Corporate Social Responsibility: Social Media and Whistleblowing

This report discusses the role of social media in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the ethical dilemma associated with whistleblowing in the workplace. It highlights the efforts of major companies like Tesco and Marks and Spencer towards sustainability and workplace ethics. The report is based on two student-led seminars and includes insights from research studies and reports.

CSR

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Social media and CSR.................................................................................................................1
Preparation...............................................................................................................................1
Seminar discussion..................................................................................................................2
Short reflection........................................................................................................................2
Whistleblowing and workplace ethics.........................................................................................3
Preparation...............................................................................................................................3
Seminar discussion..................................................................................................................3
Short reflection........................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
The way in which the modern technology has progressed far beyond the capabilities which
were expected of the human race a few decades ago, has been quite remarkable. This has also
helped propel businesses forward as the ease to conduct both domestic and internationally has
been simplified to a large extent. However, this has also resulted in major harm to the
community as well as the environment, for the sake of which the notion of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) has come forward as one of the major ways that businesses give back to
the society and make themselves sustainable in the long run. This report will highlight two
important issues based on attended seminars which will be Social media and CSR along with
whistleblowing and workplace ethics. The main aim of this report will be to highlight major
issues and points related to CSR in modern businesses in respect to major companies such as
Tesco and Marks and Spencer.
MAIN BODY
Social media and CSR
Preparation
Social media is one of the most popular aspects of modern society and the zenith of
communication oriented technology and one of the major sources of preparation which I did is
study research conducted on the relation of CSR with social media promotions using strategic
frameworks. One such practical study done by Fernández, Hartmann and Apaolaza was brought
by me to the seminar in which they noted the reason behind brand failures to capitalize on social
media centric CSR promotions (Fernández, Hartmann and Apaolaza, 2022) It is also very
important to know the way in which social media exposure impacts a firm’s CSR activities for
the sake of which study related to twitter was taken to the seminar (Balasubramanian, Fang and
Yang, 2021). Company specific materials were also prepared in order to better analyse the CSR
efforts being put in by major brands such as Marks and Spencer (SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
2022, 2022). Being the market leader of UK’s retail and grocery sector, Tesco’s CSR reports
were also taken into account while preparing for the SLS seminar (Climate change, 2022)
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Seminar discussion
The seminar was quite holistic and contained something of value for each and every one
as many key arguments and points were raised which were all debated to a certain extent by the
people present. The main point which the students driving the seminar forward raised is that
social media is one of the most key instruments to performing modern day CSR and the main
reasons they attributed this development to is the wide reach which enables marketers to
undertake better social duties. I however disagreed to a certain extent as data from my sources
indicated that despite social media enabling wide scale CSR activities, majority of the companies
have failed campaign their clientele and customer base with social media posts and messages
regarding their CSR activities and efforts as the rate of engagement is quite low. This was
countered by one of the students present as he explained that this aspect is related to shabby
digital marketing promotions by companies and proper usage of techniques such as search
engine optimization and paid promotions also play a key role in CSR. I was unaware regarding
such digital marketing methods and their importance in making CSR efforts of a company visible
online. The extent of personal contribution that can be attributed to me is that I put forward
various benefits of social media and CSR and I also highlighted problems companies face when
using social media for CSR promotion. I also brought forth examples of Tesco and M&S’s
efforts to become more sustainable and the latter’s net zero mass targets which were appreciated
by the student’s present.
Short reflection
My preparation going into the seminar was quite extensive regarding both the advent of
social media along with its major effects on driving a company’s CSR efforts forward which I
why I felt confident in myself. My contribution was also quite positive throughout and most of
the arguments which came up in the seminar, I saw coming from a mile away. My thinking about
social media and CSR changed as I realized that in order to properly integrate CSR activities
with social media, proper usage of digital marketing and social media engagement methods is
also needed in order to ensure that people properly engage to the messages and efforts being
posted on social media handles of the company.
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Whistleblowing and workplace ethics
Preparation
In order to prepare for this seminar, I had to make sure that there was a complete understanding
regarding what whistleblowing is as a practice and it refers to the disclosure of information by an
employee related to practices or events which are unlawful in their eyes and are in their personal
or company’s interest (Boot, 2019). I also took into account the sources which describe the
ethical dilemma associated with whistleblowing as disclosure of sensitive information even if
done with the view of public interest can lead to disastrous consequences for all parties involved.
I also prepared myself using study and articles from reputed journals regarding workplace ethics
and their importance in modern day business environment as it also contains various details
regarding the practice of whistleblowing (Kozak and Șahİn, 2018). In order to better understand
