The highest ranking of entrepreneur for CSR:
Steve Jobs (Co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc)
In 2005, Apple
established a Supplier Code of Conduct to address working conditions within the
factories that manufacture and produce their products. Apple makes sure that it
works closely with its suppliers to ensure the code of conduct is being upheld
and implemented so that the workers’ rights are being protected.
In 2007, Apple
started to conduct audits on its suppliers and post the annual supplier
responsibility reports on the company website. In 2011 Apple conducted 229
audits throughout the supply chain which showed an 80% increase over the
previous year. The company tried to expand this program and added more detailed
and specialized audits that primarily focus on the safety of workers and also
working environment. The suppliers must provide the workers proper personal
protection equipment and monitor all in-house hazardous activities. The audits
have always checked for compliance with environmental standards. The company
has uncovered some violations such as dumping wastewater in improper place,
using machines without safeguards, et cetera and worked closely with suppliers
to correct the issues.
Besides that,
more than one million of supply chain employees including managers and workers
have been educated through Apple-designed training programs. Through these
programs, managers and supervisors are trained on management practices such as
worker-management communication, anti-harassment policies, and also workers’
rights and protections. All workers are given information about local laws,
their rights as workers, occupational health and safety. Both groups are
informed on Apple’s Supplier Code of Conduct during these training sessions as
well.
On the other
hand, Apple has offered specialized training on topics such as underage labor
and excessive overtime issues. Apple claimed that the company has a
zero-tolerance policy for underage labor. In 2011 the company broadened its age
verification program and dramatic improvements in hiring practices by their
suppliers can be seen after that. This policy is to ensure that the victims of
child labor are able to return to school and also compensated for damages and
lost time. At the same time Apple also made attempts to reduce the incidence of
excessive overtime at suppliers’ factories by tracking the number of hours
worked by each factory workers since 2011.
In contributing
to corporate social responsibility, Apple has also offered continuing education
opportunities to its suppliers’ employees free of charge. The Supplier Employee
Education and Development (SEED) is one of the programs to assist workers in
their professional and personal development. More than 60,000 workers have
enrolled in classes to study business and entrepreneurship, improve their
technical skills, computer skills, management skills, and other skills as well
or learn important language like English. Besides taking these classes, all
workers have the chance to pursue higher education and advanced degrees as
Apple has partnered with some local universities to offer extra courses.
J.W.Marriott
(CSR category-ranked 2nd)
J.W.Marriott got the second highest
marks in the part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) because he
contributed a lot to societies and environment by partnering with some
organizations. By working with charitable organizations, they are serving
communities through some signature issues which are “SERVE”. “SERVE” was known
as Shelter and food, Environment, Readiness for hotel careers, Vitality for children, Embracing diversity and people
with disabilities.
Marriott has contributed $2 million
to protect 1.4 million acres of rainforest in Brazil by cooperating with The
Amazonas Sustainable Foundation. Marriott hotels and associates have
demonstrated support for national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies by
contributing to disaster relief efforts, participating in blood drives, and
raising funds for local programs. Marriott has facilitated a number of its
managed courses in the U.S. and abroad to become Certified Audubon Cooperative
Sanctuaries. Marriott is Back on My Feet’s leading national employer partner.
In 1983, Marriott became Children’s Miracle Network’s first corporate sponsor
and we have contributed nearly $90 million since that time. Marriott has
partnered with Conservation International on innovative conservation
initiatives in Brazil and China. Marriott has maintained an alliance with DECA
for nearly 30 years and hires approximately 400 DECA students each year for
summer, seasonal, part-time and pool status positions. In 1992, Marriott became
the first major hospitality company to launch a nationwide program to donate
surplus non-perishable food to Feeding America.
By working with Habitat for
Humanity International, Marriott associates have volunteered to help build
Habitat homes in at least 15 countries. Marriott’s support for the Hispanic
College Fund spans more than 15 years with donations of nearly $400,000.
Marriott is a founding member of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP)
and has participated in industry working groups on human rights, carbon
measurement, supply chain among others. The Marriott Foundation for People with
Disabilities fosters the employment of young people with disabilities.
Marriott’s long-standing partnership with National Academy Foundation (NAF) has
enabled us to introduce students to careers in the hospitality industry. Marriott
hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Asia partner with SOS Children’s Villages
to support the needs of abandoned and orphaned children including vocational
training and job readiness programs. Marriott’s support for the United Negro
College Fund spans more than 30 years with donations of nearly $300,000. The
Inn and Conference Center at the University of Maryland is Marriott’s first
LEED certified hotel.
Lim Goh Tong (CSR Category-ranked 3rd)
Lim Goh Tong committed
to the corporate social responsibilities in the four focal areas of
environment, community, workplace and marketplace.
