Corporate Social Responsibility
Uber corporate social responsibility is attracting a lot of interest among business researchers and practitioners recently. Not paying due attention to CSR aspect of the business has been traditionally one of the weaknesses associated with Uber under previous CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick. The ride-hailing giant has even lost its license to operate in London in 2017 due to the lack of corporate social responsibility[1]. However, under the new CEO Dara Khowrowshahi the company has fully recognized the importance of conducting sustainable business and this change is communicated to internal and external stakeholders systematically. The largest mobility platform in the world has pledged to become a fully zero-emission platform by 2040, with 100% of rides taking place in zero-emission vehicles, on public transit, or with micro-mobility Uber CSR Programs and Initiatives Uber and Gender Equality and Minorities The company received the maximum score of 100% on Human Rights Campaign 2020 Corporate Equality Index 59,7% of total workforce are man and 40,3% of all workforce are women. In tech jobs, the majority 76,9% of employees are men, whereas women fill only 23,1% of tech positions Black or African American represent only 7,5% of the total workforce Water Consumption by Uber The global transportation technology company used 699,854 cubic meters of water globally in 2019 Mission Bay campus in San Francisco, USA is estimated to save round 2.5 million gallons of water through re-using the water Carbon Emissions by Uber The company has set a goal that 100% rides in US, Canadian, and European cities will be in electric vehicles (EV) by 2030. Uber Green program is being expanded make it easier for riders to choose to travel in hybrids or EVs The ride-hailing giant is committing USD 800 million in resources to help hundreds of thousands of drivers transition to EVs…
Tesla CSR programs and initiatives are currently led by Vice President of People Valerie Chapman. Tesla did not pay due attention to social responsibility aspect of the business and did not engage in corporate sustainability reporting for a long time. Although the electric automaker was founded in 2003 and became publicly traded company in 2010, the company released its first CSR report titled Impact Report only in 2018. The alternative fuel vehicles manufacturer has Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team that uses data-driven approach to champion diversity, equity and inclusion in business practices and communities.[1] Tesla produces electric vehicles, energy storage systems and solar panels. These products are perceived to promote environmental sustainability and this perception is effectively integrated into company’s marketing communication message. Tesla CSR Programs and Initiatives Employee Health and Safety at Tesla Production employees are required to participate in a multi-day training program before ever setting foot on the factory floor. Tesla provides zero-cost health care and benefits to full-time employee positions. Employee engagement in health risk reduction measured by employee suggestions, good observations, Find it-Fix it program and continuous improvement ideas have increased from 3,000 engagements in 2017 to almost 23,000 in 2019. Tesla and Gender Equality and Minorities Tesla was recognised as Best Employer for Diversity in 2019 by Forbes The electric car maker attempts to ensure a fair representation of traditionally underrepresented communities among its workforce. As it is illustrated in Figure 1 below, traditionally underrepresented groups amount to the majority 60% at Tesla. Figure 1 Underrepresented communities representation at Tesla US Traditionally underrepresented communities are also present in Director and Vice President positions at Tesla, as illustrated in Figure 2 below. Figure 2 Underrepresented communities in leadership positions at Tesla US Gender representation is an issue at Tesla. Only 21% of US…
Grainger CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs and initiatives aim to address the issues of social awareness, environmental factors and ethical labour practices while promoting a greener, more culturally conscious attitude to both peers and customers. Grainger CSR Advisory Council has the mission of providing strategic awareness and encouraging transparency. Moreover, the global industrial supply company has CSR Working Group that leads programs to promote CSR goals. The company began using the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Reporting Standards in 2016 and, since 2017, has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.