BUGEN5930 Business, Society And The Planet - Business Values Assessment Report - Assignment Help

Introduction

Modern businesses have a responsibility to the society and they achieve this through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. CSR is the business' implemented programs or policies to improve the society by implementing environmentally-friendly policies or initiating other programs that address diverse social issues such as education, economic empowerment, safety, and eradicating poverty among other. Apparently, each organization has the mandate to improve the society by undertaking CSR program as well as aligning its corporate objectives, strategies, policies, activities, and values on the betterment of society. This report examines BMW and Suzuki Maruti automobile companies and explores their corporate values, corporate social responsibility in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals advocated by the United Nations (UN).

Company Description

BMW Group

The Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) is a Germany automobile manufacturing company based in Munich specializing in motor vehicles, motorcycles, and engine manufacturing. The company has over 129,000 employees and over 2.4 million automobiles running in the roads around the world with major brands being BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and over 164, 153 motorcycles (BMW Group, 2018b). Founded in 1916, the company embraces five core values that are inherent in its culture and drives its corporate strategy. Additionally, these values are critical in promoting a unique team spirit while facilitating the achievement of its CSR objectives. These core values are responsibility, appreciation, transparency, trust, and openness (BMW Group, 2018a). Indeed, BMW has a comprehensive social responsibility program under the social commitment platform. The company engaged in a range of activities that seek to promote interculturality and innovation, contributing to social mobility and inclusion, experiencing mobility and sustainability, inspiring the next generation of engineers, teaching road safety, as well as taking responsibility for society and the environment (BMW Group, 2018c). The BMW group has 30 productions in 14 countries around the world and its CSR programs are country specific.

Suzuki Maruti

The Suzuki Maruti is an Indian automobile company established in the early 1980s with its first care the Maruti 800 launched in 1983. Today, the company has manufactured and sold over 20 million cars around the globe with the main brands being Suzuki Escudo, Ignis, Alto, Baleno, and S-cross among others (Maruti Suzuki, 2019b). The company has strong corporate values that have guided its success over the last three decades which are responsible, dynamism, openness, efficiency, and reliability. In its attempt to be a people’s company, Maruti Suzuki has established strong corporate social responsibility programs to address social issues at the local and international levels. The Maruti Suzuki CSR programs have a specified approach and priority that focuses on village or community development, road safety and skill development. Notably, the community development aspect seeks to improve different social issues including health, education, as well as water and sanitation (Maruti Suzuki, 2019b). On the skill development aspects, Maruti's CSR programs seek to upgrade government vocational and technical training institutes as well as enhance skills in the automobile trade. Finally, the road safety program focuses on driving training and road safety education.