...“We are one team” – H&M Executive Summary Sitting on top as the 3rd largest fast fashion producer in the world, H&M has enjoyed a spectacular 10% growth in the last five years. With its 600 million garments produced every year, H&M is a large player in the race to becoming a sustainable fashion house. After embracing sustainability at large in the last decade, H&M has made significant changes internally towards adopting and embedding sustainability into all their operations and value chain – but it’s still a work in progress. H&M’s CSR initiatives have a strong track record and involve various stages and stakeholders of its value chain, including their design team, suppliers of raw materials and fibers, as well as customers. Some of these renowned initiatives include the Better Cotton Initiative, the Conscious Collection, the Fashion Against AIDS collection and the Garment Collecting Initiative to name a few. All which have in common the involvement of different stakeholders, from suppliers to customers and designers. In this context, our challenge was to find what more can H&M do? Where and how should value be created, and which opportunity would create the most value for H&M and its stakeholder, all while increasing the company’s triple bottom line. The company’s core values, its strong customer focus and its business vision to provide customers with “fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way”, has driven many of H&M’s...
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...management issues1 Identification of management issues2 rationalisation behind unethical behaviour2 corporate governance and social responsibility2 recommendations3 Implementation of recommendations3 references4 1.0 BACKGROUND The purpose of this case study is to identify the management issues of Satyam Computer Services Limited’s, former chairman Ramalinga Raju when he admitted to corporate fraud in 2009, and how these issues could be addressed. Satyam Computer Services Limited, (now known as Mahindra Satyam) is a “leading global information communications and technology company”. (Anon., n.d.) It is a part of the “US $15.4 billion dollar Mahindra group, a global industrial federation of companies of the top 10 business houses based in India”. (Anon., n.d., p. 1; Anon., n.d.)). 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT ISSUES “India’s corporate community experienced a significant shock in January 2009 with damaging revelations about board failure and colossal fraud in the financials of Satyam.” (Afsharipour, 2010)Ramalinga Raju and the CFO of the company were charged with “conspiracy, cheating and falsifying records. Raju was also allegedly using salary payments to fabricated employees, in order to steal money from the company.” (Anon., n.d.) This case study will explore the unethical behaviours of Ramalinga Raju, but also how ethical standards and social responsibility factors in with Satyam’s Computer Services Limited’s own management issues, which would have also contributed...
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...t Malaysian-based Company (Maybank) Introduction / Objective of the term paper Company Background Maybank, a government-linked company (GLC). is the largest bank in Malaysia with more than 380 domestic and 90 international branches. In Maybank, the unionised Special Grade Clerks performs these functions: • receiving and paying of cash items within designated authority • signing of internal vouchers • checking and verifying all activities of tellers • dual control of ATM • control and release of checkbooks, PIN, bank drafts, bankers cheques etc. If one analyses the job function / authority and responsibility of the unionised Special Grade Clerk, one would note that a lot of the functions of some Unionised employees in some banks are much superior to the said officers. Non-clerical - Position hold above trainee officer, bank officers (in-charge banking hall) and etc. It was reported of estimated 4,605 or 61% of Maybank employees in the clerical and non-clerical category were NUBE members and some of them decided to form an in-house union called Maybank Non-Executive Union (Mayneu). Organizational Behavior issues identified ✓ Biasness in Performance Bonus Maybank and the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) had been in dispute over the alleged lack of or insufficient performance bonuses provided to lower-level employees. The dispute had been ongoing since 2009. NUBE claims that the bank did not provide a fair...
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...Ethics MGT 498 November, 2012 Ethics Edward O Wilson, an American biologist and theorist proposed that in the end, success or failure will come down to an ethical decision; one on which those now will be judged for generations to come (ThinkExist, 2012). Organizations require members to adhere to the established guidelines and ethics to maintain compliance with internal and external directives. The ability of the company to remain profitable without sacrificing ethics is a competitive advantage that will ensure consumer loyalty and enhance its reputation. Additionally, ethical decision-making contributes to a company’s fulfillment of corporate social responsibility. This analysis will describe how ethics and social responsibility influence the development of a strategic plan. Furthermore, it will provide an example of an unethical action and present an alternative method for handling the situation. Influence of Ethics The Free Dictionary.com (2012), defines ethics as a set of principles of right conduct or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession (Ethics). Although many believe that ethics and business cannot exist simultaneously, the cost of unethical behavior in organizations is unacceptable. According to Wheelen and Hunger (2010), a survey by the Ethics Resource Center of 1,324 employees of 747 U.S. companies found that 48% of employees surveyed said that they had engaged in one or more unethical and/or illegal actions during the...
