Evaluation of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Risks of being Dissertation

Evaluation of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Risks of being non-CSR Entity - Dissertation Example This research will begin with the statement that the expansive literature on the topic of CSR comprises various definitions and explanations of the construct. For instance, the European Commission defines the concept of corporate governance as â€Å"A concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with stakeholders on a voluntary basis.† In addition to that, a generally understood and applied definition in the management literature is expounded by Davis by defining CSR as â€Å" the firm’s considerations of, and response to, issues beyond the narrow economic, technical, and legal requirements of the firm to accomplish social and environmental benefits along with the traditional economic gains which the firm seeks.† Moreover, there are other terms similar to the construct of the CSR including â€Å"corporate sustainability†, which focuses on long-run shareholder value by including principles particularly in nine other areas: governance, ethics, transparency, financial return, business relationships, community involvement, employment practices, environmental protection and product value. As a result, the activities attached with the concept of corporate sustainability remain largely analogous to the basic contents of the CSR. The CSR is an amalgamation of a number of corporate activities focusing on the welfare of stakeholder groups other than investors, such as suppliers, employees, charitable and community organizations and customers. One significant segment of CSR activities consists of corporate donations or contributions of products or cash to community and charitable organizations. For instance, Whirlpool Corporation (2010) arranged and donated a refrigerator to every home built by the Habitat for Humanity particularly in the affected areas of North America. Moreover, employees are also significant stakeholders for the companies. Companies carry out cert ain employee welfare related initiatives on a voluntary basis. Employee welfare includes initiatives from the facility of educational advantages to health care issues including providing them on site health clinics, wellness classes, fitness centres focusing on the issues such as work related stress management. Workplace safety has also become a critically significant factor of employee welfare; many companies have developed and established codes of conduct for employee safety and welfare and to their suppliers as well. Companies’ CSR activities also emphasis on meeting and fulfilling customer desires including protecting future generations. They intend to develop and sell such innovative products and services that appeal to customers’ environmental concerns via diminishing harmful product packaging and making it more durable and sustainable as well. Other CSR activities encompass â€Å"green† development and production practices and services, such as reducing e missions, conserving energy, reducing packaging materials, employing recycled materials, and sourcing materials from the suppliers located close to manufacturing installations. In this regard, Sony (2010) manages the harmful impacts of its greenhouse gas emissions by installing for carbon dioxide emissions from shipping, production, storage and other product use activities. Furthermore, companies often get involved with customers and vendors in their efforts to reduce their footprint and increase their environmental efforts. In this regard, Wal-Mart (2006) developed and announced a program measuring suppliers on their ability to diminish packing; and along with a goal of reducing up to 5 percent of total packing during the period 2008 to 2013. Why do firms involve in CSR activities? There remain various reasons underlying organization’s inclinations to get involved in socially responsible endeavours. First, organizations may prefer to remain

