Boyd, D. M. and Ellison, N. B. (2007) Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. [online]. Vol.13(1).available: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html [31 August 2008].
CSR Wire . Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire (2008) TIG blog. Communication Generation Gap. [online] 25 August 2008.Available: http://www.tigblog.org/group/csrwire/ [31 August 2008].
CSR Wire .The corporate social responsibility News (2007) Americans continue to define Corporate Social Responsibility As Treating Employees Well.[online] 6 December 2007. Available: http://www.csrwire.com/News/8871.html/ [31 August 2008].
PR Newswire. United Business Media. (2008) PR Newswire Creates Social Network for CSR Experts. Industry-leading ProfNet service to become interactive forum on Corporate Social Responsibility issues [online] 4 February 2008. Available:http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/prnewswire/31696/ [31 August 2008].
Sunday 31 August 2008
Corporate Social Responsibility and Social networking
According to CSR Wire News, a majority of Americans identify the internet as their top source of information. Most people use blogs and social networking sites that are not directly linked to organisations to get information on such organisations’ CSR activities. Their rationale being that they want to get objective information from sources that cannot be influenced by such organisations. (CSR Wire News, 2007).
Consumers can use social network sites to form pressure groups that can advocate for addressing of issues of societal concern. This is because they have access to a huge number of people on the net. This can have grave implications for an organization because stakeholders can form opinions of organizations’ from a combination of factors including other stakeholders’ experiences. This information can spread at a very fast rate.
It gives the stakeholders an additional variety of sources of information apart from an audit report.
Social networking sites empower customers, making them better informed and aware. These consumers want to be heard, and would want to make their contributions towards finding a solution for themselves and the society at large. Some stakeholders may be aware of activities that are detrimental to an organization that the organization itself may not be aware of, such forums present the opportunity for the organization to have that knowledge and act on it. Organizations can gain from these comments and concerns from consumers and other stakeholders because it results in a large pool of resources of different views and needs of stakeholders. This feedback can be used for better performance, if organizations learn to listen. Organizations can also use this to their advantage by providing a neutral opportunity for communicating with stakeholders through the use of social networking sites for open discussions. Social networking sites can therefore act as vehicles for fast exchange and flow of information.
CSR used to be entirely up to a company to decide and for the society to accept. This led to some CSR programs that were not successfully implemented because they were not in harmony with community needs. Social networking creates an exchange of information forum which means that stakeholders and organisations will be more in tune with each other. There is a higher tendency for programs to be successful because stakeholders are involved directly from the beginning to the end, there is the sense of ownership and so they would want to support and participate towards its successful implementation.
Companies are forced to perform better because social networking sites provide a fast way of finding out if they are not. Most organisations are forced to be transparent and honest.
Consumers can use social network sites to form pressure groups that can advocate for addressing of issues of societal concern. This is because they have access to a huge number of people on the net. This can have grave implications for an organization because stakeholders can form opinions of organizations’ from a combination of factors including other stakeholders’ experiences. This information can spread at a very fast rate.
It gives the stakeholders an additional variety of sources of information apart from an audit report.
Social networking sites empower customers, making them better informed and aware. These consumers want to be heard, and would want to make their contributions towards finding a solution for themselves and the society at large. Some stakeholders may be aware of activities that are detrimental to an organization that the organization itself may not be aware of, such forums present the opportunity for the organization to have that knowledge and act on it. Organizations can gain from these comments and concerns from consumers and other stakeholders because it results in a large pool of resources of different views and needs of stakeholders. This feedback can be used for better performance, if organizations learn to listen. Organizations can also use this to their advantage by providing a neutral opportunity for communicating with stakeholders through the use of social networking sites for open discussions. Social networking sites can therefore act as vehicles for fast exchange and flow of information.
CSR used to be entirely up to a company to decide and for the society to accept. This led to some CSR programs that were not successfully implemented because they were not in harmony with community needs. Social networking creates an exchange of information forum which means that stakeholders and organisations will be more in tune with each other. There is a higher tendency for programs to be successful because stakeholders are involved directly from the beginning to the end, there is the sense of ownership and so they would want to support and participate towards its successful implementation.
Companies are forced to perform better because social networking sites provide a fast way of finding out if they are not. Most organisations are forced to be transparent and honest.
Comparing Myspace/Facebook and Flickr
Social networking sites are very diverse. Some exist for a single purpose while others exist for multiple purposes. Social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace which are egocentric are different from a social working site like Flickr which is object centric.
