British Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British Airways - Essay Example The concept of organizations developing to global citizenship has been developed in the recent past to ensure that organizations have an input on the societies they are in. Usually, the main purpose of why an organization exists is to make profit for the shareholders. However, this is not all, organizations are obliged to take care of the people that sustain it in different aspects ion order to have a corporate social responsibility. Therefore, according to the World Economic Forum, corporate global citizenship refers to the adoption of real and lasting contributions by a corporate body to societies apart from making profits for the shareholders. The organization should be able to take care of the stakeholders at all levels, these includes the customers, the suppliers, the community in which they operate, aid organizations and governments. It is becoming clear that the act of corporate global citizenship is becoming a corporate norm. The organizations have been under intense pressure to comply with the community expectations ad at the same time remain profitable, the pressure may not be direct but it is evident. This concept has in the recent years shifted from the acts of philanthropy, public relations or legal compliance to become more of a corporate strategy with an aim of creating a corporate name for the organization driven by values. It is therefore necessary for companies to adhere to these provisions in order to maintain not only a corporate image but also a social image that demonstrates to the world that the organization has an input. A company that is a good global citizen should be capable of participating in community development as well as supporting the government through developments. (Nelson, 2005).. Such a company should be able to devote its resources in developing the community around them; this ca n be majorly done through initiation of projects and programs that facilitate development. Global Citizenship Policy of British Airways The airline has reached the community in several different ways. Firstly, they have developed a charitable affiliation called Flying Start that is a joint initiative with Comic Relief. The main purpose of the aid organization is to help children undergoing through hard times across the world. The organization has left a big mark in the lives of many children and their families all around the globe. The second initiative is the establishment of a Community Learning Centre, which was opened around 1999 and has seen more than seventy eight thousand people get training (British Airways 2012). The centre has focused on training the community on information and communication technology, environmental education, language trainings, and customer service among others. The airline has also been on the forefront in supporting charitable organizations both loca lly and internationally, so far they have reached out in support for over forty organizations. One major and recurring impact has been through Dream Flight, which takes seriously ill children and disabled from the United Kingdom for a vacation to Orlando, United States. There is support accorded to street children through a program called Railway Children, several children found in the streets and especially those who live on railway platforms in the United Kingdom have benefited. The airline goes beyond to take care of the wild life through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust that takes care of orphaned wildlife in Kenya; the initiative has played a critical role in the conservation of elephants (British Airways 2012). British Airways has developed a number of partnerships with the community where they have an input in the development both within the United Kingdom and within other countries. The major areas that the airline has focused on include, in education and youth development , colleague engagements, conservation and emergencies. The staff is very instrumental in providing