Corporate Social Responsibility: A Waste of Time or a Necessity?

This essay analyzes the notion that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a waste of time and argues against it. It discusses the benefits of CSR and provides examples of successful CSR initiatives. The essay also highlights the obstacles that hinder consumers from being socially responsible and the importance of effective communication in CSR projects.

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[An Individual Essay]
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1WORK ORGANIZATION
Question: ‘The notion of corporate social responsibility is a waste of time. Decision-making
in organizations is generally done logically and ethically to achieve what should be their
primary goal: maximizing shareholders’ financial returns’.
Introduction
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is attained when the business adopts active and
voluntary action towards economic, social and environmental developments. This is considered
as being done for taking the advantage of opportunities and establishing a market reputation.
Additionally, when the business succeed in fulfilling these three needs, the business is said to
have possessed the three different levels of the triple bottom line (TBL). The fulfillment of the
triple bottom line indicates that the business has attained the sustainability (Longoni & Cagliano,
2018). The question says that CSR is often called a waste activity to do and is a nonsense
process. There are companies who publish reports on CSR works to let the world be aware of
their social activeness. However, publishing a CSR report is also considered a waste of time.
However, this essay takes a counter stand against these beliefs. Hence:
“It is wrong to say that CSR is just a waste of time”.
The essay tries to identify whether the notion mentioned in the chosen question is true. In
serving the purpose, the essay follows an argumentative style to analyze the thesis statement
from both positive and negative aspects.
Body
CSR is believed to be a way to get involved in caring about the community, the
environment and the profit. Businesses across the globe are increasingly becoming concerned for
the social responsibility. There can be various reasons for it. It can be for just to obey the laws. It
can also be for fulfilling the demands of opinion formers, local communities, shareholders,
customers, governments, NGOs, environment, and managing risk (Ni & Van Wart, 2015).
For:-
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not a waste but is rather needs of the community
around the globe. This looks evident if evidence are gathered to support that CSR reduces the

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social responsibility of consumers. For example, “Plastic Collective”, a venture formed by
Louise went ahead to develop a mobile recycling machine to help the community develop the
usable items from plastics found in the garbage. The purpose behind the innovation was to
protect living animals from dying due to plastic wastes available in the seawater. It was also
thought to create financial means for the community as they could earn by selling products made
from such plastic wastes (Plastic Collective, 2018). In all these ways, “Plastic Collective” is not
just recycling the plastic wastes and preventing animals from serious consequences but also
easing out consumers’ responsibility towards the society. If CSR is just a waste practice to do,
then how it is benefitting the community, the environment and the living creature.
In Scotland, few companies are busy making roads of plastic wastes. They are giving
preference to plastic remains over the ‘Asphalt’, which is one of the common substances being
used in making of roads. Roads made of plastic wastes are much stronger compared to those
made of Asphalt (Singh et al., 2017). Additionally, it is also helping in to reduce the amount of
plastic wastes, which is increasingly growing with passing years. This innovative move is not
just good for the environment, the people and the transportation means but also for the society
who are supposed to take up the responsibility to become an active social agent.
In Mexico, there are many campaigns being run from waste management to recycling to
reduce obesity and conserve water. In addition, many awareness programs are also being
conducted to help consumers realize their responsibility towards the environment and the
society. Advertising campaigns are being used for awareness programs. There are many brands
for just one product. Consumers sometimes intentionally purchase one of such brands, which
distributes a portion of its profits to the environmental wellbeing such as protecting a jungle
(Omicsonline.org, 2018). In this way, consumers are showing their responsibility towards a
society of their interest by just having purchased the product. Some people like to donate for not-
for-profit organizations. These organizations work in distinguished interests influenced from
various social issues such as disabilities, child labor, human trafficking, critical diseases like
AIDS and Cancer and a lot more. People are actually providing a social support to those affected
from such social issues by just doing the donation (Omicsonline.org, 2018). Behind all these
scenes, consumers are to give a little or minimal effort to be the socially responsible people. Real
efforts have actually been mostly from organizations those that are active in CSR activities.

