with the lawmakers to ensure that no decisions are made that could negatively impact the business.

Ethical Culture and Audit of Ethics

The ethical culture of an organization is created through the interplay between formal organizational systems and informal corporate systems (Trevino & Nelson, 2014). An organization needs to develop an ethical culture. The ethical culture is the basis in which decisions are made. It is the place in which the standards of behaviors are formed and where the reputation of the company is built.

As the business manager for Paradigm Toys, support for an ethical culture can be provided both directly and indirectly. Instantly, the business manager, along with the board of directors, can create and implement policies and guidelines that support the ethical culture and values that they want to have represented their company. Indirectly, they can simply lead by example. As my mother would always say, “allow your actions to introduce you.” The culture and ethics of this business should be evident by interacting with anyone that is associated with it. The business manager and board of directors should incorporate the ethics and values of the company into their everyday life.

An ethics audit is very similar to that of a financial or general operational audit. The process involves employee interviews, reviews of records, and other pertinent information and often, in-person observations. The purpose of an ethics audit is to ensure that the company is still running and operating on the same ethical and value system in which it was started. Over time, especially with a growing company, people can become lackadaisical and begin to do things to their Raiding leaders, from teachers and principals to directors and superintendents. While working as a Behavioral Interventionist with the Raytown School District, I was able to work under the direction of Dr. Jane Ellsworth. Dr. Jane had been the Director of Student Support Services for over 15 years. She had created a reputation for herself, to be honest, and compassionate. In this position, she was in charge of creating all disciplinary procedures and consequences for the entire school district. At times, this was extremely difficult to uphold. Each student situation came with unique details that could alter Dr. Jane’s set procedure. However, she always remained honest and compassionate.

Deontological and Consequentialism Perspective

As I’ve grown to understand, perspective changes everything. Mainly, I will explore the aspects of deontological and consequentiality. Deontological and Consequentialism theories are two of the main elements of ethics. However, the deontological perspective focuses on judging the actions themselves, while Consequentialism focuses on the moral worth of the result of the work. Thinking about the sales representative from the medical device manufacturer, comparing the two perspectives, I would say the manager operated under the consequentiality perspective (Shen & Benson, 2016). Being concerned about the possible side effects and how they had serious potential to harm customers, the manager, morally, couldn’t allow that to happen. The manager was focused on the results and not necessarily the individual actions leading to the outcome. Yes, the manager signed a nondisclosure agreement, and yes, this has only affected a small percentage of customers.

However, the manager focused on the results instead. Continuing to prescribe patients with this knee joint; knowing that it has destructive potential, is merely increasing the chances of more patients to become serious if not lethally infected. Deontologist’s place more significant concern on following rules, fulfilling obligations and maintaining their duties, and they would be less likely to create a scenario where they went against set laws, regulations, and societal norms (Trevino & Nelson, 2014). If the sales representative had operated in this perspective, he/she would have had no concern about the effects the defected knee joint would have on its customers. He/she would only be focused on the fact that a non-disclosure form and it would be against the rules to share this information with present/future patients.

Cognitive moral development has three levels; preconvention, conventional, and post-conventional. Below are a series of questions that we will explore concerning the scenario discussed above. We will examine each item and determine which level of cognitive moral development is represented.

• Which action would most likely serve the greater good in society?

The sales representative’s concern about the patients’ well-being proved that he/she operated in the post-conventional level of cognitive moral development. The sales rep was willing to go outside of the rules and against a sign non-disclosure form to ensure that the patients were aware of the potentially lethal side effects.

• If I reveal this information, will I get into trouble and possibly even lose my job?

The non-disclosure form weighed heavily on the mind of this sales representative. I’m sure he/she ran through all of the different scenarios that could play out if anyone knew that the information about the knee joints had been leaked. However, knowing that people could die from these knee joints caused great concern. Bending the rules and going outside of the signed form could lead to him/her losing their job. Thinking about this is evidence of the preconvention level of cognitive moral development.

• Which action best aligns with my long-held belief in the principle of justice?

This is very similar to the first question. The sales rep was far more concerned with the wellbeing of the knee joint recipients. That’s what best aligned with his/her long-held belief in the principle of justice. This, too, would be evidence of the post-conventional level of cognitive moral development.

• What do the laws say, and what would a law-abiding citizen do?

I’m sure this sales rep wrestled with this decision for a while, going back and forth with himself about why he should and shouldn’t share this information with patients. The struggle probably fell somewhere around, “who should I be loyal to?” The sales rep signed a non-disclosure form with his/her job, the place that provides the finances, and supports his/her livelihood. However, how could he/she ever be at peace, knowing that the company is offering a product that could potentially lead to death? This thought process is evident in the current level of cognitive moral development.

• If I keep quiet, will I get some sort of reward?

This is usually a thought that pops up before the ultimate decision is made. This is the phase were options are weighed. The sales representatives didn’t necessarily have a reward for thinking about. However, his/her paycheck, benefits, and insurance were on the line. Risking these things could have a significant impact on the sales representative's personal life. This type of contemplation is evident in the pre-convention of moral development.

Ethical Lens Inventory Reflection

Taking quizzes such as the Ethical Lens Inventory is always very helpful in the discovery way I think and act the way that I do. The results of the examination show that my preferred ethical lens is “sensibility” with no preference between “autonomy” and “equality.” Based on these results, it states that I listen to my intuition and feelings to determine the highest good for myself and others and to determine what virtues I should develop to demonstrate ethical excellence in the community. I whole-heartedly agree with this. I am genuinely led by my heart and how my decisions with effect, not only me but those around me. For the most part, I do believe that I operate within the same ethical lens, no matter the environment. The only caveat to that would be when my spirit or vibe just doesn’t agree with someone. Because I lead with my heart, I’m usually in tune with other intentions- when they don’t feel right, I flee.

Based on the Ethical Lens Inventory, my primary values are the same as my preferred ethical lens; sensibility and no preference between autonomy and equality. As mentioned before, my sensitivity allows me to listen and be led by my intuition and feelings. My classical virtues are temperance and fortitude, meaning that I am moderate and self-restrained while bearing hardship and uncertainty with courage.

Completing the Clarifying Your Values activity from the text was probably one of the hardest assignments I’ve received yet. It was challenging to choose a top five, as so many values were essential to me. Reluctantly, my high five costs are Family Well-being, Humility, Compassion, Creativity, and Loyalty. As stated before, this was a tough choice. However, I do believe these 5 cover my value system. Focusing on my primary values of sensibility and autonomy concerning my classical virtue of temperance and comparing them to my clarified values, I seem to be pretty even across the board. Sensitivity allows me to think with my heart and intuition, which is the foundation of my loyalty, humility, compassion, and family well-being. My value of autonomy allows me to not only think about myself, but others around me connect with my clarified values of loyalty, humility, compassion, and family well-being as well.