All these sites provide a forum for uploading and sharing information. For my space and Facebook, this includes photos, videos, content and links to other websites. For Flickr, it is only concerned with sharing pictures.
All these sites provide an avenue for having and managing relationships on line, sometimes with people of shared interest and other times not necessarily.
They all provide an opportunity for having fun, sharing views, widening networks and links and having a bigger pool of resources with less effort.
They support the use of mobile devices.
Myspace and Facebook allow a public display of profiles and friends, with an opportunity for people to leave messages for friends.
Pictures on flickr can be edited and tagged, while pictures on facebook and myspace cannot.
Pictures on flickr can have notes added on to them, and the pictures can also be tagged while pictures on facebook and myspace cannot.
Pictures on flickr can be shared through emails, and blogs while pictures on facebook and myspace can only be viewed.
All these sites provide a forum for uploading and sharing information. For my space and Facebook, this includes photos, videos, content and links to other websites. For Flickr, it is only concerned with sharing pictures.
All these sites provide an avenue for having and managing relationships on line, sometimes with people of shared interest and other times not necessarily.
They all provide an opportunity for having fun, sharing views, widening networks and links and having a bigger pool of resources with less effort.
They support the use of mobile devices.
Myspace and Facebook allow a public display of profiles and friends, with an opportunity for people to leave messages for friends.
Pictures on flickr can be edited and tagged, while pictures on facebook and myspace cannot.
Pictures on flickr can have notes added on to them, and the pictures can also be tagged while pictures on facebook and myspace cannot.
Pictures on flickr can be shared through emails, and blogs while pictures on facebook and myspace can only be viewed.
My impressions of Social networking
I have been using Facebook for some time now, and the reason why I signed up was because a friend recommended it. I became a member but was dormant for a while. I started getting invitations to add individuals to my list of friends join groups and subscribe for certain features that will widen my participation and use of certain tools. It has helped me to get in touch and stay in touch with people that I had lost touch with for a long time. I have and still am able to see their pictures, chat, read their profiles and know what they are up to from the daily news portal. Because of the way the system works, I can view my friends and their own friends and so I find myself having a very extensive network and making connections that would have not been possible in such a short time space and with such little effort. I am also able to get information on current issues and concerns, read the different comments and criticism and draw my personal conclusion. I like the presence of social networking and I think they are very useful and can be used to achieve the purpose you want them to, within guidelines. One can use one site to achieve multiple purposes, or use a combination of sites.
One thing of note however has been that in all this, I have been a passive member, not contributing much. The digital literacy class that I have had has helped me to understand the importance of contributing and so I have decided to start putting up my quota, it may not be much, but it is my opinion and it will add to what there is, and who knows, I might be able to start my own thing from the scratch.
I never thought of Facebook or social networking as anything apart from a social forum where people meet, keep in touch and socialise. I just found out that even though it is, it also has more to it. (Boyd and Ellison, 2007) define social network sites as “web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system; articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site”.
Social networking can have negative implications, this is because information that is meant to be confidential can be unintentionally shared and this may result in serious consequences for organisations and employers.
It puts an individual’s private information at risk. People should choose the kind of private information posted as a safety measure.
Groups can be formed and used to promote negative activities that may have negative impact on society.
One thing of note however has been that in all this, I have been a passive member, not contributing much. The digital literacy class that I have had has helped me to understand the importance of contributing and so I have decided to start putting up my quota, it may not be much, but it is my opinion and it will add to what there is, and who knows, I might be able to start my own thing from the scratch.
I never thought of Facebook or social networking as anything apart from a social forum where people meet, keep in touch and socialise. I just found out that even though it is, it also has more to it. (Boyd and Ellison, 2007) define social network sites as “web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system; articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site”.
Social networking can have negative implications, this is because information that is meant to be confidential can be unintentionally shared and this may result in serious consequences for organisations and employers.
It puts an individual’s private information at risk. People should choose the kind of private information posted as a safety measure.
Groups can be formed and used to promote negative activities that may have negative impact on society.
Wednesday 27 August 2008
Corporate Social Responsibility Group on Facebook
http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2237066135
Corporate Social Responsibility Business Group connects people that are interested in CSR. Resources are made available, latest trends in CSR and different perspectives from the members on various topics can be found. It is general in its approach, meaning it covers varied areas, so it provides an overview. Members also get notification of latest trends in CSR. I choose this group because it will give me different perspectives on the different areas of CSR while keeping me updated and incresaing my people network especially in the field of business.