Textiles - Silk Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Textiles - Silk - Research Paper Example Ancient Chinese first developed silk fabric, with the earliest examples dating back to 3500 BC. Legend gives credit to a Chinese empress, Hsi-Ling-Shih, Lei-Tzu for discovering silk. Legend has it that she was in her garden sipping tea when a cocoon fell into the cup and since the tea was hot; the long silk strand was loosened. Apparently, she later raised silkworms and made a loom which she used to make silk fabrics. Originally, silks were reserved for the Chinese Kings for their use and presents to others. They later spread gradually in the Chinese culture and traded socially and geographically in Asia. It became a luxury fabric in the areas with access to Chinese merchants due to its lusture and texture. The demand for silk skyrocketed and became a staple of international trade (Philippa, 1993). There is evidence of the trade in silk from silk found in the hair of a 21st dynasty mummy, c.1070 BC in Egypt. This trade reached as far as the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa, and Europe. The trade was very extensive such that the main trade route between Asia and Europe came to be named the Silk Road. The Chinese emperors tried to keep sericulture knowledge so as to maintain a monopoly. Nonetheless, it reached Korea by 200 BC, ancient Khotan in around 100 AD, and India around AD 140. However, Chinese silk was the most sought-after and lucrative luxury item. It traded across the Asian and European continents with many civilizations like the ancient Persians economically benefiting from the trade. Today, the major producers of silk are India (14%) and China (54%). Japan is the leading consumer of Silk (Sara, 2007). Silk moths lay their eggs which later hatch to caterpillars (silkworms). The caterpillars are fed with fresh mulberry leaves. Thirty five days later, they are 10,000 times heavier compared to when hatched. A straw frame is put over the tray with caterpillars. Each caterpillar spins a cocoon when it moves its head in a certain pattern. L iquid silk is produced by two glands which force it through the head openings called spinnerets. It is coated with sericin, a protective water-soluble gum which solidifies on contact with air. Between 2–3 days, a caterpillar can spin about a mile of filament, encasing itself in a complete cocoon. Sadly, silk farmers kill most of the caterpillars by heat. Only a few are left to metamorphose into moths which breed a new generation of caterpillars. The cocoons are harvested and soaked into boiling water for the sericin which holds the silk fibers in a cocoon to soften. The fibers are unwound to make a continuous thread. Between three to ten threads are spun together forming a single silk thread (Sara, 2007). Sericulture refers to the raw production of silk through raising silkworms. Silkworm production relies on various environmental elements which affect silk production feasibility in many parts of the world. Since the harvesting process kills the larvae, animal rights and welf are activists have criticized the sericulture process. This led to Mohandas Gandhi promoting cotton spinning machines. In addition, he promoted Ahimsa silk (wild silk) made from the cocoons of semi-wild and wild silk moths. It is promoted in Southern India catering for people who do not prefer silk produced through killing of silkworms. The PETA organization has also campaigned against silk (Sara, 2007). Silk from silkworms is composed of two major proteins, fibroin and sericin.

Urban growth policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Urban growth policy - Research Paper Example This means that the policies being formulated have to take into account the various social, economical, cultural and academic differences in the community. Child care is a critical component of any functional urban community. The increasing urban population in San Diego means there is an increasing number of children. Majority of San Diego’s population consists of the working class, and hence a need for a reliable child care policy for community development. Many parents depend on organized out of home care for their young children. Absence of a universal child care policy by federal and state governments has led communities to seek policies of ensuring reliable and sustainable child care. The government has, however, increased spending on pre schools from 2.4 billion to 4.2 billion. Subsidies for child care services have also tripled. Typical childcare facilities use low cost housing like churches and depend entirely on parents fees to run the facilities. The main objective of the Urban Development Policy in San Diego is to clarify the roles of the government and the community in the development agenda. Since urban development entails the understanding of the basic community groups, the government depends on the community to come up with policies that best suit it. The government provides the required advice, assistance and planning for the execution of the policies (Warner, 2007). Another objective is to increase collaboration and co-operation between departments in the community and those in the government. This creates synchronism between the government and the community and hence a favorable development atmosphere. Goals are easily attainable when there is mutual co-operation. To increase the community and government capacity in understanding and advancing in the development policy is another objective. The level of involvement by both community and government will directly affect the achievement of development

AFRICAN HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

AFRICAN HISTORY - Essay Example This is because very little or no impact could be witnessed in their lives due to colonialism. Colonialism however continued to grow and intensify prompting the reaction of Africans in the regions mentioned and a few other regions. The period during which there was stiff resistance to colonial rule by Africans was known as the Scramble for Africa (Mentan 303). Despite the struggle, colonialist however managed to intensify their administration. In 1914, when the First World War broke out, most parts of Africa apart from Ethiopia and Liberia had been colonized (Mentan 303). The colonial administration had been able to deal with the resistance of Indigenous Africans. The war played a major role in institutionalizing colonial administration. This can be seen from the fact that by the end of the war, the entire African continent had been successfully colonized. By this time, all efforts by Africa to resist colonial administration had been defeated by the European colonialists. In addition, there were substantial changes in the pattern of colonial administration. In 1914 for example, Northern and Southern Nigeria British Protectorates were amalgamated (â€Å"First World War,† devhub.com). Italian Libya got an addition of a large region of western Egypt, Italy took part of Sudan, and parts of Ivory Coast, Sudan and Niger came to be under French rule (â€Å"First World War,† devhub.com). After the First World War, the people of Africa remained quiet over the issue. Although they decided not to oppose colonialism they were overall not happy with the colonial administration. In conclusion, the First World War played a major role in institutionalizing colonial administration in Africa. This is because although most Indigenous Africans opposed it, they were all defeated by the European colonialists during the war. The Second World War had profound effects upon Africans struggle for Independence and the European leadership in