[1] The B2B distributor offers more than 100,000 environmentally friendly products that help customers reduce energy consumption, conserve water, reduce waste and improve indoor air quality. [2] In 2018 the company was included in the top 10 placement in Barron’s “List of 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies” for the second time. Grainger Supporting Local Communities Hundreds of Grainger employees volunteered 8500 hours in local communities throughout the US in 2018 Members of Grainger workforce also help communities devastated by natural disasters worldwide In 2018, the global industrial supply company donated more than USD120,000 worth of products to Team Rubicon, a veteran-led group that helps communities worldwide get back on their feet after disasters. Grainger Educating and Empowering Workers All employees have completed Business Conduct Guidelines Training In 2017 the company provided 154 Grainger Tools for Tomorrow scholarships to employees in 85 participating colleges Grainger invested more than USD 4,5 million in employee education and development since 2006 Employee Health and Safety at Grainger Lost time incident rate per 100 employees decreased from 0,4 in 2017 to 0,3 in 2018 Total recordable incident rate per 100 employees totalled to 1,4 in 2017 and 2018 Grainger and Gender Equality and Minorities In total 38% of all workforce in…
Airbnb corporate social responsibility is closely associated with business model of the travel industry disruptor. It can be argued that travelling via Airbnb instead of hotels results in significant reduction in energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste, and encourages more sustainable practices among both hosts and guests. CSR Programs and Initiatives Airbnb Supporting Local Communities Airbnb employees receive four hours of paid time off every month to volunteer in their local communities.[1] Global Citizenship Champion program launched in 2013 involves organizing charitable contributions to causes important to their local communities in 20 cities around the world Champions within the scope of Global Citizenship Champion program completed more than 17000 hours of service in 2016. Airbnb runs Open Homes program that provides homes for free to those affected by conflict, disaster, or critical illness. The program has helped more than 25,000 people in need to find temporary housing and in 2019 the company is investing USD 20 million to grow the platform. Airbnb aims to house 100,000 people by 2022.[2] Airbnb and Gender Equality and Minorities Diversity is one of the core values at Airbnb. 48.94% and 43.85% of employees are female, globally and in the US respectively. The figure 10 below illustrates race and ethnicity representation at Airbnb in the US. Ethnicity representation at Airbnb in the US Airbnb has “Diverse Candidate Slates” rule. For every open position, women and underrepresented minorities must be included on candidate slates before those slates are presented to hiring managers and the manager is allowed to proceed with filling the position.[3] The peer-to-peer lodging company has a wide range of Airfinity groups that create more awareness and advocacy around the issues employees value. Airfinity employee groups include Able@ for employees with disabilities, AirPride@ for LGBTQ people, Asians@, Black@, Foreignairs@, Juntos@,…
September 24, 2019
By John Dudovskiy
Category: Corporate Social Responsibility
Tags: hospitality, IT
Microsoft corporate social responsibility (CSR) is guided by the citizenship mission of the company which is “to serve globally the needs of communities and fulfil our responsibilities to the public”. Moreover, charitable activities of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates is also associated with Microsoft in the perception of the general public to a certain extent. The technology giant won a number of awards and achievements for its responsible behaviour. These include ranking #1 on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2018, ranking #1 for both, Environment and Social Score which measures corporate performance using more than 200 factors. Moreover, Microsoft’s behavior as a socially responsible company has earned number 2 spot on JUST Capital’s Top 10 Tech Companies. Microsoft CSR Programs and Initiatives Microsoft Supporting Local Communities Microsoft employees donated USD158 million to non-profits serving its local communities and the world The Lagos Solar project in Nigeria uses batteries that are charged by solar panels, along with intelligent inverters connected to Microsoft Azure Internet of Things technology International software provider Temenos relies on Microsoft Cloud services to reach people across Myanmar who lack access to banking, giving them opportunities for more financial stability and access to microcredit and other financial services. Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative provides a set of programs to empower African youth, entrepreneurs, developers and business and civic leaders YouthSpark initiative aims to empower 300 million young people around the world with opportunities for education, employment, and entrepreneurship Microsoft Educating and Empowering Workers Microsoft collects employee feedbacks through multiple channels and acts on them. As part of this initiative nearly 85 percent of our more than 117,000 employees responded employee survey 92% of surveyed stated they feel proud to work at Microsoft and 87% of employees would recommend Microsoft as a great…
