Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible?

Are Automotive Manufacturers to a greater extent(prenominal) Socially Responsible?To what extent atomic number 18 railroad gondola manufacturing firms operating in a more than(prenominal) br separatelyly accountable manner when designing environmentally amiable cars?AbstractSocial obligation is wizard of the key differentiators between modern corporations, and is seen by m any analysts as an antidote to the past patchs few historic period trend towards the demonisation of collective institutions. The recent stinting crisis, in particular, has led many observers to argue that corporations that fail to address issues of hunter tariff pull up stakes struggle to survive. However, well-nigh other(a) observers principal whether this phenomenon is anything more than a superficial consumer trend, and whether the world economy in general toilette in earnest contemplate a corporate system in which the profit motive is subservient to the destiny for corporate amicabl e certificate of indebtedness. This dissertation envisions accessible office in scathe of the car manufacturing indus search, and looks in particular at the question of whether or non the incite towards environmentally pally cars is anything more than a passing kind in an industry that is extremely sensitive to public opinion. Ultimately, the aim of the dissertation is to do whether or non corporate affable right within the car manufacturing industry is a genuine motley, or whether it is solely a superficial response to a passing public trend.IntroductionThe concept of corporate complaisant responsibility has been one of the dominant themes of the past decade, with consumer recognition of a corporations sociable responsibility being progressively seen as a lucrative phenomenon. In the west, in particular, increase levels of affluence stick led to a trend that has seen more customers show ordainingness to pay more for products that are designed consort to theories of mixer responsibility., and this substitution has been nowhere more apparent than in the automobile manufacturing industry. This trend has inter- disrupt with a recognition (in some quarters) of the need to ensure a more environmentally-friendly approach to industrial drudgery and consumption, and a number of corporations acquire secured dramatically enhanced public im eons by and through a concenter on affordable only fondly responsible products. However, critics argue that since the primary aim of these corporations is to increase their profits, the appearance of social responsibility has been more of a ornamental change than a substantial alteration of sum total business practices many critics believe that corporations accept, in virtually vitrines, merely convey better at packaging their products as a more socially responsible, environmentally friendly alternative. Despite the recent financial crisis, the automobile manufacturing industry remains a bellwether fo r the world-wide economy, and any genuine global industrial changes regarding social responsibility will likely be evident in the automobile industry at an early stage.This dissertation will examine the behaviour of car manufacturing firms and will ask whether they have genuinely become more socially responsible when designing environmentally friendly cars, or whether this is merely a superficial smokescreen designed to generate improved public photograph without leading to genuine changes in design and production philosophies. In particular, the difference between the industrys approach in the first place and after the onset of the recent sparing crisis will be examined, and these differences will be used to posit whether or not the move towards social responsibility represented a genuine change to production systems or was merely an attempt to capture the early twenty-first century zeitgeist. Furthermore, the dissertation will examine the extent to which social responsibilit y and environmental consciousness have affected not only above-the-line (i.e. visible to the public) areas of the industry, nevertheless as well as below-the-line (i.e. internal corporate) systems the dissertation will argue that firms empennage only be state to have adopted a greater level of social responsibility if their attempts to tackle this issue adulterate to below-the-line activities. The dissertation will use a series of core examples in come in to determine two(prenominal) the hyperbole (i.e. the claims made to the public) and the core below-the-line changes that may, or in some cases may not, reflect the car manufacturing industrys more socially responsible, environmentally friendly approach to business and production.Literature ReviewCorporate Social certificate of indebtednessSocial responsibility has been one of the key growth areas in recent years. Crane et al. (2007) define social responsibility, in the corporate context, as a clubs ability to put aside th e profit motive in order to perform tasks that have a beneficial effect not on the corporation itself in terms of capital but in terms of an entirely separate social group (Crane et al., 2007, p. 6). In this context, social responsibility can be seen as something that companies are expected to do unbidden, in practically the same way as many people choose to donate their time and