Perfect 3 pages Memo in 5 hours ONLY

Congratulations! You were just named Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility Officer for the company you wrote about in IWB1. You now report to the CEO! In your new role, you are the strategist responsible for designing social and environmental responsibility policies. CORPORATE SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY IWB2> CSR PROJECT 2 Dear NEW CSO Officer (You !), I am excited to have you move into this new position. You could not have come into the job at a more important time. At the next board meeting, we are going to be talking about improvements to our corporate social responsibility policies. I need you to develop a two -page memo in advance of the meeting with some specific recommendations. To do this, you will : 1. Research our company ’s social and environmental policies an d the industry best practices 2. Identify and analyze what you think are the three most important social and/or environment al policies that could impact our company . 3. Do some additional research and recommend an improvement to each one of our current practices . From your recommended improvements 4. Pick the one you think is most important 5. Expand that one in more det ail, and finally 6. Tell me the next steps we should take to put that one into place. I’ve taken the liberty of providing you with a template of what I am looking for on page six of this document. Please follow that structure carefully and submit it to me for review and comment before creating your final narrative two -page memo. It will save us time. The board is not looking for opinions but prop osed steps to take based on well -researched data. So, you hav e to start with credib le sources . I’ve put to gether some guidelines for you on the next page, and I had Pat from marketing assemble some research information to use. Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to working with you on this important initiativ e. Best regards, Your CEO CEO EMAIL CSR PROJECT 3 Step One: Research What We and our Competitors Do : Find 3rd Party Data Start by determining what the company is currently doing in social and environmental responsibility.  Where are we considered strong in the area of corporate social and environmental responsibility ?  Where are we considered weak?  How do we compare to our competitors? What are our various rankings or percentage quartiles in key indicators? The data you find should lead to three key recommendations (remember 3 – 4 data points for each recommendation. Step Two : Draft Your 3 Recommendation Heading s The research (and identified data points) should lead you to a set of recommendations of how we can improve what we do to leapfrog the competition or offset market concerns and move closer to industry best practices for corporate social or environmental responsibility. The primary recommendation should be a sentence that states your main point. It needs to make very clear what position you are taking. Remember that recommendations are not statements of fact. They are assertive statements that are your proposal of what should be done and why, based on the evidence you have assembled and analyzed. Recommendations result from research and your own critical thinking and analysis of the options. Step Three: Develop YOUR Analysis in your own words : In your own words, analyze the data. This should be in two – three sentences. CSR PROJECT 4 CSR Databases: You’ll have to use MSCI ESG Manager and at least two other source s (which can come from Factiva or Google searches) . How to Access the MSCI ESG Manager Database: 1. In Personalized Links, click on Academics 2. Scroll down to Library Databases and click on it. 3. Click on the M tab at the top and scroll down to MSCI ESG Manager and click on it to open. 4. You can now search for your company and find th e three reports. You may also access the MSCI ESG database through: http://subjectguides.library.american.edu/c.php?g=175096&p=1154371 MSCI ESG Manager Start here. It includes three different CSR reports on every company. IVA Report Use this for analysis on themes for the company and industry. Impact Monitor Use this for ratings and rankings benchmarks of companies’ CSR policies. Industry Overview Use this for comparison of leaders and laggards on key industry CSR policies RESEARCH CSR PROJECT 5 Due Dates: These are the key dates you need to know to complete this on time. Class 8 (Feb. 13 ): Assignment discussed in class (found in Bla ckboard under Assignments/IWB#2) Class 10 (Feb. 20) : IWB#2 DRAFT due by 1 am via Blackboard through the “Submit Assignment.” Late submissions receive lower score. Class 12 (Feb. 27): Center for Business Communication will be in class to discuss your draft memos and conduct Peer Review exercises. Class 13 (Mar. 2): IWB#2 Final Memo (for grade) due by 1 am in PDF format only via Blackboard using the Submit Assignment tab. Late submissions receive lower sco re. Remember that Amanda Click ([email protected] ) is available to assist in research and proper citations . The Kogod Center for Business Communications is available to assist in writing, structuring, and citations. You may also meet with your professor and TAs for assistance. DUE DATES CSR PROJECT 6 To: CEO of Company ZZZ From: Your Name and Section Number Date: 2/__/17 Re: (Choose a subject line that pulls the reader in) Recommendations Primary Recommendation (#1) 1 sentence introduction Data Points: Provide 3 - 4 researched