Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a business model that emphasizes businesses’ obligation to be socially responsible and to give back to the community (David, 2013). The concept especially applies to large corporations: as they grow and expand, they accumulate a great deal of power that depending on its use, can be restorative or detrimental. Because of their influence, large corporations need to shift their focus from profit to sustainability and find ways to contribute to social causes. While in the short-term, being socially responsible can result in unwanted expenses, such a strategy is likely to yield benefits in the long run. Shaverien (2018) explains that today, customers’ expectations are changing: they are becoming more into conscious consumption, for which it is critical to check a company’s background and practices. As reported by Shaverien (2018), as many as 71% of young customers say that they would stop using a company’s products or services if they found out about a scandal or a controversy.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has already made social responsibility part of its mission and vision, which is the right decision. Firstly, Chipotle is a large restaurant chain with plenty of resources that can be used for meeting higher ends other than financial profit. Secondly, because the company serves food, it is a contributor to public health in the US and other countries where it is operating at the moment. Right now, Chipotle is focusing on ethically sourced production from farms that do not use pesticides and antibiotics. It makes sure that cooking technology is clean and healthy. Potentially, Chipotle could extend the list of causes that it supports and branch out in response to relevant social problems.
References
David, F.R. (2013). Strategic management concepts: A competitive advantage approach. Pearson.
Shaverien, A. (2018). Consumers do care about retailers’ ethics and brand purpose, Accenture research finds. Forbes.