volunteer to second charities. In some ways, thusly, social responsibility can be seen as an attempt to anthropomorphise corporations by rendering them indebted to a cultural belief that they should act in a more honourable and moral manner. This is in some ways a cultural corrective to the liking of corporations as solely capita disputationic, profit-orientated organisations.May et al. (2007) suggest that corporate social responsibility is a popular construct that seeks to imbue corporations with humane traits regardless of whether those traits are present or not (May et al., 2007, p. 118). In orde r for public recognition of these traits to be tangible, at that place mustiness be a relative relationship between different corporations, so some must be seen to be exercising a great deal of social responsibility, succession other must be seen to be doing very(prenominal) little. This is, in effect, the classic polar relationship between penny-pinching and bad, and it allows consumers to associate themselves with positive, socially responsible companies stringently by making certain get decisions. Both sides therefore have a vested inte relaxation in social responsibility consumers feel good if they reward socially responsible companies with their custom, and can use such purchases as a form of status symbol corporations, meanwhile, can try to generate a larger, more loyal customer base.While some critics argue that social responsibility is a trend that will wax and wane according to various social and economic factors (May et al., 2007, p. 119), others believe that the em ergence of social responsibility as a major business factor in the past decade is in fact a permanent change. Crane et al. note that growing awareness of environmental issues has led many people to hump the importance of social responsibility (Crane et al., 2007, p. 10), and although the recent economic crisis may have led many to hold back on the spending that they would otherwise have directed towards socially responsible corporations, there still appears to be a broad consensus that social responsibility is one of the almost chief(prenominal) factors in modern business. Consequently, many companies have sought to strengthen their social policy credentials.Environmental PolicyOne of the key elements of social responsibility is the environment. For more than twenty years, there have been warnings about the effects of global melting. Many corporations choose to exhibit their social responsibility through one of a number of environmentally friendly policies reduce the environmen tal cost of production distribution.Reducing the environmental cost of consumption.Reducing the environmental cost of disposal.Using more environmentally-friendly materials.Reducing packaging and other superfluous elements of a product.Instigating specific environmentally-friendly technological elements.Funding research and education programs.Carbon and pollution off-setting. all of these options and more are regularly employed by companies that want to emphasise their environmental credentials. Large companies tend to focus on methods that require little more effort than throwing money at the problem, e.g. by musical accompaniment research or off-setting their carbon emissions. However, some other companies are removed more inventive, and genuinely try to reduce their environmental impact.Social accountabilityAside from the environmental factors noted above, companies have found a number of ways of demonstrating their corporate social responsibilityFunding education programs. Providing services, e.g. transportation for school and change groups.Promoting volunteerism among their own workers.Donating money to charities.Working to eliminate abuse in the chain of production.The globalised corporate environment shufflings it more difficult than ever for companies to hide practices that might be unpopular in their domestic help commercialises. For example, if a company seeks to use cheap labour in third world countries, it can make a short impact but will usually be exposed all the sametually. In other words, companies find it more and more difficult to hide any non-socially responsible behaviour.The Car Manufacturing IndustryThe huge majority of manufacturers are global in terms of production facilities. The leading US and Japanese manufacturers, for example, tend to have dozens of factories, with at the top five companies all having at least one factory in for each one of northerly America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. As su ch, the industry can be s aid to be truly global in terms of both customer reach and production. Furthermore, companies often experience great success in non-domestic markets, e.g. Japans Toyota likewise sells many cars in the US, and Germanys BMW is extremely popular in the UK the only major exceptions to this rule are both of the three big US companies, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler, both of which have been criticised for their focus on the US market.The refer of the Economic Crisis on the Car Manufacturing IndustryAll the worlds car manufacturers have in recent years suffered from the global economic downturn. In the US, the big three manufacturers Ford, Chrysler and General Motors (GM) have all come pie-eyed to loser, and GM has been forced to