Importance of Corporate Communication and CSR
Today, corporate communication plays a significant role in business. The organisation selected here is Sony Australia. Corporate communication is concerned with the purpose of serving several audiences, and it has an objective external to the business (Argenti, 2017). The organisations used to have a department relating to the public relation or PR. These companies also used to outsource the activities and functions of public relation. Corporate communication is important for an organisation to handle these corporate issues. From the year 1960, CSR has engrossed attention from stakeholders and business regarding its advantages. According to the perspective of consumers, the companies should perform business and CSR at the same time. They believe that the organisations are performing charity work and will receive positive feedbacks. Based on the fifth golden rule, the companies are looking at establishing channels of communications, and they are also looking for methods to use these reporting systems and channels as a whole.
Figure 1: The picture above represents the stakeholder theory view of an organisation.
Edward Freeman has described the stakeholder theory. Stakeholder theory is the mirror copy of CSR. The particular theory explains well as a list of the groups and individuals who will be affected by the actions and questions asked by the companies (Ormen?o, 2007). Stakeholder theory is concerned with the business ethics and management of companies like Sony Australia. Moreover, Sony Australia can address the values and morals regarding the administration of the company if they implement stakeholder theory in their business. According to the picture mentioned above, the stakeholder theory view of the business firm consists of employees, suppliers, communities, trade unions, financiers, customers, trade enterprises, political groups as well as competitors. Besides that, stakeholder theory succeeds in challenging the common analysis framework of fields such as human resource, law and management. According to the argument of Preston and Donaldson, stakeholder theory has multiple distinct aspects that are mutually supportive. These three unique aspects are normative, instrumental and descriptive (Mendis, 2008).
At first, it is significant for the organisations like Sony Australia to identify matters in business. For example, Sony Australia has identified communication issues among the members of the company. A rhetorical theory approach is a suitable argument for these types of organisational issues. Rhetorical Theory is not an inbuilt method for problem management in business (Zhang, & Borden, 2016). The theoretical approach has been derived from the original classical rhetorical theory. The particular method has been developed for identifying the kind of influence made to the listeners. Therefore, Sony Australia can implement this approach to determine the factors affecting the audiences during a communication process. Rhetorical theory approach will help Sony Australia to segregate the type of connection which may be symbolic view and operational approach. The theoretical approach contributes the organisations to identify, analyse and monitor the trends in critical public’s opinion (“Special issue on management theory and practices: criticism and debate”, 2009). Therefore, it is concluded that this theory is significant to look at the public affairs related to the business. Moreover, public relations are extremely famous with big business, and it is a backbone of their practice in public relation.
Stakeholder Theory and its Application in Sony Australia
Issue management and CSR are two separate terms, and it is essential to progressive missions and whole deal financial as well as community accomplishment. In spite of the fact that strategic issues management or SIM is process to solve issues in business (Zou, & Wu, 2013). Business firms like Sony Australia in their acclimation to the national economy, CSR tends to be a distinctive outbreak and instantiated measures reflecting slants of operations embedded in the substance of each political economy. Besides, these two subjects are associated, and they both relate primarily to the agreement of particular political economies. Also, beginning with the management of strategic issues as a reason, justification along with a set of policy options for proactive engagement that breaking point the confinement of one game plan of interests and work for the course of action of interests, this report addresses CSR as a tested technique for thinking for genuineness. Moreover, it encounters for CSR as a dynamic establishment for SIM, ultimately addresses management choices and changes and correspondence challenges (Enuoh, & Inyang, 2014). Although the way that not practised nor maintained in the past to the degree it is today, issues management and CSR are primary to progressive missions and whole deal financial and community achievement.
CSR is significant for business regarding social, environmental and economic aspects. The Economic side is important for business, and therefore it is highlighted in this report.
