Discussion 4 coffee response

Please read the two (2) below discussions and write a response. 

Must be a minimum of 10 lines per discussion.

Please include a reference in your response using APA format and cite the reference in the text.

1- I believe that the engagement of employees at all levels of the company is an important force that shapes the relationship between a business and society. A company’s employees can serve as ambassadors and a positive or negative testimony to the authenticity of a company’s corporate responsibility efforts. Employees should be included in the development of the company’s CR strategy because doing so will increase their morale and discourage turnover, along with increasing the company’s efficiency (McDonald, 2007). For example, Starbucks emphasized the romance and stories that it sells with its coffee, therefore it was important for them to development a “Mission Review” where employees would help to add credibility to the Starbucks’ commitment to standing by its guiding principles by affirming or commenting on Starbucks’ alignment of its actions with its values (Argenti, 2013). The strength of this force lies in the fact that “employees are often the spokespeople for a corporation” (Argenti, 2013). In addition, employees could provide valuable ideas and serve as a connecting piece between the company and the community. The weakness that is associated with this force is the unfortunate reality that there is a large difference between the way that executives talk about treating their employees and the actual internally responsible behavior that the company exhibits (Argenti, 2013).

        Secondly, I believe that effective communication to the public of a company’s CR strategies is a vital force that shapes the relationship between business and society. A company could have excellent CR strategies in place, but if the public is not able to understand the benefits that the company is providing to society then they will not be able to appreciate the value that the company is adding. One of the weaknesses of this force is the “danger of empty boasting” where a company advertises that it is providing more CR value to society than it actually is; an example of this type of exaggeration involving a company’s environmental friendliness is known as “greenwashing” (Argenti, 2013). One of the strengths of taking a transparent and effective approach to communicating with the public is that the transparency of a company’s efforts can be very endearing to the media and provide excellent positive media coverage for the company (Nozewski, 2011).

2-There has been an increase in corporate responsibility and this creates and shapes the relationship between the business and the society. Initially business were only viewed as profit making entities but this has continued to change resulting to various aspects of the business world evolving (Argenti, 2013). Studies have indicated a strong correlation between modern society and modern business entities. Factors such as technology advancements and increased public expectations have brought about evolution of the business world. However, with technology advancements, companies faced a situation of either succeeding or making losses. In situations where companies have incorporated technology in their operations can increase its reputation through quality service and goods delivery. In addition, technology can be used tenable communication between businesses and constituents. Consider, the case study related to Starbucks, it is crucial that all staff work towards ensuring that consumer needs are met while making changes to the company’s operations. In addition, the internet has enabled companies become more transparent since most details pertaining the companies are easily accessible via the internet (Argenti, 2013).
In relation to the society, people will often have a tendency to expect a particular threshold related to the end product depending on the brand retailers name and the product. As a result, many companies will always strive to ensure that they meet their customer needs since it is often argued that customer satisfaction heavily impacts the reputation of that company. Therefore, companies will often be keen to observe and maintain a positive image since a slight mistake can cost the company a lot in relation to reputation. As a result, many companies continue to find it challenging in finding the right balance in relation merging the ideal reputation with changes. It is evident that the company was mostly affected by advancement in technology and society expectations. In relation to customer expectations, the company had to consider all factors and suggestions that had been placed by their customers. Therefore, the most instrumental aspect of the decision was to ensure that quality did not decline. 
Similarly, companies such as Georgia Pacific and Hobby Lobby face similar issues. Hobby encountered issues in relation to their stand religious considering the process that the company took considering that they would provide some benefit packages to employees who did things that were against their culture (McDivitt, 2014). As a result, people attacked the company over the internet and tarnished the name of the company making the company accept and change to the demands presented by its customers. In conclusion it is evident that all these companies have had issues when incorporating technology in relation to meeting their customer demands.