file for chapter 11 unsuccessful person protection. Around the world, companies have suffered similar problems, although in most cases not to the extent of the major US companies. In Japan, both Honda and Toyota have suffered he avy losses and have been forced to reconsolidate their core business areas. As a result, the automobile industry has been to a lower placegoing a period of long uncertainty, and this has led many consumers to believe that they can no longer rely on the continued battlefront of the big names.Apart from the well-publicised problems for the big three US companies GM, Ford and Chrysler, almost every other major car manufacturer around the world has suffered a slump in profits in the past deuce years, and many have incurred legacy debts during this period that will impact upon their performance for decades to come. Toyota reported a massive $1.7bn loss (Fackler, 2008) and, like most other manufacturers, was forced to re-focus activities on core revenue streams. As one of the key figures in the green car revolution, Toyota had been investing heavily in environmentally-friendly cars, and had been happy to make such investments since it believe there would be massive financial benefits i n the long run. However, the financial crisis spunky Toyotas ability to consider the long term implications of its current activities, and forced the company to focus on its core business. As Satoshi Hino notes, Toyota has long been one of the more adventurous companies when it comes to placing substantial industrial bets on future changes in the automobile market, but these have always been backed by potent performances in the companys core activities (Hino, 2005, p. 41).The companys move into electric and hybrid cars seen by many as a key element in the publicize towards greener automobiles has largely been financed by success in core diesel machines, with the pay-off for this front-end investment expected to arrive between 2010 and 2015. However, with the core business model threatened by double-digit year-on-year sales drops, Toyota was forced in 2009 to consolidate its activities and re-focus on the most profitable elements of its production line. This decision by the comp any served as dramatic proof that while there was clearly a high degree of confidence in terms of the potential for socially responsible cars to provide a significant pay-off in the medium to long term, this confidence was not strong becoming to allow the company to rely on such vehicles during a time of economic crisis. Clearly, therefore, market forces are not yet dictating the need for social responsibility in ample numbers, or with sufficient support via purchasing decisions.Research MethodologyResearch ApproachThe research will take two key approaches a questionnaire will be used to conduct primary research into consumer awareness of the question of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry, and two case studies will be used to determine how two of the worlds biggest manufacturers GM and Toyota deal with this issue. In order to assess the impact of the social responsibility policies of both GM and Toyota, the questionnaires will be designed to measure the impa ct of such policies (or the deficiency of them) and the degree to which they change public opinion and have the effect for which they were designed. These questionnaires will be vital in terms of bridging the bedspread between the theory and reality, and will expose the limitations inherent in this approach. In order to increase the likely response rate, and to comply with ethical considerations regarding privacy, the questionnaires were left anonymous and replyents were told that they could ignore any individual questions that they would prefer not to answer.The secondary research will focus on two case studies, one aspect at the leading US car manufacturer (General Motors) and the other looking at the worlds leading car manufacturer, by sales (Toyota). These companies have been chosen for specific reasons. General Motors (GM) has had a difficult economic history everyplace the past two decades, almost filing for bankruptcy in the 1990s before going on to enjoy considerable su ccess with a series of non-environmentally friendly cars (SUVs) while professing to hold social responsibility as a key philosophical point, and then suffering a massive fragment that resulted in the company filing for the fourth largest bankruptcy in US history (see chapter 4). Toyota, meanwhile, has made a name for itself with a series of advanced hybrid cars, but has also suffered during the recent financial crisis (see chapter 5). In other words, GM is seen by many as one of the worlds least socially responsible manufacturers, and Toyota is seen by many as one of the worlds most socially responsible manufacturers. By comparing and contrasting their approaches and fortunes, it should be possible to develop a clear understanding of the extent to which major car manufacturers have been socially responsible in pursuing an environmentally friendly agenda.Research QuestionsThe research is based on the spare-time activity key questionsTo what extent do car manufacturing companies act with a high degree of social responsibility when designing environmentally friendly cars?How important is consumer behaviour to car manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Do consumers drive companies behaviour, or vice versa?What different approaches to the type of environmentally friendly, socially responsible cars have been taken by different companies?How has the recent economic crisis affected manufacturers interest in social responsibility?Is social responsibility progressing according to narrative trends? Is this a major change to business, or merely a passing trend?Research LimitationsAny research purport contains inherent limitations. If these limitations are ignored, they do not go away rather, they linger and nixly impact the reliability of the overall project. Consequently, the best approach is to recognise these limitations from the start and to work to ensure that they are factored out of the equation as much as possible. As Saunders et al. note, its only by recognising the limitations of any research program that the problems that always affect any research project can be brought into the open, addressed and contextualised and, in some cases, turned into positives (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 51). The research limits of this project are as followsSocial responsibility is an inherently subjective matter. Something that is socially responsible in the view of one soulfulness may be socially irresponsible in the view of another.Many of the relevant subjects, such as global warming, are not universally recognised. Its therefore important to reflect the fact that there is current debate.There is insufficient time and space to analyse the entire market. Therefore, key examples must be selected for the case studies. As noted in 3.1, the subjects for these case studies were chosen for very specific reasons.Questionnaires must be apprise and simple to understand, yet they must also focus on the key points. Persuading respondents to fill in q uestionnaires can be difficult.All these limitations can be overcome, to various extents. The subjectivity inherent in the research subject is in fact relevant to the continuing social, cultural and political debates regarding the extent to which car companies should, and can, adopt socially responsible roles some critics argue that this can only be achieved if consumers adopt socially responsible approaches to their purchasing patterns, which will inevitably force corporations to adapt to face this trend. Similarly, the continuing debate over global warming although settled in many peoples view continues to cause debate in many parts of the world. Finally, the limitations of time and space mean that the case study subjects must be analysed extremely closely, and the choices of company must be made carefully.Results AnalysisResponse200 questionnaires were sent out. The expected response rate was 40-50%, as per the innuendo by Saunders et al. that any questionnaire-based research project that prompts between a third and a half of targets to respond can be said to have performed averagely (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 102). In the event, 81 questionnaires were returned, representing 40.5%, which is just within the expected position. This gives a statistically relevant sample group.Demographic InformationDemographic details are important in research concerning attitudes to consumer activity and the environment, since both of these factors can impact upon an individuals view of these issues. Question 1 concerned the age of the respondentsHow old are you?The majority of respondents were in their teens and twenties, with a total of three quarters being under 40. This makes the questionnaire more relevant in terms of analysing the attitudes of younger people.The second question concerned the occupation of the respondents. It was distinct to provide broad categories rather than to request specific details. For one thing, this emphasised the confidentiality and priv acy of the research, and for another it allowed for patrician and effective categorisation of answersWhat is your occupation?Around two thirds of the respondents were employed, self-employed or in part-time work, with the rest being students, retired or unemployed.Awareness of Social Responsibility among Car ManufacturersThe near question asked respondents if they believed the car manufacturing industry, as a whole, to be socially responsible. A brief explanation was appended to this question, defining social responsibility as an awareness of their impact on society, including the environment, and their efforts to ensure that this impact has a positive rather than a negative effectHow responsible do you think car manufacturers are?An overwhelming majority (67.9%) considered car manufacturers to be either not very or not at all responsible. Breaking these results down according to age and occupation gave the following resultsAppreciation of manufacturers social awareness, broken do wn by age rangeClearly, levels of appreciation appear to be at least partly linked to age, with these levels peaking for individuals in their fifties. There are numerous possible reasons for this, includingMedia exposure different age groups are exposed to very different media forms and sources, each of which will likely carry very different stories concerning manufacturers levels of social awareness.Learned behaviour older respondents will have spent longer living in