CH13 - Civil Society Stakeholders

Question 1

Civil society def

Answer 1

comprises the voluntary/paid community, and social organizations or institutions that contribute to the functioning of society but are not related to or supported by the government

Question 2

NGO def

Answer 2

Non-governmental organization = any group that holds shared values or attitudes about an issue confronting society and advocates for changes relating to the issue
-> part of private sector, not part of gov
-> usually non-profit orgs supported by volunteers and activists

Question 3

Examples of NGO values

Answer 3

-> animal welfare vs rights
-> economic (e.g. oppose capitalism)
-> social dev. (gap between rich/poor)
-> worker’s/human’s rights
-> environment

Question 4

Tactics used by NGOs

Answer 4

• pressure on government to change policies
• developing shareholder social policy resolutions
• damaging physical property
• occupying corporate premises
• sponsoring demonstrations / picketing corporate locations
• launching letter-writing campaigns
• digital protest
• initiating legal proceedings
• non-violent use of internet
• develop anti-business websites

Question 5

difference between charities and NGOs

Answer 5

• charity doesn’t pay taxes
• needs to support a cause deemed as “charitable” by gov
  but otherwise the same as NGO

Question 6

Why corps should not dismiss NGOs

Answer 6

• members very dedicated to cause
• allow wider cross-section of society to influence
• generate ideas, knowledge and solutions
• disseminate information on issues
• pressure for results
• agents for change
• confer legitimacy when govs cannot act alone

Question 7

benefits from partnership with NGOs

Answer 7

• identifying opportunities and risks
• influencing public opinions
• developing possibilities for innovation
• enhancing reputation/trust by the public
• creating expertise with in-depth knowledge of specific issues
• facilitating employee engagement
• building large networks with other stakeholders

Question 8

Requirements for a business / NGO relationship

Answer 8

1- NGO must be able to threaten the corp
2- The corporation must respond by changing business practice
3- The change must serve to advance the NGO’s goals

Question 9

3 ways business can respond to NGO demands

Answer 9

1- resistance, because of transaction cost
2- capitulation/agreement (customer goods), because of brand impact
3- Pre-emption (competitive industries), because of their competitive position = satisfy the needs of NGOs before anything arises

Question 10

How do corporations can build a relationship with NGOs

Answer 10

• proactively engage NGO and expect to interact with them
• not underestimate their influence
• reversing a decision or withdrawing from a project should not be viewed as defeat
• sometimes selective concessions are sufficient to address opposition
• sometimes better to deal with “realist” NGO and ignore “radical” ones
• preemptive strategy may be feasible

Question 11

Partnership relationship with NGOs

Answer 11

• P brings together business and NGO resources to address and issue, including human, technical, financial, and knowledge interests

Question 12

4 key ingredients to a successful partnership

Answer 12

1- corp and ngo leaders must show leadership
2- corp must be open to change
3- must be a commitment to being comitted
4- partners must have a shared goal

Question 13

The Medial Stakeholder

Answer 13

• can influence the views held by the public about business
• most medial operations are owned by a private-sector enterprises (advertising is a main source of revenue)
• divided into 2 categories
  
  • trad media
  • social media

Question 14

influence of trad media

Answer 14

• composed of written and broadcast approaches (newspaper, periodicals, books, television, film)
  => portray business operations and its relationship to society
• coverage of business increasingly dominated by live TV
  Nature of relation important
  
  • print media content is self-regulated by editors and reviewers
  • canadian radio-tv and telecommunications commission (CRTC) regulates broadcasting and telecommunications

Question 15

Business complaints about the Media

Answer 15

• reporters not sufficiently knowledgeable about business and economics
• media is only interested in “bad news” that can be sensationalized
• media unable to place the info into the correct context
• media has an inherent bias against business + is dominated by leftist journalists
• business reporting is not only biased, but also oversimplified and lacking insight
• reporters don’t respect “off-the-record” comments

Question 16

Media Complaints about Business

Answer 16

• businesspersons confuse issues by waffling on details, stonewalling, attempting to hide negative info or lying
• businesspersons use the excuse that they are accountable only to shareholders, not the media
• businesspersons overreact to the process of reporting events and covering issues

Question 17

Reasons why businesses try to manage relationship with media

Answer 17

-> press releases
-> Libel chill : a business threatens legal action if a particular article or book is published
-> media spin : corp have access to services of public relations experts who are able to put a particular “spin” / interpretation on corporate events or information

Question 18

Media ownership and centralization + issues

Answer 18

Business entreprises now own and operate major media outlets
Issues :
1- newspaper monopolies help in cities by large corps.
2- interlocking ownership between print and broadcasting media
3- Licensing process in broadcasting where some corporations are allegedly favoured over other
4- operation of newspaper chains that are concerned more with financial performance than professional journalism
Issue with centralization = may be too few voices

Question 19

Social media def and uses

Answer 19

def= online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives.
- allow businesses and society stakeholders to share opinions
- exchanges are instant, interactive and cover all topics
- costs are low / non-existent = large number of ppl publish and receive
- can build or destroy a corp’s rep

Question 20

3 issues in HR in relation to social media

Answer 20

• time employees should spend on socials during work hours
• action to take when employees make negative comments about corp
• scanning social media for info when evaluating potential employees for positions

Question 21

2 issues in marketing/advertising practices in relation to social media

Answer 21

• corporations may distort endorsements by misrepresenting credentials, affiliations, and expertise or by placing fake stories
• marketers may inappropriately collect data on consumers

Question 22

Social media issues and ethics

Answer 22

• involvement in socials should be guided by virtues (honesty, trust, respect,..)
  Challenges:
• rights of privacy for consumers and employees
• ascertaining which information should be banned
• collection of data without paying and its manipulation for profit
  Need to regulate social media has arisen (rn regulated by industry + increased demands for gov intervention)

Question 23

Policy development institutions (think tanks) def

Answer 23

def = organization that researches and analysis important social, economic and political issues confronting business and society
-> attempt to influence society’s and gov’s position on various business and social issues
-> brings fresh thinking
-> funded by gov, corps, individuals, unis, foundations, etc
=> critics claim lack of transparency

Question 24

religious institutions influence on business

Answer 24

• impact of managerial decision making
• existence of businesses supplying religious goods and services
• spirituality in the workplace
• corporate response to religious activism
  => businesses must be careful in responding to religious activism

Question 25

spirituality def

Answer 25

individual’s sense of peace or purpose with themselves and the connection to other and even nature that provides meaning to life and a sense of one’s self