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Continuous Assessment Task: Cocoa industry community social responsibility (CSR)
Abbreviations
CSRCommunity social responsibility
– Introduction
– Background
Nestle company has had a long history dating back to 1867 in the UK when it was founded by Henri Nestle to supply the infants supplements to supplement children of mothers who could not breast feed to date when the company’s supply products to the global market.
Nestle opened its first factory in south Africa in 1927 and since then the company’s various products have been in use in the entire African continent. The company currently boosts of directly employing over 11500 people and thousands of others are indirectly employed through the company’s distribution channel .
The company imports most of its main raw material (Cocoa) from Ghana and Ivory Coast. In Ivory Coast for instance Cocoa farmers have been using child labor in the farmers. Young children some aged 7 have been trafficked from the neighboring countries to offer cheap labor in the farms. These children are exposed to worst condition; they are beaten, work for long hours, they are not given sufficient for and denied education.
– Definition
Corporate social responsibility: which is defined as a model in which organizations include the social and environmental issues in their business processes and engagement with the company’s stakeholders on a voluntary ground
– Aim and Overview :
The aim of this report is to investigate the extent to which Nestle Company have gone in fulfilling its corporate social responsibility in its supply chain and particularly in fighting the child labor and slavery in the cocoa farms in West Africa.
– Methodology
The paper uses the desktop research methodology to investigate the various social and economic issues raised pertaining to the cocoa industry and the role of particularly Nestle Company in addressing the raised issues in the society as a means of fulfilling its corporate social responsibility.

Some of the resources used include.

– (The Dark side of chocolate, 2010)
This source is a video represent the child labor issues in its real shape and it gives a whole idea of the slavery and trafficking in West Africa and put the chocolate manufactures on the spot particularly Nestle. This Video provides a background information and shade light on how the situation is on the ground.
– (Slavery in the chocolate industry, ND)
This article is a reinforcement of the video clip and describes the conditions children are exposed in the Cocoa farms. This article focus on the reasons behind cocoa industry issues ( Child labor and slavery) in west Africa and it illustrates the risks children take when they are forced to work as slaves in cocoa farms. The article gives recommendation to the government, companies and agencies dealing on the issues of child labor and child trafficking.
– Working towards responsible labour standards for cocoa growing-April 2012
The article was written by the international cocoa initiative and gives an insight into the tedious processes cocoa go through before its exportation to manufacturing companies. This report would guide in understanding the situation these children are exposed to which warrant urgent intervention from the companies and other stakeholders.
– (Child slavery and chocolate: All too easy to find, ND)
This source is an article about a team of CNN journalists who have done a deep investigation in child labor, slavery and trafficking in the Ivory Coast and they have found that these issues are widespread in the well-known brands it would be useful through-out the report.
– (Nestle sets out actions to address child labor in response to Fair Labor Association report on the company’s cocoa supply chain, 2012 )
This source is an article about the actions which Nestlé has taken to address child labor in response to recommendations from Fair Labor Association(FLA) which made Nestle to form a plan called ” Nestle action plan” in order to prevent the use of child labor in its supply chain, and it contains the achievement that was made by Nestle so far.
– (Addressing child labor in Nestlé’s cocoa supply chain in Cote D’ivoire, 2013 )
This source is a report which contain a significant information of addressing child labor in Nestlé’s cocoa supply chain in Cote D’ivoire and what Nestle have done in its sphere of influence to solve what have been called the worst forms of child labor (WFCL). It would be useful for my report as an example of how chocolate manufactures as Nestle collaborate with stakeholders and organizations such as Fair Labor Association (FLA) to solve this issue in cocoa industry .
– Findings
According to the video documentary by Bastard production (2010) shows motion pictures of the children working in the cocoa plantations and the presence of the illegal child trafficking from the neighboring countries. The issue is well known in the area but still the authorities still deny the knowledge of it. Companies like Nestle who have been buying produce from the farms also deny and exonerated themselves from the responsibilities of ensuring a fair labor practices in the farms. The joint statement from the companies is that its not their business to know what goes on in the farm but lies with agencies in the affected country to ensure labor laws are effected .
According to the report in foodispower. org website titled, “ Slavery in the Chocolate Industry”, they expose the ordeal children go through in the cocoa farm. The article exposes what the children go through; forced to work for long hours with little pay, they are physically assaulted if they are perceived to be lazy, they are exposed to dangerous industrial chemicals used to control pests, they sleep in deplorable conditions, and feed on cheap available food which do not provide the necessary nutritional value. Furthermore they are denied education.

Conclusion

In spite of the engagement of big companies like Nestle the labor issues have not been dealt with adequately to an acceptable standard. The company’s has not clearly exercised its corporate social responsibility on in a bid to influencing the situation in the labor market
Through the development of policies the government has shown considerable willingness to tackle the labor issues in cocoa farms. But policies alone are not enough to fight the vice. The government needs to deploy resources to fight the vice. Companies need to take their corporate social responsibility serious and endeavor to better the lives of its stakeholders.

References

cocoainitiative. org, 2012. Working towards responsible labour standards for cocoa growing. [Online] Available at: http://www. cocoainitiative. org/images/stories/pdf/ICI_Leaflets_presentations/ICI_Information_Kit_-_April_2012_-_Cocoa_-_From_trees_to_treats. pdf [Accessed 4 December 2013].
foodempowermentproject, 2012. Slavery in the Chocolate Industry’. [Online] Available at: http://www. foodispower. org/slavery-in-the-chocolate-industry/ [Accessed 4 December 2013].
McKenzie, D. & Swails, B., 2012. Child slavery and chocolate: All too easy to find. [Online] Available at: http://thecnnfreedomproject. blogs. cnn. com/2012/01/19/child-slavery-and-chocolate-all-too-easy-to-find/ [Accessed 4 December 2013].
Nestle. com, 2013. History. [Online] Available at: http://www. nestle. co. uk/aboutus/nestle-history [Accessed 4 December 2013].
NestléR&DCenter, 2012. Addressing Child Labor in Nestlé’s Cocoa Supply Chain in Côte d’Ivoire. [Online] Available at: http://www. fairlabor. org/sites/default/files/documents/reports/nestle_cocoa_consultation. pdf [Accessed 4 December 2013].
PRODUCTION, B. F., 2010. The Dark Side of Chocolate. [Online] Available at: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v= 7Vfbv6hNeng [Accessed 4 December 2013].
wbcsd. org, 2013. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). [Online] Available at: http://www. wbcsd. org/work-program/business-role/previous-work/corporate-social-responsibility. aspx [Accessed 4 December 2013].