Web-Based CSR Essay: Philanthropic Analysis And Organizational Responsibilities.

1. You will be assigned to a group of four students and will randomly be given one organization out of 2016 CSR RepTrak 100 report.

2. The purpose of this assessment is for you to engage in web-based research. It is widely understood that there are four general types of CSR: economic responsibilities; legal responsibilities; ethical responsibilities; and, philanthropic responsibilities. Each student in your group needs to select one of the four themes and illustrate how your company’s CSR’s policies and practices aresustainable.  Also discuss the implications for global SCR practice.

3. Start your web-based research by finding the company’s 2016 Annual Report. Then do a search of popular business publications for any information about this company’s CSR policies and practices.

The Philanthropic Practices

The stakeholders of Coca Cola reserve the rights to brag over the success which they have been able to attain over the last 2 decades. Nevertheless, an in-depth analysis unveils a series of dynamics which have been fundamental in boosting their operations. For example, the management of Coca Cola has conquered certain commercial odds through policies that uplift positive links between the company and their customers. Just to mention, the organizational and foundational cultures of this mega company are shaped by notions which encourage social cohesion and commercial growth. Therefore, it can be asserted that they deserve the praise directed towards their endeavors and achievements. An assessment of Coca Cola’s Philanthropic report reveals why they continue to entice the masses all over the world irrespective of the stiff competition that they face on the market (Morgeson et al. 2013). This report highlights various contributions of Coca Cola towards enhancing global sustainability through financial and social support. It is essential to note that such initiatives are imperative whenever the management of an organization desires to upsurge the supremacy of their brand name. Although Coca Cola has faced numerous milestones throughout its development journey, their Philanthropic contribution has played a crucial role in elevating their activities.

According to research, the Coca-Cola Company has spent more than $820 million in giving back to the society since its inception of the Coca-Cola Foundation in the year 1984 (The Coca-Cola Foundation, 2016). This remarkable amount divulges the bright intentions of the management of Coca-Cola in line with specific goals and objectives. With this in mind, any person can admit that the organization has greater chances of growth in any geographical location across the globe.

The primary objective of the Coca-Cola Foundation is to ensure that there exists a concrete connection between the masses and the entire organization. However, the foundation has embraced a particular approach through their bid to attain their objectives. They focus on social development programs to promote the wellbeing of the vulnerable groups of people in diverse societal setups all over the globe. For instance, they direct more attention on; economic empowerment of women, the empowerment of the disabled, educational programs, water sustainability programs, youth development, general community improvement, environmental protection programs, and disaster relief among others.

Based from the 2016-annual CSR report of Coca-Cola, the organization has supported various other organizations through grants to boost educational programs. The report exposes a list of 262 financial contributions of the organization in different locations across the globe. The support directed towards dissimilar educational activities can vividly be noted from the 2016 report. For example, they spent a total of $320,000 to fund a medical scholarship program (The Coca-Cola Foundation, 2016). This operation was enriched by the Morehouse School of Medicine and financially reinforced by the corporate branch of Coca-Cola. Furthermore, other branches have also been crucial in uplifting the missions of the organization through similar contribution snot only in America and Europe, but also in Africa and other third world countries across the universe. A good example is the contribution of the North America Group in supporting a teachers program in California. This program focused on the teachers who taught the Latin speakers in America. Just to clarify, the Coca-Cola branch granted over $50,000 to the Foundation for Hispanic Education who were recognized as the main stakeholders of the operation.

Implications of the Practices

Diverse activities which uplift and support the development and financial empowerment of women can also be depicted from the philanthropic report of the Coca-Cola Foundation. The Running Start Organization was the main beneficiaries of a transaction that was sponsored by the North America Coca-Cola branch. The Running Start organization were the founders of the ‘Elect Her Movement’ which aimed at mobilizing women who are enrolled at different college institutions in America to run for electoral positions at the institutional level. The branch supported the movement with an approximated amount of 100, 000 dollars. The Coca-Cola Belestery, a women empowerment program cannot be sidelined under this philanthropic contribution category. Facilitated by the Eurasia and Africa group, the program has benefited many women in the Kazakhstan region (The Coca-Cola Foundation, 2016). They train over 2000 unemployed women on a yearly basis.