Xiaomi does not publish annual CSR report. It has been noted that despite its branding effort to resemble the minimalist style of Apple, Xiaomi does not show similar commitment in environmental responsibility.[1] However, the mobile internet company may start publishing CSR reports after initial public offering (IPO) of its stocks that is expected to take place in the foreseeable future. Official Xiaomi website declares company’s pledge “to reduce the use of hazardous substances in products.”[2] However the website does not disclose any data at all regarding emissions or any other environmental impact of Xiaomi products and services. According to German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz) Xiaomi smartphone Mi A1 has “Specific Absorption Rate” of 1,75 watts per kilogram, which is the highest level of radiation of smartphones worldwide.[3] In general, there is a lack of information related to Xiaomi CSR programs and initiatives, as it is illustrated in table below. CSR aspect of the business Xiaomi performance Supporting Local Communities No information available Educating and Empowering Workers No information available Labour and Human Rights No information available Employee Health and Safety No information available Gender Equality and Minorities It has been noted that Xiaomi uses “yanzhi,” or physical appearance metric when hiring, leading to discriminaton during employee recruitment and selection process.[4] Energy Consumption No information available Water Consumption No information available Waste Reduction and Recycling MI INDIA maintains PRODUCT TAKE-BACK & RECYCLING PROGRAM. Xiaomi Authorised e-waste recycler can collect e-waste from customer’s location, or customers can also drop e-waste at any of company’s service centers[5] Carbon Emissions No information available Sustainable Sourcing No information available other CSR Initiatives and Charitable Donations No information available Xiaomi CSR Programs and Initiatives Xiaomi Inc. Report contains a full analysis of Xiaomi corporate social responsibility including Xiaomi CSR issues. The report…
Samsung Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs and initiatives are facilitated through the Sustainability Management Council, which consists of 14 related departments that handle issues from 10 different areas, including society and the environment.[1] Samsung Global Code of Conduct is based on the following principles: Compliance with laws and ethical standards Maintenance of clean organizational structure Respecting customers, shareholders and employees Caring for the environment, health and safety Being socially responsible corporate citizen CSR aspect of the business is managed by Samsung CSR Committee. The company releases Supplier Responsibility Progress Report annually and it includes the details of CSR programs and initiatives engaged by the company. Samsung Electronics addresses CSR aspects of the business in four directions: social contributions, green management, health and safety and sharing growth. Samsung Supporting Local Communities Samsung Tech Institute encourages independence and self-reliance among young adults via systematic vocational education. The initiative had 39,659 beneficiaries by the end of 2015. Samsung SMART School addresses an important gap in the global education by improving educational environment for students residing in disadvantaged areas. In 2015 alone 224,753 students attended Samsung SMART School. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a program that aims to tackle important social issues. The program engages students and non-profit organizations to identify the most pressing social problems and to find and to implement solutions to these problems Samsung Care Drive facilitates a range of healthcare programs in order to deal with the help of technology. As of 2014, the company had 30 active programs primarily in China, Russia, and several countries in Africa. Samsung Nanum Village aims to target the roots of poverty via providing an effective infrastructure to socially disadvantaged segments of the population. Within the scope of this program, partnerships are formed with national and local governments to provide an extensive…
