The degree of performance of firms in the corporate world heavily relies on the corporate governance issues as well as the social responsibilities of the firms. The dimensions of incorporation of socio-cultural environment into business procedures as well as the ability of the firm to operate within the legal and ethical parametersdefine CSR (Crane &Matten, 2010). Corporate social responsibility is defined differently depending on the size of the firms, the products available, location, suppliers, employees and the leadership, as well as the reputation. Thus, CSR can be defined as the ability of the company to manage the business processes and positively impact on the society.

CSR is gaining relevance and becoming popular over time as more firms realize their importance. The increased relevance is because the consumers are increasingly gaining attention in products as well as scrutinizing the brands produced as well. Thus, CSR is becoming a platform under which organizations assess their impacts on the environment in which they operate. With CSR, the organizations can then make changes that will in turn end up in affecting them positively. In every CSR report, there are main components that are bound to be part of it regardless of the organization. These components include environmental protection and health, community involvement, education and leadership and employee wellbeing. In this paper, I will seek to look at these components in line with three organizations which include Tesco Plc., British Airways and Nokia Company.

Components of CSR Report

Environment& Health

The companies must show their environmental performance over the period. In protecting the environment, the companies must focus on items like substance management, efficient handling of energy, take back and recycling as well as the ability to promote sustainability. The CSR reports must show the companies’ commitment in use of efficient energy, proper use of water as well as the impacts of the operations on the environment. For instance, Nokia Company has focused on environmental and health issues through their reduction of average power no load power consumption level by 50%, and they did these from the year 2006 to 2010(Wati& Koo, 2010).

On the other hand, the management of Tesco Plc. has an incorporated responsibility in the environmental management and issues such as emissions, resources, and waste & recycling(Crane &Matten, 2010). The issues of organic food, welfare of animals, green transport and travel, as well as the efficacy of vehicles used, have been given the necessary impetus. Tesco Plc. came up with an initiative dubbed “Wildlife Choice” which necessitates farmers to consider wildlife on their farms. The company accepted to improve operations and monitor the impact of the wildlife on farmland such as the farms in Midlands. Thus, Tesco Plc. works closely with farmers to protect wildlife. On the other hand, BA has been top airline in environmental and health issues being the first airline to report on environmental performance. The airline uses airframes, engines and alternative fuels that embrace the latest technology. Additionally, BA has focused in ensuring noise reduction, waste reduction and maintaining air quality.

Community Involvement

The CSR reports must show the firms’ involvement in community servicing. The community involvement includes employee volunteering. The report has to indicate how the organizations are giving back to the community in terms of their time dedication and effort. Charity activities that provide assistance to the community as well as provide grants must be highlighted. The funds raised for community development, and improvement has to be captured. In Nokia for instance, the art of employee’s volunteering is part of the global corporate responsibility(Wati& Koo, 2010). Tesco Plc. has the Tesco Charity Trust, which was established in 1987 to support national and local communities through grants in UK(Tate, Ellram&Kirchoff, 2010). Additionally, Tesco dedicates 1% of its pre-tax profits to good causes and in supporting charities as well as staff fundraising. One such example is the staff fundraising known as “Race for Life” that concentrates on cancer research and came up with the Tesco Charity of the Year. On the other hand, British Airways is involved in charity work through programs such as BA community volunteering awards, BA giving scheme, and BA fun runs for Cancer research UK(Balmer, Stuart &Greyser, 2009).

Employee Wellbeing

The wellbeing of an employee is an important part of CSR report of the company. The support of management to the employees in maintaining life balance must be highlighted. The employer has to develop a workplace that is free from any form of discrimination. The company must present in its report the frequency at which it conducts labor assessments at the various production sites. Additionally, under this section the company must show its compliance with the employment guidelines and the standards of the labor condition(Tate, Ellram&Kirchoff, 2010). A case in example is that Nokia assesses labor condition every second year at its production sites(Wati& Koo, 2010). In this section, the issues related to wage rates must be highlighted, and it should come out clearly whether a company pays above or below minimum wages. For Tesco, there is a belief that through productivity of the employees they can provide sustainable wages. Tesco is known to have lobbied the government in Bangladesh to improve minimum wages in the MFA Forum(Belal& Cooper, 2011). The companies must also show their commitment in ensuring a long term plan or relationship between them and workers. British Airways has consistently improved the working condition for its workers(Balmer, Stuart &Greyser, 2009).

Supply Chain

The report has to outline clearly the expectations of the suppliers as an integral part of their work. The plans and initiatives of the company with its suppliers must be brought out clearly, and it could include partnerships with its suppliers, ability to provide technical expertise, advisory and provision of insight in customer trends and ensuring that there are regular payments made on time. This section must show the legal compliance of the company in relation to Supplier Code of Practice, which include contracts with the suppliers. Nokia has developed comprehensive set of global Nokia Supplier Requirements(Bask &Kuula, 2011). On the other hand, Tesco observes its relations with suppliers through its mechanism known as the Supplier Viewpoint Survey. Through the survey, the company has its targets which include that 90% of the suppliers see the brands as trustworthy, consistent, reliable, clear and of great help. British Airways has ensured a proper management of its supply chain through abiding by its contact(Balmer, Stuart &Greyser, 2009).

Education and Leadership Management

This is an integral part of CSR report as the employees are concerned about getting leadership training and ultimately developing in their career as well as acquiring new skills(Tate, Ellram&Kirchoff, 2010). The employers must show their commitment and outline their support for educative and leadership programs. For example, Nokia spent around 25 million euros on training for employees in 2009(Wati& Koo, 2010). Tesco focuses on education, and it is one of its main areas as evident by partnership through the “I CAN” project which helps children with difficulties in speech and languages through provision of scholarships and creating the cultural community centers. Also, Tesco provides schools with computers and support their use of new technologies in various nations. British Airways spends a considerable amount in training and equipping of the employees with necessary skills in order to remain competitive and relevant in the field(Balmer, Stuart &Greyser, 2009).

Conclusion

The study highlights the components of corporate social responsibility components in a company with reference to three different companies(Crane &Matten, 2010). Although traditionally, the main objective of firms is profit maximization, the business norms have changed, and different organizations are now must have these components as they are an integral part of them.

References

Balmer, J. M., Stuart, H., &Greyser, S. A. (2009).Aligning identity and strategy: Corporate branding at British Airways in the late 20th century. California Management Review, 51(3), 6-23.

Bask, A., &Kuula, M. (2011). Measuring Supply Chain Level Environmental Sustainability-Case Nokia. International Journal of Business Insights & Transformation, 3.

Belal, A. R., & Cooper, S. (2011). The absence of corporate social responsibility reporting in Bangladesh. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 22(7), 654-667.

Crane, A., &Matten, D. (2010). Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press.

Tate, W. L., Ellram, L. M., &Kirchoff, J. F. (2010). Corporate social responsibility reports: a thematic analysis related to supply chain management. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(1), 19-44.

Wati, Y., & Koo, C. (2010, January). The Green IT Practices of Nokia, Samsung, Sony, and Sony Ericsson: Content Analysis Approach. In System Sciences (HICSS), 2010 43rd Hawaii International Conference on (pp. 1-10).IEEE.

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