Tag Archives: Nike

Good for business : the rise of the conscious corporation

Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility, NTU Library Resources, , , , , , ,

“The fact is, corporate reputation matters more today because brand matters more. Over the past half century, we have moved beyond markets dominated by commodity goods to a world in which it is virtually impossible to buy anything that doesn’t have some form of logo or other identity mark stamped on it. And consumers are increasingly identifying themselves with and through the brands they buy.” (Benett et al., 2009: xiii)

In Good for Business: The Rise of the Conscious Corporation, authors Benett, Gobhai, O’Reilly and Welch look at the changes that corporations must make to grow and thrive in a more informed and questioning society. They highlight the four cornerstones of a successful as well as conscious business:
Purpose Beyond Profit
Humanized Leadership
Corporate Consciousness
Collaborative Partnerships

Some corporations mentioned in the book include: Nike, Google, Whole Foods, DuPont, Wal-Mart, Procter and Gamble, GE, Microsoft, and Apple.

Title: Good for business : the rise of the conscious corporation
Authors: Andrew Benett, Cavas Gobhai , Ann O’Reilly & Greg Welch
Publication info: New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
Availability: Click here

The global corporation

Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility, , , , , ,

In the 1980s, Johnson and Johnson’s, best known for its range of baby products, was in the news for the wrong reasons – a number of deaths caused by cyanide-laced capsules of Johnson and Johnson’s Tylenol. But the company’s quick response by recalling the product won it praise. This case study of Johnson and Johnson is recorded in The global corporation : sustainable, effective and ethical practices : a case book. Another company associated with babies that is featured is Abbott Laboratories. The chapter on Abbott looks at its commitment to HIV/AIDS research and community outreach programmes.

Besides these 2 corporations, others highlighted in the book include ExxonMobil, Procter & Gamble, Nike, McDonald’s, Unilever, etc.

This compilation of case studies and corporate best practices ends by looking at the frameworks for corporate and managerial ethical decision-making.

Title: The global corporation : sustainable, effective and ethical practices : a case book
Editors: Laura P. Hartman and Patricia H. Werhane
Publication info: New York : Routledge, 2009.
Availability: Click here.

The Kasky-Nike threat to corporate social reporting

Sustainability: Issues, Reporting & Finance

Hess, D., and Dunfee, T. W. (2007).  The Kasky-Nike threat to corporate social reporting.  Business Ethics Quarterly, 17(1).  Accessed October 18, 2010, from EBSCOhost database.

Abstract: “In the recent case of Nike v. Kasky both sides argued that their standard for distinguishing commercial speech from political speech would create the better policy for ensuring accurate and complete disclosure of social information by corporations. Using insights from information economics, we argue that neither standard will achieve the policy goal of optimal truthful disclosure. Instead, we argue that the appropriate standard is one of optimal truthful disclosure balancing the value of speech against the costs of misinformation. Specifically, we argue that an SEC-sanctioned safe harbor available under a closely supervised system for social reporting will bring about optimal truthful disclosure. The scheme is intended to enhance stakeholder confidence in corporate social and political commentary, while at the same time encouraging corporations to provide accurate information in a fair playing field of public debate.”