critical analysis Corporate Social Responsibility problem or opportunity facing W.L Gore, management help

Assignment 4 is a critical
analysis assignment. For this assignment, we are assigning the
company W.L. Gore and asking that you think of, research and consider
a”Corporate Social Responsibility” (“CSR”) problem or
opportunity facing W.L Gore.

Exactly what corporate social responsibility is, is not 100% clear and is the
subject of some controversy. Some research on this topic at the outset might
help. However, the most common definitions of CSR define CSR as a
responsibility of businesses to behave ethically and contribute to economic
development of the business while also improving the quality of life of the
workforce and their families as well as of the community and society as a
whole. There are some “laissez faire” capitalists who will say that
there’s no such thing as corporate social responsibility and that the
responsibility of a business is to maximize profits for its shareholder. For
our purposes, we’re assuming that there is at least some level of corporate
social responsibility. The extent to which you think there ought to be such
responsibility can (and probably will anyway) influence your analysis.

First, you will need a research basis for your essay. NPC is providing you with
2 sources to start you off:

1. Innovation: The Classic Traps

Author: Kanter

2. W. L. Gore – Culture of
Innovation case

Author: Rao

Both resources can be accessed from the “slides and documents” page
for this course on the NPC student website.

You may find and use any additional
academically reliable resources you like. The NPC virtual library can be used
to gather additional research material. The precise amount of research and the
extent to which you use additional outside sources (other than the above two)
is left to your discretion. A good paper can be written with just the 2 sources
above, but additional sources may be helpful.

Once you’ve done your research, the next step is to write your paper. The
over-all goal of your paper is to present the corporate social responsibility
problem or opportunity. (This can be one you think of by yourself or one that
you read about, though remember that citations are necessary whenever quoting
another source.)

While there is not necessarily one “best” way to write a critical
analysis paper and you can still earn a good grade with another format, we
strongly suggest the following structure:

• Start with
an Introduction discussing: a brief description of the background of
the corporate social responsibility (CSR) problem or opportunity facing
Starbucks, the stakeholders impacted; what organizational environments are
relevant (external, task, and internal), and the current situation (the nature
and dimension of the problem/opportunity). Your introduction must end with a
specific one-sentence statement of the management problem/opportunity that your
paper will address. The one-sentence statement is critical because is it frames
the rest of your paper. 

• Two Alternative Solutions: Each
solution must address the CSR problem/opportunity you stated in your
introduction – do not address a different problem or opportunity than the one
stated. State the solution first, and then explain what the solution involves –
your discussion of a solution should also clarify what specific steps that W.
L. Gore must take and what specific managers should be involved in the
implementation of the solution. Use academically sound sources (example:
scholarly or peer-reviewed articles) to support your solutions – with quotes
and/or paraphrasing. 

• An Evaluation: Each
alternative solution must be evaluated separately, using a pro/con structure.
Then your evaluation should explain how the solution is feasible and what
aspects of the implemented solution the organization must monitor to make sure
implementation of the solution stays on track. 

• Your Recommendation: Discuss
with well-reasoned arguments why one of your two stated solutions is the best
course of action at this company as compared to the one you did not choose, and
support your choice with academically sound sources.

• A list of References must
be attached, as a separate page to the critical analysis paper. The Reference
list should be APA formatted (as an alternative, MLA or Chicago style
formatting is also acceptable). If you are unfamiliar with these citation
styles, the Purdue Online Writing Lab can be of great help. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/ 

Length: The minimum length is 750 words. There is no maximum length. The exact
length is left to your discretion.

Please review the Sample Critical
Analysis Paper with comments (accessible from the slides and documents page) to
get a visual picture of how your paper should be structured.