The ever-growing social demands and the intense competitions between individuals continuously change education institutions’ behavior. This perspective comes from the socio-economic environment. Under this circumstance, more attention has been paid to Social Responsibility (SR) that all organizations need to take for the interests and welfare of the society (Vasilescu et al., 2010). When it comes to Higher Education Institutions (HEI), SR becomes the obligation of universities via responsible actions to make social and economic impacts on the society (Vallaeys, 2014). There is no denying that universities play increasingly paramount roles in a global context. The primary aim for them is to instill knowledge which has become the key driver of economic growth (Faust, 2010). From a broader perspective, universities address societal problems and bring advantages to the society where they are based. Due to the needs of attracting and retaining students, universities pay more attention to SR when they make decisions and plans (Sánchez-Hernández and Mainardes, 2016). Thus, this essay will determine the importance of being a socially responsible university, the obligation of a responsible university, together with a focus on the way a university makes its different stakeholders believe its commitment to social responsibility.
It is hard to give a precise definition of University Social Responsibility (USR). It is simply about universities show their ethical performance to the whole
In (Cohen, 2008), the author quotes (Drucker, 1946) in noting that “Every organization must assume full responsibility for its impact on its employees, the environment, customers, and whomever and whatever it touches”. According to (Cohen, 2008; Drucker, 1946), that is the very definition of social responsibility. There are many ambiguities surrounding the concept of social responsibility; everything from definition to terminology, even what actions constitute responsible behavior is unsettled (Vogel, 2005). For purposes of this paper we will use the term corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Lawrence, Anne (2010). Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy. 13th Edition. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, 2010. VitalBook file. Bookshelf.
The theory that I find true to the true nature of moral responsibility and its relation to human freedom and determinism would be compatibilism. Compatibilism is the claim that we are both determined and that we have moral responsibility (Lawhead 120).
When an organization partakes in “proactive behavior…for the benefit of society,” it is deemed as socially responsible (P. 155). However, prior to labeling a organization as socially responsible, it is important that we first identify what specific elements of proactive behavior constitute a socially responsible business. To begin, for an organization to be considered socially responsible on the highest level, it must take a proactive approach to doing business. This is defined as “[taking a] approach to social responsibility in which an organization goes beyond industry norms to solve and prevent problems” (P.155). In addition, it is standard for a socially responsible organization to incorporate a larger scope of stakeholders, to include external stakeholders, in their business decisions to create positive externalities, and mitigate negative ones, to benefit society as a whole.
Abraham Lincoln said, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today”. My responsibility to America is to take it. Being a teen in today’s culture I believe many teens think they cannot have an impact and that they don’t need to take responsibility. Of course I can mess around till November 14, 2019, the day I turn eighteen, and suddenly become a mature adult. Not exactly! I can have an impact on my neighborhood, city, the whole state, or even all of America. Defy the cliche that media conditions us to believe.
code of conduct can then be passed on to the employees with expectations for participation and
Although companies must create a social benefit to be called social responsibility, society has also benefited from various services and actions ⑤(Gina -Marie,
Therefore, information in this article is still useful today. This article is also not yet 10 years old or older; it still has recent and useful information on how some universities are participating in environmental sustainability. Like how it shows that it is some universities policies that are showing more of a drive toward integrating environmental sustainability into universities “rather than that [of] state, national, or international [policies]” (Ralph and Stubbs
Banks (2006) claims that dilemmas occur when individuals encounter two equally unwelcoming alternatives for a choice, potentially involving a conflict of moral values. The assumption is both judgements can be affirmed; it constitutes situations in which individuals need to make choices given different equally compelling moral options. However, rarely are ethical choices simple; most decisions are restricted and invokes internal conflict as dilemmas highlight the differences and those conflicts when deciding on a course of action.
Banks (2006) claims that dilemmas occur when individuals encounter two equally unwelcoming alternatives for a choice, potentially involving a conflict of moral values. The assumption is both judgements can be affirmed; it constitutes situations in which individuals need to make choices given different equally compelling moral options. However, rarely are ethical choices simple; most decisions are restricted and invokes internal conflict as dilemmas highlight the differences and those conflicts when deciding on a course of action.
Nowadays, many international companies take sustainable development seriously. They understand that sustainable development can enhance their quality of life and their reputation in public. Sustainable development is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Brundtland, 1987) Sustainability requires monitoring and managing all the person to ensure that our economy and society can continue to exist without destroying the social and natural environment during development. The sustainability includes three pillars, which are economic, social and environment, forming a triple bottom line. The triple bottom line demands that a company 's responsibility lies
Following material from Harrison (2007), this critique focuses on implications for ethics and social welfare with particular focus on a male, Tom who has been attending sessions with his social worker after being referred for assistance. Issues range from being profoundly deaf, severe facial disfigurement, epilepsy, severe alcohol dependence and limited communication skills.
Diffusion of responsibility can happen in many ways, Kelman (1973) found that responsibility is diffused, when labor is divided. When assignments are divided, they are perceived to be less harmful, and, therefore, people focus on their specific assignment and ignore the real meaning of the whole task. Diffusion of responsibility can also be seen in decisions made within a group. When decisions are made within a group, it is easier for decent people to consider behaving against their morals, because not one person is responsible for the harmful consequences. Having a group of people allows for the ambiguity of who is completely responsible, which ultimately decreases the moral control of individuals. The responsibility can always be given to
At the beginning of this course I wasn’t sure what was meant by social responsibility and civic engagement. During this course I realized the meaning of both and the responsibilities that both imply. A definition of social responsibility that I found particularly poignant and concise comes from Entrepreneur Magazine, “Acting with concern and sensitivity, aware of the impact of your actions on others, particularly the disadvantaged” (Entrepreneur Magazine.com). Social responsibility can be as simple as paying your taxes or recycling your glass bottles. Social responsibility can be as complex as finding solutions to global warming or hunger in Africa. You can be personally socially responsible or you can be socially
1. Professor Ballistico is the director of the Foodcorp Centre for Food Science at BigCity University. The Foodcorp donated the money to the University in order to set up the research centre and to fund its activities. Professor Ballistico had a recent research which showed the results of the higher risk of the additives. However, the additives in the research were common in the products of the Foodcorp. The main ethical issue is that if Professor Ballistico publishes the results, it is possible that the Foodcorp will go trouble and the funding to the University will be affected. The University relies on the funding. If the results are not published, the responsibility to report the risks of the additives of Professor Ballistico will be