The Extent of Corporate Social Responsibility in the UK Framework

This essay critically examines the extent to which corporations take Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seriously, with specific reference to the UK and international frameworks. It defines CSR as the duty of businesses towards society, enhancing reputation and attracting customers. The essay discusses the importance of CSR policies, including environmental, ethical, philanthropic, and economic responsibilities, highlighting examples like Starbucks' ethical sourcing and community initiatives. While CSR is not mandatory in the UK, larger brands often adopt it to improve their image. The UK government supports CSR through various initiatives and alignment with international organizations like the UN Global Compact and ILO. International laws, such as the UDHR and the Equality Act 2010, reinforce human rights and equality within organizations. The essay concludes that while some companies prioritize CSR, others do not, and emphasizes the increasing importance of CSR in marketing and employment, supported by legal frameworks like the Companies Act 2006 and ILO standards.

Assessment 2
Individual Essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
Critically discuss the extent to which the corporations take the Corporate Social
Responsibility seriously. Explain with reference to UK and International framework for CSR.
................................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
References:.......................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The Corporate Social Responsibility is the duty of the business towards the society. The
business is being operated in society so it becomes important to do some beneficial acts by the
company for the business. These acts comes under the corporate social responsibility. The CSR
actions increases the reputation and the image of the business in the market. This is because the
customers are more attracted to the businesses who are complying its duties towards the
environment and society(An, 2021). So, the role of the corporate social responsibility is
increasing day by day. This essay would explain about the concept of corporate social
responsibility. It would also outline the framework of the legal institutions with relate to the CSR
at both national and the international level. The national level includes the laws that are being
framed by the government of UK. Similarly, the international institutions would include the UN,
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, ILO, etc.
TASK
Critically discuss the extent to which the corporations take the Corporate Social Responsibility
seriously. Explain with reference to UK and International framework for CSR.
The term corporate social responsibility means the responsibility of the businesses
towards the environment. It also means that the businesses must do welfare for the employees
and the needy section of the society. Moreover, the company is required to make a corporate
social responsibility policy to make it efficiently operative in the business. The charity is a type
of CSR activity(Bijlmakers, 2018). The CSR can be conducted in all types of businesses. These
activities are conducted to protect the environment from its misuse by the businesses. It helps in
doing sustainable development. The 3 R's as recycle, reuse and reduced is being used in the CSR
activities. This would make the use of available resources in the most efficient manner. Theses
are the work that also reduce the costing of the products. Moreover, the consumers also tend to
buy the products from the companies who are doing the CSR activities. This is because now the
consumers are more aware of the bad effects of the degradation of the environment by the
increase in the literacy level. So, everyone in the society is putting efforts to improve the
environment. So, the CSR policies becomes the most important part for this. The environment is
mainly degraded because of the businesses as it has destroyed and misused the natural resources

in order to make more and more profits in the past. So, it is the duty of the business to restore the
efficiency of the natural resources by taking some steps towards it(Boubaker, et.al, 2020).
The UK government has not made it mandatory for all the companies to follow the CSR
activities and policies. It is in the hands of the business to follow these policies. But, the big
brands do makes the policies of CSR in order to enhance their brand image in the international
and national market. There are various companies such as Starbucks who has made a adequate
policy for CSR in the organisation. The CSR activities boost both the good relations between the
employer and the employee of the company. There are four main kinds of corporate social
responsibility. These are the environmental, philanthropic, ethical, and the economic
responsibility. The company Starbucks plays a important role by comply with CSR activities.
As per the Global Social Impact Report in 2020 the company has covered 100% ethically coffee
by building green policies in its stores(Brin and Nehme, 2019). It has also created a global
network of farmers by giving them with 100 million trees by the year 2025. It also includes
pioneering green building all over its stores, contributive millions of hours in providing service
to its community. It has also framed a groundbreaking college program for the employees of the
respective organisation. It has also hired 10,000 refugees along with 5,000 veterans. Along with
this, it has also engaged its workers in environment activities. This company has focused on
three main CSR activity that are giving priority to the heath care of its customers along with its
employees. It has also helped the government of UK in coping up with the pandemic activities.
The companies are taking the corporate social responsibility very seriously. This can be seen
from the global and national reports of CSR by the different authorities of the country(Carroll,
2021).
The types of the CSR are four. The environmental responsibility means the belief that
institutions must behave in an environmentally friendly a way as much as possible in the
organisation. This is the most common forms of corporate social responsibility. Various
companies uses this term “environmental stewardship” to refer to these types of CSR initiatives.
The instances of CSR are the reduction in pollution, water consumption along with the non
biodegradable waste in the organisation. This also implies that the manufacturing process must
be in such a way that it does not produce pollution to the external environment. Moreover, the
company must also try to use the biodegradable raw materials while producing any of the
product in the industry. It should also take the initiative to plant more and more trees. Further

