Executive Summary
This report details several international management problems that Chiquita has been faced with over the past two decades. Many of these problems are to do with the company’s previously poor image when it came to Corporate and Social responsibility. Over the years Chiquita faced many accusations about the conditions workers were faced with at many of their facilities in Latin America and have also had their environmental policies questioned many times in the press. The company has made great strides in recent years in improving their public image with regards to corporate and social responsibility. In particular Chiquita’s commitment to the Better Bananas Project has helped improve their public image along with the
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For example, in 1998 Chiquita fell a victim of an undercover investigation into dangerous and illegal business practices. The Cincinnati Enquirer, a paper based in Kentucky, accused the company guilty of “labour, human rights, environmental and political violations” in central America, leaving an “unsavoury impression of our company” according to Jeff Zalla, current corporate responsibility officer at Chiquita. (Luthans, F., & P. Doh, J. 2012).
The centre of the debate about the CSR is the nature and extent of corporate obligations that extend beyond the economic and legal responsibilities of the firm. “The idea of social responsibilities supposes that the corporation has not only economic and legal obligations, but also certain responsibilities to society which extend beyond these obligations” (McGuire, 1963: 144). The issue is therefore critical for the firm as it is in the business’s long-term self-interest to be socially responsible. If Chiquita wants to have a healthy climate in which to function in the future, it must take actions now to ensure its long-term viability. Ultimately it will benefit the company by “winning the public” because the public believe firms should take on social responsibility.
Issue #2: Tariff
Businesses, specifically larger corporations, play a major role in what occurs in society therefore, they are responsible to their stakeholders not only to pursue economic goals but the greater social good as well. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) means that a corporation should act in a way that enhances society and its inhabitants and be held accountable for any of its actions that affect people, their communities, and their environment. (Lawrence, 2010). Social responsibility is becoming the norm so much so that some businesses have incorporated it into their business model. There are three components of the bottom line of social
In this review, the primary subject is the ‘business case’ for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The business
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is something that affects all companies and should be an active factor in the company’s decision making. It is something all corporations need to care about. CSR is when business’ or corporations take part in an initiative or campaign for a cause that will benefit society and/or in some way make the world a better place (Taylor, 2015). Initially, Corporate Social Responsibility started to take shape around the 1950’s, but some say that it dates all the way back to the 1800s, the idea of CSR was seen (Carroll, 2007). One may think that because it is dated so long ago, it doesn’t have an important impact today nevertheless, it is proven that Corporate Social Responsibility is a pathway for entities to self benefit as they are in the process of benefitting society.
The case provides a vehicle for analyzing strategic, contextual, and ethical challenges underlying Chiquita 's presence in Colombia, a primary global source for bananas. The case highlights the trade-offs that Chiquita made while paying protection money to ensure business continuity and employee protection. Historic information tracks the evolution of the company from its early focus on owning plantations; growing, importing, and distributing bananas; sourcing, marketing, and distribution, to "downstream" value-chain activities that were more
Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) has been viewed in different ways by different school of thoughts; some see it has a voluntary initiative, while others think it’s a main part of every company’s structure and even an opportunity to improve brand. For this work, we would take the position of the later argument. It is simply giving back to the environment that you gain from. It involves protection of the environment, development of quality of the occupants of the environment and improving their quality of life. Like Barnard (1938), it is analyzing the social, economic, moral, legal and physical aspects of the environment.
