Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalisation Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalisation - Essay Example The discussion mainly focuses on the ethical principles underlying social responsibility in the business world. Ultimately, this essay argues that CSR becomes more and more important as globalisation rapidly develops. Confronting the growing environmental issues in the current global marketplace, MNCs are aggressively or constructively taking part in strategic programmes towards resource management and environmental preservation. Dedication of global businesses to sustainable initiatives are motivated by several internal and external factors, such as social activism, technological improvements encouraging sustainable programmes, customer demand for ecologically friendly goods and/or services, and governments’ environmental policies (Wilson 2000). Concerns about the corporate social responsibilities have been the point of contention for decades. However, recently, a new approach towards the issue has emerged and prevailed (Lechner & Boli 2004). Both in the corporate domain and beyond it, there is far-reaching and mounting advocacy for the existing idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). ... A particular explanation for this may be the perception that global corporations are not as impregnable as they were believed to be in the past; hence, their operations can be controlled to profit society (Wilson 2000). According to Bomann-Larsen and Wiggen (2004), another explanation could be a perception that successful legal regulation of businesses whose operations reach outside national boundaries is unlikely, making self-regulation as the sole realistic, feasible option. Thus, MNCs should self-regulate in a way that promotes the wellbeing of the society and its citizens. CSR has been controversial for decades, and some aspects of the subject matter have been introduced by ethicists. This controversy has been broadened recently to encompass the practices of MNCs. Even nowadays, the long-standing issue still reverberates through the halls of international corporations across the globe: â€Å"If it is legal, does that make it ethical?† (Manakkalathil & Rudolf 1995, 29) The emphasis of the word ‘ethics’ can be related to views concerning what is moral and what is not; one description of ethics may be the explanation of what comprises human wellbeing and the actions needed to support it. The concept of ‘ethical norms’ is brought into play to characterise compliance to generally accepted moral codes (Sullivan 2002). Consequently, according to Sims (2003), these moral codes are ruled mostly by values, traditions, and behaviour that a society implements as parameters for interpersonal manners. Hence, corporate social responsibility is tantamount to societal norms and values, which then implies that MNCs should formulate objectives that are congruent to

Diversity in the Work Place Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity in the Work Place - Research Paper Example The workplace diversity is developed based on the principles of EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity). It focuses on ensuring the fact that all the employees should have an equal access to the employment opportunities and conditions. Diversity means acceptance and valuing of these differences which are inherent in each and every individual and recognition of the contribution where a diverse workforce will enhance the performance and effectiveness of the organizations. The key aspect of such workplace diversity is the contribution which is made to the organization in order to set it free from all the discriminations and harassments. Challenges in the workplace diversity Some of the challenges which concern the workplace diversity process are Cultural and language barriers The cultural and language barriers are needed to be overcome for the diversity programs to be successful. Ineffective communication might result in the lack of a proper teamwork within the organization (D'Almeida, 2007) . Resistance to change Sometimes the employees refuse to accept and adapt to changes in the cultural and social environment in their workplace. This results in a resistance to fast progress of the organization. IBM The company which has been chosen for understanding the workplace diversity and its importance within an organization is IBM. International Business Machine Corporation is one of the American multinational corporations. It’s headquarter is located in Armonk, New York. The company manufactures as well as markets computer hardware and software and also offers other services like hosting, consulting etc. in various areas ranging from the mainframe computers to the nanotechnology (IBM, 2013). It is presently employing 434,246 employees (IBM, 2012). The company was established in the year 1911 on the merger of three big companies i.e. Tabulating Machine Company, the Computing Scale Company and the International Time Recording Company (The Atlantic, 2013; IBM, 2007). IBM : Views Regarding Workplace Diversity In order to remain competitive, IBM believes that it needs an employee population which understands the markets where the company serves its products and services (IBM, 2008). The company requires an employee population uniting all the different cultures, professions, perspectives, geographical origin etc. into one global integrated enterprise (IBM, 2010). The goal of the company is an enhancement of open-mindedness, awareness, knowledge, and respect for other cultures for building a stronger working team which can foster innovation. The diversity in IBM signifies that the difference is always expected, valued and encouraged within the organization so that each and every employee can be innovative, productive and achieve full potential. The mission of the company is creating such a culture, environment and climate where the talents from various regions would be valued and maximized by the utilization of this diverse talent in various fields whic h would result in the achievement of success for the corporation.