Preparing for a Professional Career: Challenges and Solutions in Corporate Social Responsibility

This article discusses the challenges faced by businesses in maintaining and implementing suitable CSR practices, with a focus on the issue of greenwashing. It explores the codes of conduct and guidance available from professional bodies to resolve these issues. Additionally, it provides a CPD plan for individuals to prepare for a professional career in CSR.

Preparing for a
Professional Career

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODOY................................................................................................................................1
PART A - Report.............................................................................................................................1
Introduction of challenge/ issue chosen.................................................................................1
Code of conduct that can assist in resolving the issue............................................................2
Guidance available from the professional bodies...................................................................2
Conclusion..............................................................................................................................3
PART B – CPD Plan........................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
There are several obstacles in the global business sector that have an impact on corporate
performance. A number of challenges that firms face in running their operations are examined in
this context, as well as the appropriate course of action to guarantee long-term viability. In
addition, the study looks at a variety of ethical norms, as well as possible professional aid and
support, as well as the impact on business situations.
MAIN BODOY
PART A - Report
Introduction of challenge/ issue chosen
Corporate social responsibility refers to managers' efforts to promote overall development
and social welfare. The main functions are addressed by a variety of philanthropic, benevolent,
volunteer, and activist groups. In today's environment, businesses face a plethora of challenges in
maintaining and implementing suitable CSR practices. In this scenario, green washing is used as
a main concern for planning CSR activities (Scales and et. al., 2018). It can also be shown in the
case of Marks & Spencer, which urges people to bring in effective clothing that they are not
wearing to help with recycling efforts. The organization's key motivation for implementing this
plan is to protect the environment by reducing pollution and properly utilizing garbage. They
contribute to the manufacturing of new clothing by repurposing discarded clothing. As a result,
the standard practise has shifted, and their clients have been misled. It was also determined that
the companies produced a lot of pollutants, which had a negative impact on the environment
(Greco and Kraimer, 2020). Events arising from a sharp increase in green washing have been
observed to have a substantial impact on a company's ecologically friendly initiatives. This has a
negative impact on customers' faith and trust in the organisation. Customers had begun to trust
Marks and Spencer's significant activities, which gave the company a competitive advantage at
first.
They also believe the company is ecologically conscious, as proven by its usage of
environmentally friendly procedures. Furthermore, once the corporation becomes aware of the
facts about the situation, the entire scenario shifts. It reflects poorly on the company's current
image. As a result, a number of well-known and well-known organisations are unconcerned
about the environment or society as a whole, preferring instead to invest in CSR projects to
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improve their brand image in the marketplace. Aside from that, various other organizations are
leading suitable efforts for the overall economic and social well-being of society.
Code of conduct that can assist in resolving the issue
The term "code of conduct" refers to a set of guidelines, rules, and regulations that have
been developed to ensure that business operations run smoothly. Companies in the commercial,
public, and non-profit sectors all have various codes of conduct. Despite from this, all the
organisations regardless their size and scope need to consider some code of conduct which are
discussed as:
 Transparency is essential because it safeguards the interests of a corporation's various
internal and external stakeholders. It is the company's responsibility to provide
shareholders, customers, investors, employees, and other stakeholders with relevant
information and details.
 It makes a substantial contribution to the building of stakeholder trust. The
organization's pre-defined tasks and responsibilities toward the environment, economics,
and society have been determined to be the basic code of conduct. Human rights are also
respected and supported as a key guideline of behavior (Coates, 2020).
 In this instance, firms must provide clients with high-quality products and services in
order to protect their long-term interests. Furthermore, it is advantageous to maintain the
company's strong brand image in the marketplace.
As a result, it has been determined that there are a variety of codes of conduct, some of
which are produced by businesses and others by legal bodies in order to maintain efficient
commercial operations. These laws and conventions must be considered in order to maintain
their image in the market for a long time.
Guidance available from the professional bodies
The International Institute for Sustainable Development is in charge of most CSR efforts.
This firm makes numerous suggestions to businesses in order for them to effectively utilize
relevant resources. It results in a slew of new ideas in areas like international trade, renewable
energy, and energy measurement, to name a few (Gromoll, 2021). This institute assists Marks
and Spencer in conducting business ethically. On the institute's website, there is a plethora of
knowledge that many programmers are collecting. Aside from that, they offer substantial
