In blogging we hear a lot about being transparent. This means that we are to state when content is sponsored. Be clear if a company that we are talking about is a client, and just about tell all of our business to get our readers to *trust* us. This also means sharing our beliefs, and only touting what we truly believe. But what about larger corporations? Should they do the same? The below post discusses this a bit. And it mentions one of my favorite campaigns that I worked on in the past. And yes… I was transparent in those posts.
Good Actions Equal Good Corporations
Behaving in a transparent manner. That is one way major companies become good corporate citizens. In other words, not having anything to hide.
Of course, putting it all out on the table is not an easy process for the giant corporation, but for the ones that do-good, regular folks take notice. And it’s not only about transparency. Corporations must lead in the way of environmental impact, philanthropy, employee relations, human rights, and so forth.
Last year, AT&T was cited as the “Best Corporate Citizen” by CR magazine.
Why, what’s the big deal?
CR magazine recognized the telecommunications leader on all fronts– from company to shareholders to community.
For instance, AT&T has been supportive to the tune of tens of millions of dollars to keep up the “It Can Wait” campaign. This program targets awareness and putting an end to texting while driving by inspiring young people and adults to take the pledge to never text and drive. As of 2013, more than 1.3 million pledges had been taken.
CVS Caremark Corporation recently stunned shoppers around the United States by soon halting the sale of cigarettes. In October, all 7,600 CVS stores will stop selling smokes. And what does that mean for the company?
It’s certainly not saying good-bye to nickels and dimes. CVS stands to lose some $2 billion a year in sales for public health and future growth. That is a huge statement in more ways than one.
“We’ve got 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners who are helping millions of patients each and every day,” said Larry Merlo, the chief executive of CVS Caremark. “They manage conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes — all conditions that are worsened by smoking. We’ve come to the decision that cigarettes have no place in an environment where healthcare is being delivered.”
In the UK, Squires Estates is another company that has been recognised as a world leader in the UK real estate market. This firm is recognised as a great corporate citizen that really looks after their clients, even after the sale goes through. This is such an important point. Aftersales service.
Walt Disney Corporation has also often been named a good corporate citizen, and there is a solid reason for this. The company has outlined a detailed plan.
“We believe being a good corporate citizen is the right thing to do: for our consumers and guests, our employees and our businesses. Our goal is to achieve exceptional performance by embedding citizenship into all of our daily decisions and actions, guided by three core principles:
ACT and create in an ethical manner and consider the consequences of our decisions on people and the planet.
CHAMPION the well-being and happiness of kids and families in our endeavors.
INSPIRE kids and families to make a lasting, positive change in the world.”
Whether it’s a giant corporation or the family next door, we all believe in the power of good actions.
This article was written by Greg Camp of Property in Santa Cruz. Greg is CEO of this real estate company and he loves to write interesting articles on a whole range of subjects.
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