Business Development: Questions for CSR and Ethics Seminars

This assignment presents seminar questions and answers related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its various facets. The document explores the role of social media in CSR, examining its impact on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the challenges they face. It delves into Global Sustainability Development (GSD), analyzing the connection between CSR and GSD, as well as the implications for SMEs. The assignment also addresses whistle-blowing and workplace ethics, discussing the impact of whistle-blowing on work ethics, potential conflicts, and the importance of ethical conduct. Finally, it examines effective approaches to CSR, including philanthropic, community, and creative share value approaches, along with the difficulties SMEs encounter when implementing CSR initiatives, such as human rights, working conditions, and environmental considerations. The document provides a comprehensive overview of these topics, making it a valuable resource for students studying business development and related fields. This assignment is available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-based study tools for students.

Questions for
Seminars

Table of Contents
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Seminar 1.........................................................................................................................................1
Social media and CSR.................................................................................................................1
Seminar 2.........................................................................................................................................2
CSR and Global Sustainability Development..............................................................................2
Seminar 3.........................................................................................................................................3
Whistle-blowing and Workplace Ethics......................................................................................3
Seminar 4.........................................................................................................................................5
Effective Approach of CSR ........................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

MAIN BODY
Seminar 1
Social media and CSR
Social media: It is the form of electronic communication where individual use online
mode to share information, ideas, messages and other content such as audio or video. It refer to
the website or an application that designed for quick access of information (Social Media, 2019).
Most of the people said that it is an application of their smartphones but in reality it is the
communication tool which started from computers. For example: social media sites and
application include Face book, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram etc. It help the people to share
information and other content which they wanted to share.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): CSR is the self regulatory business model
which help the organization to become socially accountable in respect of their stakeholders
(Aksak, Ferguson and Duman, 2016). It is also called corporate citizenship where organization
conduct various program which impact the society in terms of welfare of people or provide
sustainable environment. For example: Tesco launch awareness program regarding usage of
energy and this campaign will helps in reducing around 35% energy. Company's staff members
or manager take active participation to make this program successful.
Importance and impact of social median in SME:
 With the help of social media, small medium enterprises (SME) able to boost brand
awareness among the people helps in attracting customer and generating more demand.
 It helps in improving Search Engin Optimization (SEO) which is beneficial for small
business to attract people towards their website and create interest in their products.
 Use of social median will increase the demand which helps in increasing which further
maximise the productivity as well as profitability.
Difficulties of social media in SME:
 Biggest challenge in front of SME is that how social media perform or work in order to
provide success to the organization through spreading awareness among the customers.
 Small organizations such as SME does not having enough human & financial resources
to handle social media because it is very costly to implement.
1

 SME is not comfortable to use social media to share their product information (Carley
and Spapens, 2017). It will take huge time to make an online community and interact
with them on regular basis.
 Small business also face various challenges at the time of selecting social median
platform to promote their brand or product.
Seminar 2
CSR and Global Sustainability Development
Global Sustainability Development (GSD): It means that global goals which United
Nation have to address and make sure that people getting equal opportunity to live a better life
without compromising their needs. Sustainable development will help the entire community and
try to satisfy their needs through focus on future generations, balance between economic growth
and the actions of environment which provide social development and sustainability for the
longer period. For example: In order to provide global sustainability they have to take action
regarding solar energy which provide greatest advantage or limitless supply of energy with free
of cost. In addition, it include the wind energy, crop rotation, water fixation etc. These kind of
strategies will provide global sustainability.
Analyse the connection between CSR and Global Sustainability Development:
Global sustainability development and corporate social responsibility is different but the
concept is related which is provide social development of entire community. Sustainability
development primary focus on economic justice or environmental impact (Colglazier, 2015). On
the other hand, CSR related to the charitable contribution of the company which helps the
community through providing some kind of facilities. Sustainability development is the part of
corporate social responsibility programs and it has main purpose is to provide direct benefits to
the people who actually need help to make their life better.
Importance as well as impact of GSD to SME:
 Global sustainability development used to protect technological resources which provide
grater impact to the small medium enterprises. In the current scenario, people are more
relying on technology to complete their work.
2

 It helps in satisfying basic human needs because with the help of global sustainability
individual can satisfy their needs. Along with this, it further beneficial for small business
as well as in order to sustain in the market for longer period.
 Agriculture is necessary for the growing population and economy has to focus on these
aspect because it will provide sustainable development which is beneficial for individual
as well as small organizations.
Challenges of GSD to SME:
 Instability among the different nation is the biggest challenges because it further impact
the agreements or trade of different countries. This challenge will impact the growth of
economy as well as destroy future relations as well (Duggan and et.al., 2015). This
challenge will impact the large organizations because they deal in international market
but small business does not effected because they are in local area and targeting local
people.
 Implementation of global strategy also one of the big challenge which united nation face
at the time of implementing global sustainability development strategy. At the time
executing programs they have to make sure that it will fit in the local context as well.
 Governance include the policies and various rules which required to follow at the time of
developing any program for the sustainable development. There are various less business
which come under the criteria of governance but those will come who dies not have
enough knowledge that how to use these rules.
Seminar 3
Whistle-blowing and Workplace Ethics
Whistle-blowing: It means paying attention on work which is not doing in well manner
or in other words, those actives which is not ethically in context of organization. Basically
manager or staff members include in this type of activity. For example: if manager found any
employee who perform their task in unethical way so manager will report the higher authority
which called whistle blowing (Fasterling, 2014). Here manager is the whistle blower and most of
the time unethical activity will be found to be done by the tom authoritative person. So if any
staff member found that then directly reported to those people who can take action against it.
3