PSYCHO-SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Essay

PSYCHO-SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY - Essay Example Culture and media---in many ways manipulate the ways of thinking of the society. Women grew up deeming that perilous sports are meant for male species, because that is exactly how they were made to believe. However, as society changed its stand on gender equality, women gracefully marched into the tennis courts and charmingly started to acquire gold medals and trophies. Brown, Katrina J., (2010, p.1), â€Å"Globally, the participation of women and girls in sport has increased tremendously. Much of this growth has been attributed to relatively recent changes in national and international law, yet few empirical studies exist that test this assertion. In this study, the role of law, specifically gender-based sports doctrine, is examined across four nations: the USA, Australia, Canada, and Iran. Results are mixed, suggesting women have increased their participation in elite sporting events despite national legal and bureaucratic variations regarding women in sport.† Then again, despite the contribution and desperate attempts of women to participate in sports which are as dangerous as racing, dirt biking, surfing---men continuously dominate this field. The vindication on this issue is simple: gender, until this day, has a great bearing on people’s decisions. In the face of numerous efforts to pull off various recognitions in different fields which are normally for men, women are still outnumbered by Adam’s sons when it comes to sports activities. On the other hand, getting into sports---especially for men---can almost be taken as a social requirement, that not being able to be good at it can also make a person feel like he is less fit or not outstanding. It may not be the intended connotation of promoting physical activities in schools, however, peer pressure, as well as other societal aspects impel more and more people to get into sports---at times---not because they are inclined to, but they feel that

Job Satisfaction Ratings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Job Satisfaction Ratings - Essay Example His innovative ideas have shaped the music and film-making industries (The trouble, 2008). As an innovative leader, he reportedly co-invented 103 inventions (e.g. Ipod interface) patented by Apple (The trouble, 2008). Steve Jobs has a vision and goals for the company and pursues them until they are realized. He applies a hands-on approach to management (The trouble, 2008). He has such a magnetic influence in the business circle that his presence in Apple affects the market value of the company. As a person, he can be viewed as persistent and determined on his goals that despite his previous unpleasant experience with Apple (removed from the company), he did not allow that experience affect him but instead, upon his return to Apple, he transformed it into a billion dollar venture with new product line-up. His leadership approach of working with more than a hundred employees (out of 25,000) from the cross-section of the organization for key ideas (Steve Jobs speaks, 2008) is a manifestation of a democratic or participative leadership (Leadership styles, 2009). These ideas are passed around for their comments and inputs wherein all angles of the ideas are explored and debated upon (Steve Jobs speaks, 2008). He can also be classified as a transformational leader that inspires his team to share his vision and sought out initiatives that can add a new value or input (Leadership styles, 2009). His infectious vision for innovation is shown with iPhone wherein he told his team to throw away what it was doing the previous year, start all over and work harder that caused his subordinates to rally behind him and sign them up for the new project (Steve Jobs speaks, 2008). Taylor (2009) characterizes him to belong to the Great Man Theory of Leadership because of his â€Å"CEO-centric model of ex ecutive power† which is archaic and inapplicable in the current state of business (para.

