Unique.com’s Commitment to Social Responsibility as a Core Value

For the five years Unique. com has been in business they have identified Social Responsibility as a core value within the organization. It has been the driving factor of our company’s culture and will continue to be in the future. We believe that every stake holder is impacted by the choices we make as a company. In our eyes, Social Responsibility represents the values of our business. Values in which we operate our business by on a daily basis. These and that demonstrate our integrity, respect and commitment. We are sincere in our level of concern for employees, vendor and supplier relationships, our community and the planet.

We have had the same Social Responsibility plan in place for the past five years. Strategically, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team heads up the development of our CSR Plan and supports the implementation and facilitation of the company’s program. This team is made up of managers from various departments within the company. Every employee of UniqueSquared is responsible for the development of our Social Responsibility Plan. As employees we are all expected to challenge and encourage the company and others within our organization to exceed our current level of CSR.

Together they develop and execute recycling programs for paper and card board that represents global best practices and research. Through the coming years, we will look to continue building upon our commitment to be a socially responsible company. We have a long-term goal of incorporating CSR into every appropriate aspect of our business. Unique strives to be a leader in not only our industry but also in corporate social responsibility. We plan to achieve this through leadership in recycling practices, environmental awareness, employee and community support programs and economic growth.

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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAM OVERVIEW UniqueSquared is an online e-tailer of pro-audio equipment. With the distribution of over 5,000 packaged orders per day, we are also responsible for protecting the environment. We have a vested interest in the sustainability of our economy, the environment and people. As the company may strive to increase profits, the main focus is on the triple bottom line, People, Planet and Profit. Our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives are focused on the following three areas and directly impact and support the Triple Bottom Line concept: 1.

Environmental (Planet) 2. Social (People) 3. Economic (Profit) Environmental: As a company we stand on the belief that we must do the right where we live and where others live as well. We plan to reduce our carbon footprint by implementing initiatives that improve and measure our recycling program. We ship and receive tens of thousands of boxes per week. It is most important that we discard these boxes in a way that is environmentally safe. A program will be developed to recycle and reuse empty boxes. We are requiring all of of suppliers and vendors to do the same.

To be a preferred vendor, supplier or manufacturer doing business with us you have to participate in our cardboard box recycle/reuse program. Boxes will be either reused or recycled into packing paper to be used in place of styrofoam peanuts and plastic bubble wrap. It is important to us as a company that the companies we do business comply and support this effort to save the environment. Social: We are committed to earning and keeping the trust of our local community. We also believe in contributing to programs that support the music and art.

The schools in our area have lost most or all of their funding for music and art programs. We have taken on the responsibility of providing resources and funding to keep these programs available to the families in our community. Employees are encouraged to volunteer a minimum of five hours per month, 60 hours per year to the improvement of our community or assisting with the community music and art programs. We do not only want to be a company that is viewed as being a leader in the pro-audio retail industry. We strive to be an employer that is viewed by our community as ne that is ethical, uplifting, caring and invested in the community we exist in as well as the world. Economic: Our economic growth and sustainability benefits our local community, our state and our country. We contribute to the prosperity of our community by not only being a local employer, but one that believes in hiring local people. Supporting the development and growth of our community by investing in the area. We provide opportunities for growth and development within the community by offering college scholarship and program sponsorships.

We believe that we are only as strong as those we are surrounded by. Legal: CSR failures are becoming popular amongst corporations. These failures are impacting not only their reputations, but also their financial stability. When a company has not met their communicated CSR plan their stock price and market share can be poorly affected. UniqueSquared will engage legal council as we revise our CSR strategy. We must ensure that the company and all stakeholders are protected. Our legal team will take part in the development of our CSR strategy and the performance indicators.

According to Carroll (1991), “Legal responsibilities reflect a view of ‘codified ethics’ in the sense that they embody basic notions of fair operations as established by our lawmakers. ” Although it is important to maximize profits, we have a legal obligation to conduct business in a way that is in alignment with the requirements of government and law. As we push to excel and be a profitable company, being in compliance with local, state and federal regulations is a must. Our legal team will ensure we are fulfilling all of our legal obligations and that we are meeting or exceeding all legal requirements.