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Sweden is by and large also popular for its innovation towards using recycled products.
One of the latest examples is of a mall especially dedicated to sell items made of the recycled
products. In this way, the country and the brand is not just reducing the abundance of plastic
wastes but also creating the employment opportunities. With this move, the brand is creating
solutions at three levels of the triple bottom line. The use of recycled products is a much better
way to reduce the adverse impact of plastic wastes compared to the incineration and disposal in a
landfill (Singh & Cooper, 2017). Hence, this is a good move towards reducing the environment
pollution. Staffs are getting paid for being a part of the mall. Consumers can avail products made
of 100% recycled substances. Hence, the move is helping the people and the society.
These companies actually help humans to have a good life. They protect animals from
being extinct. They play a significant role in preserving the environment. Consumers despite
being involved very minimally in helping the community, they still can be found as satisfied for
having helped the people and the community they had intended. Their money could not have
reached to people if these companies had not existed. These companies are actually the mediator
between consumers and the society. There are a few customers who even find corporate social
responsibility (CSR) as important for the community and the environment. It also can be said
that a socially responsible consumer is that who is able to link his or her impact of the purchasing
decision with that of the purpose of the company behind the product. For example, UPS
Company is popularly known for its social responsibility for having used reusable envelops in
express delivery. These envelops are being sourced from 100% recycled fiber (Ferrell, Liang &
Renneboog, 2016).
The fact that CSR is largely done to maximize the shareholder’s returns can have a
different perspective. First of all, it depends on the model of social responsibility being adopted
by the business. The assumption surrounding the fact stated in the question is that a large sum of
money is distributed to other people; however, it could have belonged to shareholders and so.
CSR can be seen by many as a strategy to build up a good relationship with stakeholders those
that can have an influence on the operating license. However, CSR has other aspects as well.
CSR is also about establishing relationships with people in the form of employees and
customers. It is used to attract and retain skilled and talented professionals. It also helps to
manage risks. It assures a reputation being built up in the market (Cheng, Ioannou & Serafeim,

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2014). The “property” value of a company is often far less than its market capitalization. For
example, approximately 96% of the Coca-Cola products are made up of the “intangibles”. Coca-
Cola uses its market reputation to ensure that there are no issues in terms of availing the
intangible resources (Austin & Gaither, 2016). In this case, only those that are less strategic and
have no worries of losses would endanger the company’s reputation. Even if it is considered that
CSR maximizes financial returns for shareholders, there should also be existing a balance
between liabilities for the failures. However, it is often seen that actions often solely belong to
the management and are mostly held liable for the failures. Many shareholders are not even
aware of these responsibilities. In all such situation, these responsibilities will only fall to the
management and they will be asked to take up that responsibility (Casey & Grenier, 2014).
Against:-
According to Giesler & Veresiu (2014), there are some obstacles that must be overcome
by consumers to be able to consume on a responsible way. These obstacles are barriers of
conduct, motivational obstacles and cognitive barriers.
Barriers of conduct is an obstacle for a justified CSR activity. Perhaps, the opportunity to
purchase from the appropriate brand will rarely be created. This barrier is contrary to the
consumer loyalty. Consumer loyalty means that consumers will mostly purchase form brands
they trust the most. On contrary to this, the social responsibility of consumers will encourage to
purchase from other than the trusted brand (Farooq, Rupp & Farooq, 2017). For example, if two
companies are offering similar products at the same cost then according to the thesis statement,
consumers will search the brand driving the social concern. Consumers will justify that CSR
does really make a difference to the three layers of the triple bottom line (TBL) and also that
these activities can empower consumers to take up the social responsibility. Instead, a large
consumer population prefer shopping from brands, which they trust the most or are trusted by
many.
Active participation of people in CSR activities to feel to have become the socially
responsible body is often affected from motivational obstacles. These obstacles can be in the
form of identity and perceived effectiveness. The perceived effectiveness is the one thing that
encourage to think of two perspectives of any decision. Hence, perceived effectiveness does
really impact the decision (Lee et al., 2014). For example, it was being planned out that waste

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would be classified into two separate types namely organic and inorganic to effectively manage
it. It sound good then when the plan was made. However, people those who were deployed for
this project could not effectively fulfill the project goal. Consequently, they ended up mixing
both of wastes. The campaign soon turned into a disaster (Omicsonline.org, 2018). CSR
activities when struck with such outcomes do indicate that these are more a marketing stunt than
anything. These will do good publicity of a brand and will also help to improve the market
reputation. Indeed, a good financial return does essentially require a constant improvement of the
reputation to be able to use the “intangibles in manufacturing”.
Cognitive barriers are also the obstacles of what CSR essentially means. Companies
those that are believed to be as providing a platform for consumers to become socially
responsible, they rarely communicate the process and information. There is hardly any attempt
from companies for informing consumers that a portion of the benefit will be donated to the
affected people or for a social cause. The exact amount to be donated is seldom revealed. The
date of donation is also not mentioned. The foundation where all deposits will be kept is also not
discussed (Reinecke & Ansari, 2016). These types of campaigns with hidden goals and a one-
way communication often make people believe that such social campaigns never exist. Situations
thus created are not actually justifying the CSR. Since, people are not sure of whether these
stunts are genuinely the CSR, it appears that the thesis statement created for this essay does not
hold true.
Conclusion
In summary, this can be said that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is by and large an
effective strategy to deal with distinguished issues related to the planet, the people and the profit.
This also can be said that the thesis statement designed for this essay is also justifiable provided
that it is effectively handled by businesses around the globe. The current practices and
approaches especially those discussed in this essay indicate that there are areas of improvement
in regards to accomplishment of the project. These projects often lack the information imparting
communication, which are necessary to clearly pronounce the goals to avoid projects from
getting failed.

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References
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