As Lim Goh
Tong’s business activities are closely associated with natural resources, he
recognize the importance of practicing responsible stewardship of the
environment and strive to adhere to the principles of sustainable development
for the benefit of present and future generations. The statement of commitment
to sustainable development is being put into practice through the observance of
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). When they undertaking new plantings, the
Group give thorough the consideration to the environment by, among other
things, carrying out comprehensive environmental and social impact assessments
prior to commencement of development and adhering strictly to a zero-burning
policy in land clearing. In addition, the use of chemical products also
minimized by the adoption of integrated pest management techniques and
integrated nutrient management, including recycling the oil palm wastes such as
empty fruit bunches and mill effluents as organic fertilizer for field
application. Palm oil waste materials are also used as biomass to generate
renewable power for the mills and surrounding areas. This is a practice that
not only contributes to effective waste management, but also fosters energy
efficiency through self-sufficiency.
Furthermore, Lim
Goh Tong’s Group also seek to build mutually beneficial relationships with the
communities where they are operate and with the society at large through active
engagement. As part of continual efforts to contribute towards enhancing the
socio-economic wellbeing of the rural communities, opportunities for employment
and contract works are provided to locals residing in the vicinity of the
Group’s operations. Infrastructures such as roads and bridges, ferry and
speedboat services, as well as healthcare and medical services, which are built
and maintained by the Group, are opened for access to local villagers.
Moreover, Lim Goh Tong’s Group also makes regular contributions in cash and
kind towards various community activities, including religious festival
celebrations. To foster stronger bonds among residents of the Group’s property
townships, community-oriented events such as family carnivals, sports
tournaments and other cultural activities are also routinely held and sponsored
by Lim Goh Tong’s Group. The Group also made contributions towards education.
They made contributions in the form of land for the school premises as well as
regular donations in cash and kind to meet the varied needs of the schools and
their students. The Group is also working in partnership with the Borneo Child
Aid Society/Humana, a non-profit social organization that focuses on providing
education for thousands of the children who live in estates and other remote
areas far from schools in Sabah. Their involvement in education extends to the
tertiary level through the Tan Sri (Dr.) Lim Goh Tong Endowment Fund set up in
2008 with an initial sum of RM1.0 million.
People are the
most importance asset. Lim Goh Tong Group value diversity in their workplace
and promote ethical behavior through their code of conduct while striving to
provide a working environment that is safe, healthy and conducive to continuous
employee development. They respects the rights of employees and are committed
to providing a workplace that is free from all forms of discrimination,
harassment or exploitation. To attract and retain the best talents, they strive
to create mutually-rewarding work experiences for employees by giving due
recognition to achievers and by aligning the aspirations of employees with the
objectives of the Group through well-structured career progression paths. As
they care about the well-being of people, they continually strive to promote a
healthy work-life balance by organizing various social activities such as
annual retreats and encouraging employees to participate in sporting events and
volunteer work, among other things.
In addition, Lim
Goh Tong business conduct shall be guided by honesty, integrity and a
commitment to excellence. They are committed to promoting responsible practices
among their business partners, showing care for the well-being of their
customers and upholding good corporate governance to meet the expectations of
their investors. Their commitment to adopting the best practices of good
governance is guided by the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance.
Bill Gates (CSR Category-ranked 3rd)
Gates is famous
for asking other billionaires to commit to giving away half their fortunes.
Bill and Melinda have committed to giving 95% of their fortunes to charity over
time, which is an astounding measure of generosity. The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the
world. Since inception, the Foundation has made grants of over $26 billion,
including $15 billion in global health alone. The Gates Foundation has two main
aims, first is to improve education in America and second is to fight
communicable diseases in Africa. With Warren Buffet he
has set up Giving Pledge to persuade other billionaires to do the same, and so
far they have convinced 120 people to take the pledge. At Ted, Mr Gates was
invited to make a pitch for more among an audience almost certain to have more
than its fair share of the super-rich.
Fred
Smith (CSR Category-ranked 3rd)
Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx strategically allocated
1.5% of pre-tax profits to charity via in-kind shipping and cash in 2010. On 9
July 2010, FedEx Custom Critical transport hundreds of loggerhead sea turtle
nests containing thousands of eggs to Florida’s Atlantic Coast, protecting the
hatchlings from potential impacts of the oil spill in the northern Gulf of
Mexico. FedEx provided more than $2 million in-kind and cash support for the
earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Besides that, team members of FedEx Ground
Desert district in the southwestern United States identify and segregate waste
that can be used or recycled, generating 170,000 pounds of recycled materials
over the past five years and reducing waste removal costs by 25 percent. In the
Asia-Pacific region, hundreds of FedEx team members are participating in
Eco-Driving, a program started by local leadership to reduce environmental
impacts through changing daily driving habits. Team members give Eco-Driving
seminars at the stations, invite the community to participate and put reminders
on key chains and stickers in the trucks. Fuel efficiency has improved by five
percent at the largest station in Japan.
Gordon
Moore (CSR Category-ranked 3rd)
Moore, who cofounded chipmaker Intel in 1968 and
retired as chairman in 1997, started the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in
2001 with a donation of his Intel shares worth around $5 billion. Moreover,
Moore’s foundation is planning to spend $90 million over five years to support
basic research in physics. Specifically, the money will fund research in
condensed matter physics, pushing to enhance understanding of a class of
systems called quantum materials. Furthermore, Moore Foundation is the biggest
backer of the Thirty Meter Telescope, the world’s largest telescope, now under
construction in Hawaii. In 2007, it pledged $200 million over nine years for
the telescope’s construction. Gordon and Betty Moore have signed the Giving Pledge,
a promise to give at least half of their net worth to charity.
