Essay On Communication Culture, Responsibility & Ethics In Vodafone.

Vodafone's Responsibility towards Environment

Discuss About The Communication Culture Responsibility & Ethics?

Vodafone is the greatest manufacturer of telecommunication gadget the company gives back to the society by participating in corporate social responsibility and other affairs.  The company is trying their level best to preserve the environment by minimizing waste. Vodafone has a commitment to reuse the waste generated from their network operation. For office waste, the company carries out internal recycling of metals, papers, CDs, and toners among other waste products to ensure proper disposal and conservation of the environment (McWilliams, Siegel & Wright, 2006). Also, the company is fastening and putting measures to reduce carbon footprints which can cause harm to the external environment.

Vodafone has a long-term plan that by 2020 it should raise the number of recycled mobile phones to 300000 (Implementing Sustainability, 2010). Apart from recycling, Vodafone is encouraging mobile trade in such that old gadgets are brought for the exchange of new gadgets. This is an objective that is meant to reduce waste on our environment.

Vodafone has a culture of volunteering and participates in fundraising. There are numerous events the company has dedicated their time and resources to facilitate the warfare of employees and those of other people. To mention a few examples among the many, in March 2005 Vodafone offered donated over 1000 hrs talk time to their employees. Also, Vodafone has participated and contributed more than $4000 from each employee to donate to charity programs like natural disasters and Drought run by UNICEF and Red cross.

There is the challenge of handling cyber security and the negative impact brought about by mobile technology as well as environmental degradation issues. Vodafone counters the challenge by offering information that keeps the information of their clients protected both on while on mobile platforms and online platforms. Besides, the company offers a blacklist service to their customers to protect them from receiving unwanted messages both TXT and PXT (Livermore, 2010). Finally, the tool ‘Vodafone guardian’ filters the messages and calls your child can receive. Also, the package offers a tracker to monitor the surfing behavior of the child.

The benefit of the sustainable issue it that, the company complies with the human safety by testing the mobile devices before they are released to the marketing for purchase. Also, they keep on scrutinizing the scientific evidence to help the development team to meet the highest standards of the devices they generate. They are always on toes to ensure consumer safety is safeguarded.

Vodafone's Volunteering and Fundraising Culture

 The company committed to tackling the issue by incorporating the manpower from scientific bodies to ensure the products they offer meet the threshold and the prescribed safety limits. Even though there are concerns about effects of mobile technology, Vodafone has always been at the frontline to respond to public grievances and offering reliable solutions and encouraging the practices to be embraced (Minor & Morgan, 2011).Notably, the company is committed to complying with the laws set within the area where they operate. Also, Vodafone is taking a keen look at consumer safety, employee, and the external environment. Besides, the company has explicitly strived to communicate their achievements through the publishing of the annual report hence depicting transparency and openness in their operation.

The company is concerned with addressing the issue of using mobile technology as well as phone masts. The company has hired a team of experts to research on the effects of using mobile technology and the possible measures to cap its effect on the users (Vodafone New Zealand Corporate Responsibility Report 2004– 05, nod.). Also, the company cares about its customers by publishing a yearly report entailing their strategies to deal with emerging issues like environmental, social, and economic impact brought about as a result of their operation.

The company deals with the complaints about mobile technology effects like mast by indulging and monitoring independent scientific research to prove the authenticity of the research as well as ensuring it meets the set standards. Thereafter, the relevant personnel updates the manufacturing team, especially the Group Electromagnetic Fields team that works to adjust accordingly in relation to the scientific report submitted.

Also, Vodafone offers a mandate to Group EMF team to scrutinize the policies and practices on a quarterly basis. Updates are communicated to the team regarding the evidence of the scientific research whenever the changes to the policies are introduced.

The notion that CSR increase profit is true based on the theories that are underpinned to the subject. As a result, most managers strive to gain public show by taking part in societal responsibility to show their willingness to generosity to serve the community. Even though the research is not scientific, based on the review of academic journals, we tend to ascribe that profit growth is directly proportional to the extent to which the company builds their brand and relationship with the external parties.

Some theories that have emerged that emphasize the importance of CSR illustrates that CSR promote the public image of the company, that is, the company is able to market itself to those places those places it has manifested and those places they are yet to penetrate by showing participating in community-related activities. Once, the company has gained fame in new markets, through running or taking part in social responsibility the company is likely to increase sales volume. We assume that, whenever a company offers support to the community, the community will respond by purchasing the products of services offered by the same company.

