Current events have highlighted ethical lapses and disregard for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in companies. Scandals at Volkswagen, Wells Fargo, and Turing Pharmaceuticals, as well as the 2008 mortgage crisis demonstrate the need for ethics training and CSR. Human resource development (HRD) strategies and initiatives can aid companies in improving employee awareness about ethical issues, as well as making CSR and corporate sustainability (CS) a priority. A firm's HRD function can help support organizational change by considering the organization at all levels (the board of directors, management, and first–line employees), adopting a values–based approach to ethics and responsibility that is woven into the daily operations of the firm, and assisting with the implementation of a benefit corporation model.
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