Companies have a moral and social responsibility to give back to the community. This is because they derive a lot of benefits from the communities in which they are situated and it is rational that they give something back. A company derives raw materials, human resources and market sales from the surrounding communities. They make massive profits which are paid as dividends to their stakeholders. Therefore, the concept of social responsibility is premised on the fact that there is an immediate need for these companies to also be part of society. When a company improves the status of the society in which it lives, by ameliorating the livelihood of the people, the company will also benefit immensely from this arrangement. While other benefits may be direct, like in increased sales, some of the benefits are intangible like a good reputation and goodwill. This paper will canvas Cadbury social performance in line with fulfilling societal needs in Singapore. The paper will grapple will the achievement of Cadbury in making corporate social responsibility part of its essential undertakings.
Cadbury manufactures, produces, markets and distributes a wide range of beverages products around the globe. With time, the company has experienced tremendous growth both with regard to production of new brands and increase in sales. The company has also curved its own niche of loyal customers and other stakeholders. The company is driven by the desire to fulfill the needs of the people by producing products that appeal to the public. It has managed to make its clientele love its products. In turn, the company has a responsibility to give back to the community, its employees and the society at large. This has made the company engage in various works of philanthropy in an attempt to ensure that the lives of people are improved. In Singapore, and internationally at large, the social responsibility of the company is based on three key pillars. These include time and skills of the local people, the available resources at hand, for example, money and the gifts-in-kind that the company can be able to provide. The first pillar, and perhaps the most fundamental among the three, is the significant need to ensure that the company makes a useful impact to the community by use of the local people. For example, the company staff has been using their managerial skills to aid local communities engage in community work. This has increased efficiency and the quality of the work. Aid in terms of money is usually channeled to exact areas of needs. For example, there has been numerous community sponsored activities at the expense of the company. A few scholarships have also been awarded to deserving students. Gifts-in-kind come in the form of products and other materials from the company that is given without a fee to the community. The products can be given through many forums as promotions or competitions.
The Company has an ingenious program referred to as Community Investment program (CIP). This is a community outreach program designed to cater for the concerns of the people. This program seeks to address discrepancies in healthcare, the environment, social welfare, education and enterprise. In order to address most of these challenges, the company prioritizes a particular need depending on an area under study. For example, in an area where healthcare is a challenge more resources will be directed towards addressing this need. The Enterprise in schools is also another incredible program rolled out by Cadbury that has been instrumental in improving the lives of many young people. Through the program the company build’s constructs its own feel with the local people in most towns in Singapore. The companies channeled more than 1 million Euros into the program in order to ensure the partnership is strengthened an all projects, which have been initiated are completely within the stipulated schedule. The intention of the Cadbury Company is to ensure that it improves the educational standards of the community with regard to literacy levels, truancy and under-achievement in relation to other countries in the world. Other programs that have been rolled out include the leadership program which seeks to mentor young kids who demonstrate leadership skills. There are also the team challenge projects which are designed to instill resilience in a person’s character.
The company has performed exceptionally will regards to fulfilling the needs of the local people. It has an ingenious policy that involves carrying out a research on the challenges that affect the people, asking the community to participate in finding solutions and then providing the requisite resources to ensure full implementation of these recommendations. The company has managed to succeed in its social responsibility because it inquiries from the people about what they need. Most company executives think they understand the necessities of the local people and roll out programs to cater for these needs. Despite their well intentions to ameliorate the lives of people, such executives’ fail to make a lasting impact because their contributions only cure the symptoms and not the root causes.
The corporate social responsibility of the Cadbury Company has had a significant impact with regard to the company, its management, the society and all other stakeholders. To begin with, the society at large has extremely appreciated the incredible work undertaken by the company in order to ensure that some of the ills that affect the local community are addressed. This has made the society become a valuable partner of the company in many other engagement that the two parties have engaged in. on the other hand, the company has solidified its reputation by being caring, people-centered and with interest of the people at heart. Therefore, the company sales have increased tremendously, not only in Singapore, but also globally. People have come to associate with the company both in a business sense and, socially as a reliable partner. Their programs have also made it possible for thousands of schools going children to attain better education through the CIP. Thus the level of literary has improved in the country. The leadership programs have been influential in shaping the schools of thought of young children who will be the leaders in future. They are taught how to be results-oriented, people-centered and good managers in any organization that they will head. The company’s reputation has also improved its worth, which is a good thing for its shareholders. Moreover, increased sales has sustained a high dividends on to shareholders an annual basis. Since its inception, the company has remained relevant and survived all economic challenges. While many companies were severely affected during the 2008 economic crisis in the United States and Europe, which escalated to the rest of the world, the company was left unscathed. The employees of the company have also had an opportunity to interact with the local communities and learn the culture and traditions of the local people. The employees have been engaging in volunteering activities in various capacities during their outreach programs. This interaction has been beneficial on both sides. The employees have had an opportunity to learn new cultures and also have the satisfaction of helping others.
However, despite their success, the company needs to ensure that it broadens its outreach programs to cover all areas of the country. It has concentrated its attention to areas where the company has a high rating and where their sales returns are in millions. It is vital to also assist ameliorate the lives of people in the marginalized areas despite the company not making much profit in these areas. In addition, some Cadbury products like chocolates have been reported to contain high calories that are detrimental to the health of people. The company has negligently refused to manufacture low-calorie chocolates that are not only sweeter, but also healthier than high calorie chocolates. They also have biscuits that have as high as 200 calories per package. Health officials have complained about this without receiving any meaningful response from Cadbury. Moreover, with regard the environment, it is extremely vital that a company of Cadbury stature maintain a policy that seeks to protect the environment from its plastic packaging materials. On the contrary, the company has no such policy. Most of the packaging materials from its beverages and chocolates have contributed to soil pollution. The company has, however, failed to initiate programs that will protect the environment from such harm.
This paper found out Cadbury has done incredibly well with regards to their corporate social responsibility. The company has not only provided solutions to the people, but also engages the people during the provisions of these solutions. This is a vital point worth noting because what the company does, is to empower the local community in order for them to be able to take care of their owns needs in the future. Most corporations have failed to achieve this end because they engage in social responsibility initiatives as a public relations exercise. The company has also tried to broaden its community outreach programs. It has units dedicated to the environment, health, education, enterprise and social welfare. This has made it possible for it to cover almost all areas that address the basic need of a people. One of the most commendable projects is the schools outreach, CIP. This is extremely significant because it helps in empowering future generations. However, the company has not been vocal enough in promoting programs that will address environmental concerns. The fact that the company manufactures beverages which are packed in bottles should have informed it to give social environmental responsibility top priority. However, the company needs to roll out program to solve the social and environmental problems caused by its activities. Some of the packages are made of non-organic matter which means they cannot be decomposed. They need to roll out an effective plan that will stipulate how empty bottles containers and bottles will either be recycled or destroyed in order to safeguard the environment. Moreover, there is also need to ensure that there are programs to counter the effects of soil erosion, global warming and dealing with incombustible material among others. Nevertheless, when all is said and done, Cadbury Company remains a caring and reliable partner to the people of Singapore.
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