Vodafone's Measures for Cyber Security and Consumer Safety

In another perspective, CSR boost employee loyalty hence more people are likely to be attracted to the firm. When the company is in a position to tap the best manpower, the performance and output will be definitely outstanding (Robins, 2015). On the other end of the spectrum, when the company focuses on practices that reinforce sustainability, it is likely to cut down the operation cost because of embracing practices like the recycling of materials and using environment-friendly machines.

The theories of Utilitarianism and Kantian contribute to the trail of undertaking ethical scrutiny and through these theories, we realize a sense of direction and how we should use them as hallmarks for ethical issues.

The Utilitarianism theory regards those activities that are meant for communal purpose or of help to most people in the society has the best. The theory requires a person to pick a choice from a list that offers the maximum benefit (Kantian, 2010). Therefore, organization utilizes this theory because of they social responsibility services because they are aware the services benefit a large proportion of citizens regardless of the societal laws. However, rule utilitarian theory requires that the services be offered in a rightful and the most humane.

On the other hand, Kantian ethics depicts that the result of an action does not have any correlation with the action of an evaluation. In this case, motivation is the determinant of the outcome. Immanuel Kant further argues that a logic and sense of consistency prompt the way we perform our duties.  Therefore, there is an assumption that failure to use logic results is regarded immoral because a person will be prompted to embrace double standards while making a decision. The morality aspect in this theory requires that if humans want to be deemed as moral they have to follow the theory f categorical imperative (Bowie, 1998).

For example, Vodafone applies the theory of utilitarianism because company`s CSR activities are meant to benefit the community. Probably, the management sticks to the notion that the benefits that are underpinned by giving back to the society outweigh the expense for facilitating CSR activities. Therefore, Vodafone takes a big picture of the outcome because they know through the program the returns will be awesome.

Apple is one of the companies that has involved in a case of unethical issue. Last year in May, according to the report, Adrianne Moore the use of the Apple smartphone sued the company because of its attempt to block texts which were being received from other android devices from their market rivals like Samsung and Techno. The complainant sued the company for attempting to tweak the phone operating system to prevent texts coming from phones with the android operating system. Unfortunately, Apple duped the masses by giving petty excuses that the issue was a bug.

After further investigation, the matter received public concern and Apple Company was unable to conceal the truth from its clients. The motive behind the act was that the company wanted or was trying to circumvent their clients from shifting to other rival companies which manufactured high-quality Android versions.

I think Apple is a reputable company that would resolve this matter is an amicable way without raising alarm to the user. It was unethical to tweak their system to prevent users from chatting with their colleagues using Android devices. The company would have deployed a better competitive strategy to retain their customers. For instance, the company would have considered optimizing their operating system to supersede those of the competitors.

References

Bowie, N. E. (1998). A Kantian theory of meaningful work. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(9),      1083-1092.

Crane, A., Matten, D., & Spence, L. J. (Eds.). (2008). Corporate social responsibility: Readings and cases in a global context. London: Routledge.

Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2010). Maximizing business returns to corporate social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication. International Journal of    Management   Reviews, 12(1), 8-19.

Ethical Theories | Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Natural law, Risk and Responsibility | My Business Tricks. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mybusinesstricks.com/2013/03/ethical-theories-utilitarianism-kantian.html

Implementing Sustainability. (2010). doi:10.4324/9780203835142

Kantin, H. (2010). Is Evidence Knowledge?.

Levermore, R.,(2010). CSR for development through sport: Examining its potential and    limitations. Third world quarterly, 31(2), pp.223-241.

McWilliams, A., Siegel, D. S., & Wright, P. M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility: Strategic implications. Journal of management studies, 43(1), 1-18.

Minor, D., & Morgan, J. (2011). CSR as reputation insurance: Primum non nocere. California  Management Review, 53(3), 40-59.

Robins, R. (2015, May 15). Does Corporate Social Responsibility Increase Profits?.

Vodafone New Zealand Corporate Responsibility Report 2004– 05. (n.d.). What in the world have we done? Retrieved from https://www.vodafone.co.nz/cms/documents/cr-report-2004-2005.pdf