Southwest Airlines ranks among the top 50 US companies on the Corporate Social Responsibility Index (CSRI). The CSRI was developed by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Reputation Institute and ranks companies in seven areas: citizenship, governance, workplace, leadership and performance, products/services, and innovation. Southwest Airlines was also the only airline on the list to be ranked among the top 25 in the workplace category.
Southwest's motto is "performance, people, planet," and they are no slouch in excelling in all three categories. In 2010, Southwest Airlines was able to post industry-leading revenues and market share gains, all while implementing several "green" practices to propel the planet forward. These green practices include implementing "Required Navigation Performance (RNP) technology to conserve jet fuel, retrofitting ground service equipment (GSE) to consume cleaner-burning fuels, and making energy-efficient improvements at [their] Headquarters to reduce electricity use." 13.9 million dollars in donations to local communities and over 80,000 employee volunteers hours added to their efforts.
Another exemplary company in the Corporate Social Responsibility arena is global shipping and logistics firm, UPS. UPS was ranked 3rd overall on 2011's CSRI index. This is extremely impressive, and along with FedEx at number 7 on the list, shows that the transportation industry is moving in the right direction. In 2010, UPS "became the first small-package carrier to offer a carbon neutral service for deliveries within the United States," invested over $150 million in employee safety training, and urged its employees to volunteer for more than 1.2 million hours. UPS was even able to cut the amount of fuel used on its ground packages, its most popular product, by nearly 4 percent.
http://www.southwestonereport.com
http://www.bcccc.net/index.cfm?pageId=2202
http://responsibility.ups.com/Sustainability/Highlights
These are great examples! Make sure you include your opinions in your posting though, I want to know what your analysis is base on what we have learned in class.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it is smart for UPS to invest 150 million in employee safety training?
ReplyDeleteInvesting in safety is an extremely prudent investment--even $150 million. Poor training of employees will result in costly mistakes, often ones that go public. Also, since UPS is such a major player in the shipping industry, it sets the standard for other, smaller companies in the industry. A high investment into safety training is beneficial to all.
ReplyDelete