Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Examining the Long-Term Effects of CSR Practices and Initiatives to the Company, the Consumer, and the Environment

Research Problem

Modern day economics point to capitalism as one of the most revolutionary ideas that countries and people embrace. Through capitalism, the exchange and transfer of goods from the producers to the consumers has become a global phenomenon, and more and more individuals and corporations engage in business in order to maximize profit. Being in a business means that there are certain demands that must be met, and providing the right products and services to suit the needs of the consumers is one way to exploit the opportunities of capitalism and to take advantage of the power of money and resources. In the past decades, corporations and business that have sprung up from all corners of the globe have developed into international actors considered as the new players in the area of contemporary political and economic affairs. Such businesses and corporations have become important stakeholders in promoting the welfare of the people that their business touches.

However, despite the advantages brought about by the free exchange of goods and the increase in profit, one of the major criticisms of capitalism is its exploitative nature. In the drive to generate more and more income from the finite resources that are afforded to them, corporations usually exploit labor, the environment and their consumers in their profiteering schemes. Aside from the negative effects of corporations to the society, the more pressing adverse effects of businesses to the environment and to the welfare of the people involved in their production put them in negative light.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are initiatives which are formulated and institutionalized by companies and organizations in order to minimize their negative impacts to the society and environment, and to promote the well-being of the surroundings and the people that are directly affected by the business operations of the company. This proposal aims to conceptualize a research which will highlight the need to preserve the integrity of the natural resources and the labor force, as well as to provide more sustainable ways that businesses and corporations can make use of different resources that are required for their production.

The paper will focus on business ethics, specifically, the study of CSR programs that come out as results of programs and initiatives that try to address the problems that companies cause to the environment and the society. The matters concerning CSR hold the future for the next generations. The main assumption of the paper is that although companies and multinational corporations should place an importance in the fast progress of the economy, there is also a need to increase the efforts in maintaining the sustainability and security of the natural and human resources required for the said companies to operation.

In order to derive comprehensive knowledge and sound recommendations from this study, the research must be guided by the following research questions:

1. What are examples of commercial activities and practices among organizations and corporations harm the society and the environment?
2. What sustainable CSR practices and initiatives have been instrumental in the success of curbing the negative effects of such practices to the people and the environment?
3. What factors affect the sustainability of the said programs?
4. What gaps contribute to the failure of the sustainability of the CSR programs mentioned?
5. What is the importance of CSR and its sustainability to the future of business practices

Outline Review of Related Literature

There is a need to understand the underlying concepts of CSR in order to be able to capture the real essence of the need for sustainable and well-rounded CSR practices. In the research, it is important to first and foremost, establish that private companies cause major problems that lead to the destruction of natural resources. Many research and literature show factual references to the destruction of biodiversity, citing the commercial production activities of companies and corporations as its major source. Additionally, corporations also cause disturbances to societal dynamics which can affect the way of life of the people who work for the company, who are situated near the areas of production and ultimately, the people who belong to the target market of the companies' products and services.

In the past several years, many companies and multinational corporations have been placed under intensive scrutiny and scorn due to the negative social and environmental repercussions of their business operations. Much of the literature point to the unethical and destructive practices of the said companies, as well as their impacts to the people who are affected by their unscrupulous activities. Many documentaries and probes have been released which highlight the negligent and callous disregard for safety measures and precautions in order to avoid destroying the balance of ecological and societal components of the business due to high-impact activities. With the steady rise in the popularity of investigative journalism targeting unfair, unethical and harmful practice comes the desire to take a closer look into policies and programs that are put in place in order to ensure and safeguard the long-term sustainability of the said plans.

For the paper, the review of related literature must delve into the management aspects of CSR and how it should be a part of business operations. Most companies now embrace certain CSR projects and programs to a certain degree. Next, one of the most influential concepts emerging in the field of CSR and business ethics is the premise of the Triple Bottom Line or the 3BL Paradigm of Corporate Social Responsibility. Expert literature, including noted journal articles by; Norman & McDonald (2009) Elkington (2004), Lewis (2009) and Henriques & Richardson (2004), all point to the belief that the ultimate success or survivability of a certain corporation should not only be measured by its traditional bottom line, which is also the return of investment or profit. Alternatively, the company's success can also be measured in the following bottom lines:

Also, it is important to include a segment on the threats on the implementation of CSR practices, especially on the reasons why such initiatives fail. A synthesis of the review of related literature will bring together the concepts and process it in order to create a unified and coherent prose.

Research Design and Rationale

It is suitable to utilize the qualitative approach in the study since there is a need to highlight the unstructured design of the results and analysis chapter. Ereaut (2002) mentions that qualitative research relies on the unique feedback and answers elicited from interview transcripts, open-ended survey responses, feedback forms and other related informative media. When qualitative data is in use, the researcher takes advantage of peer-edited journals and articles as well as other alternative resources instead of statistical data, thus ensuring credibility and validity from within the discipline or the field. Patton (2002) writes that the straightforward yet nuanced approach creates a combination of facts, observation, personal inquiries and expert opinions.

In order to gather the appropriate information required for the study, the researcher will schedule interviews from stakeholders and managers in well-known corporations and companies who will be willing to share their insights, as well as their companies' initiatives and programs pertaining to sustainable CSR programs and campaigns. The interviews will be recorded and transcribed before a comprehensive analysis will be performed.

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