Corporate Social Responsibility

CSR Step 4: Plan Implementation

1. Set the strategy. 2. Set priorities and objectives. These should incorporate a clear sense of how intermediate, tactical steps will lead to long-term objectives. They should also clearly define how results will be measured and who is accountable. 3. Implement the action plan created.

How do the three spheres of sustainability support an effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) program?

By offering an all-encompassing view of how an organization should function

When an organization lacks good governance and fails to recognize and respond to ethical issues it can lead to...

consumer boycotts, shareholder resolutions, and issues with employee recruitment and retention

Good Governance

the outcome of thoughtful assessment of an enterprise's legal, ethical, and civic obligations to the communities it serves and the development of systems that support fulfillment of these obligations

Governance

the system of rules and processes an organization puts in place to ensure its compliance with local and international laws, accounting rules, ethical norms, and social codes of conduct

To be proactive, the compliance program must

1.Be supported by a corporate culture—and clearly defined channels and procedures supporting the culture's values and goals—that encourages employees to seek advice on compliance and ethical issues and to report transgressions. 2.Have a comprehensive educational component that provides not only rules of conduct but decision-making guidance. 3.Have an ongoing monitoring, auditing, and evaluation component that ensures its effectiveness.

A CEO assigns employees to participate in fund-raising for a nonprofit school for students with learning disabilities. The company provides time off and covers the employees' expenses. Employee contributions and school accomplishments are communicated in newsletters and at annual meetings. How could this attempt at community involvement be improved?

Allow employees more voice in choosing the community involvement partner.

An organization gains many benefits from its employees volunteering in the community. How can volunteering help the employees?

By building skills

Leadership has requested HR to design a program to allow employees to telecommute. How will this advance the organization's sustainability?

By reducing organization's carbon footprint

What is the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability?

CSR encompasses sustainability

Which best illustrates the principle of sustainability in the workplace?

Changes to a headquarters location are weighed against the effects on stakeholders. Sustainable workplace policies focus on long-term effects and the integrated needs of people, the environment, and economic needs. Including a careful assessment of a change that would affect a large number of employees and the surrounding communities is sustainable.

Which is one of the negative social effects of global technological forces?

Complexity of privacy issues

The term "cultural relativism" is best demonstrated by which of the following?

Concept that holds that there are no absolutes and everything is based on the situation

Which can best be used in the evaluation of the outcomes of a compliance program?

How willing the participants are to report issues of noncompliance

At which point in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic process should a global organization decide on using local leadership?

Infrastructure Creation

What is the implication of an organization using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards to create an enhanced and comprehensive sustainability strategy?

It is easier to evaluate performance and progress against industry and global benchmarks.

HR has been charged with benchmarking the organization's sustainability performance against that of its global competitors. Which resource will best help HR accomplish this?

OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises CORRECT-GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards ISO 26000 United Nations Global Compact

Sustainability

Practice of purchasing and using resources wisely by balancing economic, social, and environmental concerns, with the goal of securing the interests of present and future generations.

When an organization has a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) orientation, which is it likely to see as a primary outcome?

Proactive and ongoing interaction with all stakeholders

Which change might a corporation make in the way it does business to create a sustainability sweet spot?

Redesigning products so that components are made locally from recycled materials, thereby reducing production costs

Ethics

Set of behavioral guidelines that an organization expects all of its directors, managers, and employees to follow to ensure appropriate moral and ethical business standards.

Compliance

State of being in accordance with all national, federal, regional, and/or local laws, regulations, and/or other government authority requirements applicable to the places in which an organization operates.

Which is a primary business benefit associated with implementation of an employee volunteerism program?

Strengthening the company's brand and reputation

As part of a software company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, during non-working hours employees volunteer time and expertise helping low-income people build their own small businesses. Participation has been consistent but at a very low level. What recommendation should HR make to assist the company in increasing employee involvement?

Support employee participation with paid time off.

Governance

System of rules and processes set up by an organization to ensure its compliance with local and international laws, accounting rules, ethical norms, internal codes of conduct, and other standards.

Which is the most important reason for a global organization to have a values-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy?

To create a foundation to make ethical decision

How are local cluster developments used in corporate social responsibility?

To create shared value

A small but growing organization is just beginning to build its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. Which objective would be most appropriate for the organization at this stage?

To develop a CSR program that is aligned with the organization's business strategy

An organization has redefined its brand to demonstrate a commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Which phase of the CSR maturity curve is the organization in?

Transformation

CSR Step 2: Assessment

Two components: 1. Reviewing systems and procedures within one's own organization to determine their current state of sustainability and 2. Gathering input from internal and external stakeholders

Technological forces have had which critical effect on today's corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices?

Using analytical capabilities has made CSR impacts more demonstrable.

How have corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies evolved in corporations?

Values and goals have been redefined based on CSR principles.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Varying ways an organization can create value, looking beyond traditional profit measures of revenue and expenses; includes such areas as philanthropy, volunteerism, corporate-sponsored community programs, social change, sustainability, corporate governance, employee rights, and workplace safety.

HR is looking for ways to increase the organization's brand while developing the employees. How can this be achieved?

Volunteering

Corporate Social Responsibility strategic process

Do not happen consecutively, some may occur at the same time as others 1. Executive Commitment 2. Assessment 3. Infrastructure Creation 4. Plan Implementation 5. Measurement, Reporting, and Evaluation 6. Reassessment and Revision

CSR Step 1: Executive Commitment

Any strategic initiative requires buy-in at the highest level. The key to getting that buy-in is making the business case for CSR—demonstrating that it has business value.

Triple Bottom Line

Economic, social, and environmental impact metrics used to determine an organization's success

An organization is moving from employees working in silos to a team environment. Which corporate social responsibility activity best supports this initiative?

Employee volunteerism

For an organization to be considered sustainable, what areas of practice are examined?

Environmental, economic, social

Why is ethics an intrinsic part of a corporate social responsibility program?

Ethics dictates behavioral guidelines for an organization.

A cosmetics company that denounces animal testing as a primary part of its branding was recently reported to be working with suppliers that routinely test on animals. Which aspect of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy is misaligned?

Governance

What type of system does HR help develop that puts rules and processes in place for the organization to go by?

Governance

Which term describes a system of rules and processes put in place to ensure adherence to laws, rules, norms, and social codes of conduct?

Governance

Areas of CSR Value Creation

Growth, Returns on Capital, and Risk Management

CSR Step 5: Measurement, Reporting, and Evaluation

everyone in the organization should know what, when, and how to provide data, and those responsible for analyzing and reporting on the data should likewise have a clear agenda, schedule, and set of procedures

CSR Step 3: Infrastructure Creation

involves creating the infrastructure that will be responsible for guiding, overseeing, administering, reviewing, and championing the CSR strategy.

Sustainability

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Compliance program

proactively ensures that all members of the organization understand and adhere to the code and are able to apply it to new situations and issues as they arise (which, of course, they will).