...The Socially Responsible Oil Company: An Examination of Corporate Ethics by Peter Fischer A Paper Submitted in Fulfillment of the USD School of Law Writing Requirement Energy Law Professor Burleson Spring, 2009 Table of Contents Introduction 2 Background 3 The Need for CSR at Home and Abroad 7 Case Study Analyses: Four Critical Events in the Oil Industry and their Effect on CSR Case Study #1: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 9 Case Study #2: Occidental and the Piper Alpha Disaster 12 Case Study #3: A Two-Part Analysis of Shell in the Mid-1990s a) Shell’s Human Rights Violations in Nigeria 16 b) Shell’s Response—Outsource CSR 21 Case Study #4: BP’s Major Advances in CSR 24 Ethics and the Problem of the Public Relations Quick Fix 27 Analyzing the Current Corporate Culture: Failure to Meet the Triple Bottom Line 32 Conclusion 38 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………...…………41 Introduction Over the past twenty years an irrefutable shift in the oil industry has occurred—the shift to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).[1] The purpose of this paper is to analyze the motivation behind this shift and determine if these CSR practices are genuine. In other words, does the adoption of CSR denote a tangible change in the way oil companies operate, or is it merely an elaborate public relations exercise? To answer...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility in the Oil and Gas Industry Corporate social responsibility is the concept that has been increasingly used in present day business rhetoric. Although the concept itself is relatively new, it has become widely present and today there are no major companies that do not have some kind of CSR agenda. The role of CSR in the oil and gas industry has been at the forefront of promoting the idea of CSR. The oil companies today devote attention to sensible issues related to the society and environment in which they operate. The main reason why the companies today try to behave, or at least try be seen as behaving more responsible, is that such behavior is favorable to their financial success. Hence, although they behave more responsible to some extent, it would be wrong to claim that they are more ethical and moral. This is evident from often present manipulation of CSR actions and the fact that a lot of CSR rhetoric is geared towards advertisement purposes. As some companies devote more resources to the external communication of CSR practices, this creates an image that they are more responsible. In order to get the insight into the real role of CSR in the industry, a critical analysis of the CSR strategy of Exxon is presented below. Exxon is a major global oil multinationals that have significant influence on the oil industry and is a trend and standard setter. The concept of CSR itself is divided into two main spheres – macro and micro. Former...
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...The objective of this study is to determine, from accounting perspective, the environmental consequences of the operations of oil and gas companies in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. The study was motivated by the curiosity to explain what goes on in the Niger-Delta region in the light of environmental degradation and the continuous agitation for a sustainable approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The study adopted the ex-post facto research design. Questionnaires were used to collect data from primary sources while relying on previous studies for secondary data. The Yaro Yamani sampling determination technique was applied to a sample size of 300 respondents drawn from a population of three million. Data collected were analysed...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility Practice in Australia 24 April, 2016 prepared by Executive Summary This report provides an analysis and importance of CSR reporting in mining industry, how well companies disclose social and environmental issue according to GRI guidelines. This article’s main focus is to describe trends of CSR reporting in mining companies in Australia. This article provides detailed overview of companies reporting format and structure, CSR disclosing motivation, how well company account for job losses and impact of reduction of oil price on companies. The purpose of this report is to describe CSR practice of mining companies in Australia and highlights the importance of sustainability reports regarding social and environmental perspective. This report is based on two major mining companies namely BHP Billiton and Rio Tin. The information used for writing this article is gathered from different researcher, annual reports, newspapers, and online articles, GRI guideline. Only Secondary data used to write report and study based on ASX registered companies companies in Australia are more aware of GRI reporting standards now and also know that how crucial it is to report on the sustainability issues from social and environmental perspective to have long term business and secure future. . Contents Executive Summary i Contents ii Introduction 3 Question a 3 ...