Corporate Social Responsibility Business Group connects people that are interested in CSR. Resources are made available, latest trends in CSR and different perspectives from the members on various topics can be found. It is general in its approach, meaning it covers varied areas, so it provides an overview. Members also get notification of latest trends in CSR. I choose this group because it will give me different perspectives on the different areas of CSR while keeping me updated and incresaing my people network especially in the field of business.
Picture from Flickr
http://flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179170960/in/set-72157603671370361/
The benefits of social networking around images include having the opportunity to capture events in print that cannot be captured by words; having a picture evidence and record of activities; having an album with images that are available long after the originals are gone, giving generations to come something visual to see and Some pictures carry more weight than words.
Some of the problems of social networking around images include copyrights that may be violated; It can be edited and so can be altered and end up not giving a true picture; sometimes pictures may not be uploaded or displayed accurately and this can distort the true message.
The benefits of social networking around images include having the opportunity to capture events in print that cannot be captured by words; having a picture evidence and record of activities; having an album with images that are available long after the originals are gone, giving generations to come something visual to see and Some pictures carry more weight than words.
Some of the problems of social networking around images include copyrights that may be violated; It can be edited and so can be altered and end up not giving a true picture; sometimes pictures may not be uploaded or displayed accurately and this can distort the true message.
Using social networks in different ways related to CSR
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/prnewswire/31696/
PR newswire is a social network forum created for stakeholders and experts to share ideas. It is basically for the organisations and individuals involved in CSR to make direct contact with the media and reporters who write stories on CSR issues. Because CSR has become a major issue and a major determinant of business performance, it is important to create a CSR network community which presents first hand information and is useful for sharing current knowledge and newly developed ideas with peers using blogs, meeting planners, videos, pictures, etc.
Generation change has seen a dependence on the internet for information. This is mostly done through social networking sites which give information from sources other than the organisation or company involved, giving varied perspectives.
http://www.tigblog.org/group/csrwire/
Social networking has brought about a decentralisation of the production and distribution of content, which puts control in the hands of the people.
There is a growing need for companies to communicate directly with their customers
New roles and responsibilities are being created in marketing, public relations and customer service.It brings people with similar interests together, the world closer and helps in building online communities across boundaries.
Disadvantages
It is largely up to the user to maximise the use of social networking tools, without proper knowledge, one might underutilise them.
Groups exist that have negative impact and promote negative practices taking advantage of social networking sites.
PR newswire is a social network forum created for stakeholders and experts to share ideas. It is basically for the organisations and individuals involved in CSR to make direct contact with the media and reporters who write stories on CSR issues. Because CSR has become a major issue and a major determinant of business performance, it is important to create a CSR network community which presents first hand information and is useful for sharing current knowledge and newly developed ideas with peers using blogs, meeting planners, videos, pictures, etc.
Generation change has seen a dependence on the internet for information. This is mostly done through social networking sites which give information from sources other than the organisation or company involved, giving varied perspectives.
http://www.tigblog.org/group/csrwire/
Social networking has brought about a decentralisation of the production and distribution of content, which puts control in the hands of the people.
There is a growing need for companies to communicate directly with their customers
New roles and responsibilities are being created in marketing, public relations and customer service.It brings people with similar interests together, the world closer and helps in building online communities across boundaries.
Disadvantages
It is largely up to the user to maximise the use of social networking tools, without proper knowledge, one might underutilise them.
Groups exist that have negative impact and promote negative practices taking advantage of social networking sites.
Monday 25 August 2008
Week 2 Review
This week, I have been able to use the RSS Feeds and social bookmaking in delicious. I find it very interesting and fascinating that there are tools that can help to get valuable details in such a short time, while sharing ideas and knowledge. This week has made me realise the importance of having professional knowledge. That is because it helps you to understand the subject better and make the most use of the tools available. My confidence has certainly increased in the use of information technology. Though I found it a bit confusing at first, I now find it interesting and useful and I know that with time and practice, I will get better, and that I intend to do.
Corporate Social Responsibility activities imply an additional cost for an organisation. Having a strategic Corporate Social Responsibility plan involves being able to communicate activities effectively. Social bookmaking will make that possible because it will give the most current information about an organisation at a very fast rate. It is cost effective because it saves an organisation the adittional cost of having to use costly advertising strategies and human resources. It can also serve as a form of advert which might also increase an organisation's customer base.
