Abstract: With the increasingly cruel and fierce market competition, corporate image has become an important means of enterprise competition, but from the current situation of corporate image construction in China, there are many misunderstandings and problems.
Enterprises should revise their own behaviors according to the expectations and requirements of the public and refer to the standards of corporate social responsibility, so as to create a corporate image full of social responsibility. This paper discusses the specific content and concept of corporate image construction based on social responsibility.
[Keywords:] social responsibility; Corporate image; mould
I. Proposing topics
With the globalization of global economy, today's market competition is increasingly cruel and fierce. More and more enterprises are familiar with the competition in 2 1 century, which is not only the competition of product quality and price, promotion means and advertising marketing skills, but also the competition of corporate image. For a modern enterprise, the corporate image is directly related to the survival of the enterprise. A good corporate image can make enterprises gain public trust and support, enhance their financing ability, help their products occupy the market and improve their economic benefits; Externally, it can enhance the cohesion of enterprises, help enterprises recruit talents and improve their core competitiveness.
At present, most enterprises in China have realized the importance and necessity of corporate image construction, and have carried out corporate image construction in a certain sense. However, judging from the current situation of corporate image construction in China, there are many misunderstandings and problems in the process of corporate image construction due to misunderstanding or failure to really understand the connotation of corporate image, which are highlighted as "self-creation" and "visualization" of corporate image construction. The so-called "self-control" means that enterprises do not conduct extensive and in-depth investigations on the market when shaping their own image, do not expect to know the public, make a subjective guess behind closed doors, and artificially create a set of images; "Visualization" means that some enterprises equate the design of corporate external signs with corporate image building, overemphasize VI (English expression is visualidentity, that is, corporate visual identity system), and simply think that as long as a loud corporate slogan is put forward and the code of conduct for employees is formulated, the dress of the same employee is corporate image building, which leads to corporate image building becoming a mere formality. Therefore, how to shape corporate image and how to successfully shape corporate image has always been a hot topic of concern in business and academic circles.
The so-called modern corporate image is a reflection of corporate personality and reputation in the public mind, a reflection of corporate social recognition and acceptance, and a comprehensive reflection and external reflection of corporate culture. Specifically: First, corporate image is the overall evaluation of the enterprise by the public, and it is the sum of various specific evaluations. The specific evaluation constitutes a specific image, and the overall evaluation is combined into a whole image. Second, the public is the evaluator of corporate image. Their evaluation acts on the enterprise and affects the corporate image. Third, the corporate image comes from the performance of the enterprise itself. The public's impression of the enterprise is not created out of thin air, but based on the performance of the enterprise, and the enterprise adjusts its performance according to the public's evaluation [1]. Accordingly, it can be said that the public is the key to corporate image building. Their expectations and requirements for the enterprise are the elements of the corporate image. When their wishes are realized, their demands are met, and corporate image building is completed. In today's society, a very popular word "corporate social responsibility" just reflects the public's expectations and requirements for enterprises.
The concept of "corporate social responsibility" (hereinafter referred to as CSR) was first put forward by American scholar Sheldon in 1924. After more than half a century of debate and debate, it was recognized and supported by many scholars and enterprises in the 1990s. In the late 1990s, China South Locomotive gradually embarked on the road of institutionalized development. SA 8000 was formulated and popularized by American Social Responsibility International Corporation (SA I) in 1997, and it is the first social responsibility standard in the world that can be used for third-party certification. It objectively provides a mirror to measure corporate social responsibility, so it has been widely concerned since it came out, and its influence has involved enterprises of different sizes in various industries around the world. In recent years, the number of certified enterprises has increased at an annual rate of 62% [2], and many multinational companies have also audited their suppliers or requested certification according to this standard in their global procurement activities. This standard has also had a great impact on China as a "world factory", and many enterprises in China have been or are in the process of certification. As an irreversible social trend, corporate social responsibility reflects the expectations and requirements of society and the public for enterprises in a certain sense, and its essence is the external moral constraint of society on various behaviors of enterprises under the background of economic globalization. In 2003, the results of the interactive questionnaire survey of Weida showed that when Americans learned that a company had negative behaviors in social responsibility, as many as 965,438+0% people would consider buying the products or services of another company, 85% people would tell their family and friends this information, 83% people would refuse to invest in the company, and 80% people would refuse to work in the company. Therefore, enterprises must modify their behavior according to the standards of corporate social responsibility and shape the corporate image full of social responsibility.