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...Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsible practices handled in the petroleum industry in Bangladesh: A case study of Shell By Delwar 2014 Dissertation submitted to Anglia Ruskin University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters Programme Abstract The research issue is that multinational organisations in the petroleum industry such as Shell and British Petroleum are being pressurised by their stakeholders to take responsibility for their business activities. In view of stakeholder pressure, companies have developed and implemented CSR policies and practices. However, the effectiveness of these CSR policies and practices is questionable as the effects of companies activities have negatively impacted the lives of their stakeholders and continue to do so (Amao, 2013). There is extensive research being carried out on understanding the effectiveness of multinationals CSR practices as there exists a wide gap between what companies are saying and what they are actually doing. Practising CSR makes companies responsible for looking after the needs of their stakeholders, makes companies take steps to protect the environment, improve people's livelihoods, motivates employees and increases organisations' effectiveness and efficiency. Multinational state they are practising CSR. Yet their activities have caused much harm to stakeholders. Shell's activities in Nigeria have caused severe health risk to families’ drinking water...
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...The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has identified alarming levels of growth in urbanization and consumption in a new report, and describes the crucial role of business in the transition to sustainability. According to the report, "Business and Development: Challenges and Opportunities in a Rapidly Changing World," published this month by WBCSD, "the world is experiencing a historic shift of economic and political power from the traditional base of industrialized countries to the emerging economies." As the report points out, by 2050, three of the four largest economies -- China, India, and Brazil -- will be those of countries now described as developing. As development in those and other countries intensifies, their populations will become increasingly urban. By 2050, when the world's population is expected to be about 9 billion, 70 percent of the world's population will live in urban environments, with the great majority living in cities in developing countries. "Urbanization is happening fast," the report observes, "And most of it is being poorly managed, putting hundreds of millions of the urban poor in harm's way." As the economic emergence of developing countries continues, global consumption patterns will become increasingly critical. "Global consumption patterns and trends are putting unsustainable and increasing stress on the Earth's ecosystems, the supply of material resources needed for industrial growth, and human social systems...
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...often than not, has been due to either the failure of these corporations to be corporately and socially responsible for the development of the communities their establishments are, or due to the non-responsiveness to the plights of these local communities as a result of such corporations’ activities. The oil and gas sector has been among the leading industries in championing corporate social responsibility (CSR), and companies from this sector have been at the centre of CSR development. Oil companies attach greater importance to their social and environmental impact and they engage more with local communities than they used to in the past. With increasing expectations placed on these companies, the question then arises as to whether CSR has been effective in fulfilling all the demands of these communities and the need to evolve new and more unique strategies to gain the trust of members of their host communities. This dissertation aims to determine: a. The effect of oil company operations in their respective environment; b. The need for corporate social responsibility as a measure to aid development in neighbouring communities; c. Corporate social responsibilities of oil companies operating in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta region; and d. The degree of responsibility expected by the inhabitants vis-à-vis expected international standards and what obtains in developed countries. The first chapter deals on different approaches to corporate social...
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...**Shashank ***Shivdeep Singh Introduction: - Today, businesses are expected to extend their attention beyond stockholders, customers and employees to include other stakeholders such as the community and environment. The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) emerged expectations and consists of transparent organizational management; careful consideration of the global environment, human rights, employment and in particular, compliance with ordinances, regulations, and laws.CSR can lead to more sustainable corporations by encouraging good relationships with society. it is not easy for all to achieve the required level of CSR. Establishing CSR is not a simple task, nor is it free from risks and problems. CSR requires support not only from shareholders and investors but also from customers, employees, and communities. Salman Khurshid, Minister of state for corporate Affairs, Government of India, made his standpoint on CSR very clear. Mr.Khurshid said that CSR should be quantifiable like carbon credits as corporate cannot behave irresponsibly in social responsibility and should act in, “enlightened self interest”. The ministry review of CSR projects to ensure that the funds are used in the genuine progress of society. CSR projects include encouragement of literacy and higher education ,grant of scholarship and aid to deserving young pupils of less privileged sections of society ,facilities for constructing schools, renovation of school buildings and other infrastructure .Besides...
