RUNNING HEAD: MY CHICAGO EXPERIENCE

Patriann Monteith
International College of the Cayman Islands

GR 509
Research Paper
My Chicago Experience
Lecturer: Dr. David Marshall
26 June 2016

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Abstract
This paper explores the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility as it relates to my Chicago
experience that took place on 17 May to 23 May 2016. The aim of this research is to reach is to
identify the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility as it relates to community service for
a business.
This research used a lecture that was presented to the 2016 Seminar group and personal
experience in regards to community service as it relates to Corporate Social Responsibility. The
lecture and personal experience of community service suggest that Corporate Social
Responsibility is a critical factor needed in order for a business to survive. The lectures further
suggest that is it uncommon to hear of a business that does not practice Corporate Social
Responsibility.

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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................. 4
Topic Exploration........................................................................................................... 6
My Chicago Experience................................................................................................... 7
Lecture from Allstate and community service activity.........................................................7
Cornerstone Community Outreach................................................................................. 8
Application of Learning................................................................................................. 10
Limitations.................................................................................................................. 12
Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 13
References.................................................................................................................. 14

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Introduction
At the University College of the Cayman Islands, there are opportunities to obtain credits
for required courses in the form of attending an International Seminar. For the spring semester,
the International Seminar was in Chicago from the 17th - 23rd of May led by ICCI's president,
Mr. David Marshall. The Intentional Seminar consisted of 17 students of undergraduates and
graduates. As a graduate student, this was an opportunity to explore a topic of personal and
professional interest that will enhance your MBA degree.
The International Seminar consisted of the students participating in lectures that were
being presented by individuals within their respective field. Additionally, there were
opportunities to participate in community service projects as it related to Corporate Social
Responsibility.
On the 18th May 2016, we visited Chicago City Hall where we had the opportunity to
visit Ms. Roxanne Nava who is the Chief Small Business Officer for the Department of Business
Affairs and Consumer Protection. From there, we visited the National Louis University and were
given lectures from Professor James Nowotarski, Professor Michael Fontaine and Ms. Sue
Acosta. To end the day off, we had an evening session where we were given a lecture by Dr.
Edghill-Walden on Diversity and its role in business development.
On 19th May 2016, we visited the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The CME is a
combination of exchanges from Chicago and New York. From there, we visited DePaul
University and received lectures from the School of New Learning Dean Marixsa Alicea,
Director of the Institute for Business and Professional Ethics, Dr. Summer Brown, Wicklander
Chair in Professional Ethics, Dr. Darrylinn Todd and Associate Director of International
Admission, Antonia Creteanu.

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For the graduate program, the assignment for 20th May 2016, was a mentorship meeting.
Due to not being able to find a mentor that could meet with me physically in the Chicago area, I
went with the undergraduate class to the YMCA to hear a lecture on Corporate Social
Responsibility Ms. Laura Freveletti, Senior Manager, Community Engagement for Allstate and
President - elect of the Corporate Responsibility Group of Chicago and to participate in a
community service activity.
On the 21st May 2016, the International Seminar class volunteered at the Cornerstone
Community Outreach, and it was an amazing experience. Cornerstone Community Outreach
(CCO), an Illinois not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1989 to raise the quality of life for
low-income residents in the Uptown area of Chicago(Cornerstone Community Outreach. (n.d.).

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Topic Exploration
My topic of exploration is Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is
a business practice that encompasses economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary expectations that
society has of the organization. Organizations should strive to make profit, obey the law, be
ethical and be a good corporate citizen. The practice of corporate social responsibility has been
improving over the years, however, it more of an identification of what an organizations
responsibilities are. Organizations have acknowledged that they have responsibilities to the
society of which it is a part of, but what are they doing to ensure that they fulfill these
responsibilities. This is where the concept of corporate social responsiveness comes into play.
Corporate social responsiveness is an action based variant of corporate social responsibility
(Carroll and Buchholtz, 2015).

Corporate Social Responsibility includes actions external to the business such as

participating in community development and supporting environmentally friendly issues
(Sekajipo, L. D. 2010). As it relates to my Chicago experience, I will be focusing on the action
of community service as it relates Corporate Social Responsibility.

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My Chicago Experience
As it relates to topic exploration of Corporate Social Responsibility, I will be discussing
the lecture that was presented to the Seminar Group on 20 May, 2016, by Ms. Laura Freveletti,
Senior Manager, Community Engagement for Allstate and President - elect of the Corporate
Responsibility Group of Chicago and to participate in a community service activity and a visit to
the Cornerstone Community Outreach.

Lecture from Allstate and community service activity

It was fulfilling to see how involved Allstate is in regards to giving back to the
community. They have two signature issues they support which are domestic violence and youth
empowerment. Allstate participates in many volunteer activities that contribute to their program
regarding domestic violence and youth empowerment. It also raises awareness about these
issues. The reason why Allstate being involved in the community was so exciting to me because
my current place of work, DMS, is involved with giving back to the community. DMS
participates in community service activities as often as possible. Employees are given 16
working hours annually to volunteer that time to community service activities. About a month
ago, DMS participated in the Earth Day clean up by volunteering to clean a beach in the District
of Bodden.
Once the lecture given to the Seminar class was concluded, we were given an opportunity
to participate in a community service activity at the YMCA. The community service activity was
the highlight of my day due me being very passionate about community service. I am a part of a
nonprofit community service club called the Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman. The club gives
back to the community of the Cayman Islands in many ways such as fundraising for school

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supplies for children in need, participating in beach cleanups, and providing support to the
NCVO, etc. Due to me being very passionate about community service, I found it very
disheartening and disappointing to hear other volunteers from the Seminar complaining about
participation. I feel that coming from a country that is very fortune and not being exposed to
other places that are less fortunate has allowed them not to realize how much it means to the
individuals and organizations we are giving back to.