Second, the content of corporate social responsibility and elements of corporate image
Today, the definition of corporate social responsibility is still different. A concept that has been widely quoted so far was put forward by Carol in 1979, that is, "corporate social responsibility includes the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary perspectives of society on economic organizations in a specific period." Carol thinks that this is a pyramid structure, with economic responsibility as the basis and the largest proportion, legal responsibility, ethical responsibility and discretionary responsibility (such as charity, etc. ) decreases in turn. Specifically, corporate social responsibility generally consists of four elements: economic responsibility, legal responsibility, moral responsibility and social responsibility. First, economic responsibility. Economic responsibility is the basic responsibility of enterprises. Its main meaning is that in order to make profits, enterprises must produce products that members of society need, that is, enterprises can benefit members of society while pursuing the maximization of their own profits. Second, legal responsibility. Legal responsibility is the minimum responsibility that enterprises must perform under the condition of market economy. Its meaning is that the production and operation activities of enterprises must abide by the provisions of the law and must pursue the maximization of economic benefits within the scope of legal commitments. Third, moral responsibility. The meaning of moral responsibility means that under the condition of market economy, enterprise activities should follow the ethical standards and norms advocated by society, which mainly include basic contents such as independence, equal trading, honesty and trustworthiness, and environmental protection.
Fourth, charitable responsibility. For enterprises, social donation is to fulfill charitable responsibility, which means that enterprises participate in non-mandatory or non-legal or moral social donation activities from altruistic moral responsibility, and strive to meet the social requirements for enterprises to become excellent corporate citizens. Many enterprise practices have proved that integrating social responsibility into the business development process of enterprises will benefit the public, the environment and the whole society, and this commitment of corporate responsibility will be respected and supported by the society, which will enable enterprises to gain a favorable position in the competition and have a positive impact on the sustainable development of enterprises. The famous Shell oil exploration and exploitation project in the Gulf of Mexico is a successful example. For a long time, the coast of Mexico has been facing serious coastal corrosion and destruction. Because Shell has unparalleled leading technology in this field, Shell has taken the initiative to assume the social responsibility for the management and protection of the Mexican coast, devoted itself to the coastal protection plan in the Gulf of Mexico, and finally solved this problem, thus protecting the local environment. As a result, the company also obtained the oil exploration right in this area and won huge trade profits.
From the above contents of corporate social responsibility, it can be concluded that enterprises should focus on shaping four images when shaping their self-image: corporate economic image, corporate legal image, corporate moral image and corporate charity image.
Third, the four specific contents of corporate image building
1. Corporate economic image. The economic image of an enterprise is its essential image. Essentially, an enterprise is an economic organization that is market-oriented and takes profit as its main purpose, and engages in commodity production and business activities. It should and must create wealth for the country and society and serve the country with industry. If an enterprise loses money every year, its benefits are poor, its products are piled up in the warehouse, its assets are insolvent, its employees' benefits are extremely poor, and it occupies a lot of resources of the country and society, but it does not contribute to the country and society, but becomes a burden of the country and society. What is the image of such an enterprise in the eyes of the public? Therefore, enterprises must first shape their own economic image, and to do this, we must work hard in products, technology and governance, so the economic image of enterprises specifically includes product image, technology image and governance image. Products are the link between enterprises and the public. The product image directly affects the public's feelings about the enterprise. If you like it or not, it will also cause support, cooperation or opposition. Product image is a whole including product design, appearance, name, trademark, packaging and quality. The product design function requires completeness, simplicity and practicality.
Use; Elegant and beautiful appearance, rich decoration; The name is easy to read and remember, eye-catching, associative and in line with the public buying mentality; Beautiful and exquisite packaging, easy to carry, store and transport; Excellent product quality, so that the public can buy and use with confidence; The trademark is unique, full of beauty and flavor of the times; The level of scientific and technological equipment is a prerequisite for determining the quality and performance of products, so it is also an important factor restricting the corporate image. Only those enterprises with strong scientific and technological strength and advanced technology and equipment can produce high-quality brand-name products that are well-known in the market and lay a solid foundation for shaping the image of brand-name enterprises in the public mind, which requires enterprises to increase investment, innovate constantly and maintain a leading position in technology; Corporate governance is the synthesis of a series of corporate governance, such as personnel governance, financial governance, production governance, quality governance, equipment governance and on-site governance. It is not only related to the normal production order, the standardization of post system, the exertion of production capacity and the level of professional ethics, but also directly related to the quality of the project, which requires scientific, standardized, efficient and humanized management. Haier Group in China is a typical successful example. It is guided by the scientific ruling idea.
At present, we are brave in innovation and constantly introduce new products according to market changes. In the end, we will rapidly grow from a loss-making local enterprise to a world-class well-known brand enterprise and become the "leader" of China household appliances.