a time when many of the relevant issues, peculiarly environmental impact, were not considered.Environmental awareness some of the answers may be influenced by a lack of belief in the various arguments concerning the environment and, in particular, the car industrys contribution to global warming.Clearly, therefore, awareness of social responsibility is a dynamic factor that reflects a number of different viewpoints, and this factors is by no representation viewed the same by different age groups. The clear correlatio n between age and awareness indicates that manufacturers must ensure that they operate multiple simultaneous social responsibility programs if they are to reach all these groups. However, the next question sought to determine whether or not it was strictly necessary for the manufacturers to try to appeal to everyone, and asked how important social responsibility is to purchasing decisions. First, in terms of the overall response, the result was as followsHow important is a manufacturers social responsibility for you when choosing what car to buy?Almost half (48.1%) claimed that social responsibility was either very or quite important, with just over half (51.9%) claiming that it was not very or not at all important. Given the relatively small sample group for this research project, the difference is small enough to be statistically irrelevant, and broadly indicates a 50-50 split in terms of opinion on this subject. However, looking at the results in terms of an age-related breakdown results in a very different set of results brilliance of social responsibility of manufacturers, by ageThe data shows a clear depreciation of the importance of social responsibility for older consumers, although there is evidence of an increase for consumers in their 50s and above. In order to determine a link between awareness of social responsibility in the industry and the importance of social responsibility in purchasing decisions, the results from figures 4 and 6 were then combinedImportance, and awareness, of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industryThere is clearly an inverse relationship between awareness of social responsibility as a factor in the industry, and belief in the importance of social responsibility. For example, younger people are most likely to believe that social responsibility is an important factor when making purchasing decisions, but are the least appreciative of any efforts that have so far been made. To an extent, this can be seen to be a matter of perception, but theres also clearly a problem for the industry in terms of persuading parts of the consumer base that its intentions are genuine. In order to measure the degree to which various manufacturers have succeeded in their aim of seeming more socially responsible, respondents were next asked whether they thought the industry had become more socially responsible over the past decadeDo you think the car industry has become more socially responsible over the past decade, less socially responsible, or it has stayed mostly the same?The vast majority of respondents believe there has been no real change, strongly suggesting that either the message from the manufacturers has not got through to the public, or that there is a deep level of cynicism in terms of whether the public believe that the ornateness has translated into genuine action.Finally, respondents were given a range of options and were asked to indicate which they believed were most important in terms of soci al responsibility. They were asked to tick two or three options, with the aim being to allow them to indicate the elements of corporate social responsibility that were deemed most importantMost important elements of social responsibilityClearly, the vast majority of consumers irresistibly equate social responsibility with environmental issues. The only other factor to come close to this in terms of relevance was making donations to charitable causes, which to an extent also involves the environment. Social responsibility is not purely about the environment, and encompasses a range of other activities that can improve society. However, for the consumers canvassed for this research project, environmental issues were by far the most important, and its therefore possible to argue that the environment has overtaken all other elements of social responsibility and has become the single most important issue. Although manufacturers could fight against this perception and attempt to focus at tention on other factors, the best approach might be to accept that when it comes to social responsibility, most consumers overwhelmingly focus on the environment.Case Study 1 General Motors (US)BackgroundGeneral Motors (GM) is the largest US car manufacturer, and the second largest in the world (after Toyota) (Trott, 2009). The company relies heavily on four key brands Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Each of these brands has a distinctive bearing in the US market, but critics have argued that GM has lacked focus on the non-US markets, leaving it particularly vulnerable to domestic turmoil and economic volatility. In 1994, GM came close to bankruptcy following a $4.5bn loss, but cost-cutting measures and management changes ensured its survival. The company was one of the key instigators of the huge rise in