Ethics And Corporate Social Responsibility - 1820 Words

Rachael Pritchard MGT 465 Debate # 1 Not in favor of CSR Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility is essentially the idea that corporations should and have the responsibility to act outside of their own interest of profits and interest of shareholders. That a majority of the responsibility to fix economic, environmental, and social issues somehow weighs more heavily on corporations shoulders than our own. I am not in favor of this notion for several reasons to which I will argue. The definition and idea of CSR sets up more unanswered flaws and questions than it supposedly answers. It becomes a masquerade that highly profitable businesses can hide behind to gain customer loyalty and favor in the eyes of society,†¦show more content†¦Pleas for corporate social responsibility will be truly embraced only by those executives who are smart enough to see that doing the right thing is a byproduct of their pursuit of profit. And that renders such pleas pointless† (Karnani, 2010). Meaning, the idea of CSR becomes a moot point, and brings us b ack to truth that companies will pursue markets where we demand products and services. The idea that if a corporation is involved or contributes to CSR, whether it be donations, charity, economic development, or other ventures, does not necessarily mean that they are â€Å"doing no harm†. In the article â€Å"The Problem with a Narrow-Minded Interpretation of CSR† supports this argument by saying, â€Å"It cannot be a sensible approach to call a corporation responsible just because it is well known for its philanthropic activities, while the exact same corporation is cheating customers or bribing the government simultaneously. A generous donation to an orphanage does not compensate for any kind of child labor. Such compensation would be nothing more than a modern-day version of indulgence selling or greenwashing† (Lin-Hi 2011). Take for example the well know Enron scandal, they were heavily involved in numerous CSR acts regarding sustainable development: renewable energy, solar power, and natural gas, and in the end they did more harm than good. Th ey were unethical and yet still effectively contributed to CSR. Supporting Lin-Hi’s claims that, â€Å"Good deeds become