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...in the contemplation of law. Limited liability is a key feature of the modern corporation. Consumer sovereignty: the idea that consumers should and do control the market through their purchases. Dependence effect: as a society becomes increasingly affluent, wants are increasingly created by the process by which they are satisfied. Moral vegetarians are people who reject the eating of meat on moral grounds. 2 In my opinion, Wal-Mart is an example of a morally bad corporation. There are three reasons to improve that: (1) Unfair competition. Our textbook describe it like this: “Some critics of capitalism maintain that capitalism breeds oligopolies that eliminate competition and concentrate economic power that a system of corporate welfare protects many businesses from true marketplace competition, and finally that competition is neither generally beneficial nor desirable in itself.” Through the case 4.5, in order to eliminate other competitors and concentrate more economic power, Wal-Mart puts pressure on suppliers to lower their prices, so that it can offer its customers...
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...Canadian Business Environment Market and Nonmarket Environments Any issues or changes that happen in one of these environments can directly cause change to the other. Since both of these are so closely related and to a great importance for a firm to run successfully, they have put more focus on managing both aspects of the company. The interrelationship between the market and nonmarket environment is heavily based on the role of management. Since a firm will operate in both the market and nonmarket environments, managers are there to measure the impact one has on the other. The issues found in the nonmarket environment are directly related to the market environment of the firm. The nonmarket environment is a little more difficult to control than the market environment, but each firm is aware of the importance of running sufficiently in both aspects in order to be successful. As shown in figure 1-1 (Baron p. 3), the relationship that the nonmarket and market environment has. Market environment determines the significance of nonmarket issues to the firm. Nonmarket environment shapes business opportunities in the market place. Analysis of the Nonmarket Environment When analyzing the nonmarket environment of an organization the main focus is the four I’s that characterize the organization. The four I’s consists of Issues, Interests, Institutions and Information. The issues aspect is the main part of the nonmarket analysis, issues of a firm can be very vast, and they...
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...Friedman – Corporate Social Responsibility Businessmen who believe and talk about CSR as if it is the end all of be all or that it is important in the realm of business are puppets People have responsibilities; not businesses A corporation is an artificial person but a business cannot be said to have responsibilities He separates “responsibility from the word “social – since the business cannot be moral is cannot have moral responsibility Moral responsibility is different than social responsibility as a social contract Social responsibility can be taken to account only if you are able to separate the person from the position. CSR is something that is only practiced in the first world countries, this is not the case in regards to health concerns with overseas workers; international human rights violations Your are spending the money of the employee so far that you are lowering his wages, your are spending the money of the customer so far that you are raising the price of the product, your are spending the shareholders money so far that you are spending the company profits. If we are to give them the ability to act as civil servants than we should have to elect them to do so. Their expertise is in running a business or an organization not in figuring out what is the best for the economy – they are not politician and the decision to act upon social responsibility is not always in the best interest of his/her shareholders, suppliers, or stakeholders. He...
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...Communications in Business Report Letter to Executive of Local Network I.X. Elle 98765432 Semester Two 2010 Bentley Campus Tutor: Novita Ikasari Ms I.X.Elle Director of Corporate Communications Bayer Western Australia GPO Box 6789 Perth WA 6001 AUSTRALIA October 2, 2010 Same mistakes Ms Novita Ikasari Executive of the Australasian Local Network PO Box 123 Bentley WA 6004 AUSTRALIA Dear Ms Ikasari, executive of local network Submitsion to the Local Network of ….. This letter contains our recommendations to the Local Network to encourage compliance with Global Compact p(P)rinciple o(O)ne, which states “Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights”, and p(P)rinciple n(N)ine “Businesses should encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies”. At Bayer we believe in doing the right thing by (for) our stakeholders. Bayer is a founding member of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact and has supported the ten principles since inception. We are proactive in pioneering new ideas and concepts to facilitate compliance to the principles. Our long history in many of the countries in which we operate, ensures that we are well placed to make recommendations to the Australasian Local Network. Bayer’s support of its host communities throughout the world complies with the business practices of the Global Compact. Our performance report is available on...