Spatial Imagery in Borges Essay Example for Free

Spatial Imagery in Borges Essay â€Å"Reality is not always probable, or likely† (Borges), this quote from Jorge Luis Borges, a perfect example of what makes Collected Fictions mysterious and entertaining to read. His readings are not superficial, and must be taken by critical thought and completely different modes of thinking. Borges’ stories use many techniques to express his messages. In select fictions, the idea of geometry, which is simple and exact, is used to convey themes of infinity and perceiving reality, which are hardly exact at all. Whether Borges uses hexagons to explain a concept of infinity and God, or rhombi and labyrinths to prove an order to chaos, these fictions let the reader explore his perplexing and ambiguous philosophy through ideas of spatial imagery. The story Death and the Compass deals with spatial imagery in two ways, one being with geometric rhombi, and the other is the reader’s idea of labyrinths. A rhombus is used in this story to specifically draw the main character strait to the criminal. Borges mentions the rhombus for the purpose of simplifying the story into something that makes sense; the crimes of the story fit into a perfect, known shape. â€Å"I knew you would add the missing point, the point that makes a perfect rhombus, the point that fixes the place where a precise death awaits you† (p. 156). The end of the story proves that the simple idea is not that simple at all, it all represents how this logical order of crimes brings the protagonist to a chaotic sense of himself because of the elaborate scheme that brings him to his own demise, which becomes part of the order. The other way Death and the Compass deals with spatial imagery is the way Borges lets the reader picture what a labyrinth should look like. Labyrinths are a recurring theme in a lot of Borges’ works, but in this particular story the villain sets up a labyrinth inside the main character’s head to set him up. â€Å"†The next time I kill you,† Scharlach replied, â€Å"I promise you the labyrinth that consists of a single straight line that is invisible and endless†Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 56). This I see as spatial imagery because the reader has to decide what kind of labyrinth the protagonist is caught in, the picture is unclear. This quote suggests that there are many realities, and Borges may mean that every individual is caught in a labyrinth of perception that they cannot escape from. What one may seem as a truth may not be even close to what is real. Borges does not just use this concept in Death and the Compass, but in many of his works. The Library of Babel is another piece of well-constructed art using visual metaphors bound with ideas of infinity, God, and unachievable realities. To describe the universe, Borges sets a picture of hexagons attached to more hexagons that make up a library and that continue forever. â€Å"I declare that the Library is endless. Idealists argue that the hexagonal rooms are the necessary shape of absolute space, or at least of our perception of space† (p. 112-113). This quote suggests that Borges believes the universe is infinite, but in a very concrete way. He uses a very unique technique in allowing an unimaginable theme of infinity is described in the very real idea or a hexagon, a finite thing. A hexagon is only a hexagon if it follows certain rules, but infinity has no rules. The hexagons are the order of the universe; it is not just open space, which means there must be a builder of the hexagons. So does this mean Borges believes in a creator, or God in his own philosophy? â€Å"Mystics claim that their ecstasies reveal to them a circular chamber containing an enormous circular book with a continuous spine that goes completely around the walls. But their testimony is suspect, their words obscure. That cyclical book is God. † (p. 113) In this quote, Borges reinforces the idea of a creator as God. It seems that this creator is the master book in the giant library of books that holds everything in. The books that are held in the hexagons of life also point to an interesting idea, â€Å"the Library is â€Å"total†-perfect, complete, and whole- and that its bookshelves contain all possible combinations of twenty-two orthographic symbols† (p. 15), Borges mentions these books because although every combination possible is presented, even if unconceivable to human thought, is still only a finite number. This is an absolute contradiction of the idea of infinite hexagons with books in them. Still another problem arisen by this quotation is that there seems to be no evidence of a creator if every single book in the library is of all possibilities, but these messages expressed in these books have to be endless. Man searching for his purpose in the universe, then is meaningless, and this argument is all because of spatial imagery Borges uses with hexagons. Borges is a mastermind at manipulating the reader’s thoughts into traveling in many directions on the roller coaster of imagination. In Death and the Compass the story leads the reader in a logical direction with spatial imagery and explains alternate reality through labyrinths, and hexagons represent the idea of an infinite universe with the ambiguous existence of a creator in Library of Babel. The technique of spatial imagery can be endless and the messages that are found can be argued and lead to more questions than answers, but the next time I write this essay, all the answers will be revealed to you.