Friday, 14 March 2014

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY


 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
1. Some strategists agree with Ralph Nader, who proclaims that organizations have tremendous social obligations. Others agree with Milton Friedman, who asserts that organizations have no obligation to do any more for society than is legally required.

2. Strategists should examine social problems in terms of potential costs and benefits to the firm, and focus on social issues that could benefit the firm most.

Social Policy

1. Social policy concerns what responsibilities the firm has to employees, consumers, environmentalists, minorities, communities, shareholders, and other groups.

2. Corporate social policy should be designed and articulated during strategy formulation, set and administered during strategy implementation, and reaffirmed or changed during strategy evaluation.

3. Firms should strive to engage in social activities that have economic benefits. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
1. Table 10-2 lists the Top 20 Companies in the World on Environmental Sustainability

2. The strategies of both companies and countries are increasingly scrutinized and evaluated from a natural environment perspective. A growing number of business schools offer separate courses and even a concentration in environmental management.

3. According to the International Standards Organization (ISO), the word environment is defined as "surroundings in which an organization operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their interrelation.

4. Employees, consumers, governments, and society are especially resentful of firms that harm rather than protect the natural environment. Governments are increasingly requiring businesses to behave responsibly and require that businesses publicly report the pollutants and wastes their facilities produce.

The article below illustrates an organization that has embedded social responsibility into the strategy and culture of the organization. Yara International Unveils Its "Creating Impact" Business Strategy and Commitment to Action at Clinton Global Initiative


è Learning Activity 1

Please provide your opinion of how the social responsibility strategy of this organization will impact the overall success of the organization.

Provide examples of other organization that have embedded a social responsibility into the organization's Mission and associated strategy.

On a 1 to 10 scale ranging from Nader's view to Friedman's view, what is your attitude toward social responsibility? Provide a rational for your response.


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Multinational Organizations

1. International firms or multinational corporations are organizations that conduct business operations across national borders.

2. The strategic-management process is conceptually the same for multinational firms as for purely domestic firms, although the process is more complex for international firms due to more variables and relationships.

3. More time and effort are required to identify and evaluate external trends and events in multinational organizations than in domestic corporations.

4. Multinational corporations face unique and diverse risks, such as expropriation of assets, currency losses through exchange rate fluctuations, unfavorable foreign court interpretations of contracts and agreements, social/political disturbances, import/export restrictions, tariffs, and trade barriers.

5. Before entering international markets, firms should scan relevant journals and patent reports, seek the advice of academic and research organizations, participate in international trade fairs, form partnerships, and conduct extensive research to broaden their contacts and diminish the risk of doing business in new markets.

The Global Challenge

1. Few companies can afford to ignore the presence of international competition. Firms that seem insulated and comfortable today may be vulnerable tomorrow.

a. How to gain and maintain exports to other nations

b. How to defend domestic markets against imported goods.

2. America's economy is becoming much less American, as a world economy and monetary system are emerging. More and more countries around the world are welcoming foreign investment and capital. As a result, labor markets have steadily become more international.

3. Many countries became more protectionist during the recent global economic recession. Protectionism refers to countries imposing tariffs, taxes, and regulations on firms outside the country to favor their own companies and people.

4. A primary reason why most domestic firms are engaging in global operations is that growth in demand for goods and services outside the United States is considerably higher than inside.

5. Shareholders and investors expect sustained growth in revenues from firms, and satisfactory growth for many



firms can only be achieved by capitalizing on demand outside the United States. Learning Activity Complete
Assurance of

Learning Exercise 11A - Compare Business Cultures Across Countries
     Complete Step 1

With the information that you have obtained in Step 1 compare and contrast the similarities and differences that must be considered when doing business in these two countries.

Explain how awareness of business culture across countries can enhance strategy implementation.


Assurance of Learning Exercise 11A

Compare Business Cultures Across Countries Purpose
Walt Disney does business in over 100 countries. Various websites give excellent detail that compare and contrast business culture across countries. One excellent website is http://www.kwintessential. co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html, where you can click on more than 100 countries and obtain
a synopsis of a countrys business culture. (Note: The culture part of this chapter is partly based on information at this website.) After clicking on a country at that website, you may scroll down to reach the section titled “Business Etiquette and Protocol.” This exercise gives you experience gaining information about business culture in virtually any country. Being knowledgeable of various countries’ business culture can make you a more effective manager or communicator with people or organizations in that country. This information is especially critical to firms such as Walt Disney that do business globally.
Step 1 - Go to the website named above. Click on any two countries located on different continents. Scroll down to the “Business Etiquette and Protocol” section of each country. Print this
material.




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