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...Ethical Responsibility with Oil Companies Lisa Dauwen National American University Abstract There are processes that oil companies need to go through to make sure that they are operating ethically. They include protecting the environment, researching alternative sustainable energies, and making sure that they are allowing for economic growth. This paper will look at 3 oil companies that are familiar to the United States. The paper will also look at the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill and look at any ethical concerns. It will discuss how an oil company can follow corporate social responsibility (CSR) tools to lessen their environmental footprint. Ethical Responsibility with Oil Companies All companies in the world have the responsibility to operate in a manner that follows the laws of the government. All of these companies also have a social responsibility to follow ethical laws. Along with all the other types of companies, oil companies have the social responsibilities to protect the environment, to research sustainable energies, to safely explore and produce in new areas, and they also have responsibility of fostering economic growth. It is important for oil companies, perhaps more important than other companies, to hold up to these social responsibilities because if they don’t find new ways to produce energy, future generations could run out. There has been much talk in the last few months regarding oil companies and if they are being ethical when making decisions...
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...Vu, V. (2013) Promoting the Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Standards to Ensure Sustainable Development of Textile Enterprises in Vietnam http://www.ietecconference.com/ietec13/conferenceproceedings2013/papers/Wendesday/WP3/WP3.5_submission_117.pdf Implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) is one of the requirements that enterprises need to observe to ensure green growth towards sustainable development. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been conventionally defined as a voluntary humane activity in solving social and charitable problems. Recently, however, there is a new school that advocates strong intervention by the state and society, including the need for legislation to strengthen the CSR of enterprises, instead of leaving it to their individual discretion. “Sustainable development (SD) is the development of using available natural resources and environmental conditions not only to meet the needs of human beings but also to ensure the necessary environmental and resource conditions for future generations so that they can live better" [WCED, 1987]. The sustainable development of a society is judged by certain criteria in all three aspects: the economy, society and environment and natural resources. These criteria are different in countries which have different levels of development. In general, however, in order to obtain sustainable development, they must balance all three objectives: the economy, society and...
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...To what extent is CSR beneficial to a company’s performance? Corporate social responsibilities (CSR) and its influences on business success has been a controversial topic over the last few decades but it is not until 1988 was CSR officially stated in the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (Foote, Gaffney & Evans, 2010). Proponents point out that socially-responsible company will be more likely to be financially successful, while critics contend that CSR is contradictory to the most innate characteristic of business, which is to strive for profit. In fact, there are numerous approaches to CSR, but the term is generally defined as the sustained commitment to pursue business growth ethically while generating comprehensive improvement on the living standard of society (Holme & Watts, 2000). This paper is going to uncover the impact of CSR on business performance by examining its potential benefits on sustainability, revenue generation and feasibility for corporations in various scales. First of all, implementation of CSR tends to make the company more sustainable. According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, “CSR contributes to the long-term prosperity of companies and ultimately its survival” (Holme & Watts, 2000, p.3). For example, Toyota, being one of the world’s leading car producers, has committed to environmental responsibility in many areas. In particular, having anticipated the finite nature of fossil fuels and with the...
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...Case studies - CSR in Pakistani perspective A selection of companies based on as a sample on various industries of Pakistan. 1. Citizen-Police Liaison Committee ( CPLC) 2. National Refinery Limited 3. Pakistan Petroleum Limited 4. Shell Pakistan 5. Pakistan State Oil (PSO) 6. Pak-Arab Refinery Company Limited 7. Sui Southern Gas Company ( SSGC) 8. Askari Commercial Bank Limited 9. Khadam Ali Shah Bukahari (KASB) Securities 10. The Bank of Punjab 11. First Woman Bank Limited ( FWBL) 12. Dollar East Exchange Company (PVT) Limited 13. Cresent Steel and Allied product Limited ( CSAPL) 14. ICI Pakistan Limited 15. Engro Chemical Pakistan Limited 16. Soccer Ball industry of Pakistan 17. Unilever Pakistan limited 18. National Foods Pakistan Limited 19. Proctor and Gamble Pakistan 20. Geo TV Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC): CPLC is a joint venture of the private and the public sectors. The few concerned and compassionate citizens, initiated in 1989 to establish the CPLC, which is over the period, become an important component of police system in Karachi. Rooted in the business community and dependent largely on private donations and on the volunteer work of business community. It conduct crime analysis, plays an important role in the investigation of kidnappings, and provides a range of police related services directly to poor and rich alike without any discrimination.[1] So in this way CSR motivate citizen to support police in fighting crime, after...
