While considering the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and ethics on Hershey, it is vital to state both positive and negative points. Notably, the corporation focuses on the many vital issues that form its image and its relationship to ethics. In particular, one can name such aspects of Hershey’s deeds as environment care, human rights, responsible sourcing, and others (Hershey, n. d.). This means that the corporation implements various social responsibility and healthy development approaches. Therefore, one should explore particular benefits resulting from the abovementioned characteristics.
As the primary benefit, the corporation obtains popularity and customer respect. It allows the company to be more successful and simultaneously align with specific laws and standards to avoid conflicts. On the other hand, the adverse effects of CSR’s impact can be the opposite: it can distract clients and reduce the company’s popularity (Greenfield, 2015). An important example is the situation described in the article Clothing Keeps Getting Cheaper by Vara (2016), where the case of substandard working conditions in Bangladesh is explored (Vara, 2016). Consequently, both ethics and CSR play crucial roles in determining a corporation’s future and how customers perceive it.
Direct and Indirect Impacts
As CSR and ethics directly impact the Hershey corporation, it is essential to state that these standards influence the company’s reports and policies. For example, as stated in the 2020 Sustainability Report (2020), Hershey is “becoming a more sustainable company while responding to the unique challenges of the year” (p. 2). It requires the company’s adaptation and changes to construct and implement new trends and vital sustainability issues. On the contrary, one can name long-term goals and strategy as an indirect impact of ethics and CSR on Hershey. For example, as one of the primary focuses of Hershey is sustainable development and care of the environment, the corporation can have the long-term purpose of zero-emission points.
References
Greenfield, R. (2015). Study Finds Racial Discrimination by Airbnb Hosts. Bloomberg. Web.
Shared Goodness. That’s Our Promise. (n. d.) Hershey. Web.
2020 Sustainability Report. (2020). Hershey. Web.
Vara, V. (2016). Clothing Keeps Getting Cheaper, and Factory Workers Are Paying the Price. Bloomberg. Web.