Social bookmaking can be useful in Corporate Social Responsibility where organisations can use them to enable stakeholders share and save information concerning their activities. It can help organisations to know how popular their sites and their activities have been so that they can improve. It can increase the number of people that visit an organisations website which can also increase patronage of such an organisation.
Organisations can share ideas and partner with other organisations in the same field or who share similar interest to promote themselves and the society at large.It provides a forum for organisations and stakeholders to share and exchange ideas
RSS can be useful in social responsibility. That is because it helps an organisation to be more specific about its activities, place them in categories and makes it easier to see and know the specific activities that they have been involved with and the exact areas that are covered. This is important because right now, some of the important areas of Corporate Social Responsibility attention are environmental issues, standard products and charity. when stakeholders are aware of an organisation's involvement in such areas, it can result in an increased customer base.
It can help a business to display quality information in a unique style, and gives the organisation the chance to inform stakeholders of its Corporate Social Responsibility activities. This ensures that stakeholders do not have a wrong perception of an organisation, and also ensures that its activities are known. This is important because it can determine an organisations customer base. It gives organisations a chance to compare with other organisations in the same field who may share similar interest to see how they can improve.
It saves the stakeholder the time and the stress of having to search for information manually on the net. It automatically shows the most recent information and so it constantly keeps stakeholders informed on the Corporate Social Responsibility activities undertaken by organisations.
Corporate Social Responsibility activities imply an additional cost for an organisation. Having a strategic Corporate Social Responsibility plan involves being able to communicate activities effectively. Social bookmaking will make that possible because it will give the most current information about an organisation at a very fast rate. It is cost effective because it saves an organisation the adittional cost of having to use costly advertising strategies and human resources. It can also serve as a form of advert which might also increase an organisation's customer base.
Social bookmaking can be useful in Corporate Social Responsibility where organisations can use them to enable stakeholders share and save information concerning their activities. It can help organisations to know how popular their sites and their activities have been so that they can improve. It can increase the number of people that visit an organisations website which can also increase patronage of such an organisation.
Organisations can share ideas and partner with other organisations in the same field or who share similar interest to promote themselves and the society at large.It provides a forum for organisations and stakeholders to share and exchange ideas
RSS can be useful in social responsibility. That is because it helps an organisation to be more specific about its activities, place them in categories and makes it easier to see and know the specific activities that they have been involved with and the exact areas that are covered. This is important because right now, some of the important areas of Corporate Social Responsibility attention are environmental issues, standard products and charity. when stakeholders are aware of an organisation's involvement in such areas, it can result in an increased customer base.
It can help a business to display quality information in a unique style, and gives the organisation the chance to inform stakeholders of its Corporate Social Responsibility activities. This ensures that stakeholders do not have a wrong perception of an organisation, and also ensures that its activities are known. This is important because it can determine an organisations customer base. It gives organisations a chance to compare with other organisations in the same field who may share similar interest to see how they can improve.
It saves the stakeholder the time and the stress of having to search for information manually on the net. It automatically shows the most recent information and so it constantly keeps stakeholders informed on the Corporate Social Responsibility activities undertaken by organisations.
Sunday 24 August 2008
Monday 18 August 2008
Week 1 Review
Business organisations are expected to use their human and natural resources for the good of the people and the community that they operate in. They are also expected to engage in production while reducing to the most minimal level or stopping completely; negative effects that the production process has on the environment. This is what is referred to, as Corporate Social Responsibility.
Blogging can be used in corporate social responsibility as a tool for communication. It can improve the flow and speed of communication and save time. This is because information is constantly being updated and as soon as it is posted on a blog it can be viewed by stakeholders as soon as they log on. It therefore serves as an instant information spot.
It is a very convenient source of information. This is because it can be viewed from any location, as long as there is a broadband. It can be viewed using hand held devices and mobile phones.
It can be used as a portfolio of sorts. This is because since it is a journal, daily activities, including pictures can be posted. It helps to keep detailed records of an organisation’s activities and it can be viewed by anyone that may want to trace their records.
It gives stakeholders the opportunity to express their feelings about an organisation’s corporate social responsibility programs and make comments. These comments can be positive or negative; it helps the organisation to know what the feelings of the stakeholders are. It can also give the organisation different perspectives of its programs, based on comments received and it can use those perspectives to change or modify a program.