sales for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in the 1990s, a trend that was highly lucrative for GM but which resulted in criticism from environmental campaigners. surrounded by 1998 and 2001, GM and Ford vied for the top spot in the US market, primarily through massively increasing sales in the SUV market. However, the downturn which followed the September 11th 2001 attacks saw GM suffer particularly hard, even compared to Ford, with the latter at least having a strong European heartland on which to rely during difficult calling conditions in the US. Nevertheless, GM bounced back and by 2005 was recording strong sales figures and was eyeing major expansion into afield markets.However, the recent economic crisis virtually crippled GM, as well as its two key domestic rivals, Ford and Chrysler. GM lost $38.7bn in the 2007 fiscal year (Wearden, 2009), and an almost 50% drop in sales. The following year, GM predicted that it would run out of money in mid-2009 without a substantial re-financing program, and called for government help. In November 2008, the company joined with Ford and Chrysler in formally requesting help from the US government in order to stav e off bankruptcy. Even in the context of the financial crisis, this move was massive, since it represented the genuine adventure of the USs three major car companies going bust almost simultaneously. Although the US government, under outgoing chairwoman George W. Bush, was initially reluctant to provide money at a time when many other businesses also had legitimate claims for government help, in December 2008 a bridging loan was finally offered. Despite numerous attempts to cut costs and reorganise the company over the next six months, in June 2009 GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. After Lehman Brothers, Worldcom and Washington Mutual, this was the fourth largest bankruptcy filing in US history. Eventually, on July 10th 2009, the US government helped to finance a new company, NGMCO Inc., that took on the majority of the old GM assets. The old GM changed its name to Motors Liquidation Company, and the new Vehicle Acquisition Holdings company changed its name to General Motors Company, thereby obstetrical delivery GM back to life. The new version of GM is mostly owned by the US government, while the old GM Motors Liquidation Company continues to go through the process of the bankruptcy filing.Social ResponsibilityBoth the old and the new GM have been involved in programs to emphasise their social responsibility. Since 1996, GM has financed the Safe Kids USA Buckle Up program, designed to encourage children to use seatbelts. The company has also contributed to a consortium that has donated over $1.2bn to fund education for engineering graduates, a scheme that has recently been extended worldwide. GM has also donated more than $200m in the past decade to charitable causes, and has supported both Democratic and republican presidential candidates often simultaneously. The companys more recent philanthropic activities include a new global aid program (GM, 2009) and a number of smaller, local community projects designed to improve provisions mostly for children in areas surrounding the companys main factories. These projects have, for the most part, been maintained despite the continued financial uncertainty and the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings that took place in mid-2009.GM has also launched a major program called I Am GM, designed to showcase the companys strong workplace diversity policies. The program involves placing adverts in newspapers and magazines, and on television, in which GM employees from different ethnic backgrounds talk about their pride in the company. As well as reinforcing the idea of GM as an equal opportunities, ethnically diverse employer, the campaign is designed to show how GM workings towards engineering a higher degree of diversity in society. Linked to this program is the companys renewed focus on safety, which has seen not only improvements designed to help children in the event of an accident, but also high-profile campaigns to honor the companys vehicles in order to make them withstand bi gger crashes. The Buckle Up program has been maintained, and GM has spread out this campaign since 2008 by taking the message to schools around the US. The company claims that corporate responsibility is about more than just words its an acknowledgement that our actions shape our reputation (GM, 2009).Environmentally-Friendly TechnologyDuring the 1990s, a number of scandals saw the company accused of poor environmental management, including an accusation that sediments have been stored in unsafe conditions. In 2006, GM was one of a number of manufacturers from around the world named in a suit brought by the State of calcium over the issue of pollution. The case was dismissed a year later, but the damage to GMs reputation had already been done. In 2008, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) ranked GM 18th on its list of the USs worst polluters, giving the company a toxic score of 73,248, set against the no. 1 polluter, E.I. du Pont de Nemours, which scored 285,661 (PERI, 2008). Meanwhile, in the same year, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) ranked GM 7th out of the worlds largest car manufacturers