C Leveled : Stakeholder Matching Application Essay

These expectations relate with Hungry Jack’s main stakeholders. Theory indicates that businesses affect stakeholder groups that also influence business performance in return. As such, it is essential for Hungry Jack’s to maintain and improve its corporate social responsibility strategies for the purpose of optimizing its relations with major stakeholders. By integrating the interests of these stakeholder groups in strategic formulation, Hungry Jacks can expect optimised business opportunities for long-term growth and

The evolving practices around corporate social responsibility (CSR) provide dynamic, and complex opportunities for business. Overall, businesses are modifying their core purpose from creating shareholder profit toward creating shared value across their stakeholders, with shareholders being only one of the many stakeholders. This paper analyzes the 74th ranked 2014 Fortune Global 500 Company Kroger. Kroger started in 1883 as a local Cincinnati, Ohio grocery store, and has expended to be the second largest retail grocery store in the United States, and fifth largest in the world, owning retail food and drug stores, jewelry stores, and convenience stores in the United States (Kroger, 2015). Kroger remains headquartered in Ohio. An overview of Kroger, and specifically Kroger’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and implementation will be discussed, followed by a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) CSR analysis informing a concluding plan to enhance Kroger’s CSR maturity.

Most businesses start with the primary thought of making money. As a small grocery store chain, it is hard to compete with the larger national grocery stores, which often force the smaller local stores out of business. It is this dynamic, with the help of consumers, which is forcing both small and large businesses to reconsider their organizational goals and outcomes to include social responsibility. A successful business understands their customers, learns what their customers presently need, and foresees what their customers will need in the future.

In the field of Human Services, there are many details that must never be overlooked, there are many variables that must not ever be ignored, and there are many expectations from stakeholders that most definitely must be entertained by all staff and participants who are involved with a program.

Although not all companies are successful at truly embodying what it means to be green, even companies that have been synonymous for contributing pollutants and greenhouse gasses spend millions trying to convince stakeholders that they do. It’s often these last two dimensions of CSR—social and environmental, that either embroil a corporation in controversy or allow it to serve as an exemplar in good ethical business practices.

Target CSR practice is based on four key areas: inspiring wellness; fostering sustainability; championing inclusion; and investing in communities (Target Corporate). In a nutshell, this paper will focus more on how Target has fostered sustainability. Target has been working to improve environmental and social impact through its product design and development, operations and manufacturing for decades. It is notable that 76 percent of Target locations are certified as Energy Star. In 2015, the company minimized its water consumption by 17.1 percent per square foot. However, Target was not able to accomplish minimize greenhouse gas emission by 49 percent per million dollars of retail transactions. It managed to minimize only 47.6 percent. At

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an increasingly accepted topic for both mainstream practice and academic discussion. It focuses on moving organizations away from a single bottom-line philosophy (economic) to encouraging organizations to undertake roles traditionally seen as beyond the scope of the profit-seeking organization such as environmental protection, supporting education and involvement in the community. One of the most commonly referenced terms for this is the “triple bottom line” (economic, social and environmental). This bottom focuses on reducing the organization’s negative impact on the world and it helps to improve their positive image.

Kroger’s CSR efforts regarding environmental efforts are more robust than employee stakeholder support. Even with this, Kroger is considered a laggard with environmental CSR standards when compared to Walmart and Target (van der Ven, 2014). A main reason for this could be due to Kroger’s relatively light involvement with CSR focused organizations. Their leadership may simply not be exposed to CSR ideas as much as their peers (van der Ven, 2014). Expanding CSR knowledge, and leadership widening their network on CSR possibilities will give Kroger’s leaders access to industry leaders best practice knowledge.

The long-held belief that a business exists for the only purpose of generating profits for shareholders is quickly going by the wayside, as it becomes increasingly evident how much of an impact organizations have on communities and society. The ability of any enterprise to balance the ethical and economic factors and their respective agendas to joint fulfillment is the foundation of highly profitable and sustainable business for the long-term (Robert, Kodua, 2012). Staples, Inc., has one of the most advanced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs in the retailing industry today. The Soul Program at Staples is based on a foundation of four pillars which include Community, Diversity, Ethics and Environment. Staples has taken these four foundational elements and successfully integrated them into the culture of their corporation, transforming them into a long-term competitive advantage (Field, 2009). The idealized state of CSR Programs is to provide an agile, intelligent framework for integrating economic- and ethically driven programs effective (Robert, Kodua, 2012). Staples has done this by creating a culture of accountability, one that is defined by scorecards that measure highly specific objectives in each of these four pillar areas, in addition to benchmarking the company's own performance at diversity program attainment, training, and a continual focus on attaining higher levels of delivered value

Companies today are heavily influenced by the demands of customers and stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to the social and environmental responsibility policies and practices developed by an organization to increase its positive influence and reduce its negative activity towards society (Parks, 2008). The business approach and corporate philosophy of an organization is easily altered due to economic pressures, technological improvement and stakeholder needs and demands. "Going green" or being eco-friendly is one such demand. Environmental and sustainability concerns originate most often from governments, consumer activists, and the general public (Schlosser, 2008). Thus, organizations must implement sustainability into daily practices. In addition, sustainability alters the nature of competition and drives companies to think differently about products, processes, and technologies (Parks, 2008).

When individual practitioners and stakeholders are asked, much disagreement still exists over what constitutes best practice. Q methodology identify four distinct views of best practice from those who had taken part in ten participatory processes, who differed over how to tackle issues of power and trust, and the role of strong leadership/direction and scientific information. However, such views are not contradiction. (Webler and Tuler, 2006 )

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 company I chose to explore is Whole Foods and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) they adhere to. Corporate social responsibility, also known as CSR, means “a corporation’s initiatives to assess and take responsibility for the company’s effects on environmental and social well-being”, according to, Investopedia, (R., 2015). Whole foods are dedicated to contributing back to its people, community, and the environment while profiting as a company. CSR is just as important as their ethical practices including “green marketing” by utilizing the marketing of products believed to be preferably used by people which incorporate a number of activities such as, environmentally friendly packaging, sustainability, and modified advertising. The company’s reputation of what they offer, the treatment of their employees, behavior as a company, including the major factors of they represent across the marketplace is what they strive to exude.

Due to the vastly growing demand for organizational transparency, the formation of sustainability indices has assisted prospective investors by serving as educational tools and allowing them to confidently engage with companies who create a positive social and environmental impact. These indices, such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), evaluate and measure some of the world’s most profitable companies’ based on criteria such as economic, social, and environmental efforts (ESG) (S&P Dow Jones Indices, 2015). Additionally, the Global 100 is comprised of organizations who generate a minimum of two billion U.S. dollars per year and have been screened in four areas, including sustainability disclosure, F-score (financial), product category, and sanctions (Corporate Knights, 2015b). Consequently, Coca-Cola has been able to secure a spot on at least one index in the past two years due to their excellence in the criteria mentioned above. While these indices provide an investor with an objective evaluation of a firm, an examination into company’s annual sustainability report can offer in-depth look into their internal competencies as it relates to their specific sustainability goals and current progress. Therefore, after a thorough analysis and comparison of Coca-Cola’s Sustainability Report (2015) and the methodology for both indices, many similarities and differences are depicted that highlight both the strengths and limitations of all three

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