- The commercial parts of CSR are concerned about understanding the economic impacts of the operation of companies like Sony Australia. Besides that, the economic characteristics of CSR are usually wrong assumptions to become identical with financial issues. It is the reason it has been acknowledged for an implementation process than the other two pillars of the company(Basavaraj, & Ravi, 2016). In any case, the economic responsibility is not just an issue of enterprises being recording business figures, financially capable, and commitments in their latest report on corporate accountability. The financial estimation of the supportability arrange should rather consider the quick and underhanded economic impacts that the operation of Sony Australia have on the including community and on the stakeholder of the company. That is the thing that makes up corporate financial responsibility (Marano, & Kostova, 2015).
- The economic execution of Sony Australia has quick and underhanded consequences for most of its stakeholders which consist of its adjacent governments, employees, non-advantage companies, suppliers, communities in which the enterprises works as well as customers(Boateng, 2017). Besides, a better than average economic execution makes it workable for Sony Australia to make operations for the whole deal and to place resources into progression and the flourishing of employees.
- Moreover, the workers of Sony Australia will get incredible pay rates from which they purchase services and products and also pay charges(Chung, & Lee, 2017). This multiplier effect transforms into all the more goal if Sony Australia is one of the greatest administrators in the communities. These activities fuel the area advantage government programs, workout of communities and industry.
CSR has its impact on the reputation and brand of Sony Australia. The positive impact is that it can increase the sales and profit of the company by making the organisation involved in social works or any CSR campaigns. The negative consequences are that it can include politics and regulatory issues in the business (Middlemiss, 2003). The movement of CSR continues to flourish, and brands are slowly but surely flowing their focus to bigger and bottomless matters relating to accountability, governance concerns and sustainability. Moreover, it is a clear decision for brands when collaborating the various projects of CSR and issues, cannot only influence purchasing habits of the customer. Sony Australia has to do in an entertaining way.
CSR progresses a mission and vision for the business responsibility to a broad assortment of stakeholders, other than financial authorities and shareholders. Besides that, critical zones of concern are the protection of the environment, safety and health and employees as well as the community and primary culture (Calabrese, & Costa, 2014). The possibility of CSR is upheld by the concept that enterprises can no longer act as remote economic units which must be operated in impartiality from broader society. Standard points of view about forcefulness, survival and profit are being cleaned up.
- From the recent news, governments of Australia have relied on upon institution and bearing to pass on social and characteristic objectives in the business part. Contracting public resources, joined with an uncertainty of controls, has incited the analysis of non-regulatory and charitable enterprises.
- Based on research, there is an increased enthusiasm for a corporate presentation from stakeholders which includes suppliers, customers, workers, theorists, communities as well as enthusiastic companies(Rhou, Singal, & Koh, 2016). Furthermore, increase the excitement of the client is an underlying issue of CSR which needs to regulate properly by Sony Australia. There is verification that the ethical lead of enterprises applies a creating sway on the purchasing selections of customers.
- As stakeholders are winding up discernibly continuously fascinated by business issues, numerous companies are figuring out how to ensure that their assistants carry on in a socially intelligent manner(Klimkiewicz, & Oltra, 2017). Some are introducing verifiable tenets for their suppliers, to ensure that other practices of Sony Australia don’t stain their reputation. With a particular real objective to enrol and hold talented delegates, enterprises are being constrained to upgrade working conditions. Other than that, workers are continuously looking past benefits and paychecks and seeking out leaders whose strategies for understanding and working practices facilitate their specific models.
Rhetorical Theory Approach to Identify Communication Issues
In business, a communication process is significant for performing CSR activities. During the communication process, information and messages are being shared with the internal stakeholders of the organisation. The communication process in CSR is robust as it bears a variety of opportunities and threats. Green Marketing or greenwashing is a CSR tool which is used to postulate that the manufactured products of the company are environmentally safe (Ngai, & Singh, 2017). Moreover, green marketing includes a broad range of activities such as modification of goods, changes in the production procedure, sustainable packaging and also modification of advertisement and promotional activities. This CSR tool for performing a CSR activity is needed by stakeholders to carry out the business properly. In corporate communication, the engagement of stakeholders is vital for the firm. From the recent research, it has been found that CSR has become recognised as a developing area of the strategic creation of values for the business firms. Most of the engagement programs of the stakeholders are tick-box approaches. Tick-box approaches comprise of two elements such as intermittent roundtable meeting and mass survey as well as promotion (DeKay, 2010). Sony Australia in the conceivable future will find themselves dealing with various realities in business in more sophisticated, engaged and in an informed manner. An online community of stakeholders can provide a near-instant feedback on different types of business issues.
