Abstract
Ethical theories has been a topic of philosophical debate for centuries, but only recently has corporate governance and social responsibilities became a necessary fixture for modern businesses to function. Thus sparking scepticism that businesses adoption of CSR initiatives are a result of shifting societal trends for financial rewards and not out of ‘good will’. It is therefore a surprising given that this paper, Origins Natural Resources, an international cosmetic superstar adopted CSR since its conception and continues to maintain strong earth friendly practices throughout its operations regardless of substantial costs and burden to uphold. Thereby exploring the possibilities ...view middle of the document...
Its slogan ‘powered by nature – proven by science’ and a bold mission statement to protect the planet and its resources with earth/animal friendly practices promote a strong CSR brand identity (Origins Natural Resources, 2015). Studies have indicated a common theme of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as the ideal role of organisation ethical behaviours/conduct towards balancing stakeholder and shareholder benefits (Renouard, 2011); whilst others argue that CSR is the action beyond profitable interests to a firm (Moir, 2011). CSR represents the backbone of Origins core competency, recognized by its mission to put global health first before shelfing its products – adopting a broad-view position (Shaw, Barry, Issa, & Catley, 2013).
The seamless integration with CSR initiatives are heavily promoted as the unique selling point of its brand identity consumers can associate with, thus possibly identifying Origins as a leading benchmark for ethical businesses practices (Young & Makhija, 2014).
Animal Cruelty/Experimentation & Environmental Issues
The first ethical issue is animal experimentation which is commonly stereotyped in the fields of medical research and cosmetics. The concept has existed for centuries, with approximately 100 million vertebrate subjected to testing each year under strict regulations (Asokan, Fedorowicz, Tharyan, & Vanitha, 2012). However, animal rights extremists gained a foothold into government policies in the late 1970s, a concept which most modern organisations adopted (Walls, 2014). Origins prominently voice its displeasure and opposition towards animal experimentation on the grounds of cruelty throughout its campaign and website statements, as well as proudly declaring its animal ingredient free certification and declaring its commitment towards discovering new alternatives for the industry (Origins Natural Resources, 2015)
A second concern is that of environmental issues which remains unsolved till this very day. Due to the common knowledge of declining environmental health, it has become a ‘norm’ for organisations to volunteer its services and funding towards being ‘earth friendly’, regardless of the non-regulatory requirement to operate, but possibly for PR purposes and consumer appeal (Hori, Shinozaki, Nogata, & Fujita, 2014). Environmental sustainability is the heart-and-soul of Origins, as its products are entirely natural resource-based. Origins addressed this issue through multiple channels with promoting numerous campaigns to raise environmental awareness, continuous implanting ‘plant a tree’ foundation to enrich nature (over 500,000 trees), adopted recyclable materials uses and wind energy to offset electricity consumption (Origins Natural Resources, 2015). Origins have been recognized as the top 30 environmental protection company in the US through adopting a sustainable practice across its entire operation board by the EGAGPP . These contributions to society is aided by the commitment to using only...