The contributions of the organization in promoting water sustainability further divulges why they are popular at the international business podium. These activities are coupled by other environmental protection mechanisms which are significant in the current era (Serodio et al. 2016). It is worth noting that the lives of many people are affected deleteriously because of pollution and their inability to support themselves financially leave alone to uplift the lives of their respective family members. The Groundwater Replenish plan is a perfect example of how the Coca-Cola organization has backed and maintained their philanthropic responsibilities. Just to mention, a total of $153,290 was directed towards this initiative through the support of the Coca-Cola Pacific group (The Coca-Cola Foundation, 2016). The plan revolved on efforts to support groundwater supplies in various communities within the Gujarat villages in India.                                       

The company has been successful in their goal to boost their global recognition status. Many people who benefited from the philanthropic reinforcements of the company are expected to value the brand name of the organization for many years to come. A deeper evaluation further highlights that their commercial activities are palpably elevated through such activities which taint some of their past operations which had damaged their reputation. According to Aaron & Siegel (2017), organizations which are capable of maintaining or rather creating a unique relationship between their activities and their clients stand on pole positions of achieving success irrespective of the attached challenges. Consequently, the promotional and marketing advantages obtained through such endeavors cannot be overshadowed under any given circumstances.

Additionally, Coca-Cola has a more stable turnover trend as compared to their competitors on the market. They continue to attract many qualified workers all over the world who strive to get a chance of working for them. This is mainly because many people feel protected whenever they are working for big organizations that are capable of uplifting their interests and pleas (Chandler & Werther, 2013). It can be avowed that the decision to maintain their philanthropic responsibilities has been effective since the implementation of policies to support the Coca-Cola Foundation Association. This concepts reflect the reasons why they are able to maintain a steady growth regardless of the popping up of numerous competitive organizations that offer similar products and services on the market.     

As if not enough, these strategies have enabled the company to attract more investors who support their operations either directly or indirectly. Evidently, the fact that the company is working in cohesion with other organizations in their copious missions unveils why they stand a chance of luring many investors to their side (Kleine, 2014). Their superior brand name which has further been uplifted by the philanthropic operations provides them with the cutting edge to dominate in any given market across the globe (Gupta et al. 2017).

Conclusion

In summary, other organizations ought to copy the initiative of Coca-Cola which are proven to be crucial and effective in their development process. In as much as the management of the company might claim that their motives are solely shaped by their goal to support the weak in the society, they benefit enormously from such activities. Research reveals that successful organizations have embraced certain unique features which make them more superior than their competitors. The legibility of this concept is exposed at this point based on the success attained by Coca-Cola over the last two decades.

References

Aaron, D. G., & Siegel, M. B. (2017). Sponsorship of national health organizations by two major soda companies. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 52(1), 20-30.

Chandler, D. B., & Werther, W. B. J. (2013). Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders, Globalization, and Sustainable Value Creation. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications

Gupta, A., Briscoe, F., & Hambrick, D. C. (2017). Red, blue, and purple firms: Organizational political ideology and corporate social responsibility. Strategic Management Journal, 38(5), 1018-1040.

Kleine, D. (2014). Corporate social responsibility and development. The Companion to Development Studies, 7(1), 195.

Morgeson, F. P., Aguinis, H., Waldman, D. A., & Siegel, D. S. (2013). Extending corporate social responsibility research to the human resource management and organizational behavior domains: A look to the future. Personnel Psychology, 66(4), 805-824.

Serodio, P. M., Mckee, M., Cohen, D., & Stuckler, D. (2016). Coca-Cola–a model of transparency in research partnerships? The European Journal of Public Health, 26(1), 170-021. 

Serodio, P. M., Stuckler, D., Mckee, M., & Cohen, D. (2016). OP76 Corporate funding of scientific research: a case study of Coca-Cola.

The Coca-Cola Foundation. Contribution Report. (2016). Retrieved from: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/journey/us/en/private/fileassets/pdf/our-company/2016-PIDC-Contributions-Report.pdf