Anita
Roddick (CSR Category-ranked 3rd)
Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop and a
pioneer of socially responsible business explore the issue of corporate social
responsibility in a public lecture at the London School of Economics and
Political Science (LSE). The Body Shop was one of the first cosmetics company
to prohibit the use of animals in testing products. The Body Shop's Mission
Statement sets out a dedication to the pursuit of social and environmental
change. In 1990, Anita Roddick as the founder of Children On the Edge (COTE) helped
the children who are affected by conflicts, natural disasters, disabilities,
and HIV/AIDS. The Anita Roddick Foundation has given four grants totaling
£120,000 to CAGE, a controversial Islamic rights group. Roddick had been a
strong campaigner on ethical issues. Throughout her career, Roddick continued
to campaign tirelessly against environmental and social around the world.
The
reasons for the entrepreneurs to be the lowest ranked:
Mark
Zuckerberg (the CEO of Facebook)
He involved in the politic and ethical issue which
related to immigration and education, including scientific research. Ethically,
should the private capital of giant corporations be spent to influence
immigration reform to be favorable to highly skilled employees but perhaps not
so favorable to potential competitors? What of the fate of the
unskilled immigrants? Behind such questions is the larger issue of whether a
powerful part of a system is apt to act in the interests of the whole. The
problem exists when the whole is compromised or even sacrificed for the good of
the part.
Mark Zuckerberg has a documented history of
unethical behavior. Mark Zuckerberg uses the Facebook user data to guess email
passwords and read personal email in order to disgrace his rivals
(BusinessInsider.com). These allegations, albeit unproven and somewhat dated,
nonetheless raise troubling questions about the ethics of the CEO of the
world's largest social network. Hence, Facebook is involved in privacy issue.
However, he joined the “Giving Pledge” campaign, promising,
publically, to donate half of his net worth to charity. This was done in
response to the negative publicity he was receiving from the Social Network
film being released and Facebook privacy issues.
Ingvar
Kamprad (founder of IKEA)
Although Kamprad’s style of leadership has led to
the success of his business, the company has
faced environmental and social issues. The environmental issue in the early
1980s was raised as IKEA products were proved to emit more Formaldehyde than
was allowed by legislation. As a result, IKEA learned a lesson: publicity
can bring a great loss in sales, not counting the damage to the brand image.
In regard to social issues, the company confronted
the child labor problem. In 1994, a Swedish
television showed a documentary film about children working in Pakistan,
targeting IKEA. In India, IKEA faced criticism about child labor from various
international organizations. In the spring of 1995, another film is threatened
to be shown on German television about children working at looms at Rangan
Exports.
Despite Arthur Guinness Fund, being one of the most successful Corporate Social Responsibility programmes in the whole of Ireland, it is however , one of the lowest ranked as among the other existing entrepreneurs in the world.
As a market leader, having played a large part in Diageo’s promotion of the Guinness brand over the past years, Diageo believes it must play a leadership role, together with industry partners, in promoting the responsible enjoyment of alcohol. This includes working with social aspects organisations, MEAS – the Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society.
Diageo not only has donated more than €1million to charities, community groups and social entrepreneurs in 2012, Diageo is also a key partner in a €75m Ulster Bank Diageo Venture Fund that provides vital capital investment to new and expanding Irish businesses. In 2012, Diageo won a PRII Award for excellence for the Arthur Guinness Fund. In 2012 water usage was reduced by 260 million litres of water, equivalent to 104 Olympic swimming pools.
Diageo Ireland is dedicated to improving its environmental sustainability for its business and brands - from grain to glass. To this end, Diageo has set challenging environmental goals and has made significant progress against key metrics including carbon, water, waste and packaging. Working in partnership with stakeholders, Diageo will continue to make improvements and work towards achieving its goal of becoming a truly sustainable business. At the 2013 Green Awards, Diageo's work in this area resulted in the organisation receiving two awards for excellence.
The Mercedes-Benz group of companies in South Africa has a solid reputation for contributing toward nation building, stretching as far back as the establishment of its production facility in the country, 60 years ago.
This legacy of good corporate citizenship lives on today through the group’s formalised Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio, which has evolved over the years to strategically align with the priorities of government in creating an empowered and economically independent population.
Key focus areas are re-assessed annually to ensure that projects supported address real needs within society. At present these areas are: Education and HIV/AIDS.
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) believes that as a nation South Africans need to put the correct building blocks in place to increase the economically active sector of the population. Education plays a pivotal role in creating this enabling environment, and receives focus as part of a sustainable and integrated approach to youth and whole school development. The company focuses on education in all areas – from pre-school to tertiary and adult basic education.
The group of companies has rallied socially-conscious employees to become more involved in its existing CSR projects in a structured and sustainable manner. For the purposes of increased impact, employee volunteerism initiatives provides further support and relationship building with beneficiaries, and contributes to MBSA as a great place to work.
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