Social Sustainability is undoubtedly one of the core elements of any business operation. Its concept is entirely simple and precise; if a company is going to base its operations in a community, then it has to contribute to its wellbeing. It involves permanent business structures within a company that makes communal good a priority in its daily operations. While this may appear to be inspiring, the traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practice is however still widely practiced. Most companies are still comfortable with the idea of occasional giving back to the society that only happens occasionally within scheduled timings. After all, does it not amount to the public good in the end? Well, these differences are wide and are very crucial determinants of product performance in the market. (Epstein and Buhovac, 2014, p. 24)
So do businesses need to heavily concern themselves with social sustainability, more particularly an approach that would require them to focus more on both primary and secondary interests of all the stakeholders; that is in most cases not their primary obligation in any way? Here is the reason why they should. It has been established over time that companies which adopted the more inclusive Social Sustainability approach have consistently done very well in the market compared to those that are yet to. Consumers apparently connect more to the goods and services of the companies which mind their wellbeing more regularly.
This goes a long way in defining customer loyalty because in the end, conscious capitalism guarantees the interest of all stakeholders in everyday operations and the customers will always come back. On the other hand, occasional giving back to the community is widely a gamble and such companies can only snap their fingers and hope that new customers will come back after the first purchase. Other than the exchange of goods or services for money, there is no other reason to buy from them; a customer might argue (Mackey 2013, p.2015)
I have personally witnessed sales of a particular good escalate as soon as it is tied to a community course. A typical example is when Dettol, for instance, donates a shilling out of every piece of soap they sell to a hospital that treats heart cases. Consumers, I included, have continuously bought these goods not because their quality is superior to others in any way but because it supports a course that continuously ensures social welfare. Would this explain why Dettol soap has constantly maintained an undisputed records of sales? Absolutely yes. Conversely, goods from companies that use the CSR approach of giving back once in a while to the society; say once a year have always plummeted with time as consumers break the connection that had been established. But it is not all about the goods, even employee work environment would define social sustainability better.
Motivation is a key element in productivity. Several market researchers have proved that the more your employees feel motivated and comfortable around work place, the more productive they become. Motivation may come in several forms that include medical covers, allowances and a clean working environment which stretches further to incorporate customer satisfaction (Lawler 2009, pg.426-435). The debate of whether companies should adopt conscious capitalism that began as a mere joke in the face of stiff capitalism is gaining momentum by the day. Soon enough, we may witness quite a big number of companies incorporating conscious capitalism in their structures on a much wider scale. In conclusion, it is important for the business to be socially responsible if it were to benefit from the society. Throughout my studies and analysis of several businesses, it is evident that firms need the society to make the sales and earn profits. Fair treatment and social responsibility instills confidence in the consumers and some may buy your products due to being socially responsible. This is a mutual relationship that only works best under favorable conditions for both parties.
Part 2
Self-rewarding intrinsic values
Intrinsic values are the intangible inner rewarding values we may feel while working in an organization. They usually provide the drive we need to wake up every day and report to work. Over time, I have identified Helping society and working for a good cause as the most self-rewarding values one could gain in an organization (Hegney, Parker and Plank, 2006, pg.271-281)
Helping society
In a business environment, helping the society would mean adopting the more rewarding social sustainability business kind of operation. Working in a business-friendly environment not only regarding competition from rivals but also the target customers is ideal for any growth. The society needs to own the business before we can expect them to make any purchases. This is only achievable through conscious capitalism that ensures the interests of stakeholders are met on our daily operations (Hegney, Parker and Plank, 2006, pg.271-281). While profit is important in maintaining business operations, we should not focus all our resources towards this. What is the essence of huge profits in a society that is probably degrading because of causes well linked to our operations? The business eventually dies off with the surrounding as the damage piles to extreme levels. If possible, set up a hospital that offers subsidized medical services, clean the environment once in a while, make the roads and all these eventually piles up to helping society.
Working for a good cause
The other self-rewarding intrinsic value is working for a good cause. As proved over time, working for a good cause has both material and non-material benefits. Career satisfaction and enjoying what you do daily is largely dependent on being passionate about what we do. Even better, fusing this with a cause we are passionate about elevates this passion to a whole new level. The cause could be charity alongside business operations that would see the community around us better over time. Improving the conditions of people around us through charity has direct impacts on the daily operations. While charity may seem unrealistic in a corporate world, adopting it as a way of giving back to the society and in ways that reflect conscious capitalism is highly rewarding. Personally, these two values are highly rewarding and would go a long way in building my career.
