Road to 5**：Corporate social responsibility
【明報專訊】According to the Consumer Council's ''Good Corporate Citizen's Guide'', corporation social responsibilities include: maintaining a high standard of business ethics; working as part of the community; protecting the environment; providing good corporate governance; and engaging in fair trade and business practices, as well as fair workplace relations. The council says that ''corporate citizenship recognises that businesses have a responsibility to respect the individuals, the community and the environment in a way that when devising or implementing any rightful business strategy they will abide by laws and regulations, and adhere to high ethical standards.''
Microsoft's 3.9 billion initiative
In January 2019, technological giant Microsoft promised to allocate US$500 million(around HK$ 3.9 billion) to help middle- and low- income residents in Seattle to build affordable housing. This was Microsoft's biggest investment on a single social issue. A Microsoft spokesperson said that if a technological company provided only jobs but not housing for its location, it would cause strain on that location's infrastructure. The company hoped that its move would be followed by other companies.
Corporations saying no to plastic
The pollution and harm to marine creatures caused by plastic are a matter of global concern, and many fast food chains around the world have put in place measures to do away with plastic. In August 2018, KFC's Hong Kong and Macao shops stopped providing plastic straws or cup caps if customers did not ask for them. On 24 December 2018, McDonalds's Hong Kong stores and McCafés started to replace plastic stirring rods with wooden ones and stopped using Styrofoam containers, thereby reducing the use of disposable single-use plastic by expectedly more than 30 percent every year.
Sweatshops in China
Factories working for international brands such as Nike, Apple, Disney and Adidas have all been criticized for using sweatshops in China. Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior(SACOM), a non-profit organization, published a report in July 2016 on the supply chains of fashion brands like ZARA, H&M, GAP in China. The undercover investigation found that workers at these factories had to work for a long time for low incomes. The working conditions were highly dangerous, and there was no overtime pay.
Amazon's proposed move into New York
In November 2018 online retail giant Amazon announced that it would build its second headquarters in Long Island City, New York and Arlington, Virginia. Residents of Long Island City were angry that the government lured Amazon with US$1.5 billion tax credits and the whole process was not accompanied by a public consultation exercise. They were also worried that new construction would speed up the community's gentrification, making people on low incomes homeless.
Translated by Terence Yip
[通通識 第643期]
