Corporate social responsibility is a burning issue for any big corporation, and Samsung is not an exception. Samsung Electronics is one of the leading companies in the industry of Information Technology.
In 2008, the Electronics TakeBack Coalition waged the marketing campaign against Samsung. They accused Samsung of the lack of environmental responsibility. The company was attacked for the lack of Recycling Programs for old electronic devices, which may contain toxic metals. The Coalition underlined the fact that Samsung spent millions on the advertisement during The Olympic Games in Beijing, while the Recycling Programs were in need of investments (Milovanović, 2009). To fulfill the environmental responsibility Samsung Electronics started the ‘Eco-Management 2013’ initiative in 2009. According to this initiative, they started the promotion of environmental programs concerning the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Samsung also began the development of eco-friendly products. They claim that during the period from 2008 to 2011 the emission of greenhouse gas was reduced by 40%. Samsung Electronics has the purpose to increase the number of eco-products up to 100% by 2013. For now, 97% of the product lines are environmentally friendly. Moreover, the company develops the low-power devices to reduce the energy consumption (Song, 2012).
Samsung Electronics also undertakes the social responsibilities. The Company claims that besides producing electronics they try to tackle global problems as polarization of society, poverty and famine. One of their targets is to spread positive values in the society. Samsung employs about 220,000 people in different countries. The company takes part in various social programs supporting children, teen-education and healthcare for low-income families. The company has also launched the ‘Samsung Hope for Children’ global initiative (Song, 2012).
Governmental Influence on Apple
Apple Inc. as well as other companies and corporations, is subject to various external influences such as customers’ loyalty and tastes, general technological progress, expectations of shareholders and investors, civil organizations and government.
Legislative decrees concerning taxation, information technologies, consumer rights, environmental protection and the like, influence the company’s strategies and operational policies. Apple is one of the most prominent companies in the IT industry and its actions are under constant control of the government. The company has received a number of antitrust regulations in recent years. For instance, in 2009 the U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against Apple and some major book publishers. They were accused of fixing prices on e-books with the purpose to reduce the competition from Amazon (McDougall, 2012). This occasion forced Apple to change its strategy and the company suffered considerable losses. In 2010, Apple was forced to loosen the restrictions for the software developers and music labels. The reason for this was the pressure on the part of U.S. Government. The company took measures to avoid new lawsuits and save its reputation with the customers.
In 2010, Apple hired the firm of Fierce, Isakowitz and Blalock to lobby its interests in Washington. It was reported that Apple spent about $1.6 million in lobbying the government, not much comparing to its competitors as Microsoft, $ 7 million (Apple, 2011). This enabled the company to promote a number of bills that could support its development.
All companies in the world from a small business to an international corporation are in constant interrelation with the society. They always regulate their strategies in accordance with the tastes and requirements from the society and government.
Reference List
Apple hires new lobbyists to influence federal government. (2011). Web.
McDougall, P. (2012). U.S. Targets Apple, Publishers On E-Book Price Fixing. Web.
Milovanović, G. (2009). Corporate Social Responsibility in the Globalization Era. Economics and Organization, 6 (2), 89 – 104.
Song, S. (2012). 2012 Sustainability Report. Seoul, Korea: Samsung Electronics.