Ethics and Sustainability Ford Motors Company - Paper Example

Successful companies understand that providing great customer service does not necessarily guarantee their sustainability. Companies that intend to sustain their growth know that they must invest in the society through various corporate social responsibility programs. Wilburn and Wilburn (2013), mention that being socially and environmentally conscious plays an influential role in putting companies in the global perspective. A typical company that demonstrates its concern for the people and the environment is Ford Motor Company. The company is a major producer and manufacturers of automobile and its parts. As is known, recent trends in global warming have given the motor industry significant challenges in demonstrating their commitment to eliminate high carbon dioxide levels in the environment. Ford has emerged as a major force to reckon when it comes to demonstrating Corporate Social Responsibility. The company runs a CSR strategy that is aligned to its corporate objective as part of its strategy. Recent rankings indicate that Ford rates at position 63 compared to all companies. Its efforts to ensure that the needs of the community, its employees, governance, and the environment all get attended to have given it an increased limelight in various spectra. Thus, companies that intend to attain sustainability should adopt a CSR strategy that corresponds to its corporate objectives as well as that of its stakeholders.

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Ford Motors Company

Ford Motor Company is an automotive company that focuses on the manufacture of vehicles and their spare parts. The company is based in Dearborn and distributes its automobiles across six contents. Ford derives its profitability from the ability to interact with various distributors throughout the world. The companys attention to detail and customer specification has earned it a pale as one of the most influential and successful automobile firms in the world. Ford also cooperates with various dealerships that are responsible for the sale of its vehicles to fleet customers. As a result, the enterprise has managed to diversify its revenue streams at different levels. The company has demonstrated proficiency in ensuring that its revenue stream is diversified. For instance, statistics from the company's stakes in 2015 indicate that 76.9% of its revenue was from 5 different markets (Jayaraman, 2016). Thus, Ford's ability to generate the bulk of its revenue from diversified markets implies that with better management of its CSR initiatives, it can eliminate susceptibility to political, demographic and social factors that may have serious ramifications on its performance.

Reason for choosing the company

As initially mentioned, the automobile industry is one of the most influential segments of the world's economy. Virtually all functions in the world rely on the transport sector to attain their objectives. Unfortunately, the industry has been blamed for contributing to global warming because of the production of products that are known to rely on carbon-generating devices. As a player in the industry, looking at the initiatives that Ford has put in place to ensure that carbon emissions are reduced is a critical element to consider. The company stands out because its profitability and consistent growth over the years have been attributed to the increase in sales it makes. Nonetheless, if the organization fails to put in place relevant initiatives upon which it would oversee the production of vehicles that emit less carbon, it is likely that its operations would equally be unsustainable. Another reason as to why Ford stood out amongst the choice of companies is that it was ranked amongst the Worlds most ethical companies. Ford Motors Company is considered as an ethical entity that promotes responsibility and enables its managers to make informed choices that would have a positive outcome on the livelihood of the society as well as its profitability. Ideally, Ford stands out because its CSR activities are aligned to its strategic objectives. Additionally, selecting Ford to offer a formidable of evaluating how companies in the sector ought to respond to the pressures associated with the management of carbon levels in the environment, besides taking care of the welfare of its shareholders.

FORD CSR Platform

Ford Motor Company runs a comprehensive CSR platform. The organization manages its CSR initiatives at various levels whereby it ensures that it takes care of the environmental, employee, community and governance levels. In April 2001, the company released a press statement communicating its roadmap to the attainment of a comprehensive environmental management strategy. Ford has been instrumental in ensuring that it puts in place viable strategies to facilitate the production of vehicles with lower carbon emissions. The statements emphasized that Ford has proved to the world that businesses can only thrive when their strategies take care of the need to attain sustainability (Jayaraman, 2016). Similarly, Ford has a compressive CSR initiative whereby it takes care of the welfare of its employees by eliminating labor issues throughout the world. The company emphasizes that it stands out as a model to be emulated in regards to the rights of the workers who work in companies that are affiliated with the manufacturer. Thus, the firm ensures that even its suppliers conform to global standards that necessitate companies to make sure that they protect the rights of their workers (Jayaraman, 2016). Ford also runs support programs for its communities whereby it runs charity events for schools and societies. The firm believes that by investing in the community, the sustainability of its business would equally be guaranteed. Finally, Ford ensures that it provides a supportive environment for its employees by providing relevant training and development programs. To this effect, Ford is a force to reckon with when it comes to the world of managing CSR activities

Definition of CSR message

Fords CSR mission statement is We want to change how the world moves again." The company emphasizes that its concept of mobility transcends beyond motion. It believes that human progress is a critical element to consider when firms want to attain success in their operations. Thus, Ford ensures that it works with relevant technology that would enable its users to perform their best. Consequently, its mission looks at the need to develop a workforce that can deliver innovation while at the same time support alternative transport models including electric bikes. As a result, Ford's mobility is derived not necessarily from its profitability segment, but rather, its capacity to fuse social and environmental needs to its operations.

Rationale of CSR at Ford

Several reports and statements on the sustainability projects supported by Ford exist. In fact, the companys commitment to sustainability has earned it recognition in diverse spectrums. A sneak peeks into its projects indicates the commitment to eliminate high levels of carbon in the environment through the production of hybrid vehicles and electric bicycles. At the community level, Ford's projects in various institutions, particularly high schools: can be seen. Similarly, the organization is committed to its stakeholders through ensuring that its remuneration commensurate the type of work done by its employees. It provides supportive training and development programs all of which have been instrumental in growing the skills of its employees. As a result, Ford has set an ideal example that other corporate firms can emulate to demonstrate their responsibility towards the society that supports their operations.

References

Jayaraman, R. (2016). Why Should the Corporate Sector Embrace CSR?. The International Journal of Business & Management, 4(2), 361.Rim, H., & Song, D. (2013). The ability of corporate blog communication to enhance CSR effectiveness: The role of prior company reputation and blog responsiveness. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 7(3), 165-185.

Wilburn, K., & Wilburn, R. (2013). Using global reporting initiative indicators for CSR programs. Journal of Global responsibility, 4(1), 62-75.