2. Corporate legal image. The legal image of an enterprise is the conditional image of an enterprise. In a society and era ruled by law, the behavior of any social component (organization or individual) is under the supervision of law, and they must respect and obey the law. Otherwise, it will be punished by law, and enterprises are no exception. Enterprises must bring their own production and operation into the scope of law, operate properly, have the courage to undertake various legal responsibilities and obligations, and fulfill their responsibilities as "social citizens" to society, so that enterprises can survive. To create a law-abiding corporate image, first of all, enterprises should hire child labor in strict accordance with the requirements of labor law, provide healthy and safe working environment for employees, and avoid work-related injuries; Pay wages and salaries in full and on time in accordance with the minimum amount stipulated by laws or industries; Sign a fair labor contract with employees and respect their personality; Protect the legitimate rights and interests of employees and so on. Secondly, as a responsible corporate citizen, enterprises should also be responsible to consumers, and produce products that will not harm consumers' physical and mental health and have qualified and guaranteed quality in accordance with the Food Hygiene Law and other relevant laws; Products with quality defects and potential safety hazards should be recalled according to the system; The harm and damage caused by products to consumers can be handled according to relevant laws and regulations, and the responsibility cannot be shirked. Thirdly, enterprises should treat and discharge sewage, waste gas and other substances that may cause harm to the environment in accordance with the requirements of environmental laws and regulations. Pay taxes according to law, and don't evade taxes [5].
3. Corporate moral image. The enterprise moral image is the intermediate image of the enterprise. This kind of image is a higher-level image created by the public on the basis of the legal image of the enterprise, which is in line with the current situation and actively shaped by the public. The motivation of this image-building is driven by moral responsibility or moral pressure, which is not guaranteed by state coercion. Therefore, not every enterprise will carry out this kind of image-building, which is largely manifested in the active behavior of the enterprise and is based on the long-term interests of the enterprise. For example, enterprises should not only protect employees' basic rights according to law, but also create conditions for employees' development and value realization, such as strengthening employee training, providing welfare and social security, and meeting employees' spiritual needs. Secondly, enterprises should not only take effective measures to protect the environment in accordance with the provisions of the law, but also take the initiative to assume social responsibility for environmental protection in accordance with higher requirements and standards; Thirdly, on the basis of providing consumers with safe and qualified products, enterprises should adapt to consumers' higher standards and meet consumers' needs by realizing customer value and improving customer satisfaction. In addition, as an economic organization, an enterprise should not only meet the needs of employees and consumers, but also respond to the needs of the public in the community where the enterprise is located and actively participate in community construction. For example, adding preservatives to food has always been a common practice in the food industry, and consumers are also at ease. Mr. Henry Hawkins, general manager of Henry Food Processing Factory Industrial Company in the United States, suddenly found that food additives were toxic from laboratory reports. If they enter the human body with food for a long time, it will inevitably cause harm to the body. However, if this is made public, it will cause strong opposition from peers. After much consideration, out of the moral sense of being responsible to consumers, he finally resolutely announced to the public that preservatives are toxic and harmful to the body. This is like stirring up a hornet's nest, which has been attacked and resisted by all bosses engaged in food processing, and the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. However, it is this moral sense of being responsible to consumers that has enabled the company to regain its vitality in a short time and become the first in the food processing industry in the United States.
4. Corporate charity image. The corporate charity image is the advanced image of the enterprise. It is an enterprise that spontaneously assumes some social responsibilities out of human instinct, completely out of fraternity and voluntariness, without any constraints, thus establishing an image in the public mind. Enterprises undertake these social responsibilities (such as education, sports, culture, environmental protection, charity, etc.), which are not bound by law and morality, and are completely voluntary behaviors of enterprises, which are the brilliance of human nature. For example, Shanghai Jiaotong University Only Co., Ltd. is not a sports organization, but as a high-tech enterprise engaged in health, the company not only actively supports a number of sports events, but also vigorously promotes the development of national fitness campaigns, and has set up "Only Healthy Corners" in several parks in Shanghai for people's fitness and entertainment, which has been welcomed and praised by people from all walks of life and established a good corporate image. Of course, enterprises without charity will not be punished by law, but will be criticized and accused by all sectors of society, seriously damaging the corporate image. Therefore, a far-sighted enterprise should engage in some social charitable undertakings to the maximum extent within its ability to establish a charitable image of the enterprise.
Fourth, the concept that should be established when shaping the four major images of enterprises
1. Scientific view. When shaping corporate image, we should treat these four images as a whole, and no image can be called a complete corporate image. On the basis of legal image, enterprises should strive to create an economic image with scientific governance, innovation, advanced technology and products that are well received by consumers, and strive to create a caring and responsible enterprise that dares to assume various social responsibilities. If an enterprise abandons its economic image and blindly does charity, it can't be called an enterprise, and its charity will be terminated because of the shortage of funds. Therefore, enterprises should correctly handle the relationship between these four images.
2. Long-term perspective. As a systematic project, the shaping of corporate image, especially moral image and charity image, cannot be achieved overnight, nor can it be done once and for all. It needs the persistent persistence of enterprises, and enterprises should adjust their behaviors in time according to the development of the times and society and the changes of the market and consumers, so as to maintain a good image consistently. At the same time, the shaping of corporate image, especially charity image, requires a lot of investment from enterprises, which may not bring obvious economic returns to enterprises in the short term. It requires enterprises to continue to pay a lot of money from the long-term interests, and it is impossible to shape the image only by one or two charitable donations.
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