Speaking about green marketing, the tool can help Sony Australia to manufacture eco-friendly electronic products for the customer who is beneficial for the environment. The customers must be informed about green marketing process. The product becomes more attracted after the implementation of green marketing, and thus Sony Australia must implement the CSR tool. Green marketing also helps the companies to educate their customers about the protection of the environment. The employees of Sony Australia will feel responsible and proud for protecting the environment through CSR activities.
The organisation needs to follow strategic initiatives and tactical efforts to assess a communication process in the workplace. A strategic initiative like communication initiative must be made for changing the behaviour and workings of employees while performing a CSR project. For example, the company can encourage communities to recycle the products and reuse for future purpose. Other strategic initiatives like policy change, repositioning efforts and brand awareness impacts the Australia’s electronic industry primarily. Here, repositioning efforts means that the company decides to change focus and add a major program area. Policy goals should be built based on awareness, the building of constituency and public will. At last behavioural goals should be made based on factors like awareness, salience, beliefs, and social norms and so on.
- Initially, while performing a CSR project, Sony Australia needs to make an explanation and announcement of the benefits, goals and process of partners, shareholders, employees, other stakeholders, suppliers and consumers. The organisation needs to be supportive during the CSR project. Awareness should be raised, and steps should be taken to complete the CSR project. CSR project may include the development of corporate brand value and reputation. The Australian company needs to make positioning and targeting strategy for accomplishing the brand value and reputation in the business firm(Wanat, & Stefa?ska, 2015). Aside from, the employees must be assigned to their daily work schedule and groups should be formed to maintain the communication balance. The employees should be provided with a training session to achieve a positive outcome in the CSR project. Human resource team is required here to identify the skills and competence among the workers.
- Secondly, Sony Australia must create a holistic approach to CSR. Additionally, a digitally enabled recognition program must be implemented as this program directly linked to the values of business as well as in the global initiatives. With the utilisation of this program, the employees of the firm can nominate a colleague who goes above and beyond. Brand value also falls in the category of business value(YORULMAZ, 2016). As shown by Grönroos, marketing has three goals which contain keeping customers, getting clients and also developing customers into a customer relationship. For accomplishing these destinations marketing should be seen through a full perspective since it exists on three levels such as a technique for sorting out, a perspective and strategies to implement activities and business tools.
- Moreover, the critical level reveals marketing as a perspective which suggests that an association’s marketing thought needs to infiltrate the people, processes, functions and departments of Sony Australia. Besides, the second level delineates the strategy of Sony Australia for sorting out which insinuates the degree the particular divisions communicate information to each other and how organisers are encouraged(Keegan, & Green, 2016). Now, the last level comes down to the course of action of tools and activities which fuse the unmistakable marketing techniques for which the customer is introduced to, for a case, development. There are different marketing tools and building a strong brand is one of these.
The Role of Strategic Issues Management in CSR
Conclusion
From the report, it has been concluded that some trade-offs between the needs of the stakeholders are inexorable. CSR does not come free; the organisation have to invest on it. The organisations need to look at the effectiveness of the communication process if they want to implement a proper CSR strategy. The communication between the stakeholders, customers and employees needs to be strong to establish a strong corporate relationship. Besides that, there are some arguments about for and against the social responsibility which has been described in this report. Benefits of using corporate social responsibility have been listed here. CSR is related to the increment of organisational performance which has been highlighted in the overall report. Moreover, CSR is a concept from the management performed in western businesses. The organisations which get resources from the society and nature knows well about how to implement a CSR in business.
References
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