Corporate Social Responsibility at McDonald’s Corporate Social Responsibility (abbreviated CSR) is a relatively recent business movement that emphasizes looking at social and environmental factors in addition to the traditional economic factors like revenue and growth. The Down Jones Sustainability Index created the popular definition of CSR as “a business approach that creates long-term shareholder value by embracing opportunities and managing risks deriving from economic, environmental and social developments” (Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., Erdogan, B., 2010). Companies of all kinds engage in CSR, with an international survey by KPMG finding over half of companies publishing formal CSR reports (Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., Erdogan, B., 2010). Among
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A few years ago they began an effort to offer healthier foods, such as salads, smoothies, and oatmeal in response to criticisms that they were promoting any unhealthy lifestyle. However, when they successfully carried out their goal of bringing healthy foods to their menu, they found that people were not actually interested in paying more for healthy foods, and it quickly became apparent that a shift towards a healthier brand image was not going to benefit them (Patton, L. …show more content…
The primary reasons that businesses pursue CSR is because of public pressure and perception. By improving social and environmental practices, they can reduce critics and give the public appearance that these issues are important to them and they want to help even at the cost of profits. The publicity can drive sales which can justify initial economic costs and can assure stockholders that the business is still focusing on economic gain. Overall the public has been becoming increasingly concerned with a large variety of social and environmental issues. For McDonald’s, the need for CSR became apparent 10 years ago when Greenpeace published an investigation that linked McDonald’s with deforestation in the Amazon. They coordinated protests and McDonald’s responded by developing programs that promote sustainability (Banker, S. 2015). These programs helped eliminate protests from environmental organizations and have given McDonald’s the image of being environmentally responsible. McDonald’s has also addressed other increasing social and environmental trends over the past decade because of public pressure. They have made social changes such as various improving the quality and healthiness of their food (using real meat, introducing salads, etc.). They are also working to improve their
A few years ago they began an effort to offer healthier foods, such as salads, smoothies, and oatmeal in response to criticisms that they were promoting any unhealthy lifestyle. However, when they successfully carried out their goal of bringing healthy foods to their menu, they found that people were not actually interested in paying more for healthy foods, and it quickly became apparent that a shift towards a healthier brand image was not going to benefit them (Patton, L. …show more content…
The primary reasons that businesses pursue CSR is because of public pressure and perception. By improving social and environmental practices, they can reduce critics and give the public appearance that these issues are important to them and they want to help even at the cost of profits. The publicity can drive sales which can justify initial economic costs and can assure stockholders that the business is still focusing on economic gain. Overall the public has been becoming increasingly concerned with a large variety of social and environmental issues. For McDonald’s, the need for CSR became apparent 10 years ago when Greenpeace published an investigation that linked McDonald’s with deforestation in the Amazon. They coordinated protests and McDonald’s responded by developing programs that promote sustainability (Banker, S. 2015). These programs helped eliminate protests from environmental organizations and have given McDonald’s the image of being environmentally responsible. McDonald’s has also addressed other increasing social and environmental trends over the past decade because of public pressure. They have made social changes such as various improving the quality and healthiness of their food (using real meat, introducing salads, etc.). They are also working to improve their