Deborah Treur

BOH4M
February 2023

1.4 Corporate citizen summary

The following summary is about a company called the Bank of Montreal (BMO); this is a
bank located all over Canada and has won the corporate citizen award . BMO is number thirty-
one on the list of corporate citizen awards. In this summary, we will be looking at the four
aspects of responsibility in a company that makes them a corporate citizen: economic
responsibility, legal responsibility, ethical responsibility, and leadership responsibility.
When we look at economic responsibility, we have to ask ourselves, does this company
make enough money? Does the company give a fair portion of money to its shareholders? Does
the company treat their employees well? Does the company give quality service? The Bank of
Montreal does indeed make enough money to pay their employees and give a share to their
shareholders. Research shows that the Bank of Montreal’s payout ratio was 27%, which means
that they were able to pay their shareholders with no pressure according to the last earnings
report that was released. (Simply Wall St) This tells us that BMO earns enough to pay back their
shareholders when there is payment due. BMO is known for treating their workers well and
respectfully. The Bank encourages and empowers workers to be themselves. (Bank of Montreal)
BMO is also strong in their conduct and therefore making an excellent service for their
customers. Their conduct is integrity, empathy, diversity and responsibility, which makes the
Bank fair in their dealings with customers. (Bank of Montreal, Corporate Social Responsibility
Handbook) All together, we can see the ethical responsibility that BMO has.
Next, we will be looking at legal responsibility. Legal responsibility looks if the company
pays their taxes, labor practices, disable accessibility and so on. BMO has met these standards.
For example, BMO have made their ATM’s low enough so that people in wheelchairs can use
the ATM. (Bank of Montreal, “Accessibility Plan at BMO | BMO Bank of Montreal”) BMO has
also paid their taxes when it was due as we saw earlier. This is a strong move for a company to
be a cooperate citizen.
To be a corporate citizen you also need to be ethically responsible. Being ethically responsible
means that you do things in the right way, such as giving donations to charity organizations.
BMO fulfills this by partaking in campaigns in volunteering. (Bank of Montreal, Corporate
Social Responsibility Handbook) Every June the company holds a volunteer day where BMO’s
employees help hundreds of charities. In the fall, BMO has a few days where they learn about
people's needs around the world. BMO donates many dollars to less fortunate students for their
education. (Bank of Montreal, Corporate Social Responsibility Handbook) Here we see how
BMO is accomplishing the task of being a corporate citizen by being an ethical leader in the
community.
The last aspect of a corporate citizen is leadership responsibility. For this aspect we will be
looking to see if BMO has a responsible leadership role in the community, and if the company
seeks the better for others. BMO completes this role by using their financial resources to help lift
up the community and get tools to build the community stronger and more prosperous. (Bank of
Montreal, Corporate Social Responsibility Handbook) BMO does many other things in the
community such as donating and volunteering in the community and helping the less fortunate.
BMO is a company that takes the responsibility of being a leader and role model in a community
to empower others.
 Deborah Treur
BOH4M
February 2023

To conclude, BMO has taken many tasks and responsibilities to become a good corporate citizen.
From keeping the best of their employees in mind to helping charities and other organizations
around the world. By looking at the four aspects of responsibility for BMO, we can see why they
are listed as number thirty-one for the cooperate citizen award in Canada.
 Deborah Treur
BOH4M
February 2023

References
Bank of Montreal. “Accessibility Plan at BMO | BMO Bank of Montreal.” Www.bmo.com, 2022,

www.bmo.com/main/about-bmo/accessibility/accessibility-plan/#:~:text=Our%20ATMs

%20are%20designed%20with. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Bank of Montreal. “Behind the Scenes: The inside Scoop on How BMO Recruits, Including
Treating Our Candidates like Customers.” Bank of Montreal,
jobs.bmo.com/ca/en/blogarticle/behind-the-scenes-the-inside-scoop-on-how-bmo-
recruits-including-treating-our-candidates-like-customers.
Bank of Montreal. Corporate Social Responsibility Handbook. 2019.
Heaps, Toby. “Canada’s Best 50 Corporate Citizens 2022.” Corporate Knights, 29 June 2022,

www.corporateknights.com/rankings/best-50-rankings/2022-best-50-rankings/canadas-

best-50-corporate-citizens-of-2022-continue-to-conquer-the-markets/.

Simply Wall St. “Bank of Montreal’s (TSE:BMO) Shareholders Will Receive a Bigger Dividend
than Last Year.” Ca.style.yahoo.com, 4 Jan. 2023, ca.style.yahoo.com/bank-montreals-
tse-bmo-shareholders-142446644.html#:~:text=Bank%20of%20Montreal%20has
%20established. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.