Cornerstone Community Outreach

On the 21st May 2016, the Seminar group volunteered at the Cornerstone Community
Outreach. Cornerstone Community Outreach (CCO), an Illinois not-for-profit organization, was
founded in 1989 to raise the quality of life for low-income residents in the Uptown area of
Chicago.
We were fortunate enough to assist with what is called the Dinner guest program and
the Good bag program. The dinner program is where a free nutritious meal is provided to the
individuals and families that live at the Cornerstone Community Outreach Center. We were able
to help prepare the food and also serve them to the individuals and families. The good bag
program is where residents in the neighborhood can come the center to and shop through
hundreds of foods and choose what they need. The preparation for these programs involved
sweeping and mopping the center, organizing food into boxes, cutting up the food they needed to
be served and washing dishes.

As I spoke to some of my classmates today, I realized that majority of them do not realize
that in the Cayman Islands there are homeless individuals and families. The media and

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community of the Cayman Islands does not talk about this so not everyone is aware of this issue.
There are programs in the Cayman Islands that assist the homeless such as the Red Cross.
However, I do not believe that this is enough. There is so much more as community that we can
do for individuals and families who are facing difficult times in their lives. The Meals on Wheels
program in the Cayman Islands is similar to Corner Stone Outreach but it only assists the elderly
and disabled. This program is amazing in the Cayman Islands and it is never short of volunteers;
however, it does not assist with individuals and families that are homeless or those who are
facing financial difficulties. Those individuals facing financial difficulties may not be homeless,
but they may not being eating every day or dont have electricity, etc.

Some of the students that participated in the community service project complained about
participation. Once again I found this very disheartening and disappointing.

Despite being disheartened and disappointed on both days of the community service
projects, I learned that not everyone will be not want to give back to the community in the form
of community service. This is something that holds true in regards employees of a business. Not
everyone participates in a community service project and in most cases, it is not mandatory for
employees of the business to participate.

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10

Application of Learning
I am a huge advocate for Corporate Social Responsibility as it related to community
service. When I first came back on Island after obtaining my bachelors degree at an overseas
institutions, I wanted to do something that would keep me active and involved with the
community. I researched the community services clubs in the Cayman Islands for young people
and the club that stood out to be was Rotaract. A friend of mine started attending Rotaract
meetings and invited me to attend along with her. After attending numerous meetings and be
volunteering for community service events, I became an active member. Currently, I am serving
on the board as Secretary and for the 2016/2017 Rotaract year, I will be serving as Vice
President.

Rotaract has not only enabled me to give back to the community and make a positive
change, it has also helped be to grow personally and professionally. Being a part of Rotaract has
helped me to come out of my shell to transition into a leader. This has also lead to my growth
professionally.

Due to being apart of Rotaract, it has me be more aware of the programs that assist with
individuals in need within the community of the Cayman Islands. As stated earlier, there are
programs in the Cayman Islands that assist the homeless such as the Red Cross. However, I do
not believe that this is enough. The Meals on Wheels program in the Cayman Islands is similar to
Corner Stone Outreach but it only assists the elderly and disabled. The program does not assist
with individuals and families that are homeless or those who are facing financial difficulties.

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11

From the experience with Cornor Stone Outreach and knowledge that there is not a program that
does not assist with individuals and families that are homeless or those who are facing financial
difficulties, along with Rotaract, I would like to form a program that assist individuals that are
homeless and who are facing financial difficulties. I would like this to be done similar to the
Wheels on Wheels program where food is provided, however, I would like the food to be
provided twice a day, lunch and dinner. Once the program does well, the option of breakfast will
be added.

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12

Limitations
The limitation to my Chicago experience was will not being able to gain access to
professional individuals who can provide valuable information towards my research. A module
of the International Seminar for the graduate program is to conduct an interview with a
professional in Chicago that is relation to your topic of personal and professional
interest. Initially, my topic was the advancement of women in the workplace. Due to not being
able to find a mentor that could meet with me physically in the Chicago area, I went with the
undergraduate class to the YMCA to listen to a lecture on Corporate Social Responsibility Ms.
Laura Freveletti. Despite many attempts, I was unable to secure an interview with a professional
in Chicago due to scheduling.

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13

Conclusion
Corporate Social Responsibility is an important aspect in regards to success for a
business. Business may find that if they do not incorporate social responsibility into their culture,
they will not have the support of their stakeholders which can possibly lead to the end of the
business. Times have changes, and so have the needs and wants of stakeholders. One of the most
current needs and wants is in regards to giving back to the community. In order for a business to
remain successful within its respective industry, it needs to have a program in place where the
business gives back to the community.

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14

References
1. Carroll, Archie B. & Buchholtz, Ann K. (2015). Business & Society Ethics,
Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management 9th Edition. Stamford, CT: Cengage
Learning
2. Sekajipo, L. D. (2010). A quantitative study of the role of corporations in managing
corporate social responsibility (Order No. 3446507). Available from ProQuest
Dissertations & Theses Global. (856599124). Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezp-02.lirn.net/docview/856599124?accountid=158672

3. Cornorstone Community Outreach. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ccolife.org/