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...2009 Suparn Sharma, Jyoty Sharma, Arti Devi 205 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: THE KEY ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Suparn Sharma (PhD),Joity Sharma (PhD), Arti Devi Abstract Business organizations have waked up to the need for being committed towards Corporate Social Responsibility. But still majority have just been taking up some form of philanthropic activities for its stakeholders. Nurturing a strong corporate culture which emphasizes Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) values and competencies is required to achieve the synergistic benefits. The employees of an organization occupy a central place in developing such a culture which underlines CSR values and competencies. The present study, therefore, is an attempt to explore the engagement of human resource management professionals in undertaking Corporate Social Responsibility. It also suggests Human Resource Management to take a leading role in encouraging CSR activities at all levels. The combined impact of CSR and human resource activities, which reinforce desirable behavior, can make a major contribution in creating long term success in organizations. Sharma S., Sharma J. and Devi A. - Corporate Social Responsibility: The Key Role of Human Resource Management 206 Business Intelligence Journal January Introducción Business houses, right from the inception of human race, have been regarded as constructive partners in the communities in which they operate. Though they have been instrumental...
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...symbolizes corporate social irresponsibility in the eyes of many Americans. How did the most powerful company become admired as well as feared and despised? Using the company's marketing strategy as a basis for analysis, the current study argues that Wal-Mart's problems with its own employees are not just perceptual but fundamentally due to the company's targeting and positioning choice: the delivery of always low prices to customers has meant that such stakeholder groups as employees have had to be squeezed. In 1962, Sam Walton created Wal-Mart, a “superstore” geared toward giving the customer a superior experience mixed with the best prices around. Walton used his years in the logistics management in the United States military to find the best prices, standardize and streamlined supply chain management and pioneer his one-stop-shop. Soon his superstore that is headquartered in Arkansas was also located in countries such as China, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and Chile. Wal-Mart’s mission is to provide customers with quality products at affordable prices. The company strives to provide satisfactory customer service and excellence in all it takes part in. Corporate Social Responsibility Issues for the Retail Industry The retail industry in United States is considered to be most evolved and headed by companies such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Kroger, Costco and Target all who are headquartered in the United States. All of these companies and others have social, environmental...
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...for social responsibility, I have found that the company has not made a commitment to being completely socially responsible. The definition of Corporate Social Responsibility according to Lord Holme and Richard Watts (2000), “is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large”. The company has made some attempts at social responsible behavior by listening to a portion of their customers supplying them with health-conscience and organic products; however, this concession came after years of request from their customers and the stores only offer a very limited quantity of those types of foods. Company Q has ignored other opportunities to better the general community where the company conducts its business. Company Q has closed two stores in higher-crime-rate areas because of loss of profits. Company Q failed to recognize that this poorly impacts the community and the employees in that area and reflects poorly on its overall corporate image. Also, Company Q opted to throw away day old food instead of giving it to the community food bank believing it may promote fraud or stealing within their own employees. Both of these decisions were not based on a proper socially responsible attitude. This type of behavior was well hidden several years ago before the world was as connected as it is now with social media...
