Corporate Social Responsibility in the Tobacco Industry Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Tobacco Industry - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the tobacco industry has consistently increased its corporate social responsibility presence in the society as a public relations exercise. This is with the intention of negating the ills of its operations on the society. Nevertheless, regardless of its efforts, smoking continues to cause death, deforestation, child labor and environmental degradation at a level that should be stopped by all means possible. The tobacco industry has capitalized on the health, social, economic and environmental problems its causes as a business opportunity to promote its image without sincerely addressing the problems CSR is supposed to tackle. Therefore, the industry’s CSRP is not ethical and defeat the key essence of CSR principles in the business world. The corporate social responsibility attempts by the British American Tobacco Malaysia, which involved assistance to tobacco farmers, charitable donations, scholarships grants, and anti-smuggling enforcement, succeeded in improving the company’s image in the public and negating criticism directed at its activities. The continued uncensored operations would lead to more public health and environmental problems for the world. Tobacco farming worldwide directly causes environmental degradation through soil depletion and erosion, and water table pollution. In developing countries, child laborers exposed to harmful pesticides and nicotine poisoning characterize tobacco farming. This is unethical and unacceptable. There are serious concerns for environmental sustainability as tobacco farming causes around 4 % of the world’s annual global deforestation and the company has no effective measures of dealing with these problems. Transnational tobacco companies CSR initiatives are deceptive and seek to increase smoking and tobacco farming, which Increases their profits. In my view, the transnational tobacco companies have violated various global business standards in thei r persistent effort to defeat the various strategies and regulations aimed at controlling the tobacco industry. The world health organization advances most of these schemes.