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...practices» of corporate social responsibility initiatives and sustainable development measures. Corporate social initiatives slightly vary as companies operate in different industries. Introduction of the Royal Dutch Shell Corporation. According to the words of CEO Peter Voser who introduce sustainability report of 2010 year the aim of the business is to heel meet the energy needs of society in ways that are economically environmentally and socially responsible. These goals are directly projected to all plans and affiliates which are scattered in 90 countries with 93000 employees. The structure of the Shell group is divided by three main branches: 1. Upstream, 2. Downstream, 3. Projects and technology. Upstream consists of two companies: Upstream International and Upstream American which are responsible for searching and discovering new oil and gas, extracting oil from oil sands for conversion into synthetic crudes. Wind power is part of activities of Upstream. Upstream International coordinates sustainable development policies and social performance across the company. Downstream manufactures, supplies and markets oil products and chemicals worldwide. Supply and manufacturing business consists of refineries, supply and distribution of feedstock and products. Downstream trades crude oil, oil products and petrochemicals primarily to optimize feedstock for all manufacturing activities. At the same time business also includes activities in biofuels. Project...
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...CALL FOR PAPERS Special issue on “Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in controversial industry sectors” The deadline for submission is December 1, 2011. Guest editors: Adam Lindgreen (Cardiff Business School), Martin Hingley (Harper Adams University College), and Jon Reast (Hull Business School) Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained unprecedented prominence in academic and business spheres alike (Kotler and Lee, 2005; McWilliams, Siegel, and Wright, 2006); more than ever before, it is necessary for organizations to define their roles in society and apply social, environmental, ethical, and responsible standards to their businesses (Lichtenstein, Drumwright, and Braig, 2004; Lindgreen, Swaen, and Johnston, 2009). Beyond the moral arguments and value-based debates that characterize the complex landscapes of CSR-related concepts and ideas (Garriga and Melé, 2004), corporate commitment to socially responsible management practices is associated with a conviction that the failure to meet basic social rules or expectations pertaining to the way organizations should behave can result in perceptions of those organizations as illegitimate (Campbell, 2007; Sethi, 1975). Increased engagement in CSR-related policies and initiatives, and the associated communicative efforts, therefore provide a way for organizations to circumvent situations and practices that might be perceived as unethical or unsustainable and “alienate the organization from the rest of society, resulting...
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...(company analysis – same format as Company Report; company will be from the aviation industry) – worth 50 marks All three sections will require you to draw on your knowledge in relation to the main themes taught throughout the semester. SECTION A NOTES 2. CSR & SUSTAINABILITY * Business’s are a key player in society change agents (force for good or evil) * Changing nature of society has brought with it changing attidutes * The role of business in society (GFC) * Responsibility to society and the environment (climate, resources, CSR & S) * Corporate Social Responsibility Continuum * CSR Reluctance * CSR Grasp * CSR Embedment (integrate social objectives w/ bus goals; balance social & eco profits) * Definition of CSR * Notion that corporations have a obligation to society to take into account not just their economic impact, but also their social and environmental impact * Five dimensions of CSR * Environmental, Social, Economic, Stakeholders, Voluntariness (ESESV) * Align with triple bottom line of economic, environmental and social goals. * The Challenge * Energy industry has allowed economic progress, provides power, heat, light and is the oxygen of the economy. * However people also see energy industry as exploiting natural resources/harmful to environment * Global oil demand for OECD countries currently above 40million barrels per day, whilst non-OECD...
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