Work target
The relationship between work target and the two intrinsic values must sufficiently match. The work you target must be in line with the values you believe in. If it is working for a cause, find an organization that equally believes in charity. Working in companies that treat giving back to the society as a burden might not be favorable. If it is helping the society, targeting organizations that value the community it operates in would be ideal. Indeed, the spheres of management are changing and finding the organizations that harbor these beliefs is increasingly becoming easy. Better still, I can create the environment that suits my values in an organization by myself. I will simply need to present myself as a team leader that will in due time influence company decisions. We can then incorporate structures that favor practicing these values in the organization by committing part of the profit to community welfare. By doing that, we can have full-scale operational department that will ensure these values are adhered to on a daily basis.
Part 3
Professionalism and ethics
Professionalism and by extension business ethics additionally includes corporate community service as a requirement. Though community service might be largely reliant on the goodwill of the organization in question, having a division that deals purely with corporate social responsibility is considered ethical. This means that employees would not only focus on work but also the real situations that surround them (Chan 2008, p.347-360). This enables them to serve the community better while making business. It also helps them balance their social life with work because it would not be all about work. This additionally would have direct positive impacts on my personal intrinsic values because it provides avenues that I can use to cultivate them while still working.
Here is a typical example. A couple of weeks ago while reading The Guardian, an international business magazine, I came across an interesting story of a sandwich company that had committed to reduce their daily waste and save the environment around them from possible harms. In just a few weeks, the company had tapped over 1 ton of physical waste. Even more encouraging, they had saved hundreds of litres of water from going down the drain with significant financial implications. These efforts were not only rewarding to the environment but also beneficial to the business. The cost of waste management significantly reduced and as a result the company’s profit level rose. The impacts of social responsibility culminate to direct benefits not only to the society but also the business entity.
The relevance of ethics in careers
Business ethics is highly relevant because we all expect people to be good to us. The various business ethics practice that is relevant to community welfare include charity work, justice and love and compassion. An organization is expected to be just in its operations through ensuring it does not violate the rights of others. If for instance, it acquires water for its operations from a river in a community setting, being just would require them to use the water responsibly and in the best interest of the community. This would include use that does not in any way pollute the waters thereby making it unsafe for the others to use. In the case of love and compassion, a business should if in a position try to change the poor conditions of the people around it. The first step towards this is employing them at reasonable wages and salaries which goes a long way to better their conditions. (Chan 2008, p.347-360).
Lastly, charity work should be encouraged not only because it is mandated by ethics but also because the will and drive is there. Freeman argues that the firm must clearly explain the question; for whose benefit or loss is the company being run. The company should therefore focus on all the stake holders so that no one feels left out. (Chan 2008, p.347-360).
Here is an example of how ethical issues can affect individual performance and the company as a whole. A few months ago I came across an article in one of the dailies about a popular bus company that was on the verge of collapsing because of employee indiscipline. Passengers had lodged complaints numerous times about harassment and bus fares that were always on the rise. The management had delayed in response and within no time, several hashtags were created to encourage people to avoid boarding buses from the company. Within a week, the revenue trends in the company had reversed and millions in losses were recorded. The bus company eventually shut down with millions in debts. Because of unethical behavior, all the employees lost their jobs ending dreams of possible career advancement. This clearly brings out the relevance of ethical behavior in a career. In the end, simple ethical violations from company employees may not only affect the individual but the company as a whole. Several careers have gone down the drain because of unethical practices some of which have legal implications. As I look up to having a career in the future, professionalism and accepted ethical behavior is key in realizing any personal growth.
References
Chan, G.K.Y., 2008. The relevance and value of Confucianism in contemporary business ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 77, pp.347-360.
Epstein, M.J. and Buhovac, A.R., 2014. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Hegney, D., Plank, A. and Parker, V., 2006. Extrinsic and intrinsic work values: their impact on job satisfaction in nursing. Journal of Nursing Management, 14(4), pp.271-281.
Lawler, E.E., 2009. 3. Job design and employee motivation. Personnel Psychology, 22(4), pp.426-435.
Schawbel, D., 2013. John Mackey: Why Companies Should Embrace Conscious Capitalism. Retrieved August, 12, p.2015.
