Hotspots in Business Revisited

In my previous post, I discussed three hotspots in my field of study, business:

Volunteers through Vivint's CSR program

1. Corporate Social Responsibility (Corporate social responsibility is a means for businesses to use their profits to address social issues, but some argue that this goes beyond the responsibility of business.)

• Historical Connections During the Romantic Era, a theme that emerged was increased empathy. In reaction to the empiricism of the Enlightenment, a shift was made from hard-cut systems and skepticism to an emphasis on feelings, compassion, and identification with the plight of others. Moreover, during the Romantic Era society became more concerned with looking after more vulnerable groups rather than just the elite few. In many ways, the Romantic Era’s push for empathy is mirrored as Millennials and Generation Z-ers demand that their workplace goes beyond their normal business to helps vulnerable groups. Just as in the Romantic Era, individuals are expecting the businesses they work for to consider the plight of others and then use the profits and resources they have to help those individuals in the form of CSR programs.
  

• Communication Connections Companies’ CSR programs are crucial in increasing the ethos of the company. Give-back programs increase the evident character of a company in making the company more compassionate, trustworthy, and ethical. For example, Cotopaxi proudly gives 1% of all its profits to its foundation, which in turn uses those profits to alleviate poverty in especially vulnerable places of the world. As a Cotopaxi customer, I feel more inclined to chose them over similar companies because they come off as incredibly concerned for others and like the type of company that does what they say they will do. Thus, although Cotopaxi is giving up millions of dollars to this foundation, they are likely better off because of the increased business that comes from individuals that are attracted to the company’s character.

2. Maternity Leave (Despite recent legislation and corporate trends, many parents are still advocating for increased benefits after childbirth.)

• Historical Connections A prominent theme from the Enlightenment was the advocacy of human rights. In this era, more than ever individuals began to lobby for their right to free expression, liberty, and security. One especially relevant display of this advocacy of rights was The Rights of Woman by Olympe Gouges. In this declaration, Gouges calls for both women and men to discover and advocate for women’s right to equality in work and society. This theme of human rights is central to the advocacy for maternal leave in the workplace today. Although women are advocating for different rights, Gouges, other Enlightenment thinkers, and modern maternity-leave advocates all pushed against the status quo to fight for what they believed should be their God-given right.

• Communication Connections The fight for longer and paid maternity leave is media-centric. Much of the advocacy is conducted through social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook. Much like the popular press of 18th century Europe, journalism and social media are used for the common woman to freely communicate her opinions. As women today advocate for better maternity leave, they often invoke deliberative oratory, which is communication for or against future action. In this case, women use deliberative oratory to persuade that future laws (such as mandating paid maternity leave in all businesses) will be for the good of society. 

3. Political Correctness in the Workplace (There has been a push in recent years to avoid all language in the workplace that could offend socially vulnerable groups.)

• Historical Connections The push for free speech is a theme common throughout many historical eras. For example, during the Reformation Martin Luther advocated for free--albeit controversial--speech as he posted his 95 Theses. During the Enlightenment, individuals advocated for their right to communicate freely, placing a premium on their right to express opinions that may be against the dogmas of the time. This push for free speech--even if it is controversial--is at the heart of the argument against political correctness in the workplace. Today, individuals express distaste for political correctness because it infringes on their right to express themselves, even if it is against the norms of the time.

• Communication Connections Communication is the vehicle of all political correctness or lack thereof. Or, put differently, without communication, there would be no need for advocacy for political correctness. Online media is often the hub of both non-PC comments and advocacy for political correctness. Twitter, for example, is one platform which individuals champion their ability to express their thoughts unfiltered, resulting in tweets that are often not considered politically correct. The PC-push is especially prominent in the workplace because of the workplace audience; on Twitter, one can speak to an audience of whoever wants to listen, but in the workplace, the audience often cannot escape non-PC comments they do not want to hear.

 Although all of the aforementioned topics are significant, of all these topics, I believe that corporate social responsibility has potential to have the greatest impact on the world because the programs used in CSR programs often attack global problems. I would love to hear any readers’ opinions of give-back programs: is it necessary? Do they go beyond the scope of businesses? Which social issues CSR programs could address are of especially great importance?

Photo credits:

Careers at Vivint: Vivint.com, permission requested.