Workplace ethics: It is the moral guidelines that organization should have and it is
important to pass these ethics to the each member of business so they perform accordingly. Each
and every member of the company have to follow state or federal law. Ethics are important
which help the company to maintain work culture and it is the best way to build string relation
with their customers. Many organizations use their ethics into marketing for example: Chipotle
advertising does not include the meat even they supply artificial hormones or antibiotics in their
meet products (Workplace Ethics, 2019). another example of Lush's commitment which
minimise the waste by using recycled materials for its label & paper packaging which is based on
their ethics. Every organization has their ethics but individual also has some personal ethics
which they used at the time of performing their task.
How whistle blowing impact the working ethics:
Whistle blowing is one the workplace ethics because it includes the fairness or loyalty
into any conflict or disputes. It is totally depend upon the individual that how their personal
ethics will allow them to follow workplace ethics. Whistle blowing help the organization to
generate fair in the people and forces them to perform as per their ethics. If organization want
workplace ethics then they have to set some punishment which develop fear in the employees
before doing any unethical activity (Givati, 2016). Loyalty regarding their work is the ethical
value which can not replace with the ethical obligation because if it happen then it will become
responsibility of that individual who perform that task and have to be accountable for that.
Whistle blowing impact the workplace ethics so it is important that every individual have strong
character and all the required traits for ethical person.
Conflict of Whistle-blowing in the workplace:
most of the time it happen that managers disapprove the whistle blowing because they
think that it will disturb the hierarchy of power in the organization. Lower level employees does
not have right to tattle on upper management decisions. These kind of situations will promote the
unethical activities in the business. For example: if boss discuss any project and ask employees
for their suggestion but staff members not participated because of hierarchy. Most of the states
working on the whistle blowing protection low because top management will threaten them if
they raise their voice regarding any unethical activity.
4

Seminar 4
Effective Approach of CSR
Approaches of CSR:
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the standard business practices where
organization contribute few margin of their profit on the society for social or sustainable
envelopment (Moravcikova, Stefanikova and Rypakova, 2015). Organization done various
activities in the area of environment, community, financial performance, employees welfare and
corporate governance. There are various CSR approach but some of them discussed below:
Philanthropic Approach: It is the most common approach which used by the
organizations from many decades. Here contribute in the for the cause which provide direct
benefit and support the company to achieve their core objectives of business.
Community Approach: It is the most popular perception of CSR which include the
programs, events in the local community which leave the long term positive impact on the
community. It is very important to focus on those areas of community which required extra care
and it will be possible through CSR activities or the business.
Creative Share Value Approach: This approach used to develop future market through
strengthening economy, marketplace and whole community. It create interdependency on long
term business through balancing business success with social systems.
Importance of CSR world approaches and how it impact on SME:
Through contributing in the society in terms of corporate social responsibility is very
important for the organization because it helps in engaging customers which is essential for
company for long run success. Another important is that, it helps in retaining top talent so small
size organization also have to contribute in the social activity which make them popular among
the customers. Small organization required skilled people who helps the to achieve business
gaols & objectives (Tuten and Solomon, 2017). CSR activities is important for small business
because it helps in promoting their brand as well as product in the market which increase sales as
well as customers. It also beneficial in term of saving money through recycling waste, retain
employees in the organization for the longer period.
Difficulties in the approaches of CSR which impact SME:
There are various difficulties small organization have to face at the time of implementing
CSR activities. Some of them discussed below:
5

Human rights: It is very important to protect human rights but sometime it happen when
business contribute in the society then any one group of people not satisfied with the work. So
before developing any CSR activity small business have to analyse that human rights not
affected.
Working condition: Small organization have to ensure that they follow the working
condition such as child labouring is punishable act. More than working hours should be paid as
overtime and not threaten any single employee. Business has to ensure that working condition
should be fulfil.
Environment: Company should develop strategies to manage environment but it is not so easy to
implement any environmental CSR activity because it required proper management system.
6

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Aksak, E. O., Ferguson, M. A. and Duman, S. A., 2016. Corporate social responsibility and CSR
fit as predictors of corporate reputation: A global perspective. Public Relations Review.
42(1). pp.79-81.
Carley, M. and Spapens, P., 2017. Sharing the world: sustainable living and global equity in the
21st century. Routledge.
Colglazier, W., 2015. Sustainable development agenda: 2030. Science. 349(6252). pp.1048-
1050.
Duggan, M. and et.al., 2015. Social media update 2014. Pew research center. 19.
Fasterling, B., 2014. Whistleblower protection: A comparative law perspective. In International
Handbook on Whistleblowing Research. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Givati, Y., 2016. A theory of whistleblower rewards. The Journal of Legal Studies. 45(1). pp.43-
72.
Moravcikova, K., Stefanikova, Ľ. and Rypakova, M., 2015. CSR reporting as an important tool
of CSR communication. Procedia Economics and finance. 26. pp.332-338.
Tuten, T. L. and Solomon, M. R., 2017. Social media marketing. Sage.
Online
Social Media. 2019. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/social_media.html>
Workplace Ethics. 2019. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://bizfluent.com/about-6677585-definition-workplace-ethics.html>
7