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financial assistance and conduct a number of programmers geared at supporting international and
small firms in developing effective CSR strategies.
Conclusion
Following the revelation of multiple regulations and codes of conduct produced by
various professional associations in order to run their business effectively. In order to get a
competitive advantage, companies like Marks & Spencer will profit from building a positive
brand image in society. Professional bodies are also agreed to provide organisations with the
necessary financial and policy assistance, assisting in the consideration of CSR operations in the
effective development of society and the general economy (Campbell, Porsch and Hobbs, 2019).
To protect the interests of numerous parties connected with the company, several norms of
conduct are also required. Apart from that, these authorities are drafting some guidelines that
businesses must adhere to in order to protect themselves and meet legal requirements. Apart from
this, code of conduct may harm business data of company as it is important to maintain required
transparency which is related with the financial position of company that can also disclose their
confidential data to unauthorised parties.
PART B – CPD Plan
A continuous growth plan depicts the entire technique that an individual chooses to
acquire new abilities and talents with the suitable goal of expanding their knowledge (Castellano
and et. al., 2017). While working at a company, this information can be obtained in a variety of
casual and official ways. Aside from that, it also contains their long-term implications, as well as
key efforts taken by individuals to acquire creative talents and expertise. In the CSR industry,
there are some established standards of behaviour, and everyone should be aware of them. For
this reason, a CPD strategy has been developed:
CPD Plan
Area of Learning Reflection of
learning
Future Implications Action
Greenwashing
practice
As I learned from this
workshop, customers
According to study,
consumers are
In this regard, one of my main
objectives is to enhance my
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can be mislead by
greenwashing CSR
practises and
activities.
unaware of
corporations' immoral
practises when it
comes to promotions
and ads that have a
significant impact on
customer mindsets
(Muscat, 2017).
When I work as a
professional in the
future, it will assist
me in completing
necessary tasks in a
timely manner.
It will also assist me
in making sound
decisions at work.
understanding of
greenwashing by 40% in the
following four months.
Policies of
professional bodies
to guide in CSR
activities
In this approach,
professional
organisations
formulate policies for
the development and
improvement of the
environment and
society (Ormrod and
Burton, 2020).
I learnt about a range
of dynamic policies
in this class, as well
as how to recognise
the need for constant
The business climate
in today's globe is
dynamic, with
significant changes
occurring on a
regular basis.
Several changes to
current policies are
made by professional
bodies, and it is
critical for me and
my company to
understand and act on
these changes.
One of my objectives in this
regard is to improve my
research abilities by 17% in
the next four months so that I
can more effectively locate
acceptable professional body
policies.
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monitoring and
modification.
As a result, I've
learned a great deal
about the evolution of
society.
It will help me to
improve my future
performance and
participate in
appropriate work
activities (Suryani,
2020).
Apart from that, I
would be able to
assure the successful
growth and
development of
society by getting
relevant knowledge.
This will help me
analyse the situation
quickly and make the
best judgments
possible to resolve
the company's
problems.
CONCLUSION
Following the discussion above, it has been decided that CSR is considered as a
company's moral commitment that must be met on a timely basis. When it comes to properly
organizing CSR programmers, businesses have faced a range of challenges. A productive
discussion has taken place about the code of conduct, norms, and laws that companies must
follow in order to stay in business for a longer period of time. Various professional associations
have been established with the goal of developing efficient policies and assisting organizations in
carrying out CSR functions responsibly. Regardless, continuous professional growth is essential
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for individuals to better their overall knowledge and capability, which is crucial for future
development.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Campbell, C., Porsch, R. and Hobbs, L., 2019. Initial teacher education: Roles and possibilities
for preparing capable teachers. In Examining the Phenomenon of “Teaching Out-of-
field” (pp. 243-267). Springer, Singapore.
Castellano, M.E and et. al., 2017. Preparing students for college and career in the United States:
The effects of career-themed programs of study on high school performance. Vocations
and Learning, 10(1), pp.47-70.
Coates, K., 2020. The value of soft skills: preparing the next generation of workforce for future
work.
Greco, L.M. and Kraimer, M.L., 2020. Goal-setting in the career management process: An
identity theory perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(1), p.40.
Gromoll, J., 2021. The Fading Pipeline: Preparing the Next Generation of Weapons
Inspectors. American Journal of International Law, 115, pp.100-105.
Muscat, A., 2017. Action research: Preparing Maltese football players for migratory based
transitions. Liverpool John Moores University (United Kingdom).
Ormrod, G. and Burton, R., 2020. Preparing for Transition: Putting it all Together. Transition to
Professional Nursing Practice, p.342.
Scales, R.Q and et. al., 2018. Are we preparing or training teachers? Developing professional
judgment in and beyond teacher preparation programs. Journal of Teacher
Education, 69(1), pp.7-21.
Suryani, A., 2020. The Role of Religious Beliefs in Teacher Education Students’ Career
Aspirations. In Preparing Indonesian Youth (pp. 66-88). Brill.
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