Starting from 2015, Google issues environmental report that contains the details of Google CSR programs and initiatives. The following are the most noteworthy parts of Google performance in important fronts of CSR taken from Google Environmental Report 2016 and other sources. Energy Consumption by Google Google data centres consume 50% less energy compared to a typical data centre Google purchases or produces 24% of renewable energy and the company has 11% renewable electricity already on the grid, thus total use of renewable energy accounts to 35%. The use of remaining 65% energy which is non-renewable is neutralized by carbon offset projects. In Mountain View campus 1.9 MW solar panels generate more than 3 million kWh clean energy Google has made an agreement to invest more than USD1.5 billion in renewable energy projects such as large-scale wind and rooftop solar panels. More than 4 million square feet of Google buildings have achieved green certification status by LEED. Alphabet Inc. Google’s parent company has committed to invest USD2.5 billion in solar and wind projects[1] The average annual power usage effectiveness (PUE) for Google’s global fleet of data centres was 1.12 in 2015, compared with the industry average of 1.7 To date, 854,000 square meters (9.2 million square feet) of Google office facilities have achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Overhead energy use as percentage of IT energy in Google data centres Water Consumption by Google Google data centre in Berkeley County, South Carolina alone uses about 4 million gallons of surface water per day[2] From 2013 to 2015, the internet giant reduced potable litres of water used per employee by 30% at its Bay Area headquarters In total, six of Google’s operating data centres have achieved 100% landfill diversion, and one of these has reached Zero Waste…
Surprisingly, despite the size and scope of its business activities, Facebook Inc. does not release an annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report detailing its programs and initiatives. The company has a dedicated Facebook page ‘Green on Facebook’ that regularly announces its charitable programs and CSR activities. Additionally, Facebook has a website at www.sustainability.fb.com dedicated for the same purpose. The table below illustrates the highlights from the latest report for 2015: Categories of CSR activities Facebook Performance Supporting local communities The company hosts farmers market at its Menlo Park headquarters each week providing fresh produce to the Belle Haven and East Palo Alto communities.Facebook has collaborated with Menlo Park Rotary Club to build The Belle Haven Community Garden, where families in the community now have access to 25 planting beds that are free to use.The company has sponsored solar installations on homes in Belle Haven through its partnership with Menlo Spark and Grid Alternatives. Educating and empowering workers Facebook has an employee satisfaction rating of 93 per cent due to competitive pay, informal and empowering organizational culture Labour and human rights It has been noted that “Facebook employees are often placed in roles that cater to their strengths and are encouraged to question and criticize their managers”[1] Employee health and safety Facebook strives to have maximum amount of natural light in its offices and serves local organic food in its kitchens Gender equality and minorities White males constitute 39.1 per cent of employees and black males and females represent only 1.7 per cent of employees. Also, Hispanic males and females represent only 4.3 per cent of the total workforce[2] Environment a) energy consumption b) water consumption c) Waster reduction and recycling d) CO2 emissions The company has announced that its latest data centre in Los Lunas, New Mexico will…
Gap Inc. management rightly acknowledges Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as one of the critically important aspects of the business. The company has won a number of awards for its CSR programs and initiatives, including 2016 Catalyst Award in recognition of its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion[1]. Moreover, in 2015 Gap Inc. was named as The Most Ethical Company by The Ethisphere Institute.[2] Gap Inc. releases Global Sustainability Report annually and it includes the details of CSR programs and initiatives engaged by the company. The table below illustrates the highlights from the latest report for 2013-2014: Categories of CSR activities Gap Inc. CSR Performance Supporting local communities Gap’s employees volunteered 558,000 hours in 2014 alone Educating and empowering workers The company provided job training and store internships through its This Way Ahead program to more than 2000 teens and young adults. Labor and human rights Over the past several years the company raised the hourly wage to USD 10 for more than 60,000 employees Employee health and safety The company has a centralized online reporting system that tracks all incidents and injuries. The information is analyzed at least quarterly to assess risks and develop prevention measures Gender equality and minorities P.A.C.E. program aims to support female employees and suppliers gain the skills and confidence to advance at work and at home. The program aims to educate one million women throughout the world by 2020. Gap Inc. pays female and male employees equally for equal work In 2015, women represented more than 70 per cent of Gap’s senior leadership. The company sponsored 6 employee resource groups to promote diversity and inclusion. Environment a) energy consumption b) water consumption c) Waste reduction and recycling d) CO2 emissions The fashion retailer has…