Journal Entry on CSR at Exxonmobile

¶ … ExxonMobil invested in and assessed its corporate social responsibility? In recent years, ExxonMobil (hereinafter alternatively "the company") has invested in a wide range of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives (Batruch, 2011). For instance, in 2014, the company invested around $1 billion in research and technology development for existing and next-generation energy products and sources (CSR at ExxonMobil, 2015).

In addition, besides remediating sites that are no longer used by the company, ExxonMobil also manages 7,200 acres of land exclusively for wildlife conservation and environmental awareness programs (CSR at ExxonMibil, 2015) Where has the company invested? Interestingly, many of the company's CSR initiatives have been focused on African nations, including ongoing efforts to combat infectious diseases such as the Ebola virus and promoting women's economic opportunities (CSR at ExxonMobil, 2015).

In addition, the company, together with a joint partnership (the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) recently donated millions of dollars worth of engineering equipment to the University of Uyo (Nyong, 2015). Moreover, the joint venture partners also donated audio-visual equipment (three multimedia projectors, screens and accessories, nine laptops, and internet facilities) and textbooks to the university's School of Basic Medical Sciences (Nyong, 2015).

What assessment have they used to measure the effectiveness of their programs? To their credit, and while the donations may not appear large given the enormity of the company, the report concerning the company's recent donation to the Nigerian university was published by an independent CSR clearinghouse, but many of the published accounts of the company's CSR activities have been labeled as so much greenwashing by critics (Batruch, 2011).

What has been your experience? What do other stakeholders say? Empirical observations of the company's television advertisements concerning its efforts to remediate sites it no longer uses and to conduct research into the causes and implications of global warming indicate that ExxonMobil is critically aware of its high-profile position as the largest oil and gas company in the U.S., but it is not surprising that not all observers are of a like mind when it comes to how effective or sincere these efforts have been to date.

For instance, one critic charges that even the information in the company's annual reports ignores what is damaging to ExxonMobil while highlighting everything positive the company has achieved. In this regard, Kaye (2011) points out that, "When you are as big as ExxonMobil, you will issue a sustainability or corporate social responsibility (report) on your own terms" (para. 2).

Is there a difference of opinion about the results? Where does the difference come from? A recent report issued by the company noted that peak oil is not imminent and Exxon plans to continue to market its fossil fuels well into the foreseeable future despite increasing efforts to develop renewable energy alternatives.

The report was issued in response to concerns from the company's stakeholders that CSR initiatives by Exxon would actually erode the value of its fossil fuel resources as their value to society diminished in the face of the introduction of these potential alternatives in the near future. In this regard, one critic suggested that, "Exxon is not addressing the low carbon scenario and [is].