Assessment 3 – LO2 and LO3
Individual Coursework – Literature review (60%)
Look at a recent business scandal or criticism over CSR that has made the headlines. First, identify the main organisation involved in the scandal and analyse the CSR strategy endorsed by the firm, employing concepts learned during this module. This should include academic or reliable references to concepts and theories covered during the course and some elements of critical evaluation. You could also consider evaluating the company’s strategy versus what it does in practice. Furthermore, you will propose how the board of directors can improve their sustainability and corporate social responsibility duties.
The student can also take the following companies, as given in the support document for A-3.
- Volkswagen (VW) Emissions Scandal (2015)
- Facebook/Cambridge Analytica Data Privacy Scandal (2018)
- Boeing 737 Max Crashes (2018-2019)
In this section, it is helpful to provide a short background of the company and the reasons informing your choice of this company and the problem you are focusing on. Briefly describe the basic details of the chosen organisation and identify a summary of the CSR strategy, and critically analyse it. Do not use this section to simply explain the strategy (you can provide additional information in the appendix). Refer to the CSR model chosen for your analysis.
The Main Body of your Coursework – literature review (55 %) (Indicative word limit-1300-1450)
This section should be organised into 3 subsections.
Part A. Stakeholder Firm Theory Analysis:
- Stakeholder analysis: Use stakeholder firm theory (traditional management model, stakeholder model, network model) to define the chosen company’s stakeholders
- Use different forms of stakeholder theory (normative stakeholder theory, descriptive stakeholder theory, instrumental stakeholder theory) to justify your analysis.
- Analyse how the firm’s strategies affect the stakeholders identified.
- Analyse stakeholder legitimation and salience concerning the chosen event (You can use Stakeholder Analysis: Salience Model)
Part B. CSR strategy analysis (choose ONE model)
1. Employ Carroll’s pyramid of CSR:
Is the chosen firm in search of material gain within the established rules? (Economic and legal responsibility)? Is the firm addressing ethical concerns of its stakeholders, is it avoiding damage? (Ethical responsibility). Is the firm responding to future challenges by implementing a CSR strategy able to address environmental and social concerns? Is the firm acting as a good corporate citizen? (Philanthropic responsibility)
2. Employ Visser’s CSR 2.0 model:
Is the firm studying creating value, and how is this value related to different stakeholders? What is the company’s commitment to environmental management? What are they doing to reduce their environmental impact? (Look at codes of conduct/ ethics, goals, and reporting) Is the company implementing a model of good governance? (Look at codes of conduct/ ethics, auditing, reporting, multi-stakeholder initiatives)? Does the company make a positive contribution to society?
Part C. Corporate governance and business ethics:
Based on findings from previous sections (Part A and Part B), you advise the Board of Directors of the company studied to revise the Code of Conduct/Code of Ethics concerning the specific aspects that you have identified (either environmental, economic, or social). The Board of Directors must consider the significance of this matter as previous errors have severely harmed the firm. Evaluate the advantages of a more oriented sustainability strategy that you would suggest.