Since July, 1996 a mandatory recycling ordinance has been in effect. It requires offices buildings and warehouses with 15,000 square feet or more of office space to recycle office paper, newspaper and cardboard. The City conducts annual site inspections of businesses that are required to recycle. Although the company continues to practice being socially responsible, internal and external communication, documentation and evaluation are areas for improvement. Communication of the plan can be stronger and more frequent to gain buy-in through out the company.

Many employees are not aware of the requirements or the expectations for the company. If all departments are not aware of the social responsibility plan, it makes it very difficult to be successful. Quarterly newsletters and company wide reminder emails would be very helpful in providing plan updates, changes and successes to the entire company. The plan needs to be documented and published for everyone to be aware of the company-wide expectation in regards to social responsibility. A documented plan is useful in communicating the plan, identifying gaps and necessary changes to the plan.

With a clearly documented plan internal departments would know what the plan entails. Shareholders, vendors and the community would also benefit from this plan improvement. This information can be published to the company website for external parties to be able to view and download. As well as being available on the internal company website for employees to access easily. Although the company has done a lot to be socially responsible, there is no set evaluation plan in place to identify success or needed improvements. How do we know when the plan is successful?

How do we know when we our current plan is no longer relevant or needs to be updated or revised? With an evaluation plan, it would help in answering these questions and more on an ongoing basis. Annual plan evaluations can be sent to solicit feedback, status and opinions from the employees, vendors and the community. Ethical Leadership The concept of ethical leadership can be difficult to explain for it is more than leaders doing the right thing. Ethical leadership addresses the areas of leadership through the appropriate handling of the situation, event or occurrence.

The areas to be addressed are constantly changing and are not always the same for every organization. Leaders must gain the trust of those they lead. The culture of every organization may vary and the challenges will be different. How a leader addresses the challenges is essential to social responsibility and the community as a whole. Ethical leaders not only have a solid understanding of ethical ideals, they also understand the purpose, vision, and values of the organization and the community. They are able to connect the goals of the organization with that of the internal employees and external stakeholders.

It is one thing to tell the story being ethical as a leader. Ethical leadership requires leaders to live the story. PROPOSED 2012 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PLAN Goal To have a vested interest in the sustainability of our economy, the environment and the people in our community. As strive to increase our profits, we put focus on the triple bottom line, People, Planet and Profit. Strategy: 1. By incorporating the Social Responsibility Plan as part of the overall UniqueSquared business strategy, we will improve awareness an buy-in from all levels of employees within the company. . With measurable initiatives, we can ensure that we are meeting our CSR objectives that are also based on the company strategy. 3. Documentation is necessary to encourage stakeholder buy-in. We will provide ample documentation of buy-in by stakeholders to support the strategy as well as direction. 4. Legal council is needed and should be engaged to provide guidance and ensure we are in compliance with all regulations. One major risks of the CSR program is that we can be out of compliance unknowingly. This can be due to changing regulations and laws.

They will also ensure the company and all stakeholders are legally protected. 5. By researching best practices in recycling and reusing cardboard boxes, and integrate into UniqueSquared’s operational plan. This will hopefully give us an advantage over our competitors who may not have a CSR program or strategy in place as well as those that currently do. Strategy Initiatives: 1. Integrate recycling and reuse principles into the UniqueSquared business strategy to ensure that all organizations within the company are provided with processes and procedures to promote and support the recycling and reuse program. . Develop policies and procedures that support UniqueSquared’s recycling and reuse program as we comply with recycling regulatory standards and mandates. 3. Develop supervisors, managers and executives to facilitate company-wide training programs on the recycle program policies and procedures. REFERENCES A. B. Carroll (1991, July-August) The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility: Toward the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders. Retrieved from http://www. cbe. wwu. edu/dunn/rprnts. pyramidofcsr. pdf

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