Question:
Which companies in the industry stand out in regards to their view and actions in CSR?
Summary:
The Walt Disney Company is a fantastic example of a company in the media industry that pays close attention to its corporate social responsibility. According to its "About Disney" section, Walt Disney has earned many titles and ratings that indicate its social responsibility. Disney is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, which is a corporation of SAM Group, STOXX Limited, and Dow Jones Indexes. Members perform well in terms of "economic, environmental and social criteria." Disney was named a 2010 Bronze Class member. Disney is also part of the FTSE4Good Index Series for "[meeting] stringent social, ethical, and environmental criteria." Finally, Disney has also been a member of many KLD Indexes since 1990 for "defining strategies and benchmarking investments that integrate environmental, social and governance factors."
Analysis:
It is a positive thing for any company to be recognized by many criterion for its corporate social responsibility. It is even more crucial, however, that a company that markets to children (such as the Walt Disney Company) be socially responsible for the purposes of maintaining good standing with families, schools, and other societal functions that are meant to be family-friendly.
The difference between Disney and, say, Exxon Mobil is that Disney is catering to completely different demographic: children, parents, families, teachers, etc. who most commonly wish to see companies taking social responsibility--economically, ethically, and environmentally. Customers of Exxon Mobil are probably less concerned with the environment and the ways in which the oil is obtained and distributed; they just want their cars to function. It is definitely smart for Disney to concern itself with CSR.
Sources:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9YoLAIZX_icI06msA1XeMosvBvJhDqgc9HDxEyuk08L8tgM6YcDPNEIZnuzBBMC79bCVYOWhyIsesmO3jKXdmqUzwJdqPLc88KDfiHLZXkkA44mTdZ17jTcO8ZDgxrrPt6IiAEGNq_1S/s400/disney-green.jpg
Sources:
http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/cr_indices.html
I definitely agree with you, Amanda. As a company that targets children, its important for it to have a positive image. I also think that part of it's success lies in the fact that it has created this image of good social responsibility. It has become the closest association with childhood for many people, and it is therefore very important that it remains very aware of keeping a strongly positive public opinion of it's CSR.
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