Major Takeaways Of Bill Lee Company Corporate Culture

The first major takeaways from class came from Bill Lee’s talk about the business strategy of Lee Company. The first point was Lee Company has been successful due to its diversity of revenues. Lee Company conducts new construction and service commercially and provides residential heating and cooling services, amongst other things. The second major takeaway was learning about the Lee Company corporate culture. Mr. Lee described the culture as his mission. The culture is of trust and open communication of strategy. Mr. Lee’s ultimate goal is for Lee Company employees’ to be exposed to the love of God and inspired to live life fully. The final major takeaway from Mr. Lee’s presentation was the differentiators of Lee Company: trust, ethical decision-making, investment in employees, technology, transparency, speed, customer relationships, etc.

Some believe CSR is disingenuous and a disservice to shareholders. Critics believe business practices intended to grow the business are not CSR, regardless if there seen as environmentally-friendly, humane, etc. Advocates of CSR believe the power of business is to do well and make society better; which is best done by fully incorporating CSR in business models. Professor Ivey summed up this idea by stressing CSR should be conducted strategically, not just ethically. He emphasized you must understand the financial implications of CSR, evaluate its risk, and consider your obligation to stakeholders. He stated CSR practices should bring in enough return on equity to warrant continuation. CSR looks easy, but financially it is difficult. Thus, business leaders should consider the multiple dimensions relating to CSR. Finally, Professor Ivey recommended business leaders start objectively (i.e., finances) and then move on to subjective criteria when considering