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...1. Introduction “There is one and only one social responsibility of business – to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to stay, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud” (Friedman, 1970). As one of the most influential economic scientist in the 20th century, Milton Friedman did this statement 41 years ago. In the last three decades the world economy went through a large change. Affected by the crisis of the industrial capitalism in the 1970s, the currency crisis in the 1980s or the financial crisis in 2007, business needed to readjust itself every time it reaches its limit. Especially concerning the collapse of the real estate and financial bubble in 2007, a re-orientation for organizations to concentrate on long-term performance instead of inconsiderately accumulating capital was and is required. “Adopting business strategies that meet the needs of the enterprise and its stakeholders today while sustaining the resources, both human and natural that will be needed in the future” (KPMG, 2011). Those strategies to fulfill sustainable criteria are the elements of Corporate Social Responsibility. But as Friedman mentioned, the goal of an organization is to increase its profits. Could this be a win-win-situation for organizations and the environment? Or is the assumption correct, that this obvious contrast could only satisfy one party? If so, wouldn’t be the...
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...Perspectives Peter F. Drucker In Drucker (1981), he takes us through a journey of evolution of Business Ethics and represents several controversial positions. While explaining the ethics in Western Culture he states that there was agreement on the following statement: “There are only one ethics, one set of rules of morality, one code, that of individual behavior in which the same rules apply to everyone alike” (Drucker, 1981, Page 19). He discusses the examples of "a poor mother", "nepotism in China" and "paid extortion" to articulated the impact of social, economical and cultural norms on implementing this on everyone. He considers practices of questionable morality under different circumstances as ethical. Casuistry (Drucker, 1981, Page 22) was the first attempt to think about social responsibility and embed it in a set of distinctive ethics for people in power. According to Drucker, ethics for people in social responsibility is a cross-benefit calculation involving demand of individual conscience and position. For then, demand of ethics can be excepted if actions result in benefit for other people. Drucker then moves on to introduce The Ethics of Prudence (Drucker, 1981, Page 27) as other major tradition in the West. He proposes that Ethics of Prudence appropriate to a society of organizations. Prudence, the consciousness not to do the wrong thing will enable the leader to exhibit a role model behavior. According to Drucker, Ethics of Prudence do not spell out the “right”...
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...Summary of Literature: “Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing Well by Doing Good” Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, can be broadly defined as voluntary corporate commitment to exceed the explicit and implicit obligations imposed on a company by society’s expectations of conventional corporate behavior. Traditionally, the shareholder approach, which focuses on simply maximizing shareholder wealth, has been followed by organizations. The question raised here is whether or not an organization can partake in CSR, while not foregoing the previously mentioned goal of maximizing wealth. An organization can, in fact, do both, which can be seen when viewing an organization through the stakeholder theory. The stakeholder theory holds that consideration of externalities and their impact on stakeholders it critical to the organization’s current and future success. Therefore, by practicing strategic CSR, an organization can satisfy its stakeholders, which will ultimately maximize profit in the long-run, satisfying both the shareholder and stakeholder approaches. CSR always begins by chasing a trend, and thus, the first task of strategic CSR planning is to evaluate the trend. Whether or not a company needs to act on an issue needs to be based on an evaluation of both the opportunities and the threats involved. After a given trend has been evaluated, it needs to be determined whether or not any of the organization’s stakeholders are involved or interested in it. If...
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...CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS CONGRESS 2008 Presented by THE HELPING HAND NETWORK CSI Business Congress 2008 Page 1 THE CALL TO DIALOGUE – SOCIAL REFORMATION CONGRESS REPORT & SUPPLEMENT CONGRESS DATE: 1516 JULY 2008 CONGRESS VENUE: SIBAYA CASINO, 1 SIBAYA DRIVE, UMHLANGA, KWAZULU NATAL OVERALL FEEDBACK “For the first time CSI will tread where no man has trod before, and pave the way to the social reformation of South Africa.” The congress has become a reality and manifested a resounding success as we received excellent feedback from delegates who attended this event. The demand of our country has definitely changed from conferencing and workshops to active dialogues and practical outputs. This was accurately displayed when the panel discussions and dialogues superseded the conventional manner of conferencing. There was a remarkable shift from proclamation to accurate application. The CSI Congress has provided a moral order and accurately confronted specifics that will result in the eradication of systems in which the exploitation of resources leads to the poverty of the country. The CSI Congress primarily identified both the theoretical and practical strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches to measuring freedom, and clarified on which techniques are most suited for building sustainable systems towards excellence and to chart concrete directions for future research that will add value to SA`s sustainable corporate social development. This...
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