Today when competition has reached its peak, anything that gives competitive advantage is a matter of concern for the corporations. In such a situation, when businesses have realized that they owe something back to the society and nature, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a priority on the agenda of the corporations. Giving back to the society and conserving the natural resources for a better future leads to the sustainable development in and around the
Corporate social responsibility has been one the key business buzz words of the 21st century. Consumers' discontent with the corporation has forced it to try and rectify its negative image by associating its name with good deeds. Social responsibility has become one of the corporation's most pressing issues, each company striving to outdo the next with its philanthropic image. People feel that the corporation has done great harm to both the environment and to society and that with all of its wealth and power, it should be leading the fight to save the Earth, to combat poverty and illness and etc. "Corporations are now expected to deliver the good, not just the goods; to pursue
In this essay, I am going to prove that a business organization should be socially responsible in a successful or an effective manner which will eventually benefit the company’s owners or shareholders. I will do so through illustrating the different potential effects of a business organization engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”). The effects that will be shown in this essay would be an increase and decrease in the company’s expenses, sustaining and harming the environment, increase and decrease in sales and customers, improve the lives of people inside and outside the company, and the practice of social irresponsibility. I will also be providing actual companies engage in CSR, and its effects on each company. I
Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, has been conceptualized rather broadly as the managerial obligation to take action to protect and improve both the welfare of society as a whole and the interest of organizations. In recent years, corporate social responsibility has been becoming increasingly important and is held
Leading community businesses and governments admit Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as an official policy objective. Those companies who apply CSR are able to maintain sustainable progress. This development covers social, economic and environmental influence in how they run (Clegg, 2011, p. 216). Three areas are the bases of the triple bottom line (TBL) approach (Elkington, 1994). CSR itself has various meaning but in more simple way it can be defined as firms’ obligation to act ethically and to facilitate elaboration. Thereby they try to make employees’ life better and likewise help to demonstrate a positive impact on local society. Therefore businesses are responsible for two factors of how they operate. Firstly, they should be concerned about the quality of management including people and operations. Secondly, they have to consider the character and amount of their effect on community in different fields. External stakeholders take a huge concern on how an organisation acts whether they perform well in their products, services, and society or not. Moreover they take an interest in how they care towards the workforce (Baker, 2004). The following paper demonstrates the major reasons of why businesses should take CSR seriously and what advantages does CSR have when they use it. First aspect will be related to reputation and brand image. Then it will be followed by strategy of cost reduction. Third aspect will explain the approaches to gain a competitive
The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) originated in 19537 with the publication of Bowen’s book Social Responsibilities of Businessmen (Carrol, 1999). Some perceived that at that time, the emphasis is placed on business people’s social conscience, rather than on the company itself. Some argue that corporate entities do not have any social responsibility except the ones that were written in agreement with government while establishing corporate entities, whereas others justify that corporate entities do have social responsibility. The roots of critics of CSR are so old that it is a challenge to the neoclassical business model itself (Valor, 2005). According to Smith (2005), there
Corporate social responsibility(CSR) isn 't a new concern. CSR is usually a managing strategy where organizations integrate sociable and environment concerns into their enterprise surgical procedures and relationships with their stakeholders. The necessity for established social responsibilities in addition to ethical frameworks in business has become a key top priority within our existing modern society. This attitude is supported by the fact that the number of probably the most well-known global companies have been integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR)
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), has been the centre of debate since the last decade, with the increase in technology and globalization, company policies have come under a lot of scrutiny. Although this issue is not relatively new but with the hype of increasing media coverage and in the wake of high profile corporate scandals (Enron, WorldCom) the emphasis has mounted (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2013). Organizations play a vital and ever so increasing role in the lives of people, other organizations and the wider community in general (Mullins, 2013). Hence it is the responsibility of these organizations to act in such a manner that accommodates the wider society. In 1970, economist Milton Friedman once argued “the business of business
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization(UNIDO) defines ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’(CSR) as “a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders”. The term is explained through a “Triple-Bottom-Line Approach” as being the way through which a company achieves a balance of economic, environmental and social imperatives (“Triple-Bottom-Line”) while at the same time addressing the expectations of shareholders and stakeholders (Elkington, 1997). This approach assumes a very significant light in today’s dynamic world where every aspect of life is inter-connected in a very mysterious fabric, where the alteration of one can affect the others in ways beyond comprehension. Corporate Social Responsibility, both as a term and concept, started becoming popular in the 1960s, when industrialization which sprouted in the Industrial Revolution was fixating its roots all across the world. Industrialization can be defined as the “period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one”. Just like the correlation and dependence of the various aspects of life with each other, it is seen that CSR and Industrialization shared their space of mutual effects as well.
‘Corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) means that the firm has wider responsibilities in relation to objectives and people apart from the owners or shareholders (Beal and Goyen 2005). These responsibilities are achieved when the firm adapts all of its practices to ensure that it operates in ways that meet, or exceed, the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that society has of business. Objectives often associated with CSR include a responsibility to manage natural assets sustainably and not to pollute by chemical discharge, smell, noise, dust or other irritants; fair treatment of employees and ethical attitude towards clients. The other people include employees, customers, suppliers,