more, the company is required to frame the policies with respect to these environmental
precautions(Dmytriyev, Freeman and Hörisch, 2021). The second responsibility is the ethical
responsibility under the CSR. This means that the organisation must work in a ethical manner.
This includes that there must be no fraud involved in this. In addition to this, the mange met must
treat fairly to all the employees of the company. There are various companies that does not
purchase the raw materials which results from child labour or slavery. The next is Philanthropic
Responsibility means when the business tries to create society a better place to live for the
individuals. This can be done by involving and abiding the ethics of the society. The economic
responsibility would focus more on increasing the revenue and profit of the company. This
would also involve that the company must do work to benefit the employees as well as the
society in developmental goals(Kocher, 2021).
The corporate social responsibility is taken seriously by some of the companies. These
companies are generally the bigger brands that has high image and reputation in the market place
of UK. This also involves that there are various rules and laws that works for the same. This can
be seen that CSR is a very powerful tool in marketing for any of the company. This would also
enhance the employment ratio of the company. This is because the employees would retain in the
company for the longer period of time. The government of UK has a framework that sets out the
overall objectives, anterior along with the main lines of the UK government approach for CSR
at national as well as overseas. There are various other benefits of CSR in the all the
organisations. Moreover, with this framework the UK government would aim to surrogate by
enabling environment to responsible business practice in order to increase the positive
contribution which the business could make in the UK objectives on the subject matter of
international sustainable development. It would also include the human rights, trade and
investment, poverty reduction, environmental protection as well as corruption(Okafor, Adeleye
and Adusei, 2021).
The laws for the CSR aims to increase the awareness among the citizens to use the
products of the company that so the CSR activities. It would also imply that the CSR has to fulfil
other key points also in the organisation. The supporting the CSR activities of international
organisation including the U OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises N Global Compact,
the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises along with the work of the ILO and
OHCHR. It also collaborates with the EU partners by other international initiatives aimed by

promoting CSR activities in the institution. This would also enhance the CSR principles to
governments, institutions and civil society outside country along with the support of Foreign and
Commonwealth Office network of Posts in the work of divisions for trade, development and
agriculture field.
The human rights at international level is dealt with the UDHR which is Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. This specifies the corporate social responsibility is the basic
human right of every individual. It includes the rights of the individuals in an organisation. This
also specifies that the company must treat all the individuals with equality. The Equality Act
2010 provides for the chief nine grounds of discrimination on which basis no ill treatment with
inequality is held with any of the member of the concern. The International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights also provides for the corporate social responsibility. It declares that no
harassment is to be done with any of the individual in an arrangement. It also aims to fulfil the
basic human rights to all the persons in the society. Moreover, the importance of the corporate
social responsibility is increasing day by day. Many companies are especially making the
adequate policies with relate to the CSR in its organisation. The no compulsion for CSR has not
made mandatory for all the companies to form such policies. So some companies are also there
who does not take any step for the CSR in the organisation. Moreover, the company has to align
with other companies in order to compete with other companies for the CSR activities. This is
because the consumers are more attracted to those companies who do more for the society.
Therefore, from the last global report it can be seen that the CSR policies is helping the
companies to develop and grow more in the market. The management is also responsible for
treating all the employees with equality that would add to the CSR policies of the company.
The CSR has also evolved in a very has mandatory legal duty of daily business
management. Available legal experiences suggest that such a CSR duty is often established
under corporate law. The Companies Act, 2006 . The Article 5 of the Companies Act, 2006
specifies that every business must opt and comply with the CSR. In addition to this, the Article
74 of the Indonesian Companies Act 2007 provides for the CSR for all the types of businesses in
the marketplace. The ILO social standards has also formed for the CSR activities. This has also
framed to eliminate the child labour and forced labour. It has also reduced the working of the
child labour in the market place. Moreover, it would also provide that the business would help
the company. The UN Global Compact is an global network of institution that have committed to

positioning their operations with ten world applicable rule on human corrects, labour, the
environs and anti corruption. Moreover, the companies this includes taking on duty for with
relate to human rights also along supply chains and implementing labour normal in developing
and rising markets, pursuing immeasurable environmental goals and passively fighting
corruptness(Xiao, et.al, 2020).
CONCLUSION
This essay concludes about the corporate social responsibility of the businesses. It also
summarises about the laws of the corporate social responsibility at both the national and the
international level. This essay would also explain about the company's benefit by the corporate
social responsibility. It also summarises about the extent to which the corporate social
responsibility is taken seriously by the companies. It also discusses about the types of corporate
social responsibility. This also summarises about the role of the management in making policies
with relate to the corporate social responsibility. This also concludes that the company has to
comply with the CSR operations in the institutions.

References:
Books and Journals
An, N.B., 2021. Contemporary Legal Theories on Corporate Social Responsibility. Review of
International Geographical Education Online, 11(7).
Bijlmakers, S., 2018. Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Rights, and the Law. Routledge.
Boubaker, S.,et.al, 2020. Does corporate social responsibility reduce financial distress
risk?. Economic Modelling, 91, pp.835-851.
Brin, P.V. and Nehme, M.N., 2019. Corporate social responsibility: analysis of theories and
models.
Carroll, A.B., 2021. Corporate social responsibility: Perspectives on the CSR construct’s
development and future. Business & Society, 60(6), pp.1258-1278.
Dmytriyev, S.D., Freeman, R.E. and Hörisch, J., 2021. The relationship between stakeholder
theory and corporate social responsibility: Differences, similarities, and implications for
social issues in management. Journal of Management Studies, 58(6), pp.1441-1470.
Kocher, E., 2021. Transnational Labour Law?“Corporate Social Responsibility” and the
Law. Transnational Legal Activism in Global Value Chains, p.187.
Okafor, A., Adeleye, B.N. and Adusei, M., 2021. Corporate social responsibility and financial
performance: Evidence from US tech firms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 292,
p.126078.
Xiao, M., Cet.al , 2020. To what extent is corporate social responsibility part of human resource
management in the Chinese context? A review of literature and future research
directions. Human Resource Management Review, 30(4), p.100726.