data points (with citation) to generate your recommendation (USE BULLET POINTS) Analysis: Provide two – three sentences on the reason for your recommendation and how it will impact the company (in your own words) Why is this the most important recommendation? Recommendation #2 1 sentence introduction Data Points: Provide 3 - 4 researched data points (with citation) to generate your recommendation (USE BULLET POINTS) Analysis: Provide two – three sentences on the reason for your recommendation and how it will impact the company (in your own words) Recommendation #3 1 sentence introduction Data Points: Provide 3 - 4 researched data points (with citation) to generate your recommendation (USE BULLET POINTS) Analysis: Provide two – three sentences on the reason for your recommendation and how it will impact the compan y (in your own words) Next Action Steps for your Primary Recommendation For your Primary Recommendation only, if the CEO were to give you the go -ahead to implement it, what would be three critical next steps the company would need to take over the next 3 months to address the primary recommendation? For each step, provide what is being done and by whom. APA Citation Page (1 page) DRAFT & FINAL MEMO TEMPLATE CSR PROJECT 7 Format Use 1.1 5 or 1.5 line spacing with 12 point Calibri or Helvetica font using 1-inch margins. Maximum length of 2.0 pages for the memo and 1 page for the Citation page. Maintain a professional tone. Use APA Citations Do n’t forget citations! Our legal department checks carefully to be sure we don’t plagiarize the work of others. Click here to get an excellent summary from the Kogod Center for Business Communications on using APA style. If you still have questions, check with the TA or talk to the team at CBC. You need to get this right! Work must be completed on your own. You may consult with your TA, instructor, Amanda Click or a representative of the CB C, but you cannot collaborate or share informat ion with other students. Creating Your Recommendation: 1. Start out by writing the main 3 topics that emerge from the data research you conduct. Example of a topic: Improve our corporate responsibility by improving our environmental policies 2. Develop that into one, more specific, sentence. Example: Reducing carbon emissions can improve our corporate responsibility in the communities where we operate manufacturing plants. 3. Revise it by using even more specific terms to create a specific and actionabl e recommendation. Example: Set a target to reduce carbon emissions by five percent each year for the next three years in areas where we operate manufacturing facilities. What you come up with in number three above is the result of solid critical thinking about the data. You’ll follow this process to arrive at each of the three recommendations. Ok? That board meeting is coming fast, so what are you waiting for? Get on those databases right away. ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES/HELP CSR PROJECT 8 Recommendation #1: Company ABC Must Implement Frequent Checks on Materials Suppliers to Ensure They Are Following Child Labor Policies This is the most important recommendation for Company ABC as child labor is a worldwide issue often disregarded and downplayed by large corporations .  An estimated 21 million people are victims of forced labor around the world, according to the International Labour Organ ization (Thomson Reuters, 2016)  Forced labor is estimated to generate some $150 billion in illegal profits every year (Thomson Reuters, 2016).  In 2016, Company ABC scored a 4 out of 10 in child labor in the ESG Controversies Report (MSG ESG, 2016).  Company ABC's cobalt supplier failed to monitor their sources, which includes mines that use child labor. This issue was listed as a serious na ture of harm (MSG ESG, 2016). Having Company ABC associated with child labor poses the threat of negative connotations with the company among socially conscious consumers. Even though other phone manufacturers have been exposed as having cobalt suppliers , Company ABC must stand out as taking the problem seriously by changing the way their suppliers operate. Recommendation #2: Company DEF Needs to Replace the Board of Directors from Inside of the Company with Independent Directors to Avoid Conflict of Int erest Issues Independent boards, particularly for publicly traded companies is critical for transparency and trust issues.  To have a good mix of expertise, diversity, and knowledge, boards should balance the amount of independent and non -independent directors they have. (Commission on Governance, 2009)  “In firms that aren’t very transparent, they simply can’t have a lot of independent directors, and in firms that are fairly transparent, they can.” (Wharton UPenn, 2015)  Without a majority of independent directors, the board is at risk for agency problems and conflicts of interest that could hinder critical monitoring and oversight functions. (MSCI ESG Direct, 2016)  Currently, only two out of five of Fitbit’s board members are independent, putt ing Company DEF as the globally in the “worst in class”. (MSCI ESG Direct, 2016) By adding more independent directors to the board, Company DEF will diminish their risk of internal problems or conflict of interest. Also, Company DEF will improve their rep utation as they will be viewed as transparent. Transparency in the company will cause customers and invest ors to trust and respect Company DEF more . EXAMPLES: R ECOMENDATIONS