how workplace ethics and code of conduct works in a company, I also undertook specific reports
from established companies such as Tesco in order to better understand the way companies lay
down their company policies and broader code of conduct (Our Code of Business Conduct,
2021).
Seminar discussion
All the major arguments which were presented centre stage during the seminar by the
students were quite diligent and well-structured which made the experience of attending and
participating in this discussion very fruitful as I learned many important things regarding
workplace ethics. Most of the major arguments which were printed regarding whistleblowing as
a practice were not new to me as my sources were quite detailed enough to supply me with
needed knowledge regarding the practice and its ethical implications on modern day business
practices. Some examples of such arguments included the explanation of what whistleblowing is
and why exactly it is an ethical dilemma which can be attributed to the clashing of company’s
financial and operational interests with the interests of the society, community and that of the
individual. My contribution towards the seminar was a mixed bag as I took the stance of
supporting whistleblowing as an ethical practice as taking actions against questionable events
and activities in common interest should be encouraged and not frowned upon in a company.
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However, this argument of mine was countered swiftly as in the modern business environment
where the company’s digital reputation and physical goodwill is everything, whistleblowing can
have major legal implications due to chances of accruing reputational damage on a large scale.
This is something new that I learned as I did not consider the legal implications of
whistleblowing as the students there argued in great detail regarding the ramifications of this
practice of the information that was used to whistle blow turned out to be under false pretence, in
which case job loss and legal action is fair game. Some of the students present there also argued
that the individuals who work for the company must display absolute loyalty by never involving
themselves in whistleblowing. I disagreed with this point of view and there are many illegal
practices and exploitation which goes in modern business workplaces which should be brought
to the limelight as respect of basic human decency and rights should always be prioritized over a
corporate entity’s financial interests. The overall learning which I gained from this seminar was
quite holistic and I learned many new things regarding a company’s personal workplace ethics
and code of conduct.
Short reflection
The seminar contained various separate points of view which helped me learn about
whistleblowing from a corporate perspective rather than an ethics based approach which made
me experience first-hand why it is such a complex ethical dilemma. Although initially being n
favour of whistleblowing as a workplace practice, learning about the potential ramifications for
all parties involved made me change my stance to where I do not think it is a practice worth
promoting.
CONCLUSION
It is clear from the above considered points that the modern business landscape is driven by
an organization’s personal commitment towards efforts being focused on corporate social
responsibility. One of the major things learned about CSR during the student led seminars is that
the concept is not as one-dimensional as one might think and does not simply relate only towards
being environmentally sustainable. In order for firms to be socially responsible and give back to
the society, they have to help the needy communities and measure their social impact regularly. I
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also learned from these seminars that workplace ethics are also a major part of a firm’s CSR
campaign as the way in which companies treat their workforce is also very important as they are
the lifeblood of any successful organization. Some of the major points which were highlighted
during this seminar is the role which social media pays in helping firms draft a wide scale CSR
campaign which as per the sources and arguments is a practice which still needs time to get
refined as brand engagement on social media handles has been quite low even for established
companies. Platforms such as Twitter and Instagram have been hot destinations for companies to
advertise their CSR efforts and make people aware about their social efforts but lack of likes,
shares and other such performance metrics indicates that there is still a long way to go for CSR
to become completely integrated within a firm’s digital marketing process. Whistleblowing as a
part of workplace ethics was also the core topic of one of the student led seminars and I learned
many valuable insights regarding the legal implications and potential ethical dilemma associated
with this practice within an organizational framework. The overall learning which I gained from
participating in these two student led seminars was quite valuable as I have attained quality
insights into the way business ethics function on workplaces and some of my personal views
regarding CSR have also changed. I have started to look at things such as business ethics and
CSR efforts from a corporate point of view and I am also much more invested in treating
employees as one of the core audience for CSR campaigns because harassment and exploitation
of the workforce is a common sight across global businesses. I am satisfied with my personal
learnings about CSR and in hold the student led seminars in very high regard as the learning
which I achieve there and the points which I argued and debated also improved my confidence
and personal communication skills.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Balasubramanian, S.K., Fang, Y. and Yang, Z., 2021. Twitter presence and experience improve
corporate social responsibility outcomes. Journal of Business Ethics, 173(4), pp.737-
757.
Boot, E.R., 2019. The ethics of whistleblowing. Routledge.
Fernández, P., Hartmann, P. and Apaolaza, V., 2022. What drives CSR communication
effectiveness on social media? A process-based theoretical framework and research
agenda. International Journal of Advertising, 41(3), pp.385-413.
Kozak, M.A. and Șahİn, S., 2018. Inferences on whistleblowing and ethical dilemmas. Anatolia:
Turizm Arastirmalari Dergisi, 29(1), pp.31-38.
Online referencing
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022, 2022 [online] available through
https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/msar2022/sustainabilityreport2022.pdf
Climate change, 2022 [online] available through
https://www.tescoplc.com/sustainability/planet/climate-change/
Our Code of Business Conduct, 2021 [online] available through
< https://www.tescoplc.com/media/757929/tesco-cobc_sept-2021.pdf>
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