UGG Stripe Cable Knit Boots CSR Ancient thoughts of Wealth and New ...

MakeGood Blog Your Source for Corporate Social Responsibility. News. Ideas. Strategies. CSR: Ancient thoughts of Wealth and New Solutions by rickgoossen on July 21, 2009 Philosophers <a href="http://www.maxnike.com/nikeairmax90-c-1.html"><strong>nike air max 90</strong></a> such as Aristotle, preachers like John Wesley, and robber barons of the ilk of Andrew Carnegie have all shaped current perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR).Â* A foundational issue related to corporate social responsibility is simply whether and how a business can be good. From July 16-18 I participated in a symposium with 15 CEOs from throughout the US and Canada in Cleveland, Ohio on "Moral Business and Liberty." Our survey of thinkers from the classical period to the present revealed that the ability of businesses to do good has been debated for millennia. Making money, doing business, cutting deals has long been viewed as negatively.Â* Aristotle (384-322 BC) cautioned that a focus on trading leads to anxiety about livelihood and distracts from well-being.Â* Individuals become wholly occupied with making money.Â* He speaks of those who focus on the art of acquisition "as though to make money were the one aim and everything else must contribute <a href="http://www.maxnike.com/nikefreenikefree30-c-151_152.html"><strong>nike free 3.0</strong></a> to that aim." Many years later we have the influential perspective of John Wesley (1703-1791), who famously stated:Â* "Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can."Â* He saw no problem with money itself:Â* "The fault does not lie in the money, but in them that use it.Â* It may be used ill:Â* any what may not?"Â* The underlying assumption is that money is a tool that can be used to do good; however, there is not an understanding that the process itself can be good. One controversial perspective is that of Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), the so-called robber baron,UGG Classic Cardy Boots, who amassed a fortune via the creation of United States Steel.Â* He was vilified for his business practices but, upon his retirement at 65, then spent nearly 20 years dispensing his wealth for the good of society.Â* To many, Carnegie's "gospel of wealth" was penance for a career fuelled by greed. Over time, the perceived responsibilities of businesses—not just their owners—expanded.Â* The stakeholder theory blossomed:Â* businesses were not merely a vehicle for generating profit, as Milton Friedman famously declared, but a means to serve their communities.Â* People came to expect proper actions in the pursuit <a href="http://www.maxnike.com/nikeairmax2009-c-18.html"><strong>2009 air max nike</strong></a> of profit, not the maximization of profit with guilt reparations afterwards. While the concept of corporate social responsibility has evolved, businesses have to over come deep-seated and thousands of years of skepticism.Â* How can businesses start to go beyond perceived reputation management to an effective strategy? The age of the web provides the best opportunity for CSR to turn the corner.Â* One feature of today's web is transparency.Â* Companies can no longer control their brand or perception of it—that is a fallacy and relegated to a bygone era.Â* People online are talking about a company's brand and reputation—it is only a question as to whether the company wants to join the conversation. Corporations that try to adopt previous era tactics lose an enormous amount of credibility.Â* Companies that have blogs or open forums and then try to post obsequious content are found out. Companies in the present era have the opportunity to join the conversation and share the positive actions they are taking.Â* The web allows the community, or the crowd, to give their input on the ways in which a company can make a difference.Â* Companies have greater and more efficient access to stakeholders than ever before. Another element of the web age is crowd power (see e-Preneur).Â* This can take many forms, from user-generated interface to crowd participation, but there is an opportunity to engage people.Â* Businesses that fail to adapt to this new climate are at even greater risk.Â* Companies succeed by having the online community develop loyalty to their brand by sharing a sense of ownership. Businesses that want to practice CSR effectively can grasp the potential of the web.Â* The age old skepticism of individuals can be minimized through transparency and engagement.Â* Businesses realize that CSR is important.Â* The question is simply – how can businesses execute?Â* The area of CSR is one of innovation—and those <a href="http://coreftp.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=435131#435131"><strong>UGG Article - 722 - Kids UGG Crochet Boots - Option For Drop and ...</strong></a> with innovation will gain mind and market share. –> Tagged as: Andrew Carnegie,UGG Brookfield Tall Boots, Aristotle, corporate social responsibility,UGG Stripe Cable Knit Boots, crowd power, csr, e-Preneur, John Wesley, Moral Business