Tesla Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Sample

Tesla Social Responsibility
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Institutional Affiliation
Tesla Social Responsibility
The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept goes way back to the early 20th century although its prominence has grown significantly in recent times. First and foremost, CSR attenuates to an organization’s actions that have a direct impact on the environment and social well-being. A company has to assess its actions and see to it they contribute towards fulfilling related responsibilities. CSR coerces firms to incorporate social and environmental issues into their primary strategy if not daily operations. Lyon et al. (2018) state that four-fifths of the Fortune 500 perceive CSR as an important part of their sustainability to the extent that they have opted to issue annual sustainability reports demonstrating their efforts in environment-friendly activities.
CSR is a multifaceted concept, idea or philosophy depending on an individual’s angle. To this end, various scholars have made stipulated the primary theories and approaches that endear to support the prevailing claims. Consequently, the CSR theory, stakeholder approach, three domain model, and triple bottom approaches will be quite spread in the text as they offer support to Tesla’s real-life circumstances. Tesla is a modern automotive that specializes in the production of EV as well as other products in the renewable energy niche. Its immense growth over a relatively short period has led to growing popularity globally. Tesla’s primary activities are a straightforward indication of their CSR actions regardless of the scorn from various quarters and the company will be used to dissect various aspects apparent in CSR.
Evolution of CSR
The CSR concept emerged in the 1920s. However, the succeeding occurrence of the Great Depression as well as the Second World War suppressed the extent to which it was discussed among business leaders. It was not until in the 1950s when the situation changed for the better. In 1951 specifically, chairman of the board for Standard Oil of New Jersey, Frank Abrams brought CSR into the limelight. Abrams was offering his analysis of the concept in an article in the Harvard Business Review. He argued that he perceived as his firm’s duty “to conduct the affairs of the enterprise to maintain an equitable and workable balance among the claims of the various directly interested groups, a harmonious balance among stakeholders, employees, customers, and the public at large” (Lawania & Kapoor, 2018, p. 46). 2 years late Howard Bowen offered a definition of CSR and the greatest insight from his proposition is his insistence for the articulation of business policies encapsulating decisions and objectives that are desirable to society. The two perceptions from Abrams and Howard are equally important because one offers the essence of relationships with every stakeholder while the other includes the relevance of appropriate activities that offer value to society.
During this period there were no accepted theoretical models that would enhance the comprehension of this concept. This position presents Archie Carroll who in 1979, created the CSR model where the elements of corporate social responsiveness, social issues...