It gives the organisation and stakeholders a chance to have a kind of conversation and exchange of ideas. In the end it helps the organisation to know its strengths and weaknesses make evaluations and improve its performance.
It helps an organisation to make future plans based on past and current happenings to improve on their social responsibility programs. This is because it can trace its activities using the blog.
It can help stakeholders to make faster decisions on organisations based on published information from such organisations. Sometimes organisations claim to be involved in social responsibility projects that are not actually carried out. These blogs can serve as a check, because those supposed beneficiaries can make comments denying such claims and giving the true information.
Organisations can therefore be rewarded or penalised by stakeholders, depending on their performance and responsibility. Research has shown that a company that fulfils its social responsibility can improve its profits in the long run (Thorne, Ferell and Ferell, 2008).
Blogs may require the use of passwords and this may limit the number of individuals and groups that may want to participate. It means that an organisation will get to choose the participants that will be involved in its blogging process. This may have negative implications because it means that comments may not necessarily be objective and honest since those participants may feel loyal to the organisation and make only comments that will promote them. The blog might therefore not be a true representation of the situation.
Blogging can be used in corporate social responsibility as a tool for communication. It can improve the flow and speed of communication and save time. This is because information is constantly being updated and as soon as it is posted on a blog it can be viewed by stakeholders as soon as they log on. It therefore serves as an instant information spot.
It is a very convenient source of information. This is because it can be viewed from any location, as long as there is a broadband. It can be viewed using hand held devices and mobile phones.
It can be used as a portfolio of sorts. This is because since it is a journal, daily activities, including pictures can be posted. It helps to keep detailed records of an organisation’s activities and it can be viewed by anyone that may want to trace their records.
It gives stakeholders the opportunity to express their feelings about an organisation’s corporate social responsibility programs and make comments. These comments can be positive or negative; it helps the organisation to know what the feelings of the stakeholders are. It can also give the organisation different perspectives of its programs, based on comments received and it can use those perspectives to change or modify a program.
It gives the organisation and stakeholders a chance to have a kind of conversation and exchange of ideas. In the end it helps the organisation to know its strengths and weaknesses make evaluations and improve its performance.
It helps an organisation to make future plans based on past and current happenings to improve on their social responsibility programs. This is because it can trace its activities using the blog.
It can help stakeholders to make faster decisions on organisations based on published information from such organisations. Sometimes organisations claim to be involved in social responsibility projects that are not actually carried out. These blogs can serve as a check, because those supposed beneficiaries can make comments denying such claims and giving the true information.
Organisations can therefore be rewarded or penalised by stakeholders, depending on their performance and responsibility. Research has shown that a company that fulfils its social responsibility can improve its profits in the long run (Thorne, Ferell and Ferell, 2008).
Blogs may require the use of passwords and this may limit the number of individuals and groups that may want to participate. It means that an organisation will get to choose the participants that will be involved in its blogging process. This may have negative implications because it means that comments may not necessarily be objective and honest since those participants may feel loyal to the organisation and make only comments that will promote them. The blog might therefore not be a true representation of the situation.
Corporate Social Responsibility Proposal
Social responsibility is a term that describes the relationship between society and business. It is a recent development in business and it evolved in response to the need for business organisations to act responsibly for sustainable development. Social responsibility has been institutionalised and is presently a compulsory business practice.
A business does not operate for profit making alone. It is part of a society and is expected to make its contributions towards the development of that society.
Social responsibility is important because it affects every person in the society, directly or indirectly. The stakeholders consist of government, employees, customers, shareholders, local communities, among others.
It is necessary for individuals and groups to monitor the activities of business organisations to know if social responsibility is being carried out and if activities of the business have a negative impact on society.
The aim of this research is to find out the impact of digital literacy on social responsibility, its benefits and possible challenges.
A business does not operate for profit making alone. It is part of a society and is expected to make its contributions towards the development of that society.
Social responsibility is important because it affects every person in the society, directly or indirectly. The stakeholders consist of government, employees, customers, shareholders, local communities, among others.
It is necessary for individuals and groups to monitor the activities of business organisations to know if social responsibility is being carried out and if activities of the business have a negative impact on society.
The aim of this research is to find out the impact of digital literacy on social responsibility, its benefits and possible challenges.
Wednesday 13 August 2008
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