Leverages Corporate Social Responsibility
British Petroleum, Inc
Leverages Corporate Social Responsibility to Cover Unethical Practices
March 17, 2013
Corporate Social Responsibility 690
Southern New Hampshire University School of Business
Dr. Katrina Kerr
Prepared by:
Jiayu Yue
Jonathan Murphy
Kerin Kokkhour
Huong Tran
Akintunde Olusanya
Abstract As business and society have become more intertwined, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a widely recognized business discipline and is now viewed by most companies as a necessary component in conducting business. According to a 2010 survey, administered by PR specialists Julia Bonner and Adam Friedman, of the New York Base Firm Friedman and Associates, the number of companies engaged in CSR reporting had increased exponentially. In 1999, fewer than 500 companies issued CSR reports, compared to over 3,500 in 2010 (Newell, 2012). The increased focus on CSR and sustainability within the business community has spurred greater transparency and the inclusion of more stakeholder views in the business decision making process. While most businesses have leveraged CSR for the greater good of both society and their companies, some have shamelessly used it as a commercial mask to increase profits and cover unethical behavior. University of Michigan, Associate Professor of Strategy, Aneel Karnani was quoted in Terry Kosdrosky’s article, Corporate social responsibility: Is it a boon or a boondoggle?, as saying, “When there is a conflict between business and social interests CSR serves the purpose of greenwashing. Companies say they do things, but they don 't actually do very much. This is much worse. This is CSR being hijacked by companies to hide the fact that they 're not socially responsible and they 're not achieving social objectives. I think there are many instances of greenwash” (Kosdrosky, retrieved from, http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/27187/Corporate-social-responsibility-boon
Leverages Corporate Social Responsibility to Cover Unethical Practices
March 17, 2013
Corporate Social Responsibility 690
Southern New Hampshire University School of Business
Dr. Katrina Kerr
Prepared by:
Jiayu Yue
Jonathan Murphy
Kerin Kokkhour
Huong Tran
Akintunde Olusanya
Abstract As business and society have become more intertwined, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a widely recognized business discipline and is now viewed by most companies as a necessary component in conducting business. According to a 2010 survey, administered by PR specialists Julia Bonner and Adam Friedman, of the New York Base Firm Friedman and Associates, the number of companies engaged in CSR reporting had increased exponentially. In 1999, fewer than 500 companies issued CSR reports, compared to over 3,500 in 2010 (Newell, 2012). The increased focus on CSR and sustainability within the business community has spurred greater transparency and the inclusion of more stakeholder views in the business decision making process. While most businesses have leveraged CSR for the greater good of both society and their companies, some have shamelessly used it as a commercial mask to increase profits and cover unethical behavior. University of Michigan, Associate Professor of Strategy, Aneel Karnani was quoted in Terry Kosdrosky’s article, Corporate social responsibility: Is it a boon or a boondoggle?, as saying, “When there is a conflict between business and social interests CSR serves the purpose of greenwashing. Companies say they do things, but they don 't actually do very much. This is much worse. This is CSR being hijacked by companies to hide the fact that they 're not socially responsible and they 're not achieving social objectives. I think there are many instances of greenwash” (Kosdrosky, retrieved from, http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/27187/Corporate-social-responsibility-boon
References: continued Schwartz, A. (2011). BP Greenwashes Post-Deepwater Horizon CSR Report. FastCompany. Retrieved from http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8700136 Schwartz, A. (2010). Surprise! BP 's Internal Deepwater Horizon Investigation Is Flawed. FastCompany. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/1742432/bp-greenwashes-post-deepwater-horizon-csr-report The Associated Press. (2012). More than 50,000 Texas City residents sue BP. retrieved from http://www.propublica.org/article/bp-texas-